VERMILLION, S.D. -- Wesley Beschorner, the record-setting quarterback for the nationally-ranked South Dakota Football Team, is featured in the Faces in the Crowd section of the Dec. 12 issue of Sports Illustrated.

A native of Lohrville, Iowa, Beschorner recently finished second in the Harlon Hill Trophy race as the Division II Player of the Year. Beschorner was the field general on the nation's most prolific offense. The Coyotes averaged a nation-best 583.3 yards in total offense per game and averaged 49.7 points by scoring a school-record 547 points in 2005.

Beschorner, who set or tied 29 school records in 2005, turned in one of best seasons ever by a quarterback in South Dakota or North Central Conference history. Beschorner, who was named the North Central Conference Back of the Year for 2005, led the Coyotes to its first North Central Conference title since 1978. He led the nation in pass efficiency at 215.2, becoming just the second quarterback ever in Division II to record at least a 215 rating or better (Curt Anes, 221.3, 2001, Grand Valley State). He had a 9.75 TD to interception ration (39 TDs to four interceptions).

At the end of the regular season, Beschorner had a nation-best 39 passing TDs and 47 combined TDs for the nationally ranked South Dakota football team that finished 9-2 and has been ranked in the top 25 the entire season (USD was ranked eighth in the D2football.com poll and 11th in the AFCA poll at the end of the regular season).

Beschorner, who directed USD to an 18-4 record in the past two seasons, ranked fifth in the nation in total offense (318.2 yards per game) and his per play average of 10.22 yards set a Division II record (Curt Anes, Grand Valley State, 10.1 yards per play, 2001).

Beschorner is the first USD football player to be one of the top-three vote getters for the Harlon Hill Trophy Award. Beschorner completed 172 of 255 passes for 3,049 yards in 2005. He finished with a completion rate of 67.5 percent and scored at least two TDs (rush or pass) in all 11 games this season. Beschorner, who rushed for 451 yards, had six games with four or more TD passes and three games with five or more TD passes in 2005. He had three games with a combined six TDs and had a game with a school-record seven combined TDs.

A big play specialist, he had both a 79-yard run and a 90-yard TD pass. He also owns two 100-yard rush games this season. Beschorner leaves USD as its career total offense leader with 7,476 yards on 967 plays for a 7.3 average, all school records. This season, he had a school-record 3,500 yards on 343 plays in total offense. He also became USD's all-time passing leader with 6,240 yards.