SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Parker Douglass kicked three field goals on Saturday, including a school- recrord 54-yarder, as South Dakota State withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally by UC Davis for a windy 16-14 Great West Football Conference win at Howard Wood Field.
The loss snapped the Aggies' two-game winning streak as they fell to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the GWFC. The Jackrabbits, which had lost three in a row, evened up their record at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the league.
UC Davis trailed 16-0 in the fourth quarter but rallied with a pair of touchdowns, including a 2- yard touchdown pass from Jon Grant to tight end Matt Gravette with 2 minutes, 5 seconds left.
UC Davis nearly tied the game on the two-point conversion, but cornerback Hank McCall played tight defense against receiver Blaise Smith who wasn't able to completely come down with the pass from Grant in the corner of the end zone.
UC Davis put itself within a touchdown's range earlier in the quarter after Grant hit running back DeMario Warren on a short pass which Warren then turned into an 18-yard score. Grant then hit Smith on a quick slant to make it 16-8.
South Dakota State, which scored an early touchdown, rode the foot of Douglass who had three field goals. He hit from 38 yards in the second quarter and then had a school-record 54- yarder in the third. A 32-yard field goal near the end of the period gave the Jackrabbits a 16-0 lead.
Redshirt freshman DeMario Warren posted his first career 100-yard game, gaining 114 yards on 21 carries while adding another 66 receiving yards on seven catches. Grant finished with 217 passing yards, completing 26 of 41 passes with one interception.
Receiver Tony Kays, who entered the game with 47 catches, had just four grabs totaling 33 yards.
Running back Cory Koenig had 141 rushing yards on 21 carries for South Dakota State, gaining nearly 100 in the first quarter alone.
South Dakota State got on the scoreboard first, capitalizing on Grant's first interception in the past three games. McCall returned the pick 13 yards to the Jackrabbits' 46-yard line early in the opening quarter, with the Jackrabbits scoring on a 2-yard run by Kardoes after Koenig broke through for a 52-yard run to the Aggies' 2.
The Jackrabbits continued to take advantage of field position, pinning UC Davis at its 1 on a punt by Neal Bainbridge, and then after the Aggies were forced to punt on their ensuing drive, picked up a 38-yard field goal early in the second quarter by Douglass for a 10-0 lead.
The first quarter was a tough one for the UC Davis defense, which allowed 111 rushing yards to South Dakota State, the first time an opponent has rushed for more than 100 yards. Koenig had a majority of that total, picking up 97.
The Jackrabbits nearly took a 13-0 lead at the end of the first half, failing to do so after a holding penalty negated a 55-yard field goal by Douglass. Moved back 10 yards, Douglass was just short on a 65-yard attempt on the next play.
South Dakota had 197 yards of offense in the opening 30 minutes, gaining 141 yards on 19 rushing attempts, 119 of the yards from Koenig. The Aggies, who had 175 yards of total offense, were led by running back Warren, who had 92 yards in just his second career game. He also had 41 receiving yards in the first half. The Jackrabbits did a good job against Kays, holding him to just one catch for six yards.
South Dakota State continued to stifle the Aggies' offense in the third quarter, eventually driving 32 yards on seven plays for a career-best 54-yard field goal from Douglass with 5:40 left in the quarter. The score came after an Aggie penalty on fourth down changed the Jackrabbits' plans to punt and instead attempt the long field goal. Douglass converted again in the final seconds of the third quarter, hitting from 32 yards for a 16-0 lead.
UC Davis found some rhythm offensively in the fourth quarter, crafting a 13-play, 80-yard drive which resulted in Grant hitting Warren on a short pass and Warren scampering in for a 19-yard touchdown. The Aggies cut the deficit to 16-8 as Grant hit Smith on the conversion.
Linebacker Nolan de Graaff had a key 8-yard sack of Kardoes on South Dakota's next drive and UC Davis took possession on its own 45 after a South Dakota State penalty. The Aggies moved to Jackrabbits' 37 - and after a false start penalty on fourth down - got a 17-yard pass from Grant to Kale Turner for a key first down with just under five minutes left. Another crucial fourth-down grab by Turner with 3:05 left put UC Davis at the Jackrabbits' 3, leading to Gravette's touchdown.
UC Davis outgained South Dakota State, 353-267 with the defense holding the Jackrabbits to just 70 yards after halftime. Safety Jonathan Barsi, playing his first game since the season-opener against New Hampshire, led UC Davis with 11 tackles. Cornerback Nevan Bergan had his fourth interception of the season while linebacker Ben Reece had eight.
McCall had 11 stops to pace the Jackrabbits' defense while linebacker Marty Kranz had nine.
