VERMILLION, S.D. -- Joel Nielsen, the Director of Athletics at The University of South Dakota, has announced that the Coyote football team will face Illinois State for a three-game series starting in 2011.

Illinois State competes at the Division I FCS level and is a member of the Missouri Valley League. Brock Spack is entering his first year as Illinois State's head coach, taking over a program that finished 3-8 in 2008.

The first meeting between the two teams will take place on Oct. 15, 2011 at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Ill. Illinois State will then travel to Vermillion, S.D., to take on the Coyotes on Sept. 29, 2012 in a contest at the DakotaDome.

The third meeting will take place on Oct. 19, 2013 at Hancock Stadium in Normal.

The 2011 contest will mark the first meeting ever between USD and Illinois State in football.

The Coyotes are entering the second year of their transition to Division I FCS status. They open the 2009 season on Sept. 3 at home against William Penn.