TERRE HAUTE, Ind.—Indiana State quarterback Ryan Boyle accounted for seven touchdowns including a game-winning, 3-yard throwback pass to Dante Hendrix in triple overtime to beat South Dakota 51-48 Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
It is the third consecutive win for the Sycamores (5-4, 3-3 MVFC), a team that finished 0-11 a year ago, but could reach the playoffs with victories in their final two games. South Dakota (3-6, 2-4) rallied to force overtime with an 81-yard touchdown drive at the end of regulation, but couldn't snap a three-game skid.
It marked the second consecutive meeting in Terre Haute decided in overtime between the two teams. South Dakota won a 33-30 decision in double overtime two years ago here. Three touchdown drives in overtime gave this one to the Trees.
Coyote quarterback
Austin Simmons completed 38 passes – one shy of USD's single-game record – for a game-high 375 yards and three touchdowns. He was complimented in the run game by
Kai Henry, who ran 22 times for a career-best 113 yards and two scores. Henry is the first USD running back to break the century mark this year.
Dakarai Allen caught a career-high nine passes for 88 yards for the Coyotes. He made a leaping grab in the end zone on 4
th-and-goal from the 3 just before halftime that cut an Indiana State lead to 21-14.
Shamar Jackson added seven catches for 94 yards.
Levi Falck tied the game at 21-21 on the final play of the third quarter with a dazzling 28-yard touchdown catch and finished with five catches for 55 yards.
South Dakota made a number of costly unforced errors early in the game before rallying to draw even at the end of the third quarter. Then the fireworks began.
The two teams exchanged field goals to make it 24-24. Boyle gained 64 of his 187 yards rushing on just two quarterback keepers, the second of which was a 25-yard score that put the Sycamores ahead 31-24 with 2:54 to go.
Simmons and company answered with a brilliant 13-play, 81-yard drive capped by a precision pass on the run from Simmons to tight end
Brett Samson for an 11-yard score with 16 seconds remaining. Simmons was 7-for-11 on the drive for 71 yards. He had three timeouts to work with, but didn't need them.
Simmons took a quarterback draw 24 yards to the 1 on the first play of overtime and the Coyotes took their first lead of the game on Henry's 1-yard plunge to make it 38-31.
Boyle fired a 25-yard strike to the back left corner of the end zone to Hendrix on his first play to tie things back up at 38-38. His offense stayed on the field for possession two and took a 45-38 lead on a 2-yard jump pass to Zach Larkin on a 3
rd-and-1 play from the 2.
Three plays later, Henry ran in from 10 yards away to square the game at 45-45. Henry ran for five on the first play of triple overtime, but took a 2-yard loss on play two and Simmons threw incomplete to Allen on third down.
Mason Lorber calmly knocked thru a 27-yarder to put the Yotes ahead 48-45.
Boyle avoided a sack on first down, broke containment and reached the 10. Three plays later, out of an Indiana State timeout, he hit a wide open Hendrix for the winner.
Boyle completed 20 of 27 passes for 193 yards and five touchdowns, which is what he entered the game with. One of those went thru the hands of a Coyote defender in the end zone and bounced conveniently to his wide out, Dante Jones II, for a 14-yard touchdown that gave the Sycamores a 21-7 lead. Boyle also ran a read option to the tune of 187 yards on 18 carries with two scores.
The two offenses combined for 1,111 yards with South Dakota holding a 602-509 edge. The Coyotes tied a program record by running 106 plays and set a record by earning 39 first downs.
South Dakota returns to Vermillion and will host Western Illinois on Senior Day next Saturday in a 1 p.m. kick from the DakotaDome.
