ST. LOUIS—South Dakota freshman running back Nate Thomas has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week announced Sunday by the league office. It is the first such honor for Thomas, who hails from South Holland, Illinois.
 
Thomas ran 11 times for a career-high 111 yards and had a 27-yard touchdown run in South Dakota's 38-10 win against Indiana State Saturday in the Coyotes' annual Dakota Days game. He also had a five-yard reception.
 
Thomas has played just three games, but leads South Dakota with 263 yards rushing this season. He's reached that total on just 30 carries for an average of 8.8 yards per run. The touchdown run was his second of the season and it came against a defense that knew USD was trying to run out the clock.
 
South Dakota stays home this week to host nationally-ranked North Dakota in a 2 p.m. kickoff inside the DakotaDome.