VERMILLION, S.D. – Drake football was back at The DakotaDome on Saturday for a rematch of a previous non-conference matchup from earlier this season, this time to kick off postseason play. The Bulldogs hung with the No. 11 Coyotes, but a second half surge boosted South Dakota to a 38-17 win.
 
The Bulldogs won the opening coin toss and immediately went on the offensive, taking the ball and marching down the field. The Dogs' opening drive included a few clutch third down conversions thanks to the right arm of Logan Inagawa and churning legs of Jaden Meizinger.
 
Drake abutted the red zone, reaching a second down with four yards to go before two illegal motion penalties set them well behind the chains. A subsequent USD sack forced kicker Harry Balke on for 47-yard attempt that caromed off the right upright and through to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 lead.
 
South Dakota then took its turn manufacturing a scoring drive on the Coyotes' first possession. Quarterback Aidan Bouman used his lethal left arm to get the Coyotes within Drake's 20-yard line, but a Cole Sigler tackle-for-loss stalled the charge. USD connected on a 3-pointer of its own to tie the score.
 
Drake's next drive fizzled out as penalties again put the Bulldogs into long down-and-distance situations. Sam Bruno came on to punt, which was returned for what looked to be a special teams score by USD's Jack Martens, but a holding call on the Coyotes negated the run back.
 
The first quarter ended with USD back on the move, but the 3-3 tally held after the initial 15 minutes.
 
South Dakota got inside the Bulldog 10-yard line on the first possession of the second stanza, but an offensive pass interference flag looked to help the Drake defense try for a stop. Bouman had other ideas, however, as he lofted an offering from the 23-yard line to the far corner of the endzone where Larenzo Fenner muscled the ball away from a covering Garrison Codde for six.
 
But the Bulldogs punched right back. Logan Inagawa linked with Taj Hughes and Jackson Voth for two key conversions through the air before eventually scampering around the left edge untouched to a short rushing TD. Inagawa's score knotted the overall tally at 10-all.
 
South Dakota wasted no time separating again. On their next try, Bouman bombed one 57 yards to Tennel Bryant, setting up an L.J. Phillips, Jr. score from just a yard out.
 
Both sides could not get their 2-minute offense in rhythm and traded punts before heading to the half. South Dakota led 17-10 at the break.
 
The third quarter started with a bang for the Coyotes as Brayden White nearly housed the second half kickoff. Trenton Radloff finally brought him down at the Bulldog 35-yard line, but Bouman connected with a wide open Fenner just two plays later to put a little bigger gap on the scoreboard.
 
Inagawa and the Drake offense matriculated down the gridiron on their ensuing drive, but a Coyote sack forced the Bulldog kicking unit onto the field, but not just for an ordinary field goal. Instead, holder Luke Woodson motioned into a single-back set with the nearly the entire offensive line split out wide left. Woodson took the snap from Brett Welsing, who evaded a couple Coyote defenders and found an open gap downfield as an eligible receiver. Woodson lobbed to Welsing who completed the pitch-and-catch but was tracked down short of the line to gain as South Dakota forced an unusual turnover-on-downs.
 
South Dakota took back over inside its own 5-yard line and immediately started clicking again. Star tailback Phillips maneuvered through the line and ripped off a 52-yard run into Drake territory. Bouman eventually punctuated the drive with another touchdown pass to Fenner, giving the 'Yotes a 31-10 advantage.
 
The 11th-seeded Coyotes managed another score midway through the fourth quarter to extend their lead further. The Bulldogs were able to muster one final blow in the last minute of the game when Inagawa completed to Jackson Voth for a 6-yard touchdown. The late TD reached the eventual final of 38-17 in USD's favor.
 
"We have to give all the credit to South Dakota, that's a very good football team and they've been playing well down the stretch," Drake head coach Joe Woodley said. "I thought we gave them a good shot in the first half, hung around a little bit. Plenty of regrets for us, starting with myself, but they got off to a hot start in the second half. Defensively, gave up too many big plays, and offensively, shot ourselves in the foot with too many penalties. At the end of the day, I'm so proud of our football team and they fought all the way until the end. Endured a lot through the last year, and it tells you a lot about the guys we have in the locker room."
 
Logan Inagawa had a solid day on the ground and through the air for the Bulldogs. He totaled 149 passing yards on 19-of-31 throwing with a score to go along with 44 rushing yards on 17 carries and another touchdown.
 
Elsewhere, Nick Herman led the Drake ground game with 74 yards on 13 carries while Jackson Voth made 10 catches for 86 yards.
 
Defensively, Mikey Mangialardi led the Dogs with seven tackles followed by Sean Allison with six. Nolan Korzeniowski had Drake's lone sack.
 
Woodley's first season at the helm of the Drake football program ends with records of 8-4 overall and 7-1. The Bulldogs' trip to Vermillion marked their third straight FCS Playoff berth after winning their third consecutive Pioneer Football League Championship.