VERMILLION, S.D. (Interstat) — South Dakota scored 16 first-quarter points and never trailed Saturday, beating visiting Indiana State 44-14 in a NCAA Football Championship Division game at The DakotaDome. The Coyotes improved to 4-2, while the Sycamores fell to 2-4. South Dakota controlled the game from the opening quarter and maintained a comfortable lead throughout.

South Dakota set the tone early and led 16-0 after the first quarter. The Coyotes added seven points in the second quarter, seven in the third and 14 in the fourth. Indiana State scored seven points in the second quarter and seven in the third. The Sycamores were scoreless in the first and fourth quarters.

Austyn Modrzewski directed South Dakota’s offense, completing 16 of 23 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns while rushing six times for 8 yards. Charles Pierre Jr. powered the ground game with 15 carries for 109 yards and three receptions for 24 yards, scoring three touchdowns. Brayden White caught five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown and returned three punts for 16 yards. Tysen Boze had three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. Jesse Miller added two catches for 9 yards and a touchdown. Chris Herrin caught two passes for 34 yards. Tennel Bryant had one reception for 8 yards and one kick return for 8 yards. Keyondray Jones-Logan ran three times for 7 yards and caught one pass for 12 yards. Courtney Rivers ran twice for 8 yards. Reid Watkins carried seven times for 25 yards. Carson Fletcher ran seven times for 34 yards and caught one pass for 8 yards.

Jackson Proctor also contributed for South Dakota, completing both of his passes for 37 yards and a touchdown and running three times for 14 yards. RJ Stewart anchored the defense with four tackles and two interceptions. Kael Kolarik made five tackles and intercepted a pass. Harrison Brun added six tackles, while Asher Tomaszewski had four tackles. Jeff Bowie recorded one tackle. Isaiah Wray made four tackles and one quarterback hurry. Nathan Laperi, Crew Heier and Tim White each finished with three tackles. Kevin Dodard, Wade Abrams, Josh Grant, Cain Wallner, Jaylen Boehm-Peterson and Chris Dixon each had two tackles. John Starman added two tackles. Sam Same recorded one quarterback hurry. Jaden Brown and Gabriel Hardman each made one tackle. Brook Honore Jr. punted six times for 309 yards. Dawson Sechser, Ford Hamilton, Bohdie Ing and DJ Kennard also appeared in the game.

Indiana State was led by Brady Allen, who completed 15 of 27 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown and ran twice for 19 yards. His touchdown pass went 63 yards to Torey French. Tyler Stewart caught three passes for 31 yards and returned two kickoffs for 34 yards. Keshon Singleton had two receptions for 35 yards. Dane Pardridge caught one pass for 10 yards, and Jaylan Johnson had one reception for 4 yards and one tackle. M. McCool scored on a 1-yard run. Spencer Conrad and Sebastian Lopez made extra points for the Sycamores.

Braxton Sampson led the Sycamores with nine tackles. Xavier McIntyre made seven tackles. Alex Rose had six tackles and a sack. Zakiese Smith finished with five tackles. Lovell Vereen II, Micah McNair and Mason Knipp each had four tackles, with Knipp adding a sack. Bryce Patterson made three tackles, and Jaylan Johnson added one tackle. Indiana State’s defense had some bright spots but could not contain South Dakota’s balanced attack for four quarters.

South Dakota’s scoring came in a variety of ways. Jones-Logan opened the game with a 5-yard rush. Modrzewski threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Miller. Later, Pierre Jr. ran 10 yards for a touchdown. White then caught a 37-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point failed. Pierre Jr. caught a 17-yard touchdown pass. Allen connected with French for a 63-yard touchdown. Pierre Jr. added a 24-yard touchdown run. Proctor threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Boze. McCool scored on a 1-yard run for Indiana State. The Sycamores could not string together enough stops or scores to threaten.

The Coyotes’ special teams also contributed, with White’s punt returns and Honore’s punting helping flip the field. South Dakota’s kickers and coverage units kept Indiana State from gaining momentum in the return game. The Sycamores’ defense forced some long possessions but could not keep pace with the Coyotes’ scoring output.

South Dakota entered the game after a 47-28 loss at Youngstown State, a 38-24 loss at Boise State, a 41-23 win over Eastern Washington, a 38-23 win at Northern Colorado and a 59-20 win over Central Connecticut. Indiana State came in after a 42-35 loss to North Dakota, a 39-16 win over Valparaiso, a 42-35 win at Eastern Illinois, a 44-19 loss at Purdue and a 23-21 loss to Southeast Missouri State. The Sycamores will next host Youngstown State, while South Dakota will host Southern Illinois.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of South Dakota 67, Indiana State 27. Interstat’s ELO system gave South Dakota a 97.6 percent probability to win. Indiana State had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +18.5. The total score of 58 went over the over/under line of 60.5.