CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP)—Noah Shepard ran for 153 yards and four touchdowns, leading South Dakota to a 42-20 Great West victory over Southern Utah on Saturday.
Chris Ganious rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns for the Coyotes (6-4, 1-1 Great West), who gained 445 yards on the ground while holding the Thunderbirds to minus-4 yards rushing.
Cody Stone completed 21-46 passes for 327 yards and two touchdowns for Southern Utah (4-6, 1-3). Nick Miller had 11 receptions for 154 yards and a touchdown, while Tysson Poots caught eight passes for 163 yards and a score.
South Dakota mounted two sustained drives in the second half, culminating in Shepard s four-yard touchdown with 3:19 left in the third quarter and his clinching 13-yard score two minutes into the final period.
Shepard and Ganious scored two rushing touchdowns each in the first half, giving South Dakota a 28-3 lead late in the second quarter.
Shane Potter and Isaiah Dixon set up Shepard’s touchdowns with consecutive first-down interceptions in Thunderbird territory.
Southern Utah scored twice in the final 36 seconds of the first half, cutting the lead to 28-17.
Stone threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Miller. After D.J. Luchessi recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, Stone threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Poots with four seconds left in the half.
Head to Head - Week 12
| Team | Total Yds | Pass Yds | Rush Yds | First Downs | 3rdD% | Pen./Yds | Turnovers | Time of Poss. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota | 504 | 59 | 445 | 21 | 46.2% | 9/107 | 1 | 35:38 |
| Southern Utah | 366 | 370 | -4 | 16 | 31.3% | 8/59 | 2 | 24:22 |