The Game
South Dakota has followed two consecutive wins with two consecutive defeats. The Coyotes dropped a 40-21 decision at Western Illinois a week ago to fall to 0-2 in Valley play. South Dakota will try to score a win Saturday in a place where few visitors do – the Fargodome where the second-ranked Bison have won a record 26 consecutive games against MVFC opponents.

Four-time defending national champion North Dakota State extended that streak with a last-minute drive against Northern Iowa last Saturday.  Freshman Darrius Shepherd caught two touchdowns including the game-winner with 35 seconds left to lift the Bison to a 31-28 win against the Panthers to remain atop the Valley standings.  Shepherd had three catches for 61 yards, all in the second half.

The Series
South Dakota and North Dakota State first met in 1903. The teams met regularly as North Central Conference rivals from the late 1920s until NDSU made the jump to Division I following the 2003 season. This will be the fifth meeting between the two programs since 2003.

NDSU holds a 52-25-2 lead in the all-time series making this the 80^th meeting between the two programs. South Dakota is 0-8 all-time in the Fargodome and haven't won in Fargo since 1978. The Coyotes last win in the series was a 40-37 quadruple-overtime thriller inside the DakotaDome in 2002.

The Coaches
Head coach Joe Glenn of South Dakota is three wins shy of 200 in his collegiate career. He enters Saturday's game with a 197-131-1 mark spanning 28 seasons. This is his fourth with the Coyotes.

North Dakota State's Chris Klieman has been with the Bison since 2011. He was the defensive coordinator from 2012-13 before being named head coach in 2014. He is 19-2 with NDSU since taking the reins.

The Quarterbacks
South Dakota starter Ryan Saeger, a junior, will compete for the first time against NDSU. Saeger is 4-5 in nine games as the Coyotes' starter, which includes four starts last season. Saeger is averaging 163 yards passing and 35 rushing this season. He's thrown four touchdowns against two interceptions.

Bison senior starter Carson Wentz has played in all three games against South Dakota since 2012, though last year's game was his only start. He completed 14 of 26 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns against the Coyotes a year ago. Wentz is averaging 251 yards passing and 41 rushing through five games this season. He has 18 touchdowns (14 pass, 4 rush) against five turnovers (3 fumbles, 2 INTs).

The Defenses
South Dakota had been stout defensively before arriving in Macomb, Ill., last weekend. Western Illinois scored on its first seven possessions – 5 touchdowns, 2 field goals – to build a 40-14 lead and finished with 514 yards of total offense. Before that, Kansas State's 336 yards were the most surrendered by the Coyotes in 2015. Youngstown State and its high-powered offense mustered 301 yards two games ago against South Dakota.

MVFC teams have averaged 14 points per game against North Dakota State during the Bison's current run of championships. The Coyotes have totaled seven points and 533 yards of total offense in their last three games with NDSU.

Montana quarterback Brady Gustafson threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns against NDSU and still needed a 1-yard plunge on the final play of the game to get past the Bison 38-35 in the season opener. Northern Iowa backup quarterback Aaron Bailey ran for 157 yards and threw for 55 in one half against NDSU a week ago as the Panthers put up 28 points. The Bison's three other opponents – North Dakota, South Dakota State and Weber State – combined to score 30 points and total 505 yards (53 rushing).

One Final Note
South Dakota senior captain Keyen Lage recorded his 200^th collegiate tackle during last week's game against Western Illinois. Lage is the 10^th Coyote to reach 200 tackles since 2000. Lage is expected to make his 32^nd consecutive start for South Dakota this weekend.