BROOKINGS, S.D.—South Dakota State redshirt freshman running back Pierre Strong carried 17 times for 253 yards and three scores in leading the fifth-ranked Jackrabbits to a 49-27 win against South Dakota Saturday in the regular season finale at Dykhouse Stadium.
It was the fourth win in a row for the Jacks (8-2, 6-2 MVFC), who have likely played their way into a top-eight seed and a first-round bye when the FCS playoff bracket is announced Sunday. The Coyotes finish 2018 with a 4-7 record including a 3-5 mark in conference play.
South Dakota quarterback
Austin Simmons completed 34 of 58 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two scores. The 58 attempts are the second-most in program history and it came on a slick, snowy field with temperatures barely reaching 20 degrees. Junior wide out
Shamar Jackson tied his own single-game record with 11 catches and had a game-high 111 yards, his second 100-yard game of the season.
The Jacks ran 15 plays in the first quarter for 248 yards to jump out to a 28-7 lead. Strong's first carry of the game went for a 30-yard touchdown that made it 7-0. His fourth carry was a 73-yard scamper on the first play of a drive that gave SDSU a 14-7 lead. Strong iced the game late with a 46-yard touchdown run with 3:33 left that was the final score of the game.
South Dakota scored the first time it touched it, marching 65 yards on five plays capped by a Simmons 3-yard touchdown toss to tight end
Brett Samson. USD's defense got a couple of stops in the second quarter, but disaster struck just before halftime. On a 3
rd-and-14 play from his own 44 inside of 50 seconds with the clock running, Simmons had the ball stripped as he raised up to throw a pass. SDSU's Ryan Earith recovered the fumble on the USD 26, and two players later, quarterback Taryn Christion ran over the left side from 16 yards out to make it 35-7 near the first-half horn.
It was one of two turnovers the Coyotes committed in the first half. An interception by Marshon Harris set up a 34-yard scoring drive that pushed SDSU's lead to 21-7 towards the end of the first quarter.
SDSU played turnover free, but did rack up 145 yards in penalties. The Jacks also made a number of stops in short-yardage situations that ended South Dakota drives and kept points off the board. Late in the second quarter, for example, the Coyotes had 1
st-and-goal from the 2 and came away with no points. An incomplete pass, a run for a loss of three, and two more incompletions from the 5 kept the score 28-7.
The total yardage was similar, but the Jacks, behind Strong, were far more efficient. They ran 53 plays for 495 yards for an average of 9.3 yards a play. The Coyotes ran 98 plays for 445 yards. In addition to passing for nearly 300 yards, Simmons ran 17 times for 79. Running back
Kai Henry ran 11 times for 37 yards.
The Coyotes were without leading receiver
Dakarai Allen for the first time this season due to injury. He was seven catches shy of the program's single-season record of 55.
Caleb Vander Esch caught six passes for 58 yards. Sophomore tight end
Connor Herrmann had four catches for 43 yards including a tough, 17-yard touchdown catch from Simmons that made it a two-score game with 6:09 left to play. It was Herrmann's first collegiate score and he became the 10
th Coyote to catch a touchdown from Simmons this season.
Win-loss record aside, it was an impressive debut for Simmons who waited two years behind
Chris Streveler before taking the reins of the Coyote offense this season. He finished with 3,124 yards passing, the second-highest total in program history. He threw 18 touchdowns and added another five on the ground. If you take out the yardage lost in sacks, Simmons was the Coyotes' leading rusher this season with 549 yards.
Senior linebacker
Alex Gray gets the designation for top tackler of 2018 with 84. Safety
Elijah Reed made his sixth start Saturday and had a team-high seven tackles against the Jacks. Senior cornerback
Michael Fredrick added six stops.
