VERMILLION, S.D.—Mark Collins Jr. knows what it's like to be pressed into action without a lot of experience. So when he went down with a sprained ankle in the first game of the season, he was plenty familiar with the terrain that would be inherited by those attempting to replace him.
 
He greeted the situation the same way he did when he was the one being pressed into action. That is, with maturity and a team-first attitude.
 
"It's hard being out and not with your teammates on the field," said Collins, a 5-11, 180-pound junior who started five games as a redshirt freshman two years ago, then seven more last year prior to going out with an injury.
 
"But instead of being sad about my situation, I just wanted to make the focus on coaching up the younger guys we had plugged into those positions. Make sure their on-point with film study while preparing week-in and week-out. They had a new role on the depth chart."
 
There was no question he'd rather demonstrate that knowledge of his position on the field, but sometimes we don't get that choice. In this case, it was a high ankle sprain incurred while picking off a pass against Montana the first week that knocked him out of the lineup.
 
The best thing about the injury? That it's done with. He's back in the starting lineup on Saturday. 
It is welcome news both for him personally, but also the Coyote coaching staff. There is Indiana State and the beginning of the Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule to think about. There is a Dakota Day crowd coming in.
 
Of all the attributes one can already connect to Collins' time in the program, you can now add timing. The Coyotes need this guy.
 
"He gives everybody a boost of confidence," said defensive backs coach Mark Watson Jr. "It's not just with the defense, but with the whole team. Mark is someone who has been in our program for four years now and knows what it takes. He gained experience as a redshirt freshman. He brings a lot to the table, especially to the defensive back room because he has a lot of knowledge of the Missouri Valley Conference."
 
Collins quickly distinguished himself as a quick learner, in addition to being a talented player, when he moved into the starting lineup midway through the 2017 season. He has been doing his best to make himself useful ever since. That included, in this instance, helping the team get better even in his absence. Without Collins in the Coyotes' last game, the unit showed signs of progress, holding Northern Colorado to one touchdown in a 14-6 victory. This week promises to be better yet with a team leader back on the field.
 
"Mark Collins is like my second voice," Watson said. "With me being up in the press box, he can see things and communicate them to his teammates just like I would be doing if I was down on the field. I've always stressed to those guys to be open and have those round-table conversations. Listening to your peers is very important. With him having that experience, those younger guys are going to listen to him."
 
The 1-3 Coyotes' record does not technically go back to 0-0 this week – USD has to carry that first month with them – but within the MVFC, it is indeed 0-0. And that zero on the left side represents a challenge but also an opportunity.
 
"We've made strides at every position," Collins said. "That goes for offense and defense. But defensively, I think everyone has focused on getting better day-in and day-out knowing that we have conference play coming up. There is not an easy game on our schedule. We have to be locked in and ready."
 
Cori Fant, Jr., a freshman who was in the starting lineup at Collins' spot against Northern Colorado, is one who has made some of the strides.
 
"We talk all the time," Collins said. "We watch film and he asks a lot of questions. He's locked-in. He's an example of veterans connecting with the younger guys because he wants to get better and we're going to need him."
 
Collins is the son of 13-year NFL player Mark Collins, a two-time Super Bowl winner with the New York Giants, and Darlene Santiago-Dotson, a police captain. As such, he is close to both a wealth of football knowledge and a wealth of leadership. He'll need both as the Coyotes advance in 2019.
 
"We have the conference season coming up and we have a fresh slate," Collins said. "The games that are in the past are in the past. We just have to focus on what we have coming in every week."