Coyote football downs Missouri State on the road

The Coyotes defeated Missouri State 45-10 in Springfield, Missouri on Saturday to earn their third straight win, bringing their conference record to 2-0 and overall record to 3-3.

Senior quarterback Austin Simmons threw four touchdowns and completed 15 of 21 passes for a total of 228 yards in the three quarters.

Two of junior wide receiver Caleb Vander Esch’s four catches were ended in the endzone, as he led the team with 96 yards receiving. Redshirt-sophomore wide receiver Drew Greenhaw nabbed an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

“It’s always nice having a good lead but at the same time we always preach that we can’t get complacent when we did have the lead and have to continue to say that to ourselves,” Greenhaw said.

Junior running back Kai Henry and sophomore running back Caanan Brooks visited the end zone on short rushes.  

USD has eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark three games in a row. Junior running back Ben Klett led the team with 69 yards on his five carries, adding a receiving touchdown. Junior running back Kai Henry ran for 57 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore Caanan Brooks gained 43 yards and a score.

The Coyote has allowed 10 or fewer points for the third game in a row and limited the Bears to 184 yards passing and 20 yards rushing.

Redshirt-freshman linebacker Jakari Starling led the defense with eight stops and senior defensive linemen Darin Greenfield had four tackles bringing his career total to 50, a half-tackle shy of the program’s all-time record. 

The Coyotes are on the road for one more week as they take on No. 15 Northern Iowa (3-3,1-1) in Cedar Falls on Saturday.