SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO.com) — Running the ball and stopping the run are defining characteristics of the 2021 University of Sioux Falls Football Team (2-1, 2-1 NSIC) through three weeks of the season. On Saturday, the Cougars rolled to a 50-14 win over Concordia St. Paul at Bob Young Field, featuring big offense – keyed by the rushing game – and a defense that stopped the Golden Bears in their tracks.
USF not only generated 546 yards in total offense but rushed for 393 yards on 56 carries for 7.0 yards per carry. And on defense, USF held Concordia St. Paul to a -14 rushing yards on 26 carries or -2.3 yards per tote. Add in two blocked punts from special teams and USF won its 73rd game in 85 outings at Bob Young Field. The 393 yards rushing is the eighth-best total in USF’s DII era.
By holding the Golden Bears to 174 total yards on 51 plays, USF had its best total defensive effort since holding Minnesota Duluth to 133 yards on Oct 19, 2019. In the Head Coach Jon Anderson era, USF has had an opponent under 200 yards 10 times, including today. But this year, the focus has been on stopping the run and three opponents have generated 172 yards rushing on 94 plays for an average of a paltry 1.8 per carry and 57.3 yards per game.
“It was a great win for our football team with both sides of the ball excelling and then getting great contributions from special teams,” said Anderson, who is now 26-12 at USF with a 26-10 NSIC mark. “Anytime you get over 500 yards in total offense and nearly 400 rushing while hold the opponents to 180 for a game, it is a pretty good day. We got another W so it was a great all around win for our football team,” said Anderson whose team will now travel to Northern State for a 6 pm game on Saturday, Sept. 25.
The 546 yards in total offense was the most since USF had 564 against SMSU in a 51-7 win over Sept. 21 in Marshall, Minn. It was the most yards at home since going for 616 yards against Upper Iowa in 2018 on Oct. 27, 2018. Also USF, which is averaging 38.33 points per game in 2021, scored 50 points or more for the sixth time since 2017.
From the get go, USF asserted control as Thuro Reisdorfer had a big day on his birthday. The junior from Sioux Falls, who leads the NSIC in rushing, had 14 carries for 160 yards with three first-half TDs. He now has 24 career TDs. This season, he has three straight 100-yard plus rushing games and now has eight in his career. How impressive has Reisdorfer been so far in 2021? Well, Reisdorfer has 52 carries for 434 yards with five TDs. He is averaging 8.3 yards per carry and 144.7 yards per game.
Redshirt sophomore Landon Freeman rushed for 105 yards on 19 yards as he cracked 100 yards for the first time. With Reisdorfer and Freeman cracking 100 yards rushing, USF had two players rush for 100 yards in the game for the first time since Sept. 21, 2019 when Reisdorfer had 113 yards and four TDs and Ja’Tai Jenkins had 10 carries for 102 yards and a TD against Southwest Minnesota State.
Additionally, USF had eight carries for 62 yards from Jacqueze Lockett and 10 carries for 59 yards from Dylan Rudningen, who posted a career-high. Then, Josh Swanson added a 15-yard TD run as he scored his first career rushing TD.
“You have to credit Coach (Hayden) Mace and the offensive line for creating space for our running backs, who really hit the holes hard and produced results. Thuro (Reisdorfer) had a big game on his birthday. I felt our team played physical and created the space needed for all the backs who all ran hard and had solid efforts,” he said.
Aside from the rushing game, redshirt freshman Adam Mullen completed 19-of-27 passes for 149 yards and a TD. On the score, Mullen connected with senior wideout Dominic Pegley on a play that covered 25 yards. Mullen now has TD throws in each of his first three games and now has completed 52-of-75 passes for 69 percent and owns a 147.33 passing rating. Last week, 11 players caught passes from Mullen and this week 12 passes hauled in receptions.
Aside from the offense, Anderson, who was a linebacker in college, had a smile when talking about defense in a post-game interview.
“Coach Joseph Ford forced CSP to play one dimensional and when that happens a lot of good things result,” said Anderson. “We were pleased with the effort defensively with the large number of players making plays all day,” he said.
Sophomore linebacker Cody Jantzen had four solo stops and a pair of tackles for loss. USF had 10 total tackles for loss and sacks by Grant Rice and Joey Wehrkamp, who recorded his third of the season. Wehrkamp has 12 career sacks and one in each of his first three games. Dorian Fedrick also had a pair of TFLs to go with three tackles.
USF led, 17-0, after the first quarter on two TD runs by Reisdorfer of 18 and 13 yards plus a 32-yard field goal by Nick Hernandez.
In the second quarter, Reisdorfer culminated a three play, 75-yard scoring drive with a 51-yard TD run for a 24-7 lead with 8:03 to play. USF had a 25-yard touchdown run by Freeman, who scored his first career TD to give USF a 31-7 lead with 6:26 to play.
After Hernandez converted on his third field goal of the year from 34-yards at the 6:29 mark of the third quarter, USF had a 34-7 lead. Late in the quarter, Mullen’s 25-yard TD throw to Pegley, who caught his second TD of the season, culminated a nine-play, 89-yard scoring drive that covered 4:33 on the clock as USF took a 41-7 lead. CSP responded with a 65-yard TD pass from Connor Cordts to Nathan Gimza to trim the deficit to 41-14. But USF had a blocked punt by Pegley – his second of the year – which resulted in a safety for a 43-14 advantage with 6:17 to play. It was the second blocked punt of the day as Brendan Holt has one in the first half.
With 6:17 to play, quarterback Josh Swanson converted a fourth and one play with a 15-yard scoring run – his first of his career. Swanson’s TD capped the scoring and culminated a 10-play, 67-yard scoring drive for a 50-14 lead.
