Full Game Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
South Dakota (4-7, 3-5 MVFC) at Drake (7-4, 6-2 Pioneer)
Saturday, Sept. 2, at 6 p.m. (CT)
Des Moines, Iowa (Drake Stadium)
TV: None
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (Joe Van Goor, Gary Culver, John Thayer)
Watch Online: www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com ($)
Series: Drake leads 11-7 ... USD has won the last three, all in Vermillion (1972, 2009, 2015)

About the Coyotes: South Dakota begins year two under Bob Nielson with eight starters back on offense and five on defense ... senior QB Chris Streveler earned all-MVFC honors and was Valley Newcomer of the Year after accounting for 31 of 41 USD touchdowns last season ... he returns nearly all of his receivers and three linemen ... junior RB Michael Fredrick earns his first turn as lead back ... senior LB John Wessel returns to lead the defense after missing last year due to injury ... run defense has been the focus since the end of last season when the Coyotes permitted 250 yards on the ground per game

About the Bulldogs: Drake (non-scholarship) is picked fourth in the Pioneer League Preseason Poll ... the Bulldogs return senior QB Grant Kraemer (2,403 yds, 23 TDs) and three offensive linemen on offense, but must replace leading rusher Conley Wilkins (1,081 yds) and their top six pass catchers ... the defense is highlighted by a front four that features preseason all-PFL pick Mack Marrin ... the unit also returns MLB Mike Maize and CBs Jabari Butler and Kyrell Newell ... Drake scored and surrendered 28 points per game on average last year

Quick Hits
-South Dakota is competing at Drake for the first time since 1971. USD's last win against Drake in Des Moines was in 1967 (W, 37-35)
-Of USD's 22 projected starters, 18 (9 off, 9 def) have previously earned starts for the Yotes
-Brandt Van Roekel (WR), Josh Hale (TE), Nick Jensen (LT) and John Wessel (MLB) started in the win against Drake in 2015. Seventeen other active Coyotes competed in that game.
-USD QB Chris Streveler (2nd team all-MVFC) is the reigning MVFC Newcomer of the Year
-South Dakota will have a new punter and place-kicker for the first time in four years
-Just two of USD's 11 games last season were decided by more than seven points. Six were decided by three points or fewer (4-2).
-South Dakota is 7-3 against unranked FCS foes during the last two seasons
-Seven of USD's 10 FCS opponents are ranked in the preseason top 25.
-USD is opening on the road for the seventh time in the last eight years (UC Davis, 2013)

The Notes
Bob Nielson is set to begin his 25th season as a head coach and his second with the Coyotes. He stands 10 wins shy of 200 for his career. USD is the sixth program Nielson has served as head coach at. He has taken four of the previous five programs to the playoffs within his first four years and captured NCAA Division II national championships with Minnesota Duluth in 2008 and 2010. Nielson is a three-time national coach of the year and the 2015 MVFC Coach of the Year.

Pass game coordinator Ted Schlafke (starting quarterback) and co-defensive coordinator Tyler Yelk (starting safety) won a NCAA Division II national championship under Nielson at Minnesota Duluth in 2008 (15-0).

South Dakota rushed for 296 yards and took advantage of a backup quarterback in trouncing Drake 52-0 in the Coyotes' 2015 home opener. Trevor Bouma rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns and Ryan Saeger passed for 157 yards and two scores in the win. Michael Fredrick ran 11 times for 54 yards and a touchdown. Brandt Van Roekel caught three passes for a game-high 74 yards and a score. Drake offensively had eight drives of three plays or less.

A trio of milestones are within reach in Saturday's opener: Quarterback Chris Streveler (1,958) can become the eighth quarterback since 2000 to reach 2,000 yards passing. Brandt Van Roekel (983 yards) can become the 10th wide receiver since 2000 to reach 1,000 yards receiving. Michael Fredrick (980 yards) can become the 12th Coyote since 2000 to reach 1,000 yards rushing.

Fredrick, a junior, enters the season as the number one running back for the first time. He averaged 80 yards rushing in five starts at the end of his freshman season when Bouma was injured due to injury. Included in that span was a career-best 143-yard effort against then-No. 5 South Dakota State.

Outside of Fredrick, no other running back has attempted a carry in a Coyote uniform. Redshirt freshman Ben Klett is included on the depth chart, and Nielson has hinted that true freshman Kai Henry (Miami, Fla.) will receive carries to spell Fredrick. Henry is also scheduled to appear as a deep back on USD's kickoff return team.

Henry and backup center Tyler Ciurej (SEAR-eh) are the two true freshmen on this week's two-deep. Nine redshirt freshmen are on the offensive and defensive two-deep including starting center Mason Scheidegger.

Scheidegger is one of two new starters on the offensive line. At right guard is Cody Jennings, a junior transfer from Kismet, Kansas, who led Garden City Community College (Kan.) to a national championship last season. Nick Jensen has started every game for the last two years at left tackle. Stetson Dagel (LG) and Tanner Anderson (RT) return as well.

USD returns six of its top seven wide receivers and both starting tight ends to the passing game. Trystn Ducker led the team with 26 catches as a true freshman last season. Alonge Brooks, another newcomer a year ago, led the team with 384 yards and five touchdowns. Nine Coyotes caught double-digit passes last season.

Defensively, the focus since the end of last season has been improving a unit that allowed 250 yards rushing per game last season. To that end, the Coyotes brought in eight true freshmen defensive linemen on Signing Day, moved end Jake Leohr to defensive tackle, and welcomed back starting middle linebacker John Wessel, a captain who missed all but three plays of 2016 due to injury. Of the eight underclassmen on the Coyotes' two-deep, five are on the defensive line.

Defensive ends Darin Greenfield and Kameron Cline are expected to earn their first collegiate starts Saturday. They combined for six sacks and 10 tackles-for-loss while rotating in last season. They are the only two underclassmen amongst the projected starters for the Yotes defensively.

Competition at safety and behind returning starters Adam Harris and Danny Rambo at cornerback was prevalent throughout fall camp. Andrew Gray started eight games at safety a year ago and is expected to start alongside Doug Lewis (2 starts last year). Ben Garlock and newcomer Mike Johnson, a transfer from Iowa State, are expected to provide depth. Sophomore Dale Williamson and redshirt freshman Mark Collins Jr. are on the two-deep at cornerback.

Ray Dixon is a senior transfer from the University of Minnesota where quarterback Chris Streveler began his collegiate career. Dixon is on the two-dep at linebacker.

Who will replace All-American Miles Bergner on special teams? Bergner was a four-year starter at place-kicker and punter. He is the Coyotes' all-time leading scorer and led the nation in punting last season. On Monday, Nielson hinted that two different punters and two different place-kickers would continue the position battle during non-conference play. Nominees are redshirt freshman Brady Schutt and true freshman Bryan Clements at punter, and junior Ethan James and senior transfer Ryan Weese (Kansas) at place-kicker.

One final thought on the two-deep. Of the 45 offensive and defensive players listed, 20 are in either their first or second season with the team. In fact, of the 109 players on the Coyotes' roster, two-thirds (73) are in year one or year two in Vermillion.

The Coyotes' no-huddle, up-tempo offense created 19 touchdown drives of fewer than two minutes last year. Three other quick drives ended with field goals. The Coyotes possessed the ball for an average of 26 minutes, 24 seconds per game, which ranked 116th nationally.

Chris Streveler was a wide receiver at Minnesota before transferring to USD. At quarterback last season, he accounted for 31 of USD's 41 touchdowns and finished fourth in the nation in points responsible for per game (18.6). Streveler was the Valley's fourth-leading rusher and sixth-leading passer in terms of yards per game. He accounted for six touchdowns in a double-overtime win against Weber State, his first game inside the DakotaDome, and passed for four touchdowns twice. He has  thrown a touchdown pass in all 10 games as a Yote and has rushed for a score in eight of 10 games.

Junior Paul Anderson has been the Yotes' return man in each of the last two seasons. He has averaged 21.6 yards per kickoff return with a long of 52 for his career, and 5.3 yards on 21 career punt returns with a long of 35.

A pair of senior veterans in Aaron Ramsey and Josh Hale join redshirt freshman Brett Samson on the two-deep at tight end. Each can lineup in the backfield, in the slot or on the end of the line in USD's up-tempo attack. The running joke is that Hale caught one pass all of last season despite the numerous catches he makes in practice. Tight ends coach Andrew Prevost has all but guaranteed more than one catch for Hale this season!

South Dakota is the only team with two quarterbacks who have won games in the Valley. Austin Simmons passed for 205 yards and two scores in a win against two-time defending Valley co-champion Illinois State last season. Simmons is a capable backup who competed in seven games as a redshirt freshman last season.

To be the best, you have to beat the best. The Coyotes have faced no fewer than five nationally-ranked teams in each of their five seasons in the MVFC (since 2012). Not included in those numbers are five games against FBS foes. That means 33 of 57 games (58 percent) over the last five years have been against either an FBS team or a nationally-ranked FCS foe.

Yes, Andrew Gray and Alex Gray are twin brothers. Andrew (safety) had 56 tackles and two interceptions last year. Alex (linebacker) had 53 tackles and two picks.