GRAND FORKS, N.D. (USD) — The No. 5-ranked South Dakota football team (8-2, 6-1 MVFC) snapped a 15-game losing streak to the (RV) North Dakota Fighting Hawks (5-6, 2-5 MVFC) and erased an early 14-0 deficit with a 42-36 win in the Alerus Center, marking the first win in Grand Forks since 1985.
Aidan Bouman was instrumental in the come-from-behind victory tying his career-high with three passing touchdowns.
Head coach Bob Nielson also tallies his 50th win as the head coach at South Dakota with the win over North Dakota.
For the second time in as many weeks, Charles Pierre Jr. would set a new career-best mark. He ended the day against UND with 173 rushing yards with 117 of those yards coming in the second half. He also added a team-best 75 receiving yards, totaling 248 yards and two touchdowns in the win. Furthermore, Pierre Jr. becomes the first Coyote in the NCAA Division I FCS era to eclipse the 1,000 yard rushing mark in a single season.
South Dakota had the first chance of the afternoon to put points on the board, but a promising drive stalled out to start the day. The Yotes would put out the field goal unit for a 49-yard attempt but come up empty. North Dakota would then strike first themselves on their second possession of the day with a 51-yard touchdown run from Sawyer Seidel to make it 7-0 early on.
The ensuing possession for the Fighting Hawks would see them get the ball in plus territory after an interception near midfield with under five minutes to play in the first quarter. UND would push the ball into the Coyote red zone for the first time on the day and capitalize with their second score of the day to push the lead up to 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Following the turnover, the Coyotes would go on to score on their next six possessions, including four touchdowns as they stormed out of the gate in the second quarter to erase the sluggish start.
South Dakota would get on the board with a 45-yard field goal from Will Leyland (Jr., Souderton, Pa.) midway through the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 14-3 with 9:34 left in the first half.
Later in the quarter, utilizing the run game with 17-yard and 22-yard run from the running backs, South Dakota would move into UND territory and Bouman (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) would find Carter Bell (Sr., Bettendorf, Iowa) open over the middle for an 18-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-10 North Dakota, capping off a 7-play, 68-yard drive before the half.
The final seven minutes of the first half would see the two teams combine for 21 points as South Dakota would outscore UND 17-14 in the second quarter to cut the deficit to four at the break.
The Fighting Hawks would respond to the first USD touchdown with a 50-yard kickoff return on the ensuing kick, setting them up for their third touchdown of the day to make it 21-10 with under a minute left in the half.
However, South Dakota refused to be outdone before the half. Getting the ball back with 57 seconds left, the Yotes took it 65 yards in 41 seconds to make it 21-17 when Bouman found Quaron Adams (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) for a 13-yard score.
It would continue to be all Coyotes coming out of the locker room and into the third quarter as South Dakota outscored the Fighting Hawks 10-0 in the frame to firmly cement the momentum to the red and white.
The Coyotes would receive the kick to start the second half, trailing by four points to begin the final half of play. It wouldn’t take long as the offense took their momentum from the second quarter into the second half, as Bouman finds Pierre Jr. (So., Orlando, Fla.) out of the backfield on third down who would take it 53 yards to the house to give the Yotes their first lead of the day at 24-21.
The Fighting Hawks would go for it on fourth and two on the next possession but a massive pass break-up from Tiim White (Jr., Miami Gardens, Fla.) would get the ball back to the Coyote offense. Travis Theis (Sr., Pratt, Kan.) would take it 22-yards up the middle to the UND 25-yard line on the first play of the drive for the Yotes. The drive would end with a 40-yard Leyland field goal as USD extends their lead up to 27-21.
The defensive pressure would pick up in the second half as UND looked to run the ball, but the South Dakota front seven stepped up their game. Back-to-back drives the USD defense would get the Fighting Hawks off the field as the momentum continued to swing heavily towards the Yotes in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Theis would cap off a 10-play, 68-yard drive to give South Dakota a two-score lead with Jack Martens (Jr. Cumberland, Wis.) making it a 35-21 game on the two-point conversion with 13:55 left to play.
Pierre Jr. would pick up yet another explosive-play touchdown on the day, breaking off a 76-yard touchdown run to make it 42-21 South Dakota.
North Dakota would show a little bit of life late in the fourth quarter, picking up a touchdown with just under six minutes to play to make it 42-28. The Fighting Hawks would then go for the onside kick and get the recovery, as the home crowd would start to get back into it. The Coyote defense would hold firm and pick up their second fourth down stop of the day, holding the Fighting Hawks off inside the USD 30-yard line.
The offense would be content to melt the final five minutes away. Pierre Jr. would break the first run of the drive off up the middle for a 25-yard gain. The very next play would see Pierre Jr. set yet another career-best in back-to-back weeks as he rushes ahead for six yards and for 166 on the day up to that point.
The USD drive would stall with a minute left in the contest. North Dakota, in a last-ditch effort, would quickly push the ball into Coyote territory and punch it in but it would prove to be too little, too late as South Dakota would leave Grand Forks with their first win since 1985, 42-36, after securing a scramble for the second onside kick of the afternoon.
Up Next: South Dakota will conclude the regular season against top-ranked North Dakota State inside the DakotaDome on Saturday, November 23 with kickoff slated for 1:00 p.m.
