VERMILLION, S.D. — No. 4-ranked South Dakota stunned top-ranked North Dakota State with a last-second touchdown off a frenetic sequence.
Javion Phelps caught a 25-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining to lift the Coyotes to a 29-28 victory against the Bison on Saturday in Missouri Valley Football Conference play at the DakotaDome.
NDSU (10-2, 8-1 MVFC) had its 10-game winning streak snapped and now shares the conference crown. The NCAA Division I FCS selection show is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, on ESPNU.
South Dakota (9-2, 7-1) also earned a share of the MFVC championship. The Coyotes scored 12 points in the final 3 minutes, 22 seconds to rally past the Bison.
No. 2-ranked Montana State (12-0) completed an undefeated regular season and will likely be the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
Bison quarterback Cam Miller completed 10 of 22 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for a team-high 82 yards and one TD on 19 attempts after a slow start.
The Coyotes raced to a 14-0 lead before NDSU responded in a game that had huge momentum shifts. Both teams rallied from double-digit deficits.
USD had the lead early in the second half. Will Leyland hit a 37-yard field goal to give the Coyotes a 17-14 lead with 10 minutes, 21 seconds to play in the third quarter. That capped a 10-play, 51-yard drive.
Miller scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Bison a 21-17 lead with 4:48 to play in the third quarter, giving NDSU its first lead. That capped an 80-yard drive that took 10 plays.
Bison running back Marty Brown completed an epic 99-yard drive with a 1-yard TD run for a 28-17 lead with 4:10 remaining in the fourth quarter. The long march lasted 20 plays and NDSU converted two fourth-and-1s in its own territory to extend the drive.
The Bison looked in control at that point.
USD, however, answered with a big drive. Wide receiver Jack Martens caught a 40-yard TD pass from quarterback Aidan Bouman to cut the lead to 28-23 with 3:22 remaining. The Coyotes missed on their two-point conversion attempt.
Phelps later added his clutch TD catch for a 29-28 lead on a second-and-19 play in the closing seconds. The game-winning touchdown came after a Bison sack. The Coyotes were out of timeouts and Phelps broke wide open after USD hurried to regroup and run a play with the game clock winding down.
The Coyotes not only finished strong, they started fast.
Running back Travis Theis scored on a 6-yard touchdown run to give USD a 7-0 lead with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter. That capped an 80-yard drive that took 11 plays. The Coyotes converted on third-and-17 and third-and-9 on that scoring march.
Theis added a 14-yard TD run for a 14-0 lead with 12:44 to play in the second quarter. That capped a 73-yard drive that lasted seven plays. USD had a 158-9 edge in yards after that score.
Wide receiver Braylon Henderson countered with a 23-yard TD catch to cut the USD lead to 14-7 with 2:39 to play in the first half. That capped a 66-yard drive in six plays. Earlier in the drive, RaJa Nelson had a 30-yard catch that moved the ball to the USD 18-yard line.
The 5-foot-11, 214-pound Brown scored on a 3-yard touchdown run to even the score at 14-14 with 26 seconds remaining in the first half. That capped an 83-yard drive in nine plays. Wide receiver Bryce Lance helped set up that score with a 48-yard catch to the USD 24.
The Bison finished the first half with 173 yards on 30 plays, while the Coyotes had 184 yards on 32 plays.
South Dakota gained 129 yards on 12 plays on its game-changing two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Bouman completed 18 of 30 passes for 272 yards with two touchdowns to help his team rally for victory.
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