BROOKINGS, SD - Anthony Watson's 55-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage set the tone as South Dakota State University rushed for 357 yards enroute to a 42-13 victory over Wisconsin-La Crosse in non-conference football action Saturday night at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
Watson finished the game with 183 yards and three touchdowns while sophomore Kory Koenig gained 93 yards and one score. Watson needed 15 carries, 12.2 yards per try, while Koenig had 14, 6.6 yards per attempt.
UW-La Crosse tied the game at 7 when Steve Teeples returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown with 4:37 left in the first quarter.
Then SDSU got a 46-yard kickoff return from LaRon Harris, setting up a 50 yard drive which ended with a one-yard Watson TD.
Sophomore tight end Chris Wagner caught a four-yard TD pass from Andy Kardoes in the second period, and SDSU led 21-7 at halftime.
After UWL closed within 21-13 on a 21-yard John Schumann to Cody Jenson pass to start the scoring in the second half, SDSU scored the last three touchdowns of the game.
Watson capped a 71-yard, 5-play drive with a 30 yard TD run making it 28-13 with 6:07 left in the third period. Then SDSU stopped UWL with a three and out series and Dusty Snyder's nine-yard punt return gave the Jacks the ball at mid-field. Six plays later Koenig scored on a 25-yard run.
The only scoring in the fourth quarter came when backup quarterback Reed Burckhardt hooked up with Harris on a 50-yard TD strike with 3:11 to play.
The third period saw a wild sequence in which UWL's John Schumann and Paul Killoren hooked up on a 64 yard pass play, but the Eagles didn't have the ball when the play ended. Killoren fumbled with Hank McCall recovering for the Jacks on the SDSU 11.
The Jacks then launched a 15-play drive which ended with another turnover, when UWL's Gene Janke recovered a Kardoes fumble at the Eagles' one yard line.
SDSU finished with 505-390 advantage in total offense. The Jacks were 12-for-22 for 148 yards passing. The 357 yards rushing is the most by the Jacks since they gained 514 against Morningside in 1977 (they had 369 against Nebraska-Omaha that same season).
Josh Davis caught four passes for 53 yards to lead the receivers, and also contributed two kickoff returns for 49 yards including a 30-yarder to open the game which set up Watson's first TD.
In fact, special teams came up big for the Jacks. SDSU finished the game with three kickoff returns for 95 yards, Snyders had four punt returns for 33 yards, Neal Bainbridge averaged 44 yards on two punts, and Andy Pick had five touchbacks on seven kickoffs with another fielded on the seven.
UWL's offense included 338 yards passing, with Schumann 15-for-22 for 242 and Steve Tennies 10-for-14 for 96. Mark Wilcox was the leading rusher with 33 yards on 12 carries and he also caught four passes for 46 yards.
McCall led the SDSU defense with nine tackles, while Mike James, Jason Nobiling, Mitch Klein and Mitch Pontrelli had five tackles each. Kevin Vitkus had 11 tackles for UWL.
SDSU is now 21-1 in season opener's played at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The Jacks will host Valparaiso in the tenth annual Cereal Bowl next Saturday.
UWL, which plays at Howard Payne in Texas next week, has is an NCAA Division III team which has won three straight WIAC championships and is favored to repeat again this year.
