Swaffar: Three observations on USD's 42-17 win over Northern Iowa-Mitchell Republic

VERMILLION – It was another convincing win for South Dakota football in a 42-17 win over Northern Iowa at the DakotaDome on Saturday.

Aidan Bouman finished the game with another efficient performance with 284 yards and two touchdowns on 17-for-20 passing. Charles Pierre finished the game with a team-high 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Gary Bryant had a great day with 11 total tackles and one interception.

So here are three observations from the game…

There have been times this season where the USD came into play strongly. Some play calls were more creative than others, but typically only a few truly creative plays are made per game. Against UNI, however, the offense was as creative and varied as it has been all season.

The most creative move undoubtedly came towards the end of the first half. Backup quarterback Nevan Cremascoli has been used on certain trick plays this season, but this one was different. He came into play and rolled to the right. Most of the time he uses his legs to gain yards, but this time he threw a ball over the defense to AJ Coons for a 37-yard touchdown.

But there were plenty of other creative ideas, some of which didn't even involve offense. For example, on the only UNI punt of the first half, Carter Bell fielded the punt before passing the ball down the field to Keyondray Jones-Logan, who played it for a longer return than Bell would have managed had he kept the ball would have.

Nathan Swaffar/Mitchell Republic

Even plays that didn't succeed were imaginative. One of those was a pass play on the Coyotes' first offensive series of the second half when left tackle Bryce Henderson lined up in the slot and called for the ball. A downfield pass from Bouman went incomplete to JJ Galbreath, but it showed how deep in the playbook the offense was.

It shows that this US dollar crime has not yet reached its peak. If the Coyotes can really balance the explosive plays, creativity and consistent overall performance, the offense could even take another step forward.

If there's one player who has gone somewhat unnoticed on defense this year, it's Gary Bryant. After leaving the middle linebacker position, Brock Mogenson had big shoes to fill early in the season, and the team was confident he could step in with ease. Not only did he accomplish that, but Bryant continues to solidify himself as one of the best linebackers in the Missouri Valley week after week.

As he has done all season, Bryant was all over the field against the Panthers. He finished the day with 11 total tackles, one of which was a loss. But he also grabbed the first interception of his career in a big moment. UNI threatened to score just before halftime and found itself on the edge of the redzone. But Bryant skipped a pass to grab the pick and prevent the Panthers from gaining ground with the Coyotes leading 28-10.

But alongside his solid performances on the field, the leadership aspect continues to come into play. The middle linebacker is essentially the quarterback of the defense, making reads and other observations to help set up the offense on every play. Considering the Coyote defense is one of the best units in the country, suffice it to say he excels in that role too.

During the preseason, coach Bob Nielson mentioned several times that Bryant had the ability and potential to be an all-conference caliber linebacker. If he continues to play the way he has, it's likely he'll be firmly in this conversation come the end of the season.

Many times this season, especially in recent weeks, the Coyotes have been the team looking to get the game started. They went after their opponents early on and set the tone for the rest of the game. However, on Saturday the opposite was the case. UNI was the team that jumped on USD, but it didn't phase the Coyotes.

The Panthers got on the scoreboard in less than three minutes after chunk plays led to a touchdown on the opening drive. But the offense responded with a touchdown drive of its own to quickly end the game. UNI nearly scored its second straight touchdown after driving to the USD one-yard line, but a defensive stance forced a field goal. From that point on it was just coyotes.

Nathan Swaffar/Mitchell Republic

The big difference in the end was the USD offense's two touchdown drives. Without those two drives, who knows how much momentum UNI could have built and continued for the rest of the first half. And Nielson agreed as well.

“It’s a total game changer and we’ve done it twice,” Nielson said. “Both times they had drives that put points on the board in the first half, and we responded with drives of our own and then took advantage. Started and you made some big plays after we stopped them and tied the game at halftime.”

Nathan Swaffar is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. He joined Mitchell Republic in July 2024 after graduating from the University of Kansas in May 2024 with a degree in journalism and a minor in history. He covers a variety of prep and collegiate sports throughout South Dakota, including USD Football.