University of South Dakota Athletics

GAME 3: NORTH DAKOTA (1-1, 0-0 BIG SKY) at SOUTH DAKOTA (2-0, 0-0 MVFC)
When	Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 | 2 p.m. CDT
Where	DakotaDome (10,000) | Vermillion, S.D.
Television	MidcoSN (Jay Elsen, Andre Fields, Kelly Stewart)
Watch Online	FREE webcast | ESPN3
Radio	Coyote Sports Network (Joe Van Goor, Gary Culver, John Thayer)
Live Stats	Live Stats
South Dakota Links	Game Notes | Roster | Schedule | Stats
North Dakota Links	Game Notes | Roster | Schedule | Stats
MVFC Links	MVFC Notes | Website | MVFC Stats
Social Media	Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Coming to today's game? Read this first!

The Game
It has been 60 years since South Dakota opened at home with a 2-0 record. The Coyotes, No. 23 in this week's rankings, look to move to 3-0 for the first time since 2006 today when they host 10^th-ranked North Dakota (1-1) at 2 p.m. inside the DakotaDome.
 
The storylines start with last year's contest in Grand Forks. The Coyotes led 27-14 at the half and marched 75 yards on the first possession of the third quarter to extend the lead to 34-14. North Dakota's comeback started with a Reid Taubenheim field goal with 2:46 left in the third quarter and was completed with a 33-yard interception return for a score by Deion Harris with 3:28 left. The Hawks went on to win 47-44 in double overtime.
 
North Dakota, which started 0-2 a year ago, carried that momentum to win its next eight games, winning its first Big Sky Championship and earning the No. 7 seed in the FCS playoffs, the program's first playoff bid at the Division I level. The Hawks lost a second-round home game to Richmond on a last-second field goal and finished with a 9-3 record.
 
Many of the pieces are back for both teams, which makes this rematch even more intriguing. Coyote quarterback Chris Streveler, who threw four touchdowns against North Dakota last year, has been dominant in conducting the nation's highest-scoring offense thru two games in 2017. On the other side are junior running backs John Santiago and Brady Oliveira, perhaps the top tandem in the FCS.
 
A Coaching Connection
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 its first of what would be two national titles in three seasons. Current Coyote pass game coordinator Ted Schlafke was the quarterback of that 2008 championship team. Current Coyote co-defensive coordinator Tyler Yelk was Duluth's starting safety.
 
MVFC-Big Sky Challenge
There are eight matchups on the 2017 slate between the MVFC and Big Sky. Five of them took place last weekend and the only win on the Big Sky's side was a 34-0 shutout pitched by North Dakota at home against Missouri State. It followed the Hawks' 37-16 loss at Utah to begin 2017. The other MVFC-Big Sky challenge matchup this week is No. 18 UNI at Southern Utah tonight at 7 p.m.
 
Toughest Challenge Yet
Has South Dakota's run defense improved? Preliminary test results point to yes, but the Hawks are the newest challenge. North Dakota ran for 214 yards and passed for 177 against the Coyotes a year ago. Santiago carried 22 times for 140 yards, including a 25-yard score on the first play of overtime. UND has averaged 154 yards rushing and 230 passing thru two games.
 
Who will take the pressure off?
Michael Fredrick, who cemented USD's win against Bowling Green with a 17-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter last week, is one of three Coyote running backs expected to take handoffs from Streveler Saturday. The other two are redshirt freshman Ben Klett and true freshman Kai Henry. That trio has combined for 271 yards and four scores thru two weeks. Streveler leads the team with 164 yards rushing and four touchdowns.
 
On the other side stands Hawks quarterback Keaton Studsrud, who totaled 19 touchdowns against three turnovers last season. He has averaged 224 yards this season and has a trio of receivers with nine catches (no other Hawk has more than two). Noah Wanzek leads the group with 167 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Defensive Leaders
The defensive fronts on both sides will be fun to watch today, but the key players might be Coyote middle linebacker John Wessel (No. 28) and Hawk safety Cole Reyes (No. 8). Wessel's three snaps against UND last year were his only plays of the season. He will factor heavily in trying to slow down UND's running attack. Reyes is the reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. He picked off Streveler and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown early in last year's game. He is seeking his first INT of 2017.
 
Stat of the Day
Streveler, the FCS National Player of the Week last week, leads the nation in points accounted for thru two weeks. He has passed for six touchdowns and ran for four more. In 12 career starts at USD, Streveler has accounted for 41 scores (28 passing, 13 rushing).