Tailgate, Watch Party Information
The Game
Last week was for the seniors, this week is for the state as rivals South Dakota and South Dakota State square off in the regular season finale Saturday in Brookings. The Coyotes are seeking their first win in the rivalry since 2000 when USD won on the road 41-28. The Jacks have won the nine meetings since to take their first lead in the series 54-51-7.
The Coyotes played spoiler in dealing a blow to Western Illinois' playoff chances a week ago and will be in that same mode this week. An SDSU win would guarantee the Jacks a top-8 seed and the first-round bye and second-round home game that comes with it. A loss to the Coyotes could send the Jacks on the road in round one.
The Coyotes
It doesn't seem that long ago that South Dakota was leading Kansas State 24-12 entering the fourth quarter, but alas, 2018 has come and gone. The Coyotes were one of two teams at the top of the Valley at 2-0, and the team can still place in the top half, but a four-game skid ended a repeat bid for postseason play.
Junior quarterback
Austin Simmons has shined in his first season at the helm. He leads the Valley and ranks seventh nationally with 2,829 yards passing. With 220 yards Saturday, he would throw for the second-most yards in a season in program history.
The run game has rebounded with the reemergence of
Kai Henry, who has taken more than half the handoffs in recent weeks and averaged 75 yards per game with five scores in his last four games. The receiving corps, led by
Dakarai Allen and
Levi Falck, got a boost last week with the return of
Kody Case, who can play again Saturday and still qualify for a redshirt this season under the new rules.
Defensively, the Coyotes are coming off their best game of the season. They held Western Illinois out of the end zone while limiting the Leathernecks to 21 yards rushing, and got a key interception from senior
Michael Fredrick. It was the Coyotes' 17
th forced turnover of the season.
The Jacks
Even if you discount the 90 points SDSU scored against an overmatched Arkansas-Pine Bluff team in game two, the Jacks would still be leading the Valley in scoring at 39 points per game. Questions on how senior quarterback Taryn Christion would perform without two NFL-caliber targets have been answered up to this point as youngster Cade Johnson (49 rec, 1,014 yds, 13 TDs) and junior Adam Anderson (39 rec, 647 yds, 6 TDs) have taken the torch.
The run game lost starter Isaac Wallace in the middle of the season, but hasn't missed a beat. In fact, redshirt freshman Pierre Strong has ran 23 times for 324 yards and five touchdowns in the last two weeks alone and the Jacks average well over 200 yards rushing.
Like many teams, the Jacks' defense has been up and down. They held NDSU to 389 yards in a close loss in Fargo on the opening week of Valley play, and limited Missouri State to 183 yards two weeks ago. The Jacks have also allowed 51 points and 569 yards of offense to Indiana State at home and 541 yards, including 353 yards and four scores rushing, to Southern Illinois a week ago.
Ryan Earith at defensive end, Christian Rozeboom at linebacker and Jordan Brown at corner remain the standouts for SDSU. The Jacks have forced 18 turnovers this season (13 INT, 5 fumbles).
Numbers Watch
Coyote quarterback
Austin Simmons needs 220 yards passing to catch Wesley Beschorner for the second-most passing yards in USD single-season history … wide out
Dakarai Allen needs seven catches to tie Will Powell's single-season record of 55 … linebacker
Alex Gray (81 tackles) leads fellow linebacker
Jack Cochrane (75) and twin brother
Andrew Gray (74) for most tackles this season …
Nick Jensen, a Vermillion native, is expected to make his 40
th collegiate start at left tackle
Two Last Things
Both teams are wearing the official USS South Dakota crest on their helmets to commemorate the commissioning of South Dakota's first Navy vessel in more than 70 years. Featuring Mount Rushmore, pheasant feathers and coyotes, the symbol includes a wide variety of South Dakota imagery. The submarine, which will carry a crew of 132 Navy personnel, will be commissioned on Feb. 2, 2019, in Groton, Conn.
Saturday's game is part of the South Dakota Showdown Series sponsored by South Dakota Corn. USD, which has won the last two series, leads this year's count 3-2 with Saturday's game counting for two points towards the winning side.
Both universities are encouraging fans to "Get Off the Bench" to help combat hunger in the state of South Dakota. Fans attending Saturday's game can donate to Feeding South Dakota, a hunger relief organization in Sioux Falls, by swiping their credit/debit cards at "dip jars" located at the stadium's concessions stands, or through cash donations at collection sites near stadium entrances. Donations also can be made by texting SHOWDOWN to 80077.
