Houchin: Austyn Modrzewski carries USD past Northern Iowa amid rushing attack struggles

VERMILLION, S.D. — The University of South Dakota football team has built its identity around being a balanced, explosive offense, capable of hurting opposing defenses both on the ground and through the air. But on Saturday afternoon inside the DakotaDome, the Coyotes needed only one part of that identity to show up. Quarterback Austyn Modrzewski put the offense on his back, throwing for a career-high 356 yards and five touchdowns on 23-of-29 passing with just one interception to lead USD to a 41-30 victory over Northern Iowa. USD head coach Matt Vitzthum acknowledged the Panthers' defensive approach, which essentially dared the Coyotes to beat them through the air. “Tim Morrison calls plays for us, and it took a lot for him to say, ‘Hey, there’s 11 guys in the box today. We've got to let No. 1 (Modrzewski) air it out and beat these guys,’” he said.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.