Swift, conclusive Bison blow ends South Dakota's season in FCS quarterfinals

Dec. 9—VERMILLION — When Jayden Price emerged from a fray of bodies and strode into the endzone, the sold-out DakotaDome dissolved into a chamber of stunned silence.

An 89-yard punt return, and the third NDSU touchdown of the game, the masses of red watched in real time as USD's stellar season was becoming undone at the seams.

And the first quarter had yet to conclude.

It was that type of day for South Dakota football Saturday afternoon, which endured a swift, meticulous and conclusive blow by North Dakota State in a 45-17 loss on Saturday afternoon.

North Dakota State housed four touchdowns on its four first-half drives, forced a pair of USD interceptions, added a special teams score, and built a 35-3 lead by halftime. The Bison humiliated a proud Coyote squad in front of 9,141 fans and a network-televised audience, ending one of USD's strongest seasons in program history in painstaking fashion.

"We made too many mistakes to be in that game to the end, and every mistake we made they capitalized on, and that's what the football teams do," coach Bob Nielson said postgame.

Jarring was the difference between the first game the two sides played in Fargo — which USD won 24-19 — versus the onslaught witnessed on H. Lauren Lewis Field.

In September, USD was arguably the more physical team, controlling the pace of play while capitalizing on big-play opportunities. On Saturday, the Bison clearly came in with a vendetta and a purpose, appearing less like a flustered group searching for an identity, and more so like the juggernaut that's won several national championships.

North Dakota State rushed for 206 yards, passed for 210 yards, and capitalized on key-down situations, while USD withered.

Facing 3rd-and-19 following a USD sack to open the game, Cam Miller delivered a 37-yard dart to Braylon Henderson to extend the possession. Later in the drive, on third-and-goal from the nine, Cam Miller scampered in for a rushing touchdown.

USD reached the redzone on its first offensive possession, but failed to close the drive, and settled for a field goal. Moments later, the Coyotes' defense looked to stall the Bison's drive at midfield, but Cole Payton found a hole on second down, and turned it into a 43-yard touchdown run to lead 14-3. Following a Coyote three-and-out, Price returned the ensuing punt to the end zone, building an 18-point lead before USD could catch its composure.

"The next thing you know, we're down a bunch of points to a really good team," Nielson said. "That's going to be really, really hard to come back against, because of how well they played defensively and the kind of offense that they play. They flipped the script on us from the first game."

Things proceeded to get uglier from there, as the Bison scored on two long drives, one aided by an Aidan Bouman interception. USD tried to save face in the second half, scoring a pair of touchdowns, the damage had been done.

Adding to the disappointment, the Coyotes' best player, linebacker Brock Mogensen, exited the game in the second quarter with an apparent injury, and Bouman left the game after taking a tough hit in the third quarter.

"I think that probably the biggest difference between game one and game two was just our physicality on the line of scrimmage," NDSU coach Matt Entz said.

"We just didn't execute our game plan," USD defensive back Dennis Shorter said. "We dug ourselves in a hole and it was too late to come back."

As great of a season the Coyotes had, its inability to be competitive in its two biggest games — against South Dakota State on Oct. 28 and in the quarterfinals matchup Saturday — is a tough reminder that the chasm between being a good team and a championship-caliber team is one USD has yet to hurdle.

NDSU played like a team destined for Frisco, completing 8 of 11 third down plays, and holding 36:08 of the possession. Cam Miller finished 13 of 15 passing for 210 yards and a touchdown pass, Payton ran for 66 yards and a touchdown.

USD, meanwhile, played as though the moment was too big, throwing three interceptions, rushing for just 52 yards on 20 attempts, and failing to get critical third-down stops. It's a difficult finish for a team with such a strong contingency of seniors, from Mogensen and Stephen Hillis, to Carter Bell and Isaac Erbes.

However, once the sting of a blowout defeat at home against a regional rival subsides, South Dakota will be able to appreciate the season it had, and the steps it took to get closer to becoming an elite program.

The Coyotes' had their first FCS quarterfinal appearance in program history, and a 10-win season for the first time in their Division I era.

"I told our guys in the locker room, I don't think anybody outside of the guys that were standing in that locker room at the beginning expected us to be there, playing in a national quarterfinal," Nielson said. "And it just shows you what internal belief can do, and those guys worked really hard. It's been a special road for our guys, been a special road for an old head coach. And I think the one thing that this group did is they opened up a section of road that future teams that we have here are going to want to be on."

NDSU will advance to play Montana in the semifinals next Saturday, while USD turns its attention to the offseason.