VERMILLION, S.D. – On a day when Missouri State got touchdowns from its offense, defense and special teams, the Bears racked up six sacks in the second half and used a steady ground game to pull out a thrilling 27-24 road win at the DakotaDome here Saturday
Jose Pizano’s 28-yard field goal with 7:51 remaining in the contest proved to be the game-winner for MSU, which improved to 2-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play. Pizano’s kick capped a nine-play, 42-yard scoring drive for the visitors that included a 26-yard completion from Matt Struck to Damoriea Vick on third down that carried the Bears to the USD 24.
Pizano’s kick came on the heels of a monumental blocked field goal by the Bears. Eric Johnson came up the middle and got a hand on a 44-yard attempt by South Dakota’s Mason Lorber to kill a potential go-ahead drive by the Coyotes and give the ball back to Missouri State near midfield with 12:21 to play.
The momentum-changing play took the air out of the Coyotes after USD was knocking on the door with a first-and-10 at the MSU 21 moments earlier. An incomplete pass, a sack by Devin Goree and a pass break-up by Montrae Braswell forced the home side into a field goal attempt that Johnson blocked and I.K. Ahumibe recovered.
After Pizano’s second field goal of the day put the Bears ahead, 27-24, MSU forced South Dakota into a punt with the Bears pass coverage stifling the Coyotes. Isaiah Sayles sacked Carson Camp after a personal foul pushed USD deeper into its own territory. Johnson and Braswell followed suit with big stops, and the Coyotes had to punt on fourth-and-17 with 4:41 to go.
Missouri State then used a solid ground attack to move the sticks four times, force South Dakota to burn all three of its timeouts and run out the clock to clinch the win. Jeremiah Wilson and Tobias Little did the ground work, and Struck sustained the drive with an 11-yard keeper for a first down to help Missouri State capture its first win over a ranked opponent since it defeated Illinois State at Plaster on Sept. 29, 2018
Wilson carried 14 times for 58 yards, and Little tallied 52 yards on 13 carries to lead the Bears who finished the afternoon with 158 ground yards on 40 attempts.
Wilson also scored a key touchdown for the Bears, tying the game at 24 apiece with 3:41 to go in the third quarter with a six-yard touchdown run. That 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive for Missouri State include a fourth-down conversion pass from Jaden Johnson to Little and a 24-yard strike to Vick into the red zone. Wilson then carried three straight times to tie it up.
“I’m really proud of our team,” said MSU head coach Bobby Petrino. “They competed extremely hard and had to battle the entire game. We were able to pull it out, and all three phases really contributed to that.”
Despite being outgained in the first half by a 314-138 margin, the Bears went into the locker room tied, 17-17, keeping pace with the Coyotes every time they landed a big shot.
South Dakota got on the board first with a long punt return setting up a short field for the Coyotes on their fourth possession of the game. Six plays later, Kai Henry carried the pile into the end zone to give the home side a 7-0 lead with 2:32 left in the first. USD’s drive was prolonged after a tipped pass was hauled in by an offensive linemen, setting up the Henry run on the next play.
On the ensuing kickoff, Missouri State tied the game on a 100-yard kickoff return by Braswell, tying a school record and tying the game, 7-7, with 2:21 left in the opening period.
It was the fifth time in school history a Bear had returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score and the first since Deion Holliman did so against the Coyotes at the DakotaDome in 2015.
USD then retaliated just before the opening quarter ended, marching 75 yards on just four plays to retake the lead 14-7. A 40-yard pass from Camp to Caleb Vander Esch set up a 31-yard run to paydirt by Travis Theis to give the home side a seven-point lead.
The Bears settled for a Pizano 21-yard field goal on their next drive as the visitors covered 80 yards in 14 plays to the USD 4-yard line before stalling there. Little had runs of 25 and 16 yards to extend the drive before Ron Tiavaasue’s huge third-down catch got the Bears into scoring range.
Braswell then got back into the act moments later, snuffing out a Camp pass and taking it to the house on a 36-yard pick six interception to give Missouri State a 17-14 advantage with 8:55 left in the half.
The Coyotes drove deep into Bears territory twice more before the intermission, getting a game-tying 21-yard field goal by Lorber at the 4:33 mark to cap an 83-yard, 11-play drive. Then just before the end of the half, Lorber missed a 24-yard field goal to halt a potential go-ahead drive by the Coyotes that also covered 83 yards on 11 plays without anything to show for it.
The 17-17 deadlock held until the home club scored midway through the third quarter to retake a seven-point lead on a 36-yard pass from Camp to Carter Bell at the 7:48 mark. The 82-yard scoring drive took the Coyotes just 63 seconds and four plays to complete, but it would be the final score of the day for South Dakota.
Missouri State (2-4, 2-1 MVFC) finished the day with 325 total yards, 18 first downs and no turnovers. The Bears were 18-of-28 passing for 167 yards between Johnson (136) and Struck (31), while Petrino’s squad was 8-of-17 on third down and 3-for-3 in red zone opportunities.
Little, with 5 receptions for 59 yards, and Vick, with 4 catches for 68 yards, were MSU’s top receivers.
Defensively, the Bears racked up 11 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. They were led by Kyriq McDonald and Tylar Wiltz with 11 stops apiece. Braswell also had 6 solo stops to go with his busy day with two touchdowns.
South Dakota was just 3-for-13 on third down and racked up 440 total yards, 26 first downs and 339 passing yards — all by Camp who was 22-of-34 with an interception and a touchdown.
Henry was USD’s top running back with 23 carries for 76 yards, while Carter caught 6 passes for 106 yards.
The Bears conclude their two-game Valley road swing next Saturday when they travel to Northern Iowa for a 4 p.m. kickoff in Cedar Falls. The team’s next home date is March 27 against Southern Illinois.
