VERMILLION, S.D. - The eighth-ranked South Dakota Football Team (3-0, 1-0 NCC) will look for its fourth straight win when the Coyotes travel to face St. Cloud State (2-1, 0-0 NCC) on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud, Minn. The Coyotes defeated Minnesota-Duluth, 27-14, in the NCC opener last weekend. Meanwhile, St. Cloud State defeated the University of Mary, 37-14, in nonconference play. This game will be St. Cloud State's NCC opener.

Coyotes Notes: USD will look for its third straight 4-0 start, after opening 4-0 each of the past two seasons with head coach Ed Meierkort. USD opened 4-0 last season en route to a 7-0 start and a 9-2 season. A year ago at Husky Stadium, Coyotes fell to St. Cloud State, 24-17, ending its winning streak which was the best start since the 1902 team had a 9-0 record. In 2004, the Coyotes also opened 4-0 before being stopped by nationally-ranked Nebraska-Omaha, 20-13, in a regionally televised game in Omaha, Neb. In week four games, USD owns an all-time 49-50-5 record. Interestingly, USD has had some memorable moments in week four games. The Coyotes narrowly lost a 7-6 decision to Michigan in 1912. The squad coached by Coyote Hall of Fame Coach Rev. James Henderson finished 5-1 and is generally considered one of the greatest teams in school history. In 1912, USD defeated Minnesota, 10-0, and destroyed SDSU, 73-7. In 1915, USD lost to Notre Dame, 6-0, and finished 4-2-2. In 1916, USD tied Michigan State, 3-3, when USD finished 1-5-2 for head coach Blaine McKusick. In 1972 and 1973, USD (coached by Joe Salem) recorded 21-7 and 19-7 wins over Northern Iowa. In one of its most impressive victories, the 1985 USD squad, which later advanced to the national semifinals, upended NDSU, 38-14, at the DakotaDome. A year ago, USD edged Colorado School of Mines, 44-41 in overtime in Golden, Colo.

South Dakota Moves Up in National Polls: The South Dakota Football Team has moved up to eighth in the most recent American Football Coaches Association Poll. The Coyotes were ranked sixth in the D2football.com poll, fifth in the Don Hansen National Football Gazette top-40 rankings and fourth in the College Sports Report.

Series Notes: St. Cloud State and South Dakota will meet for the 25th time with the Huskies owning a 15-9 series advantage. A year ago, SCSU upset the Coyotes, 24-17, stopping USD's seven-game winning steak to open the season. The Coyotes last win vs. SCSU was a 37-21 win at the DakotaDome in 2004. The Huskies won the first game of the series in 1955, topping the Coyotes, 20-7. USD earned its first win against SCSU, 22-21, in 1984. In terms of streaks, USD won three in a row from 1994-96 while SCSU has three-game winning steaks against South Dakota in 1987-89, 1991-93 and 2001-03. SCSU has won three straight games against USD at home. USD's largest margin of victory over the Huskies was the 52-0 win in 1986 when the Coyotes advanced to the national championship game. In that game, USD set an NCAA record when five backs rushed for over 100 yards and the Coyotes totaled a school record 581 yards rushing. SCSU's largest margin of victory was the 45-0 win in 1991.

South Dakota-St. Cloud State Game Available Broadband Video Streaming: As part of a package to bring live Division II football to the internet, the NCAA and CSTV will showcase four games on Saturday, Sept. 23, including the eighth-ranked South Dakota (3-0, 1-0 NCC) at St. Cloud State football game, which will begin at 6 p.m. The game will be available free of charge online via broadband video streaming. In n 2006, three North Central Conference football games will be made available through video streaming. The other games include North Dakota at Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday, October 14 and St. Cloud State at Minnesota Duluth on Saturday, November 11. Fans can view the games at www.NCAAsports.com/DII. In addition to the live games, the NCAA web site will feature stories, scores, blogs, video and audio that is dedicated to Division II sports, making it both a destination site for the live games and a place to obtain information on Division II sports. This partnership with CSTV is the first of its kind for Division II and provides an amplified platform to highlight the division's contests and student-athlete accomplishments, while promoting the intercollegiate athletics philosophy for Division II member institutions.

Scoring Differential: South Dakota has outscored opponents, 152-20, after three games of the 2006 season. The Coyotes are averaging 50.6 points per game while allowing just 6.6 to its opposition. USD has outscored opponents, 98 to 13 in the first half and 54 to 7 in the second half. By quarter, USD owns a significant advantage, including first quarter, 49-6; second quarter, 49-7; third quarter, 34-0; and fourth quarter, 20-7.

Running and Stop the Run: It is well-established in football that successful teams run the football while stopping it on defense. After three games, the Coyotes have followed that form. USD has rushed for 1,036 yards on 118 carries or 8.8 yards per carry and NCAA-best 345.3 yards per game. Defensively USD has allowed only 124 yards on 82 carries or 1.5 yards per carry and just 41.3 yards per game, which ranks second nationally.

Deep Defense: South Dakota made a strategic move in the off season to move from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 setup in 2006. The move was to take advantage of its quickness, speed and deep squad. So far, the move has paid off. USD is allowing just 41.3 yards rushing per game and 189.7 yards passing.

Home Cooking: The Coyotes continued its winning ways at the DakotaDome with its 16th straight home win against UMD on Sept. 16. USD improved its overall mark at the Dome to 106-52 since beginning play at the facility in 1979.

USD Head Coach Ed Meierkort: South Dakota head football coach Ed Meierkort owns an overall record of 21-4 (.840) in his third season at USD. He owns a 9-4 record in league play, including 1-0 in 2006. Meierkort is 76-59 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 15-0 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. He was hired at USD in 2004.

On SCSU Head Coach Randy Hedberg: In his eighth season at St. Cloud State, Randy Hedberg has compiled of 42-37 and is 87-60-2 in 16 years as a collegiate coach. A graduate of Minot State in 1977, he led SCSU to an NCC title in 2002. In 2004, he directed SCSU to an 8-3 record and a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs. A Parshall, N.D., native he was head coach at Minot State from 1982-89; assistant coach at Central Missouri State from 1990-95; and an assistant coach at North Dakota from 1996-98. He was an honorable mention All-America quarterback at Minot State. Hedberg was drafted by Tampa Bay of the NFL in 1977 and played with Tampa Bay in 1978, Oakland Raiders in 1979 and Green Bay in 1980.

USD's Hojer Named NCC Co-Defensive Player of the Week: South Dakota linebacker Blake Hojer has been named the North Central Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Week, according to an announcement by the North Central Conference office on Sept. 18. Hojer, a sophomore from Lake Preston, S.D., collected nine tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and a quarterback sack to lead the 11th-ranked South Dakota Football Team (3-0, 1-0 NCC) to a 27-14 win over Minnesota-Duluth (2-1, 0-1 NCC) in the NCC opener on Saturday at the DakotaDome before 6,133 in attendance. Hojer had five solo stops, four assists and his fumble recovery occurred on UMD's first possession, giving USD possession at the Bulldogs' 29-yard line. On the following UMD possession, Hojer's quarterback sack for -10 yards was on a 3rd and one play and ended the Bulldogs' drive. Hojer was a key fixture on a Coyote defense that held UMD to just 70 rushing yards on 24 attempts. Hojer and his teammates are leading the NCC by allowing just 41.3 rushing yards and 6.7 points per game this season. For the second time this year, a USD defensive player has earned All-NCC weekly honors. Jordan Davis was named Player of the Week on Sept. 5.

Dacy Makes 10th Career Interception: Senior Tim Dacy of Gregory, S.D., had his 10th career interception in the win over Minnesota-Duluth on Sept. 16. Dacy has tied Tim Byrd, who had 10 picks from 1986-89. Just ahead of Dacy is three former Coyotes tied with 11, including Bill Townsend, 1981-82; Jim Kvilhaug, 1987-90; and Mike Slaton, 1982-85. The all-time leader is Todd Salat with 16 from 1984-86.

Little Moves Up Career Receiving Chart: With three receptions (38 yards) against UMD, junior wide receiver Brooks Little of Castlewood, S.D., has moved into eighth-place on the career receiving chart at USD. He has five receptions this season for 91 yards, which gives his 77 career receptions for 1,140 yards. Little passed former teammates Derek Gearman, who had 74 receptions for 1,770 yards and 18 TDs from 2003-05. Little now needs three receptions to move into seventh place and past Scott Farrens, 1993-96, who had 79 receptions for 1,243 yards and nine TDs.

Quarterback Breakdown: South Dakota continues to utilize two quarterbacks with junior Carter Black of South Sioux City, Iowa, starting the first three games. Noah Shepard, a redshirt freshman from Thornton, Colo., has been put in the mix on offense. Black has completed 15-of-25 passes for 135 yards and a TD. He owns a passing efficiency rating of 118.56. Black is the team's fourth leading rusher with 77 yards on 11 carries with a TD. Shepard has completed 12-of-19 passes for 302 yards and three TDs with two interceptions. He owns a pass efficiency rating of 227.73. Overall, USD quarterbacks have a 161.17 pass efficiency rating. USD quarterbacks have completed 29-of-47 passes for 447 yards with four TDs and two interceptions.

Logan Leads Coyote Offense: All American running back Stefan Logan of Miami, Fla., continues to accumulate yards and leads the NCC in several statistical categories. Logan has a league-high 485 yards rushing on 48 carries or an average of 10.1 yards per carries. He leads the NCC with six TDs, including four by rush. In addition, he is the league's all-purpose yardage leader with 219.5 per game. With his 437 all-purpose yards, Logan now has 5,666 in his career. He is also the school's all-time leading rusher with 4,581 yards on 598 carries or 7.66 yards per carry. With 155 yards vs. Minnesota-Duluth, Logan recorded his 27th 100-yard rushing game of his career. and his seventh straight over 100-yard rushing game, dating back to the 2005 season. He now has rushed for 100 yards or more in 19 of his last 20 games.

More on Offense: The Coyotes are averaging 494.3 yards in total offense per game. USD has 1,483 yards on 165 plays or 9.0 yards per play. The Coyotes also own time of possession over its opponents, 30:45 to 29:15. USD has converted 12-of-27 third downs and 1-of-3 fourth down tries. USD has 56 first downs, including 33 by rush and 20 by pass.

Big Play Hatter: While his touches have been limited, junior wide receiver Rico Hatter continues to exhibit big play prowess. He has caught two passes for 97 yards for a 48.5 yard per catch average. He has a 57 yard TD reception and also caught a 40-yard pass earlier this season. In addition, he has two carries for 72 yards or a 36.0 per carry average. He took a reverse to the house in game one with a 70-yard scoring jaunt.

Davis, Hojer Leading Defense: Preseason All-American Jordan Davis and sophomore linebacker Blake Hojer are leading a balanced and fast defense. Davis, a senior from San Antonio, Texas, has 13 tackles, including 12 solo stops to go with two interceptions, a forced fumble and three pass breakups. Hoyer of Lake Preston, S.D., has 13 tackles, including nine solo stops. He has recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, a quarterback sack and a fumble recovery. Senior defensive tackle John Barker of Sioux City, Iowa, has 12 tackles, a team-high three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback sack. Newcomer John Morales of Martinez, Calif., leads the Coyotes with three quarterback sacks and also has 11 tackles in three games. How balanced is the D? Well, USD has 11 players with at least 10 or more tackles. Overall the Coyotes have 214 tackles, 29 tackles for losses of 98 yards, seven quarterback sacks and seven interceptions along with five fumble recoveries.

About the Huskies: SCSU, which has played football for 84 years, compiled a 383-321-22 record with 18 conference titles, including NCC crowns in 1989 and 2002. St. Cloud State is 11-3 at Husky Stadium since the 2004 season. A year ago SCSU went 5-1 at home. The stadium seats 4,198 fans. This season, SCSU has won two of three games, only falling on the road to now16th-ranked Missouri Western State, 27-14. The Huskies owns a 71-0 home win over winless Minnesota-Crookston while also upending the University of Mary, 37-14, at Husky Stadium. SCSU has a balanced attack, accounting for 182 rushing yards and 195.3 passing yards per game. SCSU has generated 377.3 yards in total offense per game. Mike Hammerseng leads the offense by completing 25-of-45 passes for 365 yards with 1 TD and one interception. Hammerseng has a pass efficiency rating of 126.58. Jon Quesnel has also seen action at quarterback, completing 18-of-35 passes for 221 yards and three TDs. He has a pass efficiency rating of 127.04. On the ground, Michael Graham has collected 307 yards on 38 carries or 8.1 yards per tote. He has scored four TDs. Zach Stover leads the receiving corps with 13 catches for 240 yards and two TDs. Nate Johnson has seven receptions for 94 yards. On defense, Tate Wheeler has a team-high 18 tackles, including 12 solo stops. He has two interceptions and a tackle for a loss. Mitchell Denne has 16 tackles while Matt McLagan has 15 tackles. As a team, the defense has 30 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and five interceptions as well as three fumble recoveries.

Last Time vs. St. Cloud State: A fourth quarter rally by the fifth-ranked South Dakota Football Team fell short as the Coyotes dropped a 24-17 decision to 12th-ranked St. Cloud State at Husky Stadium on Oct. 15, 2005. The homecoming win by SCSU ended the Coyotes' seven-game winning streak at seven games. USD trailed the Huskies, 24-3, before scoring two TDs in the final eight minutes of the game on a pair of TD passes by Wes Beschorner. The Coyotes won a number of statistical categories against SCSU, including generating 444 yards in total offense. USD rushed for 206 yards, including 168 yards on 32 carries by All-American running back Stefan Logan. Brooks Little had eight receptions for 108 yards and a TD.

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.

Coach Freidel Moved to Madonna Hospital: Defensive coordinator Mike Freidel was moved to the Madonna Hospital in Lincoln, Neb., during last August. Freidel remains in a coma although his condition has improved significantly since his accident this summer. Freidel joined Meierkort's staff in 2004.