The Tailgate
Headed to the game? Join fellow fans and friends for a pre-game party in Youngstown before kickoff. We are gathering at Charlie Staples Bar-B-Que located at 372 W Rayen Ave at 3:30 p.m. local time. Howling Pack members eat and drink for free while supplies last.
The Game
The best thing about playing in the Missouri Valley Football Conference is that the next game always seems to be the biggest game of the season. That is no exception today as the Coyotes take on the Youngstown State Penguins in Ohio.
Both teams are coming off tough losses, but still control their own destinies as far as the FCS playoffs are concerned. Whoever executes better today will take a step in the right direction.
The Series
It was a one-sided affair before South Dakota knocked off then-No. 3 Youngstown State 31-28 on Dakota Days a year ago. Coyote quarterback
Chris Streveler led the offense and set up a game-winning field goal from
Ryan Weese in that contest. New stars will be asked to carry the torch for USD in this one.
The Penguins
Youngstown State features the leading running back in the Valley in senior Tevin McCaster who is averaging right at 100 yards per game with six touchdowns. Quarterback Montgomery VanGorder is a senior transfer from Notre Dame who is averaging 226 yards thru the air and is the Penguins' second-leading rusher. Zach Farrar, another transfer, leads the receiving corps with 20 catches for 307 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, the Penguins have allowed just 213 yards passing per game. They held SDSU quarterback Taryn Christion to seven completions for 78 yards a week ago in a 36-7 loss. Instead, the Jacks ran for 253 and averaged 6.3 yards per carry.
The Coyotes
South Dakota has playmakers on both sides of the ball, but crucial matchups will take place in the trenches. Offensively, the Coyotes have had little success on the ground, relying instead on the nation's fourth-leading passer in
Austin Simmons, who has passed for at least 325 yards in all three Valley games.
Defensively, the unit held UNI to just 99 yards rushing last week, a season-low for the Panthers against FCS competition. The challenge continues this week against McCaster, who rushed for four scores against the Coyotes inside the DakotaDome in last year's contest.
The Weather
It's football weather – a cool and crisp 50 degrees around kickoff. The variable is the 80 percent chance of rain that is expected in the area tonight. Just keep the lightning away!
One More Thing
The Coyotes' all-Valley safety
Andrew Gray was named to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List this week, an award that honors the top defensive player in the FCS each year. Gray enters play with 198 career tackles. If he gets to 200, he would be the 13
th Coyote since 2000 to reach the plateau.
