CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — It was the leg of senior kicker Zeke Mata who hit a program record 58-yard field goal which proved to be the difference in the 17-14 South Dakota victory Northern Iowa Saturday afternoon from the UNI-Dome. L.J. Phillips Jr. became the third Coyote in the South Dakota FCS Division I era to hit 1,000 rushing yards in a single season, accomplishing the feat in the first quarter against the Panthers this afternoon.
 
The Coyotes win their third-straight game with back-to-back road wins to improve to 5-3 (3-1 MVFC) on the season. Northern Iowa drops to 2-5 (0-3 MVFC) on the campaign. Larenzo Fenner had himself a day with a pair of touchdown receptions to move into sole possession of second-place in the Valley for touchdown receptions.
 
The South Dakota defense came to play for the second-straight week forcing four-straight Northern Iowa punts to open the day, including a pair of three-and-outs. Meanwhile, offensively, the Coyotes became the first team to score a touchdown on the Panthers on their opening drive this season with Aidan Bouman finding Fenner for the 18-yard score on third-and-17. It was the team leading fifth touchdown reception for Fenner on the season.
 
The rest of the first quarter and into the second, both sides traded punts. After the opening drive touchdown for the Coyotes, it slowed down. South Dakota posted 105 yards in the first quarter, while being held to just 16 yards in the second quarter. Defensively, linebacker Nate Ewell was all over the field in the first 30 minutes, posting 11 tackles to lead all tacklers.
 
Right before the half, Zeke Mata nailed a school record 58-yard field goal to give South Dakota the 10-7 advantage. It's the longest field goal of 53+ yards since Mason Lorber hit a then-program record 54-yard field goal against North Dakota and became tied for the second-longest field goal in MVFC history.
 
Into the second half, the Coyotes had just one more touchdown drive, as both teams had one touchdown drive in each half. Midway through the third quarter, Bouman again found Fenner for a 67-yard touchdown strike to make it 17-7 with seven and a half minutes left in the third.
 
UNI would make it a field goal game at 17-14 with a touchdown with a minute left. Attempting an onside kick, but Javion Phelps would secure the ball as the Coyotes would get into victory formation to make it their third-straight win this season and second-straight in Cedar Falls against UNI.
 
It was a pretty even offensive display on both sides with the before the halftime break drive into field goal territory – aided by UNI penalties – and Mata's kick that made the difference. South Dakota had 293 yards to Northern Iowa's 285 yards.
 
Up Next: South Dakota returns to the DakotaDome next week to begin a three-game homestand in Vermillion, starting with hosting No. 9-ranked Illinois State at 1 p.m. for Hall of Fame weekend and Military Appreciation Day.