On Saturday at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, the South Dakota Coyotes defeated the UC-Davis Aggies 35-21 in the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Series playoffs thanks to a defence that caused six turnovers.
The Coyotes defence quickly established their dominance when Josiah Ganues stopped a dump off from Miles Hastings of UC-Davis during the game’s second drive. USD took possession on the Aggies 37-yard-line, and six plays later JJ Galbreath made his return known with an eight-yard touchdown catch to put the Coyotes up 7-0 five minutes into the first. With 6:07 remaining in the first quarter, the Aggies responded right away with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 13-yard goal to Hastings’ Chaz Davis, tying the score at seven.
The Aggies’ lead was short-lived, as Bouman made a double move with Quaron Adams, bringing the Coyotes to the UCD four-yard line with a 71-yard catch and run. After Travis Theis broke the lifetime rushing touchdown record two plays later, USD had a seven-point lead again. On the next play, Nick Gaes continued the defensive pressure, as he brought down Hastings for a 17-yard sack to give the ball right back to the offense on the USD 46. With 12:45 left before halftime, Galbreath scored his second touchdown of the game from seven yards out, giving South Dakota a 14-point lead. His comeback campaign continued.
Lan Larison forced his way inside the 10-yard line on what appeared to be an Aggies must-score drive before the USD defence made a key stop. Prior to Gabriel Hardman intercepting Hastings in the end zone for USD’s second forced turnover of the first half, UCD decided to keep the offence on the field on fourth down. The Aggies took control on their 42 after Kavir Bains intercepted a ball that was headed for Javion Phelps into double coverage three plays later.
UC-Davis took advantage of the infrequent USD turnover and pulled the Aggies within seven yards with a 12-play, five-minute drive that included a 10-yard angle route from Matteo Perez. Just under a minute before halftime, when it appeared that the score would stay at 21-14, Hastings was intercepted once more, this time by Tevan McKelvey, and the Coyotes gained control on the Aggies’ 38-yard line. The Aggies averted any consequences from their turnover at the end of the half because Bouman’s ball was intercepted in the endzone following a quick strike to Carter Bell that put USD at the three-yard line. Prior to the break, USD was ahead 21–14. At the half, South Dakota had a 221-208 lead against UC-Davis with a plus-one turnover margin, giving them a lead in total yards.
With 9:17 remaining in the third quarter, the Coyotes punted the ball back after the Aggies had advanced to midfield at the start of the second half. Holden had stopped the drive with a massive third down sack to force a UC-Davis punt. The Aggies attempted to unleash their arsenal of tricks, but Gary Bryant III intercepted a wide receiver pass and recovered CJ Hutton’s lateral attempt. USD had a first and ten at the UC-Davis 49-yard line after an unnecessary roughness flag at the end of the play. With 5:29 remaining in the third quarter, a rare Charles Pierre Jr. fumble returned the ball to UC-Davis after South Dakota had a chance to move to the two-yard line through a defensive pass interference on the third down.
Before being halted on third and five, the Aggies were able to move the ball to midfield. In order to sustain their drive, UC-Davis once again used the entire playbook and converted a fake punt. After one play, the defence stepped up once more, and Mosai Newsom stopped a tipped screen pass from Hastings for the fourth time this game. Bouman found Carter Bell on a 17-yard corner pass with 18 seconds left in the third quarter, regaining the lead by 14 points after just three plays on the subsequent drive. In order to keep the game within reach, UC-Davis persisted and drove 75 yards for a 16-play, seven-minute drive that ended with a wildcat reverse throw on the fourth down. At the 7:47 mark, South Dakota led 28-21.
USD swiftly moved down the field through the air after the Aggie score, indicating that they were playing conservatively. Theis completed a seven-play, 75-yard drive to score his second goal of the game in the endzone, giving the Coyotes a 35-21 lead with 3:21 remaining. UC-Davis attempted to elicit a quick response, but Bryant III again caught Hastings’ fifth interception of the game in the end zone.
“What a great win for our program,” USD head coach Bob Nielson explained. “We have a tremendous group of young men and want to give UC-Davis compliments for their team as well. That was a great drive there in the fourth and super well executed. We played with a great deal of confidence and was a great way to close out a game.”
With the victory, USD concluded the 2024–2025 season without a loss in the DakotaDome. On December 21, they will travel north to Bozeman, Montana, to play the unbeaten Montana State Bobcats. The start time is 2:30 p.m.
