VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota quarterback Carson Camp threw three touchdowns in the second quarter and the Coyote defense limited Indiana State to 205 yards of offense in a 38-10 Dakota Days victory Saturday inside the DakotaDome.
The win moves South Dakota to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Valley play while Indiana State fell to 2-3 and 0-2, respectively. The Coyotes improved to 66-33-5 all-time in homecoming games, including a 16-4 mark in their last 20.
Camp completed 19-of-26 passes for 200 yards and added 18 on the ground. It was his first collegiate three-touchdown passing day. Tight end Brett Samson hauled in two touchdowns and had five catches for 52 yards. Carter Bell hauled in a 47-yard bomb as part of a five-catch, 87-yard performance.
“We knew we were going to have to play well, and I think we did,” said USD head coach Bob Nielson. “We played really well on defense and very consistently the entire game.
“Offensively, we had a really good second quarter and moved the ball well. I really like what we did in the second half. We were able to protect the lead and move the football and put two more scores on the board in the fourth quarter which is something that we’ve not always been able to do. I give our offensive front and our backs and our tight ends a lot credit.”
The two teams exchanged field goals early on, but a fourth-and-goal score from the 1 early in the second quarter started a string of three straight touchdown drives for Camp and the Coyotes. It was a 1-yard out to Samson after USD had been stuffed from the 1 the prior play.
“You got to be able to get fourth-and-1,” said Nielson. “I was disappointed we didn’t get it in on third down. We still have some work to do on our short-yardage package. But we’re going to go for it on fourth-and-half-a-yard and we got in the end zone. I think that was a little bit of a lift. Those are momentum plays, just like a stop there would have been a momentum play for them. Maybe a little bit of a confidence boost that we need in a critical time in the game.”
South Dakota totaled 168 yards in the second quarter while Indiana State netted 12 yards on 12 plays. The Sycamores went 3-and-out after the first Samson score and Camp hit Bell along the right sideline on the first play of the next series. Bell split two defenders after the catch to reach the end zone to make it 17-3.
Another 3-and-out set up USD’s third touchdown. Samson got a foot down just inside the right pylon on a 2nd-and-goal play from the 10 that capped a 7-play, 59-yard drive and made it 24-3 with 2:33 left in the half.
Elijah Reed and Tre Jackson intercepted Indiana State quarterback Anthony Thompson in the third quarter. Those were the only turnovers in the game. South Dakota punted back both times and Thompson found tight end Zach Larkin for a 15-yard touchdown with 3:03 left in the third quarter that made it 24-10.
Larkin completed a 30-yard pass back to Thompson near the start of the scoring drive. Thompson, who finished with 135 yards passing, sustained an injury at some point during that drive and did not return.
The fourth quarter belonged to South Dakota’s offensive line. Travis Theis ran in from 15 yards out and Nate Thomas scooted in from 27 yards away for Coyote touchdowns as USD had the ball for all but 3:35 of the final quarter. Indiana State ran six plays in the fourth quarter for nine yards on two 3-and-outs.
Jack Cochrane had six tackles in leading a defense that shut down another opposing run game. Sycamore starter Peterson Kerlegrand ran 11 times for 24 yards and Indiana State totaled 33 yards on 22 carries. Sacks from Tre Thomas and DeJaun Cooper aided that tally.
South Dakota stays home to host 10th-ranked North Dakota (2-2, 0-1) next Saturday at 2 p.m. The Fighting Hawks dropped a 16-10 decision at home to No. 5 North Dakota State Saturday in the conference opener for both teams.
