University of South Dakota Athletics

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

The Basics
UNI (2-3, 1-1 MVFC) at #24 South Dakota (3-2, 2-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. CDT
Vermillion, S.D. (DakotaDome)
TV: MidcoSN2 (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: UNI leads 28-19-1 (won 34-29 last year in Cedar Falls)

About the Coyotes:  South Dakota is going for its second consecutive 3-0 start to Valley play ... the Coyotes have overcome halftime deficits to win each of their first two conference games by seven points ... safety Andrew Gray is the reigning national defensive player of the week and has forced four turnovers in the last two weeks ... QB Austin Simmons has passed for at least 330 yards in three of five starts ... RB Ben Klett rushed for 96 yards and three TDs last week in his first collegiate start ... All-American DE Darin Greenfield leads the team in sacks and TFL

About the Panthers: UNI's three losses are a three-point road loss at nationally-ranked Montana, a loss at Iowa, and last week's 56-31 loss to top-ranked NDSU ... in between are shutouts of Hampton (44-0) and Indiana State (33-0) ... QB Eli Dunne passed for a season-high 362 yards and three touchdowns last week against NDSU while RB Marcus Weymiller posted 57 yards and a score ... junior RB Trevor Allen leads the Panthers with 341 yards rushing ... redshirt freshman LB Chris Kolarevic is the team's top tackler ... All-Valley DE Rickey Neal Jr. leads the team in sacks ... the Panthers have intercepted seven passes thru five games

Quick Hits
-South Dakota is playing a night game in Vermillion for the first time since 2009
-Fans are encouraged to wear black to Saturday's game
-USD is 9-3 inside the DakotaDome since 2016 (2-0 this season)
-Andrew Gray has won back-to-back MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honors (Reigning National Def. Player of the Week)
-A Gray brother has led USD in tackles in each of the last four games
-QB Austin Simmons is the nation's fourth-leading passer at 319 yards per game
-The Coyotes boast four receivers who have had 100-yard games this season
-South Dakota is +8 in turnovers thru five games, and has been turnover free three times
-The Coyotes rank 42nd nationally in sacks, but have totaled zero in two Valley games
-CB Mark Collins leads the nation with 10 passes defended (1 INT, 9 PBUPs)

The Notes
South Dakota hosts UNI this week in a quest to start 3-0 in Valley play for the second consecutive season. The Coyotes are coming off back-to-back seven-point wins to start conference play, and are back in the national rankings after reaching as high as No. 22 earlier this season.

Saturday's game is the Coyotes' first night game in Vermillion since blanking William Penn 52-0 in a 7 p.m. kick that opened the 2009 season. The Coyotes are 30-18 in the DakotaDome since that time in games that kicked off between noon and 4 p.m.

The series between USD and UNI dates back to 1899. The teams are meeting for the 49th time. The programs competed every year from 1949-77 as members of the North Central Conference. They have met every year since 2008 with the exception of 2011. The home team has won each of the last three games.

The one that got away... The Coyotes outgained UNI 490-283 in last year's contest, but settling for field goals inside the red zone and four USD turnovers were the difference in the Panthers pulling out a five-point win. USD didn't punt until the third quarter, but led just 16-13 at the half. Credit the Panther defense, which surrendered three straight 60-yard drives in the first half, but forced field goals. An 11-yard touchdown drive following a USD fumble and a pick-six gave the Panthers a come-from-behind win.

South Dakota has outgained UNI five times in six meetings as Valley foes, but the Panthers have four wins. The Coyotes have turned it over 10 times in their last four duals against UNI.

Coyote quarterback Austin Simmons has passed for 799 yards and five touchdowns in his first two starts inside the DakotaDome. He has completed 75 percent of his passes in those two games (59 of 78) with no turnovers. Five different Coyote receivers have caught his touchdown throws.

Speaking of home cooking, the Coyotes have averaged 174 yards rushing inside the DakotaDome compared to a 72-yard average in three road trips. Sophomore running back Ben Klett earned his first collegiate start last weekend and responded with a career-high 96 yards and three touchdowns. He is the first Coyote back to rush for three scores since 2015.

Simmons has recorded back-to-back games of 330-plus yards passing and also has a 462-yard effort this season. He has a deep pool of receivers to throw to including four who have posted 100-yard games already this season.
    His counterpart this week, Eli Dunne, is averaging 199 yards per game and has eight touchdown tosses against just two interceptions. Dunne completed 14 of 24 passes for 228 yards and two scores last year against USD. He is coming off a season-best 362-yard, 3-touchdown performance against top-ranked NDSU.

Defensively, the Coyotes have allowed more than 400 yards in all but one game this season. Ironically, Southern Illinois totaled 527 yards in a loss to USD and Weber State's offense managed just 250 in a 17-point win. Each Coyote foe has posted between 24-28 points, though Kansas State and Weber State both had non-offensive touchdowns.

USD's defense has thrived off turnovers (12) and red-zone defense. Foes have played inside the red zone 23 times, but have punched it in 11 times. They have settled for six field goals and came up empty six times. Last week, it was a goal-line stand against Southern Illinois that preserved the win.

All-Valley safety Andrew Gray became the first Coyote defender to force three turnovers in one game since Joel Gentile intercepted two passes and forced a fumble in a Coyote win back in 2007. Gray forced two fumbles and intercepted MSU quarterback Peyton Huslig in the win last week. In addition, he broke up three passes including one on fourth down in Coyote territory with 18 seconds remaining.

Andrew's twin brother, Alex, has posted double-digit tackles in back-to-back games and leads the Coyotes in stops this season (Andrew is second). Alex was MVFC Player of the Week back in week one when he had two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pick-six in a close call with Kansas State.

Senior cornerback Isaac Armstead has been out with an injury since the season opener at Kansas State. True freshman Cameron Tisdale has started in his place. Tisdale and Mark Collins Jr. were thrown at 27 times against Southern Illinois and the Salukis completed seven passes for 90 yards.

Junior wideout Dakarai Allen is the third-leading receiver in the Valley with 392 yards. He has been USD's top receiver in each of the last three games, including a 6-catch, 183-yard performance in the win at Southern Illinois. His 89-yard touchdown catch is the third-longest play from scrimmage by the Coyotes since 2000.

Sophomore wideout Levi Falck had 16 catches for 197 yards in seven games last season. He has a team-leading 26 catches for 289 yards this season. Falck tied a program record with 11 catches and totaled 140 yards in the season opener at Kansas State. His first collegiate touchdown catch, a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter against Missouri State last week, was the game winner.

South Dakota was the only FCS team with four players who had topped 100 yards receiving in a game heading into last weekend. Those performances are:
    • Levi Falck, 11 rec, 140 yds in week one vs. KSU
    • Shamar Jackson, 7 rec, 146 yds in week two vs. UNC
    • Trystn Ducker, 4 rec, 131 yds in week two vs. UNC
    • Dakarai Allen, 6 rec, 183 yds in week four vs. SIU

The Coyotes return all five starting offensive linemen this season, though redshirt freshman Braden Schneider broke into the lineup at right guard during fall camp. Schneider has missed the last two games due to injury and fellow redshirt freshman Austin Wallace has started in his place.

Sophomore running back Brandon Thull made his USD debut last week following a four-game suspension. He earned nine carries for 37 yards including an impressive 18-yard run in the fourth quarter that helped set up the go-ahead touchdown.

Mason Lorber has made at least one field goal in all five games this season. Lorber, a sophomore, is making his first collegiate kicks after transferring from Iowa Western Community College.
    Ethan James handles kickoffs. Punter Brady Schutt was named to the Valley's all-newcomer team a year ago. Redshirt freshman Dalton Godfrey is the long snapper.

True freshman Wesley Eliodor busted a 69-yard kickoff return against Missouri State last week. It was his first and only collegiate return of any kind, and is the longest kick or punt return by a Coyote since 2011.

Alex Coker made the fourth-down stop on the goal line last weekend, and you can give an assist to Nick Kramer, who fought off a block to force MSU quarterback Peyton Huslig to pitch early on the option, setting up Coker for the stop.

Since joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2012, 45 of South Dakota's 75 opponents have been either a nationally-ranked FCS team or an FBS opponent (60 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).

Bob Nielson is one of 17 active NCAA football coaches with 200 career victories (201).