VERMILLION, S.D. -- The eighth-ranked South Dakota football team (5-0, 1-0) will try and extend its winning streak to six games when the Coyotes hit the road for a North Central Conference encounter with Augustana College (3-2, 0-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, S.D. For the fifth time, USD and Augustana will compete for the Silver Bedpan Trophy, a traveling trophy originated in 2001 in conjunction with Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health Systems. The trophy was established as part of the Dr. Jeffrey Behrens Scholarship Program, in honor of Dr. Behrens an orthopedic surgeon who was involved in both Augustana and USD athletics. In addition, Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System provide full tuition scholarships each year to an Augustana and USD student-athlete majoring in a health-related field.

At Stake The Coyotes will put its national ranking and a five-game winning streak on the line vs. Augustana on Viking Days in Sioux Falls. USD, which defeated fourth-ranked UNO, 59-14, on Sept. 24 in the DakotaDome, moved up six spots in the AFCA coaches' poll and now sits eighth in Division II. USD is ranked 4th in the D2football.com poll, 6th by the Don Hansen Weekly Football Gazette and third in the College Sports Report. The Coyotes were also ranked 20th by Lindy magazine in the preseason. Augustana will look to rebound after a 52-3 loss to second-ranked North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D., on Saturday. It was the NCC opener for both Augustana and UND. Augustana had opened the season with three wins in four games under new head coach Brad Salem.

Notes The Coyotes will try and go 6-0 for the first time since 1987. That squad, coached by Dave Triplett, was headed for its third straight national title appearance before injuries derailed the squad, which finished 7-4. With its win over UNO on Sept. 24, the Coyotes have opened the season with a 5-0 record which is a first since head coach Dennis Creehan's 1996 team also started 5-0 before finishing 6-5. All-American quarterback candidate Wes Beschorner (5'10, 190, senior, Lohrville, Iowa) has 66 career TDs, including a total of 46 this season. He already owns 14 school records. In week six games, USD owns a 50-47-9 all-time record and has won each of its last three week six encounters. This is the second straight season that head coach Ed Meierkort has the Coyotes ranked in the top 10 in NCAA Division II. USD was ranked as high as seventh in the AFCA poll in 2004.

Series South Dakota leads the all-time series with Augustana, 41-19. The Coyotes have recorded three straight wins in the series, including a 23-0 win on Dakota Days a year ago. The Coyotes won a 31-27 thriller in 2003 at Sioux Falls and recorded a 16-10 overtime win over Augustana in 2002 at the DakotaDome. The Vikings upended USD, 25-7, in 2002 at Howard Wood Field. USD's longest winning streak is eight games, accomplished twice from 1948-55 and 1980-87. Augustana has twice won three in a row vs. USD, including, 1960-62 and 1965-67. In terms of point margins, USD won a 86-0 decision in the first game of the series in 1930 while Augustana defeated USD, 43-0, in 1965.

Coyotes Broadcasts South Dakota football games (home-and-away) will be broadcast on the Coyote Sports Network. All USD football games will be held on Saturday afternoons and broadcast on Sportsradio 1570 (AM) "The Ticket" ( Vermillion/Yankton, S.D.) and KSQB 1520 AM (Sioux Falls, S.D. ). Kevin Culhane, '77, will handle play-by play duties with Jeff Culhane and Max Hawk serving as color analysts. Lane Grindle, '04, will serve as the sideline reporter with Joe Van Goor as the studio host. The broadcast will be available on the internet at www.usdcoyotes.com or at www.kvht.com. Additionally, the Coyote games will be available on Teamline at 1-800-846-4700 (team code: 6056). Teamline is a fee-based phone service in which Coyote fans can call to listen to the broadcast.

Reaching Out to the Public The Ed Meierkort Football Show can be heard each Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. on Sportsradio 1570 (AM) "The Ticket" in Yankton/Vermillion, S.D. Meierkort will also address a booster club meeting each Monday at 7 p.m. (during the season) at C.J. Callaways in Sioux Falls. More on South Dakota South Dakota Football Team Leads Nation in Four Offensive Categories The eighth-ranked South Dakota Football Team (5-0) is the highest-scoring and most productive unit in NCAA Division II in 2005, according to statistics released by the NCAA this week. Overall, the Coyotes lead the nation in four offensive categories (individual or team). The Coyotes rank first nationally in total offense at 631.0 yards per game; scoring at 59.8 points per game; rushing offense at 310.6 yards per game and passing efficiency (individual, Wes Beschorner), 272.6 rating. USD also ranks fourth in passing offense at 320.4 per game. USD is 22nd in total defense at 256.6 yards per game and 24th in turnover margin at 1.2. Individually, Wesley Beschorner is first in passing efficiency with a rating of 272.6 He is second in total offense 357.4 per game. Stefan Logan ranks five in all-purpose yards with 208.8 per game. He also is 11th in scoring at 10.8 points per game and 12th in rushing with 143.4 yards per game. Senior defensive end A.J. Schable is ninth in sacks with 1.1 per game (six sacks overall). Sophomore receiver Derek Gearman is 10th n receiving yards per game with 112.4 while sophomore wide out Brooks Little is 19th at 105 per game. Little also ranks 10th in the country with six catches a game. NCC Stat Leaders South Dakota Leads in 11 Team Categories The South Dakota Football Team leads the North Central Conference in 11 team categories, including scoring offense, total offense, rushing and passing offense. USD is averaging a league-best 59.8 points per game, accumulating 299 points on 42 TDs, 37 extra points, a pair of two-point conversions and two field goals. The other categories which USD leads include: pass offense, 320.4 yards per game (1,602 yards, 21 TDs); rushing offense, 310.6 yards per game (1,553 yards on 207 carries, 20 TDs); pass defense, 151 yards per game (755 yards, seven TDs); total offense, 631.0 yards per game (3,155 yards, 324 plays, 41 TDs); pass efficiency, 240.9; first downs, 126; fourth down conversions, 5-of-8, 62.5. The Coyotes also lead in five individual categories, including quarterback sacks, A.J. Schable, six; total offense, Wes Beschorner, 357.4 per game (1,787 yards, 131 plays); passing average per game, 304.4 (74-98-1,522 yards); all-purpose yards, Stefan Logan, 208.8 yards per game (1,044 yards); and pass efficiency, 272.6. In addition, Logan is third in the league with an average of 143.4 rushing yards per game. Receiver Brooks Little is second with 31 receptions for 513 yards and six TDs. Derek Gearman is second in receiving yards per game at 112.4 and Brooks little is third at 105 yards per game. Gearman has a league -best 33.1 yards per catch average. Tim Dacy is second in the NCC with three interceptions. Frank Leibfarth is second in scoring at 7.8 points per game (kickers) while Logan is second in scoring (TDs), 10.8 per game. Schable is second in tackles for loss with 7.5.

Alderson Named to Three Preseason All-America Squads Brian Alderson, a senior on the South Dakota Football Team, has been named three preseason All-America squads this fall. He earned first-team offense honors on the www.CollegeSportsReport.com team and was a second-team selection on the D2Football.com website team. He was also selected to the Don Hansen Football Gazette's Preseason All-America offensive squad. Alderson, who has started 33 straight games at offensive tackle since his sophomore season, was named to a pair of All-America squads after the 2004 season, including the Daktronics, Inc., All-America Division II second-team and the Associated Press Little All-America third-team. In 2004, Alderson, a native of Hartford, S.D., was one of eight finalists for the inaugural Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award, which is presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club of Lancaster, Pa. Last fall, Alderson also was selected to the All-Northwest Region Team by Don Hansen's Football Gazette. A first-team All-NCC selection, Alderson recorded 58 knockdown blocks and anchored an offensive line that produced the nation's eighth-best and the NCC's top rushing attack (269.1 yards per game) in 2004. He allowed just two quarterback sacks.

Beschorner Second on Career Total Offense Chart With 232 yards on Saturday, Wesley Beschorner will become the career total offense leader at South Dakota. With a school-record 519 yards (Broc Halseth, 391 yards, 1994) in total offense against UNO (59-14 win) on Sept. 24, Beschorner moved into second-place on the USD career chart and ahead of Mark Jenkins, who had 5,409 yards on 848 plays or an average of 6.3 yards per play. Beschorner now has 5,761 yards on 752 plays or 7.6 yards per play, which is the best in school history. Ahead of Beschorner is Ryan Justice (1999-02), first, 5,992 yards, 1,123 plays, 5.3 avg. yards per play. This season, Beschorner has 1,787 yards in total offense on 131 plays, which averages to 357.4 per game and 13.64 yards per play.

Logan Ties Career Mark for 100-yard Rushing Games Junior running back Stefan Logan of Miami, Fla., rushed for 62 yards against Nebraska-Omaha and now has totaled 3,217 career rushing yards which leaves him 212 yards from the school record of 3,427 yards held by Chul Schwanke in 1982-85. Logan's streak of 100 yards rushing or better in 10 straight games, ended against the Mavericks, although he had 156 yards receiving, a career-best. He has tied a school-record with his 18th career 100-yard rushing games (Chul Schwanke, 1982-85, 18). Earlier this season, he set two single-game records with the best rushing performance in school history in a 63-24 win over Truman State at the DakotaDome on Sept. 3. Logan rushed for 295 yards on just 13 carries and scored three rushing TDs. He broke the old single game mark of 285 yards rushing in 1999 by Jamel White. Logan had TD runs of 42, 77 and a school-record 98-yard score. A two-time All-NCC selection, Logan has three 200-yard rushing games in his career. Logan has 717 yards rushing on 81 carries in five games and is averaging 143.4 yards rushing per game. He is averaging 8.9 yards per rush this season and has seven rushing TDs. Logan has become the second running back in school history to gain 3,000 in his career. In his career, he has 107 runs or receptions of 10 yards or more. Already this season he has nine overall TDs. He owns school records for both the longest run of 98 yards vs. Truman State and the 90-yard TD reception against UNO on Sept. 24.

Logan Moves Up to Third on USD's Career All-Purpose Chart Logan is now third on the Coyotes' career all-purpose yards chart with 3,880 yards. He has 3,217 rushing yards, 566 receiving yards and 97 return yards. Ahead of Logan on the all-purpose chart is Chul Schwanke (1982-85), first, 4,449; and Phillip Meehan (1995-98), second, 4,010. He needs 131 yards to take over second-place on the all-time chart.

Beschorner Moves Up to Third on Career Passing Chart Senior quarterback Wes Beschorner had five TDs passes against Nebraska-Omaha which gives him a school-record 46 in his career. He now has amassed 4,713 yards (319 comp., 521 att., 4,713 yards, 46 TDs), which places him third on the career passing chart. He trails Ryan Justice (1999-02), 5,924 yards and Jason Seurer (1989-92), 4,759 yards. He will need just 47 yards to take over second on the all-time USD passing chart. This season, Beschorner has completed 74-of-98 passes (75.5 pct.) for 1,522 yards and 21 TDs. He has a pass efficiency rating of 272.60, which ranks first in both the NCC and NCAA Division II and is averaging 304.4 yards passing per game. Beschorner also has 265 yards rushing on 33 carries with five TDs. He is averaging 8.0 yards per carry and 53.0 rushing yards per game. Overall, Beschorner has accumulated 66 TDs in his career (46 by pass, 19 by run, 1 on a punt return). About South Dakota Head Coach Ed Meierkort Ed Meierkort has made a major difference in just his second season as head football coach at South Dakota. With Meierkort as head coach, the Coyotes have a 14-2 record in its past 16 games. Meierkort has compiled a 69-57 career record. His teams have an 9-0 record in the DakotaDome. A year ago, he led USD to a 9-2 record and 4-2 in the NCC. The Coyotes, who had a perfect 6-0 record at the DakotaDome (first-time ever), was ranked seventh in the American Football Coaches Association Poll late in 2004. USD finished ranked 16th in the country. He is just one of two Coyotes head coaches (A.H. Whittemore, 1902) to ever win nine games as a first-year coach. With a 14-2 overall record, Meierkort has the best 16-game start by a head coach in school history. Rev. James Henderson opened his coaching career with a 13-3 mark in 1911-13. He has his 8th-ranked Coyotes at 5-0 this season. Before taking over the head coaching duties at USD, he had a 55-55 record at Wisconsin Stout, although his teams compiled a 29-11 mark in his last four seasons at that school. Meierkort recruited and coached 16 All-Americans at Wisconsin Stout and had two players move on to the National Football League, Tony Beckham (115th pick, Tennessee Titans) and Jeff Hazuga (FA, Minnesota Vikings). At USD, he has had six all league selections and an All-American (Brian Alderson). Meierkort served as assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator, defensive coordinator and strength coach at Southwest Minnesota State from 1983-89. At SMSU, he was the assistant head coach during 1989-93 and defensive coordinator from 1984-89. At SMSU, the squad twice won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and qualified for the NAIA playoffs twice. SMSU finished in the top-10 twice, including a No. 5 ranking in 1990. He was the defensive coordinator for the NAIA's number-one ranked defense in 1988 and defensive coordinator for the nation's No. 2 ranked team in 1991. Prior to going to SMSU, he served as a graduate assistant at South Dakota State in 1983. In 1982, he was defensive coordinator and head coach for baseball at Dakota Wesleyan. Meierkort earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration in 1982 from Dakota Wesleyan. Originally of Chicago, Ill., he also has a Master of Arts degree in athletic administration from SDSU in 1987. He is a member of the NCAA National Rating Committee, AFCA, Wisconsin State High School Coaches Association and the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association. He also served on the Chancellor's Athletic Advisory Board and the Chancellor's Commission for Gender Equity at Wisconsin-Stout. He and his wife, Terri, have two sons, Reid and Chase.

Coyotes By the Numbers South Dakota has outscored opponents by a 299 to 89 margin this season. USD owns a 76 to13 first quarter edge and has dominated in the second quarter with an 120 to 24 advantage. USD owns a 77to 7 advantage in the third quarter while opponents have a 45 to 23 advantage in the fourth quarter. In the second and third quarters, the Coyotes owns a 197 to 31 scoring advantage over opponents. This season USD has totaled 3,155 yards in total offense per game which amounts to 631.0 per game. Opponents have 1,283 yards in total offense or 256.6 per game. USD has scored 42 TDs this season and recorded two converted field goals. USD is averaging 310.6 yards rushing and 320.4 yards passing per game.

Coyotes Set New Total Offense Record Against Truman State The South Dakota football team accumulated a school-record 746 yards on 50 plays in total offense in the 63-24 win over Truman State on Sept. 3.. The Coyotes rolled up 459 yards on 30 carries on the ground and had 287 yards passing. It was the second straight week that USD broke its single-game total offense mark. On Aug. 25, USD broke the 1986 team's mark of 648 yards in total offense when the Coyotes rolled up 667 yards vs. Minnesota-Crookston. Against Truman State, a member of the MIAA Conference who had defeated then 13th-ranked Winona State in week one, the Coyotes averaged 14.9 yards per play on offense.

USD Team MVPs for Nebraska-Omaha The South Dakota coaching staff announced the team MVPs for the Nebraska-Omaha game on Sept. 24. They include: Offensive MVP - Wesley Beschorner, senior, quarterback, Lohrville, Iowa; Defensive MVP - A.J. Schable, senior, defensive end, Ida Grove, Iowa.; Special Teams MVP - Travis Mlady, junior, running back, Bloomfield, Neb.; Offensive Scout Team MVP - Abraham Booker IV, freshman tight end, Bloomington, Minn; and Defensive Scout MVP - Mychal Bogan, freshman, defensive back, Los Angeles, Calif.

USD's Wesley Beschorner Named D2football.com and Don Hansen Football Gazette National Offensive Player of the Week For the second consecutive week, South Dakota senior quarterback Wesley Beschorner has been named national offensive player of the week by a pair of national media outlets. Beschorner was named the D2football.com National Co-offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday and selected the Don Hansen Weekly Football Gazette honoree on Wednesday. Last week, Beschorner was an honorable mention selection by D2football.com in its player of the week honors. The Don Hansen Weekly Football Gazette also selected Beschorner its national offensive player of the week on Sept. 18. Beschorner, a senior from Lohrville, Iowa, set or tied six school records and amassed seven total TDs, 519 yards total offense and 479 yards passing in the Coyotes 59-14 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Sept. 24. Beschorner completed 18-of-23 passes for a school-record 479 yards and tied a school record with five TD passes. He also threw a school-record 90-yard TD pass to Stefan Logan. In addition, he rushed seven times for 40 yards and had two rushing TDs. Beschorner, who leads the nation with a 272.60 pass efficiency rating, also set school marks for overall TDs in a game (7), passing TDs in a season (21) and total offense in a game with 519 yards. On the season, Beschorner has completed 74-of-98 passes for 1,522 yards with a 75.5 percent completion percentage. He is averaging an NCC-best 304.4 passing yards per game. Beschorner has 21 TD passes and 26 (five by rush) overall TDs this season. Beschorner is the second Coyote named D2football.com's national offensive player of the week. Junior running Stefan Logan of Miami, Fla., was honored by D2football.com after rushing for a school-record 295 yards in a 63-24 win over Truman State on Sept. 3.

Beschorner, Leibfarth, Schable Sweep NCC Honors Three members of the 14th-ranked South Dakota Football Team (5-0, 1-0 NCC), including quarterback Wes Beschorner, defensive tackle A.J. Schable and kicker Frank Leibfarth, have received North Central Conference Player of the Week honors, according to an announcement Monday (Sept. 26) by the league office. Beschorner, Schable and Leibfarth all played key roles in the Coyotes' 59-14 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday at the DakotaDome. Beschorner, a senior from Lohrville, Iowa, set or tied six school records and amassed seven total TDs, 519 yards total offense and 479 yards passing against UNO. Beschorner completed 18-of-23 passes for a school-record 479 yards and tied a school record with five TD passes. He also threw a school-record 90-yard TD pass to Stefan Logan. In addition, he rushed seven times for 40 yards and had two rushing TDs. Beschorner, who leads the nation with a 272.60 pass efficiency rating, also set school marks for overall TDs in a game (7), passing TDs in a season (21) and total offense in a game with 519 yards. On the season, Beschorner has completed 74-of-98 passes for 1,522 yards with a 75.5 percent completion percentage. He is averaging an NCC-best 304.4 yards per game. Beschorner has 21 TD passes and 26 (five by rush) overall TDs this season. Schable, a senior defensive end from Ida Grove, Iowa, had two quarterback sacks, three tackles for loss and 10 tackles (eight solo stops) with a blocked punt against UNO. Schable's blocked punt -his first of his career - in the first quarter helped set up the Coyotes' second TD which allowed USD to grab an early 14-0 lead. He also had two quarterback sacks for seven yards in losses. His three TFLs amounted to nine yards in losses. Schable now has a league-best six quarterback sacks this season and 7.5 TFLs (second in the NCC). He has 18 solo stops and 25 overall tackles this season to go with the blocked punt. Leibfarth, a redshirt freshman from Yankton, S.D., earned his second straight special teams honor from the NCC. Against UNO, he scored 11 points on a field goal and eight PATs. Leibfarth made a 31-yard field goal with 14:54 to play in the fourth quarter. He now has converted both of his field goal attempts and 37-of-38 PATs this season.

Three Coyote Receivers Record More Than 100 Yards For the first time in school history, three Coyote receivers recorded more than 100 yards receiving in a single game. The trio was led by junior wide receiver Derek Gearman of Lennox, S.D., who had a career-best 179 yards receiving on five receptions and two TDs (75, 74). Running back Stefan Logan of Miami, Fla., had three receptions for a career-best 156 yards and a school-record 90-yard TD reception. Sophomore wide receiver Brooks Little of Castlewood had seven catches for 122 yards and a 33-yard TD reception with three seconds left in the first half of the USD-UNO game on Sept. 24.

About Augustana Augustana has opened the 2005 season with three wins in five outings. The Vikings lost its road NCC opener, 52-3, to North Dakota at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, N.D. UND scored on six of its first seven possessions and rolled to the win. UND took a 21-0 first quarter lead which they extended to 38-3 at halftime. For Augustana, Tommy Flyger completed 19-of-38 passes for 178 yards. In 2005, Augustana's defense is led by noseguard Craig Bosch, a junior from Luverne, Minn. So far this season he has 18 tackles, including two quarterback sacks. Linebacker Nick Ovenden has 35 tackles, including six tackles for loss and a quarterback sack while Riley Garrigan has 25 tackles. Overall, Augustana has averaged 211.8 yards per game on the ground and 210.1 yards through the air. Augie averages 422 yards in total offense per game. Flyger has completed 80-of-153 passes for 990 yards and 11 TDs. He has not thrown an interception and owns a 130.37 pass efficiency rating. Josh Fulton leads the Augie rushing attack with 431 yards on 71 carries while Flyger has 287 yards rushing on 58 carries with three TDs. Tom Ellingworth has 20 catches for 166 yards and two TDs. About Augustana Head Coach Brad Salem Brad Salem was named the 20th head football coach in Augustana College history on Dec. 3, 2004. He had served as one season as the team's offensive coordinator during the 2004 season. Prior to returning to Augie in 2004, Salem spent a decade coaching in the high school and collegiate ranks. He was recruiting coordinator and passing coordinator for three seasons at USD. Prior to USD, he was the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. In 1996, Salem was the defensive coordinator at Lansing (Mich.) Everett High. From 1994-96 he served as the offensive graduate assistant at Michigan State where he worked with the quarterbacks and wide receivers for George Perles and Nick Saban (now head coach for the Miami Dolphins). He played quarterback and wide receiver for Jim Heinitz at Augustana from 1990-92 and was a quarterback at Northern Arizona from 1988-90. A native of Sioux Falls, S.D., he earned a Bachelor's degree (mathematics) in 1992 from Augustana and a Master's degree (athletic administration) from Michigan State in 1996. His father, Joe, was head coach at USD from 1966-75) and his older brother Tim is offensive coordinator at Central Florida. Another brother, Brent, coached at USD and is now offensive coordinator for the top-ranked O'Gorman high school football team. Brad Salem is 3-2 in his first season at Augustana.

Last Year - USD 23 Augie 0 Game Summary: Led by 151 yards rushing on 18 carries from sophomore running back Stefan Logan, the 25th-ranked South Dakota Coyotes improved to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the NCC, after shutting out Augustana, 23-0, before 9,473 on Dakota Days in 2004. The Coyotes scored in all four quarters, including a field goal and three TDs. Cody Butler scored first by kicking a 26-yard field goal at the 5:11 mark in the first quarter. Travis Mlady had a two-yard TD run just before halftime to cap a 10-play, 84-yard drive. In the third quarter, Chris Mikkelsen went 68 yards on a pass play to move USD to a 17-0 lead with 2:34 left in the third quarter. Finally, in the fourth quarter, quarterback Wesley Beschorner found pay dirt on a 10-yard run, but the Butler extra point was blocked. USD totaled 414 yards of offense to just 207 for Augustana. In addition to 46 rushing yards, Beschorner was 6-of-14 for 102 yards passing, with a TD and an interception. Ryan Hedden had 10 tackles for the Coyotes, while adding two sacks. Tim Schellhamer had six tackles, including three quarterback sacks.