No. 11 South Dakota Pulls Away from Northern Colorado in Second Half

Saturday, September 5

Greeley, Colo.

6 p.m. MDT

University of Northern Colorado

0-2 , 0-1

South Dakota

2-0 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
South Dakota	7	14	7	10	38
Northern Colo.	7	3	7	6	23

Photo by: Lexie Martin

9/5/2026 10:55:00 PM | Football

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By: Aiden Tank, Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. - Northern Colorado stayed within reach at halftime but No. 11 South Dakota pulled away in the second half for a 38-23 victory Saturday night at Nottingham Field.

The Bears struck first when Kenny Lueth connected with Trey Olsen on a 54-yard touchdown pass with 3:46 left in the opening quarter, capping an eight-play, 85-yard drive. South Dakota answered quickly, with Tennel Bryant breaking loose for a 46-yard touchdown run just over a minute later to even the score at 7-7.

"We've got a team that's proud of the uniform," head coach Ed Lamb said after the game. "They never quit. They kept playing hard the whole time. It was a fun game to coach from that standpoint. We made too many mistakes on defense again, especially in the secondary."

The Coyotes seized momentum before halftime. Charles Pierre Jr. punched in an 11-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, and South Dakota quarterback Austyn Modrzewski found Brayden White for a 10-yard scoring strike with 40 seconds left in the half. Northern Colorado managed a 39-yard field goal by Landon Richardson as time expired, sending the Bears into the break trailing 21-10.

Northern Colorado opened the third quarter with a methodical response. The Bears marched 75 yards over 12 plays, with Justin Guin finishing the drive on a 7-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 21-17 with 7:54 remaining in the quarter.

South Dakota answered back five minutes later. Pierre Jr. scored his second touchdown of the night on a 10-yard run, restoring the Coyotes' two-score lead at 28-17. The Bears' next possession ended when a punt was blocked and recovered by South Dakota, setting up a quick score. Modrzewski hit Bryce Cohoon for a 22-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 35-17.

After a 25-yard field goal by Bohdie Ing made it 38-17, Northern Colorado added a late score when backup quarterback Brayten Silbor threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Herron with 2:01 remaining. A failed two-point conversion kept the final margin at 15 points.

"There's a ton of belief," Olsen commented. "I feel like we're right there. We just have to put it all together. That's where we're at. There's no doubt that this team can win. I know what we can do. I know what our guys can do. There's a ton of belief."

Lueth finished 19-of-29 for 201 yards and one touchdown while adding 32 rushing yards on 13 carries. Mathias Price led the Bears' ground game with 34 yards on 10 attempts. Olsen's 54-yard touchdown was one of is three receptions on the night. Garrett Harstad added 49 receiving yards on four catches.

Silbor came on late and went 5-of-9 for 65 yards and the touchdown to Herron.

Defensively, Carson Keach paced Northern Colorado with six tackles, while KJ Smedley and Mikhail Benner each added five. Andres Rodriguez recorded the Bears' only sack.

South Dakota's offense was led by Modrzewski, who completed 14 of 22 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Pierre Jr. added 46 rushing yards and two scores, while Bryant's 46-yard touchdown was his only carry of the game. The Coyotes outgained Northern Colorado 392-377 in total offense.

The Bears fall to 0-2 on the season. South Dakota improves to 2-0.

Up Next
Northern Colorado hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to face Wyoming next Saturday at 2 p.m. on MW+.