USD football overcomes sluggish start to down Northern Iowa on Senior Day
· Yahoo Sports
Nov. 14—VERMILLION, S.D. — After a sluggish start, the University of South Dakota football team found its rhythm behind quarterback Austyn Modrzewski, powering the Coyotes to a 41-30 victory over Northern Iowa on Saturday afternoon at the DakotaDome.
Playing in their regular-season home finale on Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day, the Coyotes overcame an early deficit to take control of the contest, thanks largely to Modrzewski's arm.
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Modrzewski's afternoon started on the wrong foot, as an early first-quarter interception helped Northern Iowa jump out to a 7-0 lead. However, he quickly settled in, throwing for 262 yards and three touchdowns on 15-for-21 passing in the first half alone.
Backup running back Carson Fletcher helped spark the Coyotes' offense, hauling in a pair of 2-yard touchdown passes from Modrzewski on back-to-back scoring drives. Modrzewski then delivered the biggest play of the half, connecting with Bryce Cohoon on an 87-yard strike over the top of the Panthers' defense to give USD a 21-14 advantage. Keyondray Jones-Logan added a 2-yard rushing touchdown as the Coyotes carried a 28-17 lead into halftime.
USD continued its offensive momentum after the break. Modrzewski found Jesse Miller in the middle of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown, his fourth passing score of the afternoon, extending the Coyote advantage to 34-17.
Northern Iowa answered with a 1-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Jaxon Dailey with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 34-24. But the Panthers' comeback hopes took another hit with 10 minutes remaining when they failed to convert an aggressive fourth-down attempt from their own 31-yard line, handing USD possession.
Modrzewski made them pay, finding Chris Herrin for a 24-yard touchdown on fourth-and-3 to put the finishing touches on it, plus a late interception from Jaylen Boehm-Peterson for a 41-30 victory after a late score from UNI.
For the game, Modrzewski finished 23-for-29 passing with 356 yards and five touchdowns to the one early interception. Cohoon tallied 120 receiving yards to lead the Coyotes through the air on two catches and a score, while Keyondray Jones-Logan had four catches for 69 yards. Defensively, Kael Kolarik had eight total tackles and a pass breakup, while John Starman had the team's lone tackle for loss.
For UNI (4-6, 3-4 MVFC), Dailey had 294 passing yards on 23 of 47 with four total touchdowns and an interception. Brady McCullough had four catches for 109 receiving yards and a score for the Panthers, who will hit the road to face Murray State for its final game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 21 in Murray, Kentucky.
USD (8-3, 5-2 MVFC) travels to Normal, Illinois, for its final game of the regular season against Illinois State at noon on Saturday, Nov. 21, with potential first-round bye implications and home-field advantage for the playoffs on the line for the Coyotes.