. . . score won’t show it, but the University of South Dakota was given a heck of a scare in its home opener. Especially over the first three and a half quarters. Playing a lower-level game sandwiched between road games at Oregon and Montana, USD pulled away from NAIA William Penn 41-16 on Saturday afternoon at the DakotaDome. The Coyotes (1-1) aren’t exactly about to nit-pick, though. “A rose is a rose, baby,” head coach Joe Glenn said. “It feels great to win, and that’s the bottom line.” It was far from easy, however.
With the game still in doubt into the fourth quarter, the Coyotes scored 17 points in the final 7 minutes and 10 seconds to distance themselves from the Statesmen – and let out a much-needed sigh of relief. “They were a good team. They ran the hell out of the ball,” said sophomore quarterback Ryan Saeger, who made his first career start. “They did what they do, gash teams.” William Penn did exactly that, and nothing more. Though the Statesmen (1-1), from Oskaloosa, Iowa, did not complete a pass in the game, they used the triple option with significant success. The final total read 335 rushing yards and 5.2 yards a carry. “When you’re running triple options, if one guy messes up, the whole play can get blown up,” USD junior linebacker Keyen Lage said. “It’s about doing your job. A lot of the time that didn’t happen, I guess.” The visitors got within 24-16 five minutes into the fourth quarter, on a 5-yard touchdown run by Michael Thomas – one of 12 guys to carry the ball. “We obviously wanted to win the game, and we gave ourselves a chance,” William Penn coach Todd Hafner said. “With ten minutes left, we were down eight. “At that point, if you get a stop and get lucky, maybe you can tie the game up.” That was close as William Penn would get in its second visit to Vermillion. South Dakota followed that touchdown with a field goal from Miles Bergner at the 7:10 mark, followed by a defensive interception by Tyson Graham, then a Saeger touchdown with 2:15 remaining. Freshman Jake Leohr’s 46-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown with 1:24 left was icing on the cake. With a new starter at quarterback, USD pounded the ball on the ground for 54 of its 67 offensive plays. In all, the Coyotes rushed for 357 yards and 6.6 yards per carry, with sophomore Trevor Bouma leading with 110. “We knew we would come in and try to keep it on the ground,” Saeger said. “That’s what we need to do. That’s the mentality we need to have.” Although Glenn admitted that it’s hard to get a good feel for his team after games with Oregon and William Penn, he was pleased with Saeger’s first start – the coach gave the sophomore an ‘A’ grade.
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