CARBONDALE, Ill. — The offense posted 500+ yards of offense behind 300 passing yards and five touchdown passes from Aidan Bouman and career highs from Larenzo Fenner and Carson Fletcher as the Coyotes finish the regular season with a thrilling 53-51 five overtime win at No. 21-ranked Southern Illinois Saturday afternoon.
 
The No. 17-ranked Coyotes improve to 8-4 (6-2 MVFC) to conclude the regular season slate, winning six of their last seven games with three-straight ranked wins. On the other hand, No. 21-ranked Southern Illinois sees a multiple-score lead slip away in the second half for the second-straight week and falls to 6-5 (3-4 MVFC).
 
The quarterbacks were in rhythm with their wide outs from the onset with both finishing with 300+ yards through the air on the day. The two quarterbacks completed their first 13 combined passes with three 30+ yard receptions and three touchdown passes, as the two starting quarterbacks combined for 603 yards passing and nine touchdown passes on the contest.

YOTES STORM BACK ‼️😤
(F/5OT!!)

8-4 heading into the bye week with three-straight top-25 wins!! 😎#GoYotes pic.twitter.com/2IKubrsu3a

— South Dakota Football (@SDCoyotesFB) November 15, 2025

 
It was an explosive first quarter of action from Saluki Stadium with the first three combined drives resulting in touchdowns. It was the arm of DJ Williams on the first two drives with a 63-yard touchdown pass and a 39-yard completion that set up the second Saluki score of the day. South Dakota responded with a 47-yard kickoff return from Tennel Bryant who set up the Yotes in Saluki territory for their first possession. The quarter would end with each full possession of the day ending with six points as Southern Illinois led 14-7 after the first 15 minutes.
 
The high-powered offense would continue into the second quarter as the Coyotes finished off a 10-play, 72-yard drive with L.J. Phillips Jr. powering into the endzone for this 15^th rushing score of the season. The Salukis would march again into USD territory as the pass game continued to shine for SIU in the first half. SIU would punch it in for their third touchdown of the day on their third possession to retake the lead, 21-14.
 
The next South Dakota drive would see the Yotes push into SIU territory but faced with a fourth-and-nine from about the 30. Bouman found Javion Phelps coming across the formation that would come up just a yard short with a reach as the Salukis got the fourth down stop and was the first defense to earn a stop on the day.
 
The Yotes would pick up the offense on the next drive, as Williams would be forced to scramble out of the pocket and throw a ball on the run. RJ Stewart playing coverage would come up with his second interception of the season as South Dakota was setup, again, in SIU territory. USD would, however, not be able to put any more points on the board but SIU would tack on a field goal to end the half and hold the 24-14 lead at the break.
 
Bouman was 10-for-11 in the first half for 123 yards and the touchdown pass to Fenner on the first drive. Fenner had two receptions for 42 yards in the first 30 minutes with a long of 32 yards. Nate Ewell led the defense with his five first half tackles, while Stewart picked off his second pass of the season.
 
Southern Illinois would start the second half with an interception to setup their offense inside the South Dakota 10-yard. The USD defense would hold firm and force a field goal attempt, but the Salukis -- with tricks up their sleeves – successfully converted a fake field goal attempt into a touchdown and would extend their lead to 31-14 in the opening minutes of the third quarter.
 
After 17 unanswered points from Southern Illinois, Bouman and Phillips Jr. would put together a strong-looking drive to cut back into the SIU lead. Bouman would find tight end Zach Witte streaking down the middle of the field to make it 31-21 Salukis midway through the third quarter.
 
The defense would do their job on the next drive, forcing the game's first punt at the 4:40 mark in the third quarter. SIU booted it away. A mishandled punt and recovery would setup the Yotes inside their own five-yard line down 31-21. The tried-and-true Coyote rushing attack would give the offense some room to work with backed against their own goal line. A slow and methodical drive with heavy emphasis on Phillips Jr. and Carson Fletcher would lead the contest into the final frame with SIU leading 31-21.
 
The drive would be capped off with a 32-yard field goal from Will Leyland to make it 10-straight points for South Dakota, cutting into the SIU lead and making it a touchdown game at 31-24 with just under 12 minutes to play.
 
The defense again would step up and give the ball back to the offense. Fletcher would put the team on his back with multiple big runs as the Coyotes would drive down the field on the Salukis. When it appeared the Saluki defense came away with a stop in the red zone with fourth-and-two to go, the Yotes would roll the dice. A play-action roll out pass would give Bouman plenty of time to find a wide open Fenner for their second touchdown connection of the day from 11 yards out to knot it up at 31-31.
 
Aided by the third-straight defensive stop of the second half by the Coyotes and 17-straight USD points, Bouman and company got the ball back with two minutes to play at the USD 31-yard line. It would be this drive that cemented true freshman running back Fletcher with his team-leading 100 yards on the ground. He would get four touches on the drive that would ultimately end with a 32-yard field goal from Leyland to give South Dakota their first lead of the day at 34-31 with just over a minute to play.
 
The Salukis, on their Senior Day and final day in front of the home crowd, would be led by DJ Williams on a brilliant two-minute offensive drive into field goal territory. With just seconds left on the clock, SIU would hit a 36-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.
 
On the way into the program's second overtime game of the season, it was time to buckle up. Southern Illinois would score a touchdown on their first play of overtime, putting the pressure on the Yotes. Not to be outdone, Bouman would find Fenner for his fourth touchdown of the day – and second to Fenner – from 16 yards out.
 
The very next possession, Bouman again wasted no time, as on just the second play of the second overtime Bouman would find Fenner yet again for his third touchdown of the day. After converting, and the review upheld, the Yotes would lead 49-41 and just needed a defensive stop to win it.
 
But it was just getting started. For the second OT period, it took SIU just one pass play to get in the endzone and knotted it up at 49-49 with a two-point conversion of their own.
 
From there, it would be trading two-point conversions until there was a winner. The third overtime saw both teams fail to convert. Both teams would convert in the fourth overtime, still knotted up at 51-51.
 
It would go to a fifth overtime at Saluki Stadium, thus setting a new program record for most overtimes played by the Coyotes. Southern Illinois would start with the first attempt but an incomplete pass from Williams gave the Yotes the ball. And who else but Fenner would South Dakota turn to? A perfectly thrown back-shoulder fade to Fenner, that he went up and snagged, as the Yotes escaped Carbondale with the 53-51 five-overtime victory to move to 8-4 on the season.
 
On the day, Bouman became the first USD quarterback to throw for five passing touchdowns since Chris Streveler did it twice in 2017, while throwing for 300 yards for just the third time in his career and first since 2023. Fenner recorded career-highs in receiving yards (130) and touchdown receptions (3), while Fletcher had a career-best 19 carries and 100 rushing yards to lead the Coyote ground attack for his first-career 100-yard rushing game.
 
Ewell, defensively, led the way with his team-best 12 tackles for his fourth double-digit tackle game of the season. Stewart got his second interception of the year, while DeJuan Lewis was credited with a pass break-up.
 
Up Next: South Dakota concludes their 12-game regular season slate this afternoon in Carbondale. The Coyotes will learn of their 2025 FCS Playoff fate next Sunday, November 23 with more information to follow on GoYotes.com.