Youngstown, Ohio – The Youngstown State football team jumped out to an early lead but dropped a 27-17 decision to No. 4 South Dakota Saturday evening at Stambaugh Stadium.
The Penguins fall to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference while the Coyotes improve to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the MVFC.
Sophomore quarterback Beau Brungard passed and ran for a touchdown and threw for 208 yards on 22-of-31 passing. Brungard also rushed for 69 yards.
Max Tomczak had a team-high nine receptions for 90 yards while Brandon Serrano caught a touchdown pass. Ethan Wright rushed for 50 yards on 13 carries.
Defensively, Devin Johnson, Michael Voitus, and Stephon Hall each had six tackles to lead the Penguins.
Youngstown State scored on its first two possessions of the game to take a 14-0 lead, but the Coyotes scored 27 of the 30 points for the victory.
South Dakota's Charles Pierre, Jr. rushed for 153 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns while quarterback Aidan Bouman was 12-for-18 for 223 yards and a touchdown.
The Penguins took the opening drive 82 yards in 11 plays to take a 7-0 lead with 8:57 left in the first. Brungard connected with Serrano on a 15-yard touchdown pass on third-and-10 to cap the drive.
YSU converted both of their third-down conversions, and a Brungard-to-Traugh 24-yard completion was a key play to help set up the score.
Youngstown State forced the Coyotes to punt on their first possession and answered with its second 80-scoring touchdown drive the first half. The Penguins marched 81 yards in 13 plays to take a 14-0 lead.
YSU posted four plays of 10-yards or more on the drive capped by Brungard's 11-yard touchdown scramble with 12:28 left before halftime.
South Dakota tied the game with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns just over five minutes apart.
The Coyotes cut the lead with half, 14-7, when Bouman connected with Quaron Adams on a 48-yard scoring strike with 9:22 remaining in the second quarter. Pierre, Jr. capped a 62-yard drive and knotted at the game at 14-14 with a 21-yard touchdown rush at the 4:07 mark.
Junior defensive end Dewan Martin caused a strip sack of Bouman and Jaelen Crider recovered the fumble at the USD 33 with 1:10 before halftime. Andrew Lastovka's 39-yard field goal with seven second left pushed the Penguins ahead 17-14 at the intermission.
USD tied the game at 17-17 after a 23-yard field goal by Will Leyland at the 7:16 mark of the third quarter. The Coyotes took the opening drive of the second half 60 yards in 14 play that ran off 7:40 off the clock.
The Coyotes took their first lead of the game, 24-17, late in the third quarter after Pierre, Jr. busted off a 50-yard touchdown run with 5:19 left in the quarter.
Leyland added a 35-yard field goal with 4:05 left in the game to extend the Coyotes lead to 27-17.
Youngstown State hosts No. 10 North Dakota Saturday, Oct. 26. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Stambaugh Stadium.
