VERMILLION, S.D. - After a live scrimmage on Wednesday following the 2011 University of South Dakota Football Media Day, the Coyotes moved practice inside the DakotaDome Thursday for their second two-a-day practice of fall camp. Friday's single practice back outside marked the 11th practice of camp and two practices are scheduled for Saturday, followed by an off day on Sunday to finish the first full week of camp under the direction of eighth-year head coach Ed Meierkort.
"Wednesday's scrimmage went extremely well and it was very competitive," Meierkort said. "The defense has the upper hand right now as to be expected at this point in fall camp."
Click above for a highlight video of camp through the first 11 practices.
Meierkort was very encouraged by a pair of running backs on the offensive end in freshman Noah Pearl and junior Marcus Sims, in addition to the tight ends being healthy at this point.
"On the offense, Noah Pearl looks very good as he is learning the system and has a great burst. Marcus Sims is having a terrific camp. We have our tight ends healthy with Jay Burns and Michael Neilson and they look very good, too."
Pearl, a true-freshman from Kansas City, Mo., was a two-star recruit by ESPN College Football Recruiting and Rivals.com. He rushed for 1,945 yards and 18 touchdowns in helping Rockhurst High School to the Missouri Class 6A championship. He was an all-state selection and finished with 3,467 career rushing yards.
Sims saw action in all 11 games last year as a reserve running back. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native, also played on special teams and finished third on the team in rushing yards with 286 and one touchdown. He returned 16 kickoffs for 295 yards.
"On the defensive side of the ball, Kyle Guziac is having a fantastic fall camp as he is working his way up the depth chart," Meierkort said. "Tyler Starr has been able to pressure the passer. Kenny Greer and Jordan Eaton have looked really good and I am really encouraged about our front."
Guziac, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Lake Forest, Ill., redshirted last year and was a Scout Defensive Player of the Week twice. He prepped at Loyola Academy where he posted 113 tackles as a senior, five sacks and two interceptions as he helped lead the No. 1 defense in the state of Illinois.
Greer, also a redshirt freshman hailing from Barrington, Ill., prepped at Barrington High School where he played tight end and on the offensive line as a junior before starting on the defensive line as a senior. He tallied 35 tackles as a senior.
Starr, a redshirt sophomore from Little Rock, Iowa, has been a force on the outside of the defensive line thus far in camp. Starr prepped at Central Lyon/George-Little Rock High School where he helped lead his team to the state championship game with a 13-1 record finishing with 128 tackles three interceptions. He also caught 23 passes for 312 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Eaton, a junior from St. Paul, Minn., appeared in 10 games as a sophomore in 2010. He started two and finished with 24 tackles and 10 solo stops. He tallied a team-high three sacks.
Meierkort also saw a lot of positives out of the secondary so far.
"Jimmy Thompson has become a real leader in the secondary. Shane Potter hasn't taken any reps yet, but will be back sometime next week. We are not worried about him. Chris Frierson also has looked very good."
Thompson, a senior from Hayward, Wis., suffered a season-ending injury on the second play of the season-opener at Central Florida. Thompson finished fourth on the team in tackles with 59 as a sophomore in 2009.
Potter, a senior from Becker, Minn., was a second-team all-conference selection last year finishing second on the team in tackles with 76, including 41 solo stops. He had two games with 10 or more tackles and had a career-high 16 tackles at Central Florida.
Frierson, a Tampa, Fla., native, played in 10 games last season as a redshirt freshman. He had 34 tackles with 18 solo tackles with two interceptions.
The Coyotes return 19 starters and 53 letterwinners from last year's squad. South Dakota opens the 2011 season at Air Force on Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. CT, prior to hosting defending FCS National Champion Eastern Washington Sept. 10 at 4 p.m., in the DakotaDome.
For more information about South Dakota athletics, check back with www.usdcoyotes.com. Season tickets for Coyote athletic events can be purchased by calling (605) 677-5959.
