Already down three scores early in the second quarter, the Salukis needed a stop to swing the momentum their way and begin mounting a comeback. They could not get the stop they needed, as the South Dakota running back was able to run the ball 24 yards, untouched, to the end zone to sink the deficit to 28.
“Nothing was good enough,” Coach Nick Hill said.
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Saturday, Sept. 28, Saluki football played their first Missouri Valley Conference football game of the season as they traveled to Vermillion, South Dakota to take on the Coyotes of the University of South Dakota (USD). The Salukis finished their first conference play 0-1 with a final score of 42-13.
The Salukis took the ball first, but a pair of sacks caused them to go three-and-out and give South Dakota a short field to work with.
USD relied on their running game on their first possession, handing the ball off eight times for 22 yards. The drive was capped off with a one yard touchdown run from Travis Theis, getting the Coyotes on the board first.
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SIU picked up a first down, but a pair of incompletions and a run for no gain forced another punt.
South Dakota stuck with the run on their next series, gaining 67 yards on the ground before Charles Pierre Jr. punched one in from eight yards out, doubling the Coyote lead.
The Salukis worked their way into Coyote territory off a 25-yard completion from Hunter Simmons to Keontez Lewis, but a pair of incompletions forced yet another SIU punt.
The success of the running game opened up the USD passing game. On a play action pass, Aidan Bouman hit JJ Galbreath in stride for an 80-yard touchdown to make it a 21-point Coyote advantage.
Needing an answer, badly, SIU still couldn’t put anything together and punted.
South Dakota would work quickly again, getting into the Saluki endzone in three plays.
The SIU offense struggled to move the ball and punted.
Hill said, “Offensively, we couldn’t move the ball and score points.”
The Saluki defense did its job on the next USD possession and forced their first punt of the afternoon.
Simmons strung completions together for 42 yards to get the Salukis deep into South Dakota territory. Looking for a touchdown to swing some momentum their way, SIU went for it on fourth and six from the 12, but the pass fell incomplete, giving the ball back to the Coyotes.
USD went three-and-out and an ensuing punt was returned into Coyote territory.
Simmons found Lewis on the first and only play of the drive for a 44-yard touchdown to get the Salukis on the board.
With just over a minute left in the first half, Bouman uncorked a deep ball to Quaron Adams for a 61-yard touchdown, getting the Coyote lead back to 28.
On their final drive of the half, SIU got into position for Paul Geelen to try a 52-yard field goal, but the try missed wide right and the teams went to the locker rooms with USD up 35-7.
“We’re not getting a spark from our kicking game,” Hill said.
Out of the break, the teams would go back and forth with a trio of punts.
The Salukis did most of the damage on their next drive with the right arm of Simmons. Simmons completed four passes for 69 yards including a 41-yard completion to Jay Jones and a seven yard touchdown pass to Colton Hoag. SIU went for the two-point conversion, but wouldn’t be able to convert.
The Coyotes answered back by doing what they had done all afternoon, running the ball effectively. USD ran the ball seven times on the drive for 55 yards, finishing the drive with a 20-yard touchdown run from Theis.
SIU got back into the Coyote redzone, primarily through the air, before turning the ball over on downs inside the USD 10.
South Dakota continued to run the ball, taking more than six minutes off the clock in the process, before punting the ball away.
SIU went three-and-out before South Dakota ran out the rest of the clock, completing their 42-13 victory.
“It’s not a good feeling,” Hill said.
SIU will be back at home in Saluki Stadium next Saturday, Oct. 5 to take on the Illinois State Redbirds in their annual Blackout Cancer game.
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