ST. LOUIS (USD PR) — South Dakota senior quarterback Austin Simmons (Council Bluffs, Iowa) has been named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Coyotes’ 56-21 win against Youngstown State Saturday inside the DakotaDome. It is the third such award for Simmons this season and his fourth in the last two years.
Simmons passed for 180 yards, ran for 72 and accounted for five touchdowns in three quarters of work against the nation’s 22nd-ranked defense. He led the Coyotes on four consecutive touchdown drives of 75 yards or more to start the game, and passed for four touchdowns for the fourth time in his career. Simmons also surpassed his predecessor, Chris Streveler, for third place on the Coyotes’ all-time passing list with 6,162 yards.
Simmons leads the Valley and ranks seventh nationally in total offense at 311 yards per game. His 25 touchdown passes this season rank ninth nationally and are the third-most in program history. Simmons is completing 65 percent of his throws, which ranks 14th in the FCS.
South Dakota (4-6, 3-3 MVFC) continues play Saturday with a trip to Fargo, North Dakota, to face top-ranked and undefeated North Dakota State (10-0, 6-0) in a 2:30 p.m. kick inside the Fargodome.
