USD Dakota Days Photos

On Saturday I had the unusual pleasure of focusing not on the game itself, but what happened around it. I still took a few photos of the action on the field, but left the majority of that work to Jilanne Doom.

I didn’t take a lot of crowd shots after halftime because, to be frank, the student section cleared out. (Don’t get that, by the way. The Vermillion bar scene isn’t so great that I’d leave a one-touchdown HOMECOMING game at halftime.)

South Dakota’s Tyler Starr, 11, launches himself at Western Illinois QB Will Lunt.

A baton twirler for the USD marching band shows off her athleticism.

In what has become a USD tradition, the team is led onto the field with Charlie Coyote on the back of a Harley.

The DakotaDome field reflects in the shades of a USD marching band performer.

A USD defender just misses getting a hand on a Western Illinois field goal attempt.

USD celebrating one of the few bright spots on Saturday, a touchdown run by Marcus Sims.

The USD dance team shows off their moves at halftime.

Yankton native Alyssa Van Meeteren, third from the right, was announced as Miss Dakota 2012 during halftime. Also pictured are last year’s royalty, Alexa Duling and James Payer II; USD president Jim Abbott and his wife Colette; Mr. Dakota Brenan Tjelmeland; and Meredith and Tom Brokaw, Yankton natives and this year’s D-Days parade marshals.

One of the few USD students that actually stayed for the second half. (Or at least long enough to be photographed. I didn’t check for her at the end of the game.)

At least these youngsters were having fun in the second half

South Dakota wide receiver Terrance Terry, 6, tries to find the ball after it got tipped up as he was hit by a Western Illinois defender. The ball fell out of his reach.

If you’re looking for more photos from this game and from D-Days — mine, David Lias’ and Jilanne’s — you can find them here.