Under the lights at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, a sold-out crowd held on to see the first-ever overtime game in series history between the No. 3-ranked South Dakota State and No. 4 South Dakota as the Jackrabbits extended their home win streak to 25 games. Amar Johnson scored on a 3-yard touchdown run in overtime to prevail, 20-17 over South Dakota.


The 118th meeting between the Jacks and Coyotes saw SDSU improve to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. 

 

With SDSU holding a 14-7 lead, USD moved into the red zone for the first time since the opening stanza, reaching the Jackrabbit 10-yard line after a 12-yard run by Travis Theis that came on the heels of having an apparent touchdown called back by an illegal shift penalty. On the next play, however, Theis attempted a halfback pass that was intercepted by SDSU linebacker Graham Spalding and returned to the Jackrabbit 19 with 4 minutes and 23 seconds remaining in regulation.

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The Jackrabbits' momentum was short-lived, however, as on the first play of the ensuing drive, USD safety Dennis Shorter knocked the ball loose from SDSU running back Angel Johnson and defensive end Mi'Quise Grace scooped up the loose ball and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.


The Jackrabbits won the overtime toss and elected to go on defense first. USD mustered only two yards on its first play, which was followed by a pair of incomplete passes. This time, Leyland connected from 40 yards with the wind at his back to give the Coyotes a momentary 17-14 lead. 

In its overtime possession, SDSU faced fourth-and-1 from the 16 and, after the previous play was reviewed, the Jackrabbits decided to put the offense back on the field after initially opting to go for the game-tying field goal. 

Quarterback Mark Gronowski plunged forward for 2 yards, then connected on pass plays of 6 and 5 yards to Griffin Wilde and Grahm Goering, respectively, for first and goal at the 3. Two plays later, Amar Johnson plunged in for his second touchdown of the game and the game-winning score. 

 

The Jackrabbits close out their two-game homestand with a November 2 matchup against Murray State. The Coyotes head into the bye week next week before returning to the DakotaDome to host Indiana State on Saturday, November 9.

30 famous people you might not know were college athletes

Stacker dug deep to find 30 celebrities who were previously college athletes. There are musicians, politicians, actors, writers, and reality TV stars. For some, an athletic career was a real, promising possibility that ultimately faded away due to injury or an alternate calling. Others scrapped their way onto a team and simply played for fun and the love of the sport. Read on to find out if your favorite actor, singer, or politician once sported a university jersey.

Gallery Credit: Sophia Crisafulli

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