This Week's Matchup The South Dakota football team continues its early-season FBS tests by squaring off with Minnesota at 11 a.m. on Saturday in TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. The Coyotes (0-1, 0-0 GWC) are coming off a road loss to Conference USA's Central Florida, while the Golden Gophers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) picked up a 24-17 win over Middle Tennessee State in their season opener.

The contest renews a border rivalry that hasn't been contested for 80 years but still has plenty of excitement surrounding it. FCS opponents have played the Gophers tough at home in recent years, including a win by North Dakota State in 2007 and a close loss by South Dakota State last season. The Coyotes have eight student-athletes that hail from the state of Minnesota, including two safeties in Jim Thompson and Shane Potter that previously played for the Gophers.

Links for live stats and live audio are available on the 2010 Football Gameday Page above. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network with Craig Coshun and Derek Rackley on the call.

Scouting the Golden Gophers Minnesota opened the 2010 campaign 1-0 with a 24-17 victory over Middle Tennessee State last Thursday. The Gophers were 6-7 in 2009 and 7-6 in 2008 and are coming off seasons that were capped with back-to-back trips to the Insight Bowl.

On offense, senior quarterback Adam Weber has taken nearly every snap for the past three-plus seasons with a few snaps go to backup MarQueis Gray last season. Weber lined up behind an offensive line that returned four starters last week. He also has a fullback and tailback behind him who have starting experience. Minnesota lost just two starters -- wide receiver Eric Decker and tight end Nick Tow-Arnett -- from last year's core starting group. The Gophers averaged 20.9 points and 306.5 yards per game in 2009, ranking 100th and 109th in the nation, respectively.

Conversely, the Gophers have only two starters from last year's defense on the roster for 2010. Safeties Kim Royston and Kyle Theret are the only regular starters from 2009 returning, but neither played last week. Royston suffered a broken leg in spring ball and may return for the home opener. Theret was suspended indefinitely during the spring. While they are somewhat inexperienced, this year's Gopher defense is widely regarded as one of the most athletic in years. The Gophers allowed 23.8 points and 369.2 yards per game, ranking 51st and 60th in the nation, respectively.

Coyote History Versus the Golden Gophers USD and UM have faced each other nine times on the gridiron, but the series has been dormant for 80 years. The Gophers lead the series 8-1, as the majority of the meetings occurred between 1904 and 1930. UM handed USD it's worst defeat with an 81-0 beating in 1916, but the Coyotes claimed a win over the Gophers with a 10-0 victory in 1912. Every game between the two schools has been played in Minneapolis.

Last Time Out: USD Football Falls to Knights Junior running back Chris Ganious rushed for 89 yards and a touchdown, but the University of South Dakota fell to Central Florida, 38-7, last Saturday in front of 34,373 fans at Bright House Networks Stadium. The Coyotes clawed within seven early in the second quarter but UCF's systematic offense proved too much.

Ganious earned his yards with 19 carries to lead a USD offense that moved the ball well at times against a fast UCF defense. Junior quarterback Dante Warren looked good in his first career start by connecting on 10-of-19 pass attempts for 104 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Will Powell finished with 44 receiving yards. Junior Shane Potter paced USD's defensive effort with a career-high 16 tackles, including 10 solo stops, and one tackle for loss. Junior linebacker Adam Broders had eight tackles and one tackle for loss.

The Knights took control early with two drives over five minutes to start the game. Leaning on the rushing game, UCF drove 75 and 84 yards in 5:19 and 5:01, respectively, to build a 14-0 lead, but USD fought back. Ganious ripped off a 23-yard run and a 15-yard facemask penalty moved the Coyotes deep into UCF territory late in the first quarter. Another 14-yard scamper from Ganious put USD on the doorstep and he knocked it in from one-yard out just seconds later. The five-play, 60-yard scoring drive took 1:26, as Ganious ended the first quarter with 61 rushing yards.

The momentum seemed to really swing USD's way on the ensuing kickoff. A pooch from freshman Kevin Robb traveled to the 35-yard line where a Knight fielded the ball but fumbled it. The Coyotes jumped on the loose ball, but USD was offside on the play and was forced to rekick the ball. The Knights handled the next kick and drove to USD's seven, but a penalty and a pass breakup by Williams on third and 10 forced UCF into a 30-yard field goal.

After success on the ground, South Dakota went to the air midway through the second quarter. Warren went 4-of-4, including a 27-yard strike to Powell but the drive stalled just past midfield and UCF converted its next drive into a touchdown to end the half up 24-7. Ganious had 78 rushing yards in the first half, while Warren was 6-of-10 for 60 yards and Powell had 35 receiving yards. Potter had eight tackles and one tackle for loss.

The two squads exchanged punts the majority of the third quarter until the Knights crafted an eight-play, 50-yard touchdown drive in 4:50 to end the frame with a 31-7 advantage. UCF added another seven points early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach and cruised from there.

Potter's Prowess Junior strong safety Shane Potter was one of the most physical USD players against the Knights. Potter made a career-high 16 tackles, including 10 solo stops, as he led the Coyote defense. He also had one tackle for loss. Potter's previous career high was 11 stops against UC Davis last season in the DakotaDome.

Following the Firsts A total of 9 Coyotes picked up their first career start in South Dakota's season-opening game at Central Florida last Satuday. USD graduated several veterans along the offensive and defensive line, allowing R.J. Polley (RT) and Scott Slotten (LG) to make their first starts. Dante Warren (QB) also made his first start for the USD offense. On the defensive side, Jesse Weisbrod (DT), Evan Capper (NT) and Sidney Bazemore (DE) collected their first start along the line, while outside linebackers Cory Kuehl and Andrew Meier accomplished the same. Marquis Butler (CB) also made his first start in a USD uniform.

Zwiefelhofer Named Great West Special Teams Player of the Week USD sophomore punter Cole Zwiefelhofer was named the Great West Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, the league announced on Sunday. The weekly honor was the first of Zwiefelhofer's career and he was the first Coyote to earn the accolade this season.

A native of Chippewa Falls, Wis., Zwiefelhofer excelled in USD's season-opening game at Central Florida last Saturday. He averaged 45.7 yards per punt as he kicked six times for 274 yards. He notched a long of 52 yards and twice pinned the Knights inside their own 20-yard line. His average ranked fourth among all FCS punters in the first weekend of action.

Coyotes in the NFL Update Two former Coyote football standouts made news in the National Football League on Sunday. The Jacksonville Jaguars signed defensive tackle Ko Quaye to their practice squad and the Detroit Lions claimed kick return specialist Stefan Logan off waivers.

A native of Brooklyn Park, Minn., Quaye spent the entire preseason with the Jaguars, but was waived in final cuts last Saturday. Jacksonville signed him to the practice squad on Sunday, though, as NFL teams are allowed to carry eight players on their practice squads. Quaye earned All-America honors for the Coyotes in 2009 after finishing with 31 tackles, including 15 solo stops. He earned seven tackles for loss for 22 yards, which ranked 10th in the Great West Conference. He helped USD finish first in the league in scoring defense (27.2 ppg) and rushing defense (108.1 ypg) to claim first-team All-GWC accolades.

Logan was waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers during final cuts on Saturday after breaking the club's single-season kickoff-return yardage record last season, but quickly found a new home with the Lions. In 2009, Logan returned 55 kicks for a 26.7-yard average with four returns more than 40 yards and also returned 30 punts for an average of 9.3 yards with three for more than 20 yards. He was also on the Pro Bowl ballot. A running back at USD from 2003-06, he is USD's all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 5,958 rushing, 878 receiving, 305 punt return and 718 kickoff return yards for a total of 7,859 during his time in Vermillion.

The Jaguars host Denver to start the 2010 season, while the Lions begin at Chicago. Both games start at noon on Sunday.

Meierkort on the Brink South Dakota head coach Ed Meierkort is on the brink of another milestone after an already stellar career. In his 18th season as a head coach and his seventh with the Coyotes, Meierkort's next win will give him 100 in his career. He currently owns a 99-79 overall mark, including 44-24 at USD. Meierkort also owns an impressive 31-3 record in the DakotaDome during his time in Vermillion.

Watching the Rankings Several teams on South Dakota's 2010 schedule are ranked in the preseason polls. Northern Iowa (Oct. 16) is the Coyotes' highest ranked foe, currently ranked No. 13 in the coaches poll, while North Dakota State (Sept. 25) is No. 21. Both are ranked 14th and 21st, respectively, in The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll, while the Panthers are No. 15 and the Bison are No. 16 in the Any Given Saturday poll. Cal Poly (Nov. 6), Southern Utah (Oct. 23) and UC Davis (Oct. 9) are receiving votes in all three polls, while South Dakota and Lamar (Nov. 13) are receiving votes in the TSN poll.

New Digs The Coyotes have started the 2010 season in some pretty fancy facilities. UCF's 45,000-seat Bright House Networks Stadium is located on campus in Orlando, Fla., and was completed in 2007. The facility was the newest FBS stadium until Minnesota opened TCF Bank Stadium in 2009. Also located on campus in Minneapolis, Minn., the facility holds more than 50,000 fans and is the first Big Ten stadium built in nearly 50 years.

For the complete notes, click on the link above.