University of South Dakota Athletics

Full Game Notes (.pdf) | NDSU Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
North Dakota State (7-0, 4-0 MVFC) at South Dakota (3-4, 2-2 MVFC)
Saturday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. CDT
Vermillion, S.D. (DakotaDome)
TV: MidcoSN (Jay Elsen, Andre Fields, Kelly Stewart)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (Joe Van Goor, Gary Culver, John Thayer)
Watch Online: FREE webcast on GoYotes.com | ESPN+ (subscription required)
Series: NDSU leads 54-26-2 (won 49-14 last season in Fargo)

About the Coyotes:  South Dakota needs a win to keep its playoff hopes alive ... three-fourths of the Coyotes' offense comes from the arm of QB Austin Simmons, the nation's seventh-leading passer at 297 yards per game ... WR Dakarai Allen is the Valley's top receiver with 587 yards ... defensively, the Coyotes feature All-American DE Darin Greenfield (5.0 sacks, 10.5 TFL) and all-Valley safety Andrew Gray (61 tackles, 2 INT, 2 FF) ... CB Mark Collins Jr. ranks second in the nation in passes defended per game (11 BRUPs, 1 INT)

About the Bison: NDSU has won six of the last seven FCS national championships ... the Bison boast the longest active win streak in the FCS at 13 games and are 15-1 in their last 16 true road games ... NDSU runs 70 percent of the time and ranks 12th nationally in rushing at 253 yards per game ... top rusher Bruce Anderson may not be able to go this week, but Lance Dunn (442 yds, 8 TDs) is more than capable ... just two receivers have made more than six catches this season ... DE Greg Menard and SS Robbie Grimsley are on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List ... LB Jabril Cox is one of the best in the Valley

Quick Hits
-USD is home for the fourth time this season; NDSU is on the road for the third time
-USD ranks 13th nationally in passing (297 ypg); NDSU ranks 12th nationally in rushing (253 ypg)
-USD has 10 receivers with more than six catches; NDSU has two
-Austin Simmons (USD) has completed nearly 50 more passes than Easton Stick (NDSU) has attempted
-Simmons' 2,082 pass yards in seven games ranks sixth in USD single-season history
-Dakarai Allen has been the Coyotes' top receiver in each of the last five games
-FS Andrew Gray and DE Darin Greenfield are on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List
-CB Isaac Armstead, injured in week one, returned to the field last week in Ohio
-USD ended NDSU's 26-game home winning streak in MVFC play with a 24-21 win in 2015
-USD beat NDSU 40-37 in 4OT in Vermillion back in 2002 (0-2 in Vermillion since)
-PK Mason Lorber is tied for the Valley lead with nine FGs (at least one in all seven games)

The Notes
South Dakota looks to end a two-game skid Saturday when the Coyotes host undefeated and top-ranked North Dakota State inside the DakotaDome. It is USD's first matchup against a top-ranked team since 2014 when USD hosted NDSU in Vermillion.

South Dakota beat North Dakota State 40-37 in quadruple overtime inside the DakotaDome back in 2002. The Bison didn't return to Vermillion until 12 years later in 2014. This is the third meeting between the two teams in Vermillion since 2002.

The Coyotes last defeated a No. 1-ranked team back in 2011 when (now USD running back coach) Dante Warren passed for a touchdown and ran for a score in a 30-17 victory against Eastern Washington inside the DakotaDome. Jim Thompson had a 67-yard interception return for a score in that game. The Coyotes held the Eagles to 11 yards rushing.

NDSU was No. 2 in the land and quarterbacked by Carson Wentz when South Dakota stunned the Bison with a 24-21 victory inside the Fargodome in 2015. Ryan Saeger passed for 202 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 92 yards and a score in the win, which was capped by a game-winning field goal by Miles Bergner. The win snapped the Bison's 26-game home winning streak in Valley play.

The Bison averaged 28 yards a completion and saw Ty Brooks carry nine times for 152 yards and three scores in last year's meeting, a 49-14 Bison victory in Fargo. Chris Streveler passed for 232 yards and ran for 93 in the loss, accounting for both USD touchdowns.

South Dakota is 9-4 inside the DakotaDome since 2016 including a 2-1 mark this season.

Check out this comparison between Coyote quarterback Austin Simmons and Bison starter Easton Stick:
Simmons in three home games:
    92-for-124 (74.2%) for 1,124 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT, 167 rat.
Stick in all seven games:
    73-for-129 (56.6%) for 1,181 yards, 10 TDs, 2 INT, 156 rat.

Austin Simmons has passed for 2,082 yards thru seven games this season, a total that ranks seventh nationally and sixth on USD's single-season passing leaders list. With 55 yards, Simmons would climb to fifth on the Coyotes' list:
    4.    2,451, Noah Shepard in 2009        10 games
    5.    2,137, Dante Warren in 2010         11 games
    6.    2,082, Austin Simmons in 2018       7 games

Just four FCS quarterbacks average more attempts passing per game than Simmons (42 per game). Just 15 FCS quarterbacks have a better attempt:interception ratio (min. of 200 attempts). Simmons has 12 touchdowns against five interceptions thru seven games.

Levi Falck, Trystn Ducker, Shamar Jackson and Dakarai Allen have each recorded 100-yard receiving games this season. Allen has led the Coyotes in receiving yards for five consecutive games and leads the Valley with 587 yards. Here are his last five games:
    5 rec, 60 yards, 1 TD at Weber State
    6 rec, 183 yards, 1 TD at Southern Illinois
    5 rec, 73 yards, 0 TD vs. Missouri State
    6 rec, 98 yards, 1 TD vs. UNI
    7 rec, 97 yards, 0 TD at Youngstown State
Tot:    29 rec, 511 yards, 3 TDs

The passing numbers are gaudy, but finding consistency in the run game has been hard to come by this year. Check these numbers comparing USD last year to this year (yards lost due to sacks not included):
     2017 (first 7g): 1,619 yards rushing, 5.2 ypc, 20 TDs
     2018 (first 7g):    865 yards rushing, 3.8 ypc, 10 TDs

South Dakota has had a different leading rusher in each of the last three games:
     vs. MSU: Ben Klett, 19 carries, 96 yards, 3 TDs
     vs. UNI: Brandon Thull, 12 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD
     vs. YSU: Kai Henry, 12 carries, 79 yards, 2 TDs

Four of South Dakota's five starting offensive linemen are returning starters from a year ago including four-year starter Nick Jensen at left tackle, who is coming off a solid game against Youngstown State. Two newcomers, Braden Schneider and Austin Wallace, have rotated in at right guard. Mason Scheidegger, a sophomore, has started every game since the start of last season.

There will be four Buck Buchanan Award (top FCS Defensive Player) Watch List members on the field Saturday - two from each team. South Dakota is represented by senior safety Andrew Gray and junior defensive end Darin Greenfield. For NDSU, it's senior safety Robbie Grimsley and senior defensive end Greg Menard.

South Dakota's defense has been led by senior twin brothers Andrew and Alex Gray, who have combined for three MVFC Defensive Player of the Week awards this season. In conference play, Andrew, an all-Valley safety, has averaged 11 tackles a game and forced four turnovers. Alex, who plays linebacker, is second on the team in tackles behind Andrew, and has two sacks, an interception and 6.5 tackles-for-loss. Alex had a pick-six in the opener against Kansas State.

Andrew Gray picked up his 200th tackle as a Coyote last week in Ohio. He is the 13th USD player since 2000 to reach that milestone.

Darin Greenfield is coming off one of his best performances of the season. He had 10 tackles including two sacks and a third for loss and forced two turnovers via the fumble. Greenfield has 18 career sacks, which ranks fourth in program history.

Jake Richardson's strip sack of YSU quarterback Montgomery VanGorder last week was his first tackle as a Coyote. USD recovered and scored on a 14-yard run by Kai Henry on the next play from scrimmage.

The Coyotes' third-leading tackler is true sophomore linebacker Jack Cochrane who led USD with a career-high 11 tackles last week against Youngstown State.

USD rotated five cornerbacks against Youngstown State last week including senior Isaac Armstead, who returned to action for the first time since suffering an injury in the season opener at Kansas State. Armstead recorded three interceptions in six starts at the end of last season, which included two playoff games. He was in on 28 plays spanning six series against YSU, but was not targeted.

Michael Fredrick, a 1,600-yard rusher at USD, earned his first start at cornerback last week against YSU and tied his career high with six stops. Fredrick has 16 tackles in five games this season including one on special teams.

Sophomore safety Phillip Powell, USD's third-leading tackler last season, is out for the rest of this season due to injury. Sophomore Elijah Reed has started the last three weeks in his place and is the Yotes fourth-leading tackler in that span.

Since joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2012, 45 of South Dakota's 77 opponents have been either a nationally-ranked FCS team or an FBS opponent (58 percent).

Of the 105 players on South Dakota's roster this season, 25 are upperclassmen (13 seniors, 12 juniors). Of the 66 players who have competed in 2018, 43 are underclassmen (24 sophomores, 11 redshirt freshmen, 8 true freshmen).