Tight End Jesse Miller

In a rare five overtime football game, the University of South Dakota won 53-51 in Carbondale, IL on Saturday afternoon vs. Southern Illinois. Jesse Miller, the 2023 Greene County High School graduate and USD tight end, had his first collegiate carry of the football in the contest, and he also caught three passes for 34 yards. Miller ran for five yards and his catch was good for eight yards. The rushing attempt was not a handoff to the tight end, but instead it took place with Miller in motion and an early snap from center hit him. One of his catches in regulation resulted in a critical first down, and he scored two conversion points on review that sent the game into a third OT.

The Coyotes, or ‘Yotes, as they are referred to, trailed by 10 points at the end of the third quarter, but outscored the Salukis 13-3 in the fourth, and the game went to overtime tied 34-34. In the first OT, both teams scored seven points, then both scored eight in the second OT.  NCAA rules after the second overtime require two point conversion tries instead of a first and 10. Neither team reached the end zone in the third overtime, followed by both scoring two points in overtime number four. USD scored two to lead in the fifth overtime, but Southern Illinois was denied.

The victory completes the regular season for USD at 8-4 and they finish Missouri Valley Football Conference play with a 6-2 mark. North Dakota State is 7-0 in the league while USD, Illinois State and North Dakota have two conference losses. UND and IL State are both 5-2 with one conference game rmaining.