SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The Black Hills State University football team jumped out to a 14-0 advantage mid-way through the second quarter and would never trail on Thursday night at Bob Young Field as the Yellow Jackets invaded east river and came away with a 24-21 victory over Sioux Falls. The offense set the tone out of the gates with a nearly 11-minute opening drive that led to a commanding 42:09-17:51 advantage in time of possession, a 75-57 advantage in plays ran, and a 308-225 edge in total offense. Guiding the new look offense, however, was a familiar face to fans in the Green & Gold as Kade Weber made just his second career start and tallied three total touchdowns with a combination of his passing and running abilities. Defensively, BHSU held The Coo to just 2-of-10 on third down and 1-of 3 on fourth down in the match-up and limited a strong rushing attack that averaged 171.8 yards per game a year ago to just 27 net yards and 1.7 yards per carry.
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 24, Sioux Falls 21
Team Records: Black Hills State 1-0 (0-0 RMAC), Sioux Falls 0-1 (0-0 NSIC)
Attendance: 1,738
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Electing to receive the opening kick, Black Hills State took control from the start, marching 77 yards down the field in 18 plays and taking 10:49 off the clock to find the end zone. En route to scoring the first touchdown of the contest, the Yellow Jackets converted two third down and two fourth down conversions, which included the strike across the middle from Kade Weber to Joseph Randle for a 7-yard touchdown reception on third and goal with 4:05 left in the first quarter.
- The Black Hills State defense secured a three and out the ensuing Sioux Falls possession, forcing the Cougars to punt after possessing the ball for just 55 seconds and send their defense back onto the field the remaining 3:10 of the opening quarter.
- Following a punt by each team to begin the second quarter, the BHSU offense struck again with 11:53 to play before the halftime break as Weber found room around the right-edge for an 11-yard touchdown run. The Yellow Jackets then converted the 2-point conversion as Weber scrambled left out of the pocket and found Thomas Mabe at the goal line for a diving grab to make it a 14-0 ball game. The scoring drive was set up with a 34-yard punt return by Bryce Coulson to give the offense the ball at the USF 23-yard line.
- After another three and out forced by the Black Hills State defense the ensuing drive, the Cougar offense eventually gained life with back-to-back scoring drives to even the game 14 apiece at the end of the first half. Aided by a 31-yard pass from Tate Schafer to Adonis Hutchinson to move the ball into the red zone, the Cougars broke into the end zone for the first time with a 9-yard rushing touchdown by Bubba Tann III with 5:02 on the clock. The PAT woes continued as the second missed extra point of the contest came as a result of a blocked kick by Kaleb Tulloss. USF then capitalized with the 2-minute drill offense at the end of the half as they took advantage of a pair of penalties and a 22-yard pass from Schafer to Dahlton Wood. The Coo tied the game with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Tann and a pass from Schafer to Hutchinson for the 2-point conversion.
- Similar to the opening drive of the game, Black Hills State utilized a pair of third down conversions (1 by penalty) and another fourth down conversion to find the end zone at the end of a 13-play, 75-yard drive that took another 7:40 off the game clock. Weber capped the drive with his second rushing touchdown of the day, following his linemen around the left-edge for an 11-yard rushing touchdown to give the Green & Gold a 21-14 lead with the addition of Madden Aquino's extra point with 6:25 to play in the third quarter.
- Sioux Falls looked to answer the ensuing drive, moving the ball all the way to the BHSU 25-yard line. The Yellow Jackets, however, held strong and forced a turnover on downs to get the ball back with 1:26 to play in the third quarter.
- Black Hills State's defense then secured their lone turnover of the contest in the early minutes of the fourth quarter, as Schafer fumbled the ball and Dalan Kennedy fell on it at the USF 29-yard line with 13:08 to play in the game. The Green & Gold that capitalized on the field position as Aquino split the uprights on a 47-yard field goal attempt to push the lead to two possessions (24-14) with 11:42 remaining.
- The Cougars had one final spark as Cade Morse returned a punt 44-yards to the BHSU 25-yard line with just 53 seconds to play. USF was then able to find the end zone with just three ticks of the clock left as Schafer found Isaac Jarovski for a 2-yard touchdown reception. Scott Dickson added the extra point to bring the score to 24-21.
- BHSU then recovered the ensuing onside kick and Weber secured the win with a kneel down in victory formation to bleed out the final two seconds on the clock.
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Kade Weber: 16-of-25 passing, 123 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 13 rushes, 79 net rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
Jayden Williams: 6 receptions, 66 receiving yards
Joseph Randle: 4 receptions, 30 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Terrence Curtis: 4 total tackles, 2 pass break-ups
Jayshon Liles: 4 total tackles, 1.0 tackle-for-loss
Dalan Kennedy: 1 total tackle, 1 fumble recovery, 2 pass break-ups
UP NEXT
Black Hills State returns to Spearfish to play their first home game of the 2026 season next week with another battle against a former SDIC foe, welcoming Dakota State to Lyle Hare Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, September 5. The game will stream live on the RMAC Network and will also air live on linear tv channels KNBN-2 in Rapid City and KSFL in Sioux Falls.
