University of South Dakota Athletics

Full Game Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
No. 10 North Dakota (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky) at No. 23 South Dakota (2-0, 0-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Sept. 16, at 2 p.m.
Vermillion, S.D. (DakotaDome)
TV: MidcoSN
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (Joe Van Goor, Gary Culver, John Thayer)
Watch Online: ESPN3/Watch ESPN
Series: UND leads 61-29-5

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 ... 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 (77 ypg in 2017)

About the Hawks: North Dakota, 9-3 last year, is coming off its first Big Sky Championship and first FCS playoff performance ... the team's only losses since playing South Dakota last year are a 27-24 loss to Richmond in the playoffs and a 37-16 decision at Utah to begin 2017 ... the Hawks have perhaps the top RB tandem in the country in juniors John Santiago and Brady Oliveira, who combined for more than 1,800 yards and 17 touchdowns last season ... QB Keaton Studsrud totaled 19 touchdowns against three turnovers in 2016 ... safety Cole Reyes is the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year

Quick Hits
-No. 10 UND vs. No. 23 USD is the only FCS top-25 matchup on this week's schedule
-The last top-25 matchup between UND and USD came in the final game of the 2011 season
-This is the 12th week that seven MVFC teams are ranked in the top 25
-North Dakota is set to join the MVFC in 2020
-USD has won 14 consecutive home openers dating back to 2003 and is 33-5 in home openers inside the DakotaDome
-UND won its 31st consecutive home opener last week and overcame a 34-14 second-half deficit against USD last year to maintain that streak
-Bob Nielson hired Bubba Schweigert to be head football coach at Minnesota Duluth in 2004
-Coyote QB Chris Streveler is the MVFC Offensive POW for the second time, and the reigning FCS National Player of the Week
-USD leads the nation with 112 points and 10 sacks through two weeks
-The Coyotes' last 3-0 start was 2006 (4-0)

The Notes
This is the 39th season of Coyote football inside the DakotaDome. South Dakota is 143-73 all-time in the facility, which opened in 1979. The Coyotes have won 14 consecutive home openers dating back to 2003 and are 33-5 in home openers inside the Dome.

South Dakota and North Dakota are meeting for the second time following a four-year hiatus and for the second time as non-conference foes since 1921, the year before the North Central Conference was formed. USD and UND met 80 times as NCC rivals and in 66 consecutive seasons following World War II until the two programs branched off to the MVFC and Big Sky in 2012. UND is set to join USD in the MVFC in 2020.

South Dakota head coach Bob Nielson hired North Dakota coach Bubba Schweigert at Minnesota Duluth after Nielson moved from head football coach to athletic director there following the 2003 season. Schweigert left Duluth after four seasons to become the defensive coordinator at Southern Illinois. Nielson returned to the sidelines in 2008 and led Duluth to a 15-0 season and a Division II national championship. Current Coyote pass game coordinator Ted Schlafke was the quarterback of that team. Current Coyote co-defensive coordinator Tyler Yelk was Duluth's starting safety.

South Dakota quarterback Chris Streveler passed for 217 yards and four touchdowns, and also ran for 91 yards in the game against North Dakota in Grand Forks last season. Trevor Bouma ran for 95 yards and a score. Riley Donovan caught four passes for 103 yards, including a 61-yard touchdown grab. Shamar Jackson had four catches for 56 yards and a score. Danny Rambo had an interception for the Coyote defense, Adam Harris led USD with nine tackles, and Alex Coker (2) and Darin Greenfield (1) combined for USD's three sacks.

On the flip side, North Dakota running back John Santiago carried 22 times for 140 yards and a score. Brady Oliveira ran six times for 32 yards. Quarterback Keaton Studsrud passed for 177 yards and two touchdowns, and also snuck in from the 1-yard line in double overtime to complete the comeback. Safety Cole Reyes had seven tackles and an interception he returned 33 yards for a score late in the first quarter.

North Dakota hasn't won in Vermillion since 2008, a 34-31 win in overtime. Two of the last five meetings between these two teams were decided in overtime and another, 2011, was decided by one point, 38-37.

South Dakota is ranked No. 23 in this week's FCS polls. It is the program's highest ranking since climbing to No. 14 during the 2011 season.

With South Dakota's win against Bowling Green last week, the MVFC has had at least one FBS win in each of the last eight seasons. It was the Coyotes' second win against a FBS program and first since topping Minnesota back in 2010.

South Dakota's offense scored touchdowns on seven of its eight first-half possessions in week one against Drake, and on three of four first-quarter possessions against Bowling Green. The Coyotes have won the first quarter 49-3 thru two games. The team's 554.5 yards per game average ranks third nationally.

Streveler has accounted for more points than any other FCS player thru two weeks. He passed for 244 yards and five touchdowns and ran for a score in one half of play against Drake. He passed for 306 yards, ran for 119 and totaled four touchdowns (3 rush, 1 pass) against Bowling Green. In 12 starts for South Dakota, Streveler has accounted for 41 touchdowns (28 passing, 13 rushing).

True freshman Kody Case has caught a touchdown pass in each of his first two games as a Coyote. He hauled in a 23-yard pass from Streveler on his second collegiate play from scrimmage against Drake. He caught a 72-yard bomb from Streveler in the middle of the first quarter against Bowling Green that pushed USD's lead to 14-3. Case's six catches this season have averaged 28.3 yards.

Defensively, South Dakota has registered an FCS best 10 sacks and forced seven turnovers thru two games. Eight different players have registered a sack, and USD has turned those seven turnovers into five touchdowns.

Cornerback is a position Coach Nielson has stressed as a strength, and last week that strength was on display in the win against Bowling Green. Danny Rambo was targeted 10 times and surrendered three catches for 22 yards (1 catch was for negative yards). Dale Williamson Jr. was targeted four times and yielded no catches. He was also credited with two pass breakups.

The Coyotes' no-huddle, up-tempo offense created 19 touchdown drives of less than two minutes last year. Three other quick drives ended with field goals. Nine of USD's 15 touchdown drives thru two games have taken less than two minutes.

Last year's Coyote team was the first in program history to score at least 20 points in every game. South Dakota has averaged 34 points in 13 games under coach Bob Nielson and coordinators Ted Schlafke and Bill O'Boyle.

South Dakota has won back-to-back road games to begin a season for the first time in 60 years (since 1957). The schedule has presented that opportunity eight times since 1957.

The focus defensively 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 and welcomed back starting middle linebacker John Wessel, a captain who missed all but three plays of 2016 due to injury. Returning starter Jake Leohr has moved to defensive tackle, but has missed the first two games due to injury. True freshman Nathan Schultz has started in his place. The Coyotes held Drake to minus-7 yards rushing in the opener and Bowling Green to 161 yards on 34 attempts. North Dakota totaled 214 yards rushing against USD last season.

Sophomore defensive end Darin Greenfield recorded 5.5 tackles-for-loss against Drake, the most by any Coyote since the NCAA began tracking the stat in 2000. Greenfield added another 0.5 TFL against Bowling Green and leads the nation with 6.0 TFL.

Redshirt freshman Brady Schutt and Kansas transfer Ryan Weese won the competitions for punter and place-kicker, respectively. They are filling the shoes left by All-American Miles Bergner, who handled both roles for four years.

Redshirt freshman Mason 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-plus years at left tackle. Stetson Dagel (LG) and Tanner Anderson (RT) are both returning starters from 2016.

Outside of junior Michael Fredrick, no other running back had attempted a carry in a Coyote uniform entering the season. Redshirt freshman Ben Klett and true freshman Kai Henry combined for 171 yards on 36 carries against Drake. Both reached the end zone. Henry took eight carries and Klett ran twice against Bowling Green.

To be the best, you have to beat the best. The Coyotes have faced no fewer than five nationally-ranked FCS teams in each of their five seasons in the MVFC (since 2012). Not included in those numbers are six games against FBS foes. That means 34 of 59 games (57 percent) over the last five-plus years have been against either a FBS team or a nationally-ranked FCS foe.