VERMILLION, S.D. – Indiana State football dropped its Missouri Valley Football Conference opener Saturday in Vermillion, falling to South Dakota 38-0 in front of an energized homecoming crowd.
 
The Sycamores fell to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in MVFC play with the loss while South Dakota improved to 2-3 and 1-0 in conference action. It marked the first time that the Sycamores have been shutout since falling to Northern Iowa, 33-0 in 2018.
 
South Dakota put up a season high 522 yards of total offense while ISU was held to 274 yards on the day.
 
Gunnar See made his first career start at quarterback for the Sycamores, finishing 23-for-38 for 239 yards.
 
Dominque Dafney recorded a team high 83 yards on five catches while Dante Hendrix had five catches for 82 yards. Daijon Collins picked up five receptions for 31 yards. ISU was held to 40 yards rushing on the day, led by Titus McCoy with 23 yards on 13 carries.
 
Clayton Glasco led the Sycamore defense with eight tackles, including three tackles for loss. Denzel Bonner added six stops from the safety position. Keawvis Cummings picked up his first interception in a Sycamore uniform late in the second quarter and finished with two solo stops.
 
Austin Simmons led the way for South Dakota with four touchdowns (three rushing and one passing) including 210 yards through the air on 15-of-25 passing and 138 yards on the ground. Henry added 101 yards and a rushing score as the Coyotes went for 312 yards on the ground.
 
It was all South Dakota in the opening 30 minutes of action as the Coyotes took a 24-0 lead heading into the locker room. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Yotes went 75 yards in 4:21 before a four-yard run from quarterback Austin Simmons put the home squad on top.
 
Seven minutes later, USD would add to their lead when Kai Henry broke a 43-yard run up the middle to cap off a 66-yard drive.
 
Simmons continued to be a problem from the quarterback spot, breaking his second long touchdown run of the day early in the second quarter with a 37-yard touchdown scamper. Mason Lorber would nail a 44-yard field goal with 1:37 left before halftime.
 
The Coyotes went for 310 yards of total offense in the first half, with 158 yards on the ground and 152 yards through the air. ISU was just 1-for-5 on third down conversions while USD was 4-for-8 in the opening half.
 
South Dakota continued to put up points, picking up a pair of touchdowns late in the third quarter. Simmons found Drew Greenhaw on a short pass before the receiver made a Sycamore miss and made his way into the end zone. Simmons continued his tear offensively with a 44-yard rushing score with 14 second left in the third.
 
The Sycamores return to Terre Haute next weekend for Homecoming as Western Illinois comes to town. Kickoff with the Leathernecks is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET from Memorial Stadium. For more information about Homecoming, click HERE.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Football team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.