Full Game Notes (.pdf) | Southern Illinois Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
Southern Illinois (3-4, 1-2 MVFC) at South Dakota (3-4, 2-1 MVFC)
Saturday, Oct. 26 at 4 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+ (subcription required)
Series: South Dakota leads 3-2 (won last two)

About the Coyotes:  Six turnovers against UNI helped stop the Coyotes' three-game win streak ... the Panthers were the first FCS team to rush for more than 83 yards against USD this season ... QB Austin Simmons is the Valley's top passer with nearly 2,000 yards and 19 total TDs ... WR Caleb Vander Esch has led the team in receiving for five consecutive games ... DE Darin Greenfield is Division I's active leader in TFL with a program-record 51.0 ... CB Mark Collins Jr. has two picks in three games this year ... USD out-rushed its foes 738-141 during its three-game win streak and out-scored them 97-16

About the Salukis:  Southern Illinois is coming off a 35-10 upset of Youngstown State on homecoming ... R-Fr. RB Javon Williams Jr., SIU's leading rusher, ran for a score, passed for a score and caught a touchdown in that game ... soph. QB Stone Labanowitz hasn't played since an injury in week three, but is working to get back ... Karé Lyles has averaged 188 yards passing in four starts with five TDs ... SIU has the 25th-ranked run attack behind backs Williams Jr., D.J. Davis and Romeir Elliott ... each has a 100-yard performance this season ... 12 different Salukis have registered a sack for a unit that ranks seventh nationally in that category ... DE Anthony Knighton and safety Jeremy Chinn are all-Valley performers

Quick Hits
-South Dakota is 2-0 all-time against Southern Illinois inside the DakotaDome
-The Coyotes shut out the Salukis 42-0 inside the Dome back in 2017
-USD has averaged 35 points and 505 yards of total offense in three home games this year
-USD is first in scoring (36.7 ppg) and second in scoring defense (17.3 ppg) in Valley play
-SIU ran 101 plays for 527 yards against USD last year, but scored four times on 19 poss.
-Dakarai Allen had a career-high 183 yards receiving against SIU last season
-Darin Greenfield is Division I's active leader in tackles-for-loss with 51.0
-USD leads the Valley with nine interceptions and has 13 total takeaways
-Caleb Vander Esch is second in the Valley in catches (31), third in yards (461), and fourth for touchdown catches (4)

The Notes
South Dakota returns home from its only two-game road trip of the season to host Southern Illinois during Family Weekend on the campus of USD. Both teams are looking to even their records at 4-4. It's a rematch from USD's 31-24 victory in Carbondale last year when the Coyotes scored 21 points in the third quarter to overcome a 17-10 halftime deficit. That was the opening game of Valley play a year ago and was also career win No. 200 for USD head coach Bob Nielson.

South Dakota has won three of its last four games following an 0-3 start. Six turnovers spelled doom for the Coyotes last week in a 42-27 loss at then-No. 14 Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Austin Simmons passed for 299 yards and two scores and USD led 24-21 at the half. But a pair of long touchdown passes in the third quarter gave the Panthers a lead they wouldn't give back. It was USD's first loss in conference play.

Austin Simmons remains the Valley's passing leader with 1,948 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is also the Coyotes' second-leading rusher and has run for three scores. Simmons completed 18 of 35 passes for 333 yards, three touchdowns and an interception last year against the Salukis. He orchestrated two 2-play, 89-plus yard touchdown drives near the end of the third quarter that broke a 17-17 tie and gave USD a 31-17 lead.

Simmons was also part of the Coyotes' 42-0 win against Southern Illinois in Vermillion in 2017. Chris Streveler was injured on the first series of the game. Simmons entered and completed the drive with a 2-yard touchdown toss to Brett Samson for a 7-0 lead. Simmons completed 11 of 18 passes for 91 yards and two scores in that game. Andrew Gray and Mike Johnson returned interceptions for touchdowns to fuel the Coyotes' victory.

Simmons has found 18 different receivers this season. Billy Conaway, a true freshman, hauled in a 56-yard touchdown for his first collegiate catch last week at UNI. It tied for the longest catch by a Coyote this season. Tight end Austin Goehring caught his first collegiate touchdown last week against the Panthers. Conaway and Goehring are two of eight Coyotes who have caught a touchdown from Simmons this year. USD has had at least nine pass catchers in every game but one.

Kody Case ranks second on the team in receiving yards (215) despite playing just the first two games of the season plus nine snaps against Indiana State. Case injured his ankle in the third quarter against Oklahoma in week two. He had 17 catches for 212 yards and three scores thru two games.

Back from an ankle injury in recent weeks is junior cornerback Mark Collins Jr., who led the nation in passes defended per game last year. Collins Jr. was injured while making an interception in the first quarter of the season opener against Montana. He returned and started in the 38-0 win against Indiana State, but reinjured the ankle in warmups against Missouri State and did not compete. He got his second interception last week at UNI.

UNI used four big plays on offense, three of which were passes from Will McElvain to Isaiah Weston, to get past South Dakota last week. The Panthers netted 164 yards on their other 51 plays. Similarly, UNI running back Tyler Hoosman ran 11 times for 20 yards entering the final play of the third quarter. Hoosman carried 14 times for 93 yards the rest of the way including runs of 26 and 28 yards. UNI was the first FCS team to run for more than 83 yards against South Dakota.

South Dakota outrushed its opponents 738-141 during its three-game winning streak. Prior to Hoosman's late outbursts, the longest run by an opposing running back for nearly 11 consecutive quarters was eight yards.

South Dakota's six turnovers, including a pick-6, against UNI were too much to overcome, but consider this: Northern Iowa's offense ran 17 plays on its five possessions following a Coyote turnover and netted minus-2 yards with zero points scored. South Dakota's defense has yielded three scores off 12 offensive turnovers against FCS foes.

Nine different Coyote defenders have registered a sack this season. There are 22 FCS teams that haven't reached nine sacks. Darin Greenfield leads the Coyotes with 4.0 sacks and is 4.0 sacks shy of the program's all-time record of 27.0.

How about a shout-out to freshman Stephen Hillis who has 12 special teams tackles already this season. That's the most by any Coyote in a season since joining the Valley in 2012.

South Dakota averaged 246 yards rushing in three wins and 101 yards in four losses. Kai Henry, who leads the Coyotes on the ground, was assessed a flagrant penalty and disqualified from last week's game one minute into the second quarter (following UNI's pick-6). Henry had carried five times for 24 yards and a touchdown up to that point.

True freshman Travis Theis (Pratt, Kansas) made his collegiate debut and got a carry last week against UNI. Tight end Brett Samson also lined up next to Simmons and ran twice for nine yards. Samson has six career carries, three of which have come in games against the Panthers.

Right guard Mason Scheidegger has started all 31 games since the start of the 2017 season, and has played all five positions during his career. Redshirt freshman Isaac Erbes was named Valley Offensive Lineman of the Week following his performance against Indiana State. Sophomore Alex Jensen is starting at left tackle after competing at tight end the previous two seasons. Another redshirt freshman, Kian Rexroat-Potts, starts at center. Austin Wallace has started at left guard the last three games.

Cornerback Bakhari Goodson was injured in the third quarter of last week's game and did not return. If he isn't available Saturday, expect true freshman Cori Fant Jr. to earn his fifth start of the year. Fant Jr. ranks eighth on the team in tackles and has three pass breakups.

Fant Jr. is one of seven true freshmen who have competed for the Coyotes this season. He and Hillis have played in all seven games. Conaway (3 games) is the only other true freshman who has appeared in multiple games this season. There are 16 redshirt freshmen who have competed for the Coyotes this season.

There are no seniors in USD's 18-member linebacker crew. Jack Cochrane is a true junior and an all-MVFC Academic Team honoree who serves as the Coyotes' leading tackler. He, and fellow starters Jakari Starling, Jake Matthew and Brock Mogensen, have led USD in tackles over the last four games. Matthew has three sacks and 6.5 TFL in that span.

South Dakota is working in a new "positionless" defense headed by coordinator Travis Johansen, who was the defensive coordinator at Grand View (Iowa) from 2013-18. In those six seasons, the Vikings were 61-11 with five conference championships, six NAIA playoff appearances and the 2013 national title (14-0).

On special teams, Brady Schutt has the nation's fourth-best punting average at 45.8 yards per boot. Mason Lorber made a career-long 44-yarder three weeks ago and has made each of his last four attempts.

Austin Simmons ranks ninth nationally in total offense (323 ypg), seventh for completion percentage (67.2 percent) and 19th for passing (278 ypg). His 16 touchdown passes rank 16th nationally.
    Here is where Simmons stands on USD's all-time lists:
    USD career touchdown pass leaders:
    3. Chris Streveler (2016-17)    54
    4. Austin Simmons (2016-pres.)    41

    USD career passing leaders:
    4. Ryan Justice (1999-2002)    5,944
    5. Austin Simmons (2016-pres.)    5,482 (-462)