VERMILLION, S.D. -- The 14th-ranked South Dakota Football Team (5-1, 3-0 NCC) hits the road to face Western Washington (2-4, 1-3 NCC) in North Central Conference action on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 3 p.m. (CST) at Civic Stadium in Bellingham, Wash. South Dakota will attempt to wins its fourth straight league game in 2006 and fifth overall, dating back to last season's 42-30 victory over North Dakota in the season finale at the DakotaDome.

South Dakota remained unbeaten in NCC play by rallying for a 10-7 win over Central Washington (3-3, 1-3 NCC) on Dakota Day (Oct. 7) before a record homecoming crowd of 10,255 at the DakotaDome. Western Washington picked up its initial NCC win of the season with a come-from-behind 24-17 win over St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, Minn., on Saturday. With the win, USD won its sixth straight Dakota Day game, which is the longest streak in school history. USD also captured its 17th straight home win, which is also a school record. Western Washington won its first-ever NCC game in the win over St. Cloud. Western Washington and Central Washington joined the NCC as associate members of the league for football (only).

Quick Takes: The Coyotes has opened the season, 5-1, for the second time in three seasons with head coach Ed Meierkort. USD was 5-0 in 2005 en route to a 7-0 start which was the best since the 1902 had a 9-0 season. After going 2-2 on the road a year ago, USD has won two of three road games this season. USD heads into the Western Washington game with a 3-0 mark and one-half game out of the NCC lead held by North Dakota (6-0, 4-0 NCC).

A Glowing Note: The South Dakota defense held Central Washington to -3 yards rushing on 29 carries on Oct. 7, doing something that has rarely been accomplished. The last time USD held an opponent to zero yards rushing was in 1995 when the Coyotes defeated nationally ranked North Dakota, 35-0, in week eight at the DakotaDome. Jim Glogowski, the U's defensive coordinator, was an All-American linebacker on the 1995 squad. The 1974 USD team held Northern Iowa to zero yards rushing on 50 carries at Inman Stadium in Vermillion, S.D.. This past weekend, USD held CWU to 166 yards in total offense. The 1974 team perhaps recorded the best defensive effort ever and allowed UNI just 67 yards in total offense.

On the Coaches About Coach Ed Meierkort: South Dakota head football coach Ed Meierkort has an overall record of 23-5 (.821) in his third season at USD. He owns an 11-4 (.733) record in league play, including 3-0 in 2006. Meierkort is 78-60 (.566) in his collegiate coaching career of 13 seasons. A year ago, he directed USD to an NCC title (shared with three others), which was the Coyotes' first crown since the 1978 season. He has led USD to back to back 9-2 seasons, which included consecutive 4-2 league records. USD finished second in the NCC in 2004. He has a 16-0 record at the DakotaDome. A year ago, Meierkort led USD to top-five national rankings and his team finished as the highest scoring team in the nation at 49 points per game while USD also led the nation in total offense at 583.3 yards per game. His football team has been ranked in the top 20 for the past 18 weeks, dating back to the start of the 2005 season. He was hired at USD in 2004. A 1982 graduate (B.A., business administration) of Dakota Wesleyan, Meierkort came to USD from Wisconsin-Stout where he had coached since 1993. He also has a M.A. (athletic administration) from South Dakota State. He also coached at Southwest Minnesota State and was a graduate assistant at SDSU. He is just one of two Coyote head coaches ever to win nine games in his first year at head coach at USD.

Western Washington Head Coach Robin Ross: A 1977 graduate of Washington State, Robin Ross is in his first year (2-4) as head coach at Western Washington. Previously he had served as defensive coordinator for the Vikings. Ross has spent most of his career as an assistant at the NCAA Division I-A level. He also coached in the National Football League, including serving as the linebackers coach with the Oakland Raiders for two seasons. This past season, Ross was linebackers coach at Oregon State, where the Beavers led the PAC 10 in run defense, allowing 108.0 yards per game. He spent the previous four seasons as special team's coordinator and tight ends coach at Oregon. The Ducks won the 2001 PAC 10 championship, finishing second in the ESPN Coaches Poll after defeating Colorado in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. He was also at Oregon as an assistant during the 1997 and 1998 seasons. Ross came to WWU in 1994. In 1995, Western finished 9-1, going 9-0 for the first undefeated regular-season for the school in 57 years and being ranked No.1 nationally in NAIA II for five weeks. The defense allowed 13.7 points a game, ranking seventh nationally in that category. Immediately prior to coming to Western, Ross had been defensive coordinator at Iowa State from 1987 to 1993. He has also been a defensive coordinator at Fresno State (1996) and Cincinnati (1984 and 1985). Ross, 52, began his coaching career at Long Beach State in 1977. At Washington State, he spent one season as a defensive line coach, Ross was a second-team All-PAC-8 pick as an offensive lineman. He was a 10th round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 1976, and spent one preseason with the Seattle Seahawks. Ross, who is the 13th head coach in the 95-year history of Western football, is a graduate of El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, Calif.

Coyote Notes South Dakota Football Team Ranked Sixth in Regional Rankings: The 14th-ranked South Dakota Football Team (5-1, 3-0 NCC) is ranked sixth in the first NCAA Division II Northwest regional rankings, as released by the NCAA on Monday. The Coyotes are ranked behind North Dakota, Nebraska-Omaha, Grand Valley State, Winona State and Northwood in the Northwest region. USD remained unbeaten in NCC play (3-0) with a 10-7 come-from-behind win over Central Washington on Dakota Day before 10,255 in attendance at the DakotaDome.

Northwest Region Rankings 1. North Dakota (6-0) 2. Nebraska-Omaha (4-1) 3. Grand Valley State (6-0) 4. Winona State (5-1) 5. Northwood (6-0) 6. South Dakota (5-1) 7. Augustana (South Dakota) (4-2) 8. Minnesota Duluth (4-2) 9. Ferris State (4-2) 10. Saginaw Valley State (4-2) 11. Tiffin (7-0) 12. Humboldt State (4-1)

South Dakota Football Team Ranks High in Division II Stats: The South Dakota Football Team has been stingy on defense with a strong rushing game on offense. A big part of the Coyotes success lies in its ability to rushing the ball while stopping the opponent on the ground. The Coyotes rank third in both rushing defense (42.8 yards per game) and total defense (212.5 yards per game) and fourth in scoring defense at 10.2 points per game. South Dakota is fourth in NCAA Division II in rushing offense at 266.5 yards per game. USD leads Division II in team kickoff returns at 29.1yards per return. Individually, Harlon Hill Trophy candidate and All-American running back Stefan Logan ranks third in all-purpose yards at 203.8 yards per game and 10th in rushing at 130.7 yards per game. Logan ranks seven in punt returns at 17.1 yards per return. Logan has the nation's top average in kickoff returns at 40.5 per return but does not have enough returns to qualify.

Scoring Differential: South Dakota has outscored opponents, 182-61, after six games of the 2006 season. The Coyotes are averaging 30.3 points per game while allowing just 10.2 to its opposition. USD has outscored opponents, 111 to 37 in the first half and 71 to 24 in the second half. By quarter, USD owns a significant advantage, including first quarter, 49-20; second quarter, 62-17; third quarter, 44-10; and fourth quarter, 27-14. The Coyotes have allowed just 24 points in the second half all season.

Ground Tough: South Dakota's defense has been ground tough on defense in 2006, leading the NCC in rushing defense. After six games, the Coyotes have allowed just 42.8 yards per game or 1.6 yards per carry. The USD defense has not allowed any opponents more than 85 rushing yards in a game this season. Twice this season, the defense has limited its opponents to less than 10 yards rushing in a game, including Minnesota-Crookston, who had 25 carries for seven yards and Central Washington, who had 0 yards on 29 carries. In fact, Central Washington had minus yards until the final play of the game netted nine yards on a fumble recovery. The longest run against the defense this season was a 26-yard TD run by Russ Brown in the fourth quarter of a 24-0 loss to Central Arkansas. Central Washington managed just 18 yards on five second half possessions on Oct. 7. Game by Game Breakdown Quincy - 33 carries, 47 yards Minnesota-Crookston - 25 carries, 7 yards Minnesota-Duluth - 24 carries, 70 yards St. Cloud State - 28 carries, 48 yards Central Arkansas - 22 carries, 85 yards Central Washington - 29 carries, 0 yards Total Rushing Defense - 161 carries, 257 yards

Defense Is One of the Best in the Nation: Besides its stellar work against the rush, the Coyote defense has been one of the best in NCAA Division II this year. USD ranks third in both rushing defense (42.8 yards per game) and total defense (212.5 yards per game) and fourth in scoring defense at 10.2 points per game in the nation. USD leads the NCC in all three categories.

Home Cooking: The Coyotes continued its winning ways at the DakotaDome with its 17th straight home win against Central Washington on Oct. 7. USD improved its overall mark at the Dome to 107-52 since beginning play at the facility in 1979. After a road trip to Western Washington, USD will try and win its 18th straight home win against Augustana on Oct. 21.

All-American Stefan Logan Leading the Offense: All-American running back Stefan Logan, a candidate for the Harlon Hill trophy (Division II Player of the Year), is leading USD in rushing yards, scoring and all-purpose yards. The senior from Miami, Fla., has totaled an NCC-best 784 rushing yards on 109 carries for an average of 7.2 yards per carry. He has six overall TDs, including four by rush. He is averaging 130.7 yards per game and owns an 88-yard run this season. Logan is averaging 203.8 all purpose yards per game. Logan had 141 all purpose yards vs. Central Washington. He has six kickoff returns for 243 yards (40.5 yard average) including a 94 yard return for a TD. He also has eight punt returns for 137 yards or 17.1 yards per return. He also owns a 66 yard punt return for a TD. On Oct. 7, Logan became the 11th player in NCAA Division II history to surpass 5,000 yards rushing (5,035) and 6,000 all purpose yards (6,422) in his career. In his career, Logan has rushed for a school record 5,035 yards on 685 carries or 7.35 yards per carry. He has 23 career rushing TDs Logan had a streak eight straight 100 yard rushing games snapped vs. Central Arkansas. He had 106 yards vs. Central Washington as he recorded his 29th career 100-yard rushing game. He has rushed for 100 yards in 21 of his last 23 games. Overall he has scored 28 TDs. Logan owns a school-record 6,422 all purpose yards in his career. He surpassed the 6,000 yard mark in USD's 20-10 win over St. Cloud State on Sept. 23.

Logan Moves into DII's Top-25 in Rushing, All Purpose Yards: All American Stefan Logan continues to move up the NCAA Division II charts in rushing and all purpose yards. He has 6,422 career all purpose yards and has moved into 21st place on the all-time Division II all purpose yards chart. At No. 20 is Mike Smith of Nebraska-Kearney with 6,510 from 1994-97. He will need 89 yards to pass Smith. To move into the top 10, Logan will need 7,217 yards (Roger Graham, New Haven, 1991-94). Logan needs 814 yards to pass Graham. Logan's current total of 5,035 yards career rushing yards places him 20th on the all-time DII list (Logan needs 750 total carries or 38 more totes to qualify by NCAA requirements). He recently passed Andre Braxton of Virginia Union, who had 4,989 yards from 1997-2000. Logan is averaging 7.35 yards per rush and 132.5 rushing yards per game in his career, which ranks 21st all-time in Division II. He moves into the top 20 if he finishes with an average of 136.8 (Philip Moore, North Dakota, 136.7 yards per game, 1995-98).

Little Moves Up Career Receiving Chart: With seven receptions (57 yards) against Central Washington, junior wide receiver Brooks Little of Castlewood, S.D., has moved into a fifth-place on the career receiving chart at USD. He has 19 receptions this season for 234 yards, which gives his 91 career receptions for 1,281 yards. He recently passed Dwight Duncombe (87 rec., 1,987 yards, 16 TDs). Little needs seven more receptions to move into fourth place, which is currently held by Mark Neuman, who had 97 receptions for 1,432 yards and six TDs. The top five receivers at USD all-time includes Chris Mikkelsen, first, 150 receptions for 2,279 yards and 16 TDs, 2001-04; Rod Tweet, second, 140 receptions for 2,557 yards, 16 TDs, 1983-85; Phillip Meehan, third, 108 receptions for 1,153 yards, nine TDs, 1995-98 and Neuman, fourth. Humboldt State, 20-0; and Eastern Washington, 21-14, on the road. CWU lost to Minnesota-Duluth, 31-25, on the road before the win over St. Cloud State (24-14). CSU is averaging 345.4 yards in total offense, including 127 yards per game on the ground and 218.1 yards through the air. Quarterback Mike Reilly leads the offense with 191 yards rushing and has completed 107-of-170 passes for 1,079 yards. He has nine TD passes and nine interceptions

Shepard to Make First Career Start: Noah Shepard, a redshirt freshman from Thornton, Colo., put his name into Coyote lore with his pitch and catch to Brooks Little that resulted in the game-winning TD by the Coyotes over Central Washington on Oct. 7, which was Dakota Days. Shepard's play helped South Dakota win a school record sixth straight homecoming game. Shepard, who will make his first career start vs. Western Washington on Oct. 14, is having a solid season for the Coyotes by completing 31-of-56 passes (55.4 pct.) for 519 yards with six TDs and three interceptions. He has a pass efficiency rating of 157.85. In addition, Shepard has rushed 20 times for 111 yards or 5.6 yards per carry. Against Central Washington, he had a career high 69 yards on seven carries.

Rushing Attack Leads Offense: The Coyotes are averaging 407.3 yards in total offense per game. USD has 2,444 yards on 346 plays or 7.1 yards per play. USD has 1,599 rushing yards on 232 carries or 6.9 yards per rush and 266.5 yards per game. In addition, USD has 845 yards passing or 140.8 per game. The Coyotes also own time of possession over its opponents, 30:20 to 29:40. USD has converted 27-of-66 third downs and 5-of-11 fourth down tries.

Hojer Leading Defense: Sophomore linebacker Blake Hojer is leading a balanced and fast defense. Hojer of Lake Preston, S.D., has 33 total tackles, including 20 solo stops. He has a team-high 5.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks, and a fumble recovery. Ryan Hedden, a senior from Fairmont, Neb., has 30 tackles, including 3.0 TFLs, quarterback and a fumble recovery. John Barker, a senior defensive tackle from Sioux City, Iowa, has 24 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles.

Little, Barker Named NCC Players of the Week: South Dakota wide receiver Brooks Little and defensive tackle John Barker have been named North Central Conference Football Players of the Week, as announced by the league office on Oct. 9. Little and Barker both played key roles in the Coyotes' dramatic 10-7 come-from-behind win over Central Washington on Dakota Day at the DakotaDome on Oct. 7. Little, a junior wide receiver from Castlewood, S.D., was named Co-Offensive Player of the Week with Tommy Flyger of Augustana. Little had a season-high seven catches for 57 yards, including hauling in the game-winning TD, to lead the South Dakota Football Team to the win over Central Washington (3-3, 1-3 NCC) on Saturday before a homecoming record crowd of 10,255. Little caught a five-yard TD pass from Noah Shepard (redshirt freshman, Thornton, Colo.) with 14.6 seconds left to lift the Coyotes to its sixth consecutive homecoming win. With his receptions, Little moved into fifth place on the career receiving chart at USD. He now has 91 career receptions and moved past former Coyote great Dwight Duncombe, who had 87 catches from 1972-74. The seven receptions by Little was the second-best total of his career. Barker, a senior defensive tackle from Sioux City, Iowa, was named the NCC's Co-Defensive Player of the Week with Nick Ovenden of Augustana. Barker had five tackles, two quarterback sacks, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in South Dakota's win on Saturday. Barker recorded two solo stops and assisted on three other tackles as the Coyotes had a dominating defensive effort against the Central Washington. Led by Barker, the Coyotes held the Wildcats to -3 yards rushing on 29 carries and a total of 166 yards in total offense. UCW had just 15 yards in total offense in the second half. Barker had two of USD's four quarterback sacks, including one on the final play of the game when he sacked and forced a fumble by Central Washington quarterback Mike Reilly. Aided by the play of Barker, the Coyote defense has limited every opponent to less than 100 yards rushing this season and is allowing an NCC-best 42.3 rushing yards per game this season. The -3 yards allowed was the best performance of the season by the Coyotes, which has held four opponents in six games to 10 points or less. USD is allowing a league-best 10.2 points per game in 2006. Both Barker and Little earned their first-ever NCC Player of the Week honors. Barker is USD's third defensive player (Jordan Davis, Sept. 5; Blake Hojer, Sept. 18) to earn the NCC honor in 2006 Little is USD's first player on offense to earn NCC honors this fall.

Western Washington Notes About Western Washington: WWU opened the season by splitting its first two games. Humboldt State defeated the Vikings, 28-23. In week two, WWU upset #15 Washburn, 16-13, at Civic Stadium in Bellingham, Wash. 20th-ranked UNO defeated WWU, 38-10, in week three and then fourth-ranked North Dakota edged the Vikings, 26-20, at Grand Forks, N.D. WWU dropped a 20-10 decision to Minnesota-Duluth at home before registering its first road win and NCC win with a 24-17 decision over St. Cloud State. WWU has been outscored, 142-103, this season. Opponents have jumped on the Vikings, 38-10, in the first quarter and 51-23 in the second quarter. Opponents also own a 37-24 advantage in the third quarter while the Vikings own a 46-16 margin in the fourth quarter. WWU had averaged 265.8 yards in total offense per game, averaging 4.6 yards per play. They are averaging 79.7 yards on the ground and 186.2 yards in the air. Quarterback James Monrean has completed 90-of-146 passes for 1,019 yards with four TDs and four interceptions. Calvin McCarty leads the Vikings with 455 yards rushing on 123 attempts and five TDs. Travis McKee and McCarty both have 23 receptions with McKee totaling 314 yards and scoring a TD. McCarty has 231 yards receiving. WWU's defensive is allowing 360.8 total offensive yards per game, including 151 yards on the ground and 209.8 yards by pass. Linebacker Shane Simmons, who sat out the St. Cloud State game, is one of the league's best linebackers, racking up 56 tackles, including 49 solo stops. He has seven tackles for loss, a quarterback sack and a forced fumble. Todd McClellan had 34 tackles and an interception while Steve Davis has 33 tackles and a fumble recovery. Place-kicker Robbie Smith is a dangerous weapon for the Vikings with 37 points on 9-of-13 field goals and 10-of-10 extra points.

Western Washington Rallies Past St. Cloud State: Western Washington staged a wild fourth-quarter rally, using a pair of blocked punts to score three TDs in the final 5:07 to defeat St. Cloud State, 24-17, in a NCC game at Husky Stadium on Oct. 7. It was the first NCC victory for the Vikings, who are in their first year in the conference as an affiliate member in football only. Western snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in the NCC. Steve Davis scored the winning touchdown for Western with 43 seconds left, picking up a punt blocked by Brandon Elliott and running into the end zone from two yards out. WWU's Nick Warren blocked a punt on the previous series with 3:09 to go, setting up the tying score, a 1-yard touchdown plunge by running back Calvin McCarty on a fourth-and-1 play with 1:36 left. St. Cloud State led WWU, 17-3, in the fourth quarter. After a fumble recovery by linebacker James Day, the Vikings moved 68 yards in 10 plays narrowing the margin to 17-10 on a 10-yard pass from Perry to wide receiver Kellen Alley with 5:09 to play. The Viking defense held on the next two possessions, forcing the punts blocked by Warren and Elliott. SCSU nearly forced the game into overtime, as quarterback Jon Quesnel completed four passes to reach the Western 26 with 4.4 seconds left. On the final play of the game, Quesnel threw to the end zone, but safety Mike Schmit knocked the pass down. Western won despite having a 269-182 deficit in total offense. Both marks were season-lows. SCSU scored twice in the second quarter. First, the Huskies went 74 yards in seven plays, with Quesnel getting a 17-yard completion to Tyler McKee on a third-and-16 play and then scrambling for a 33-yard gain before finishing the drive with a 7-yard TD run. On the next series, SCSU converted on a fourth-and-two from the Western 20 with a 7-yard pass from Quesnel to tight end Anders Johnson. Quenelle threw a 13-yard TD pass to wide receiver Zach Stover, giving the Huskies a 14-0 lead with 1:05 left in the first half. Quesnel completed 14-of-24 passes for 142 yards with a touchdown and an interception. SCSU had the ball in Western territory with the wind at their back for much of the third quarter, but ended up scoring only a 42-yard field goal by Jon Gutierrez that made the score 17-3 six minutes into the second half. Safety Todd McClellan had 10 stops for the Vikings, who notched four quarterback sacks. Besides a blocked punt, Warren also had seven tackles and a pass interception.

CSN Expands Broadcast Network: South Dakota Football games will be broadcast on the Coyote Sports Network, which has added KELO-AM (1320), Sioux Falls, S.D.; KSQP 1450 AM, Pierre, S.D.; and KJRV 93.3 FM of Mitchell/Huron, S.D., to the broadcast radio network. The broadcast team will include the Voice of the Coyotes Kevin Culhane as play-by-play announcer and color analysts Jeff Culhane and Max Hawk. All Coyotes will be available on the internet at www.usdcoyotes.com or at www..kvht.com.

Reaching out to the Public: The Ed Meierkort Show can be heard every Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. on Sportsradio KVTK 1570 AM "The Ticket" in Yankton/Vermillion, S.D. Meierkort will also address a booster club each Monday at 7 p.m. (during the season) at C.J. Callaways in Sioux Falls, S.D., and another public session at Pro's in Vermillion, S.D., every Wednesday at 7 p.m.