VERMILLION, S.D. (KELO) — Fifth-ranked USD rolled past No. 17 Southern Illinois 42-13 in its Missouri Valley Football Conference opener Saturday afternoon at the DakotaDome.
The Coyotes (3-1 overall, 1-0 MVFC) scored the first 28 points of the contest and led 35-7 at the half. The Yotes held a 302-60 advantage on the ground and registered 549 yards of offense.
Travis Theis and Charles Pierre Jr. led the ground attack for the Yotes. Theis rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. Pierre Jr. tallied 126 yards and two scores as well on 15 rushing attempts.
Aidan Bouman completed 11 of his 17 pass attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns. JJ Galbreath caught two passes for 100 yards, including an 80-yard TD strike.
Theis started the scoring with a one-yard TD run in the first quarter. Pierre Jr. doubled the lead with an eight-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds left in the first. Bouman’s 80-yard strike to Galbreath made it 21-0 before Pierre Jr. found the endzone once again with 10:07 left in the second.
Bouman’s second TD pass found Quaron Adams with less than a minute to play before halftime. Theis capped off the day offensively with a 20-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
USD is set to hit the road for a showdown at Murray State next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
