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The Basics
No. 21/21 South Dakota (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) vs. No. 16/17 Northern Iowa (3-2, 1-1 MVFC)
Saturday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. CST
UNI-Dome | Cedar Falls, Iowa
TV: KELOEXTRA (formerly MyUTV)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, RJ Pattison)
Watch Online: ESPN+ (subscription required)
Series: UNI leads 30-19-1 (won last three overall and in Cedar Falls)

About the Coyotes:  USD is back in the national rankings for the first time since March after knocking off No. 13/15 North Dakota at home last week ... Travis Theis became the third USD running back to eclipse 100 yards in the last four games ... the defense, led by preseason all-American Jack Cochrane, continues to be unfriendly to opposing running backs ... UND all-American Otis Weah ran for 58 yards on 15 carries ... an opposing running back has yet to rush for a touchdown through six games ... Mason Lorber has made eight consecutive field goals ... punter Brady Schutt is a preseason all-American ... USD has outscored FCS foes 125-31 in the first half and outgained them by an average of 289-126

About the Panthers:  UNI is coming off a 34-20 loss to North Dakota State and the team's only other loss was a 16-10 decision at Iowa State ... Michigan State transfer Theo Day took over the QB position in the second half of game two and tossed six TDs in his last four games ... WR Isaiah Weston has caught a touchdown in four straight and had five catches for 181 yards last week against NDSU ... RB Dom Williams has ran for a TD in three straight and is averaging 6.7 yards per carry ... LB Spencer Cuvelier leads a defense that's produced eight interceptions and recovered seven fumbles

Quick Hits
-South Dakota returns to the national rankings for the first time since March 13
-USD has knocked off a ranked opponent for nine consecutive seasons (1-1 this fall)
-USD (6g) and Chattanooga (4g) are the only FCS teams yet to allow a rushing touchdown to an opposing running back
-Opposing RBs have run 112 times for 290 yards with zero TDs (2.5 ypc)
-Three different USD RBs have rushed for 100 yards in the last four games
-Caleb Vander Esch (108 catches) needs six catches for fifth-most in program history
-USD has outscored its five FCS foes 125-31 in the first half (USD outscored 44-38 in second)
-Da'Raun McKinney got his first and 11th tackle as a Coyote last week
-South Dakota's last win at UNI in 2013 was its first-ever road win inside the Valley

The Notes
South Dakota returns to the road this week to face Northern Iowa in one of four FCS matchups this week between two nationally-ranked teams. It is the first meeting between the two teams since 2019 and the second straight matchup in Cedar Falls. The spring 2021 game scheduled for Vermillion was canceled due to COVID-19.

Northern Iowa has won the last three meetings since South Dakota's 28-25 win in Vermillion back in 2016. Both teams have scored at least 25 points in each of the last four matchups.

That's notable because of the pedigree of the defenses heading into this one. Both teams are allowing 15 points per game to foes. South Dakota ranks 10th nationally in rushing defense (87), 37th in passing (202) and 12th overall (290). Northern Iowa ranks 17th in rushing defense (100), 36th in passing (201) and 18th overall (301).

South Dakota allowed 205 yards in its win against Indiana State including 33 yards rushing. The Coyotes allowed 258 yards in their win against North Dakota last week including 50 yards rushing. UND all-American running back Otis Weah ran 15 times for 58 yards. The most yards allowed to an individual this season by the Coyote defense is 67 yards by Northern Arizona's Kevin Daniels.

Headlining the Coyote defense are all-Valley linebackers Jack Cochrane and Brock Mogensen, the team's top-two tacklers. Cochrane leads the team with 6.5 tackles-for-loss. Mogensen has 5.0 tackles-for-loss including a sack. Free safety Elijah Reed has two of the team's four interceptions and is USD's third-leading tackler.

You can't have success against the run without a talented defensive line. Team captain DeValon Whitcomb and fellow senior Jackson Coker are the veteran starters there, but depth has come from youngsters Brendan Webb and Nick Gaes. Those two have combined for five sacks and 10.5 tackles-for-loss. They rank eighth and ninth on the team in tackles, respectively.

South Dakota will be without the services of starting cornerback Myles Harden for an extended period of time Coach Bob Nielson said Tuesday due to an injury he suffered late in the game against North Dakota. Harden is the team's fourth-leading tackler and led the FCS in passes defended during the spring.

Enter Da'Raun McKinney, a transfer from Iowa who played late in the fourth quarter against Kansas and hadn't returned to the field until last week against North Dakota due to injury. McKinney rotated at cornerback throughout the game last Saturday and ended up leading the Coyotes with 11 tackles during the game with two critical pass breakups in the second half. McKinney figures to start alongside Tre Jackson at the cornerback position Saturday with veteran Cameron Tisdale providing depth.

South Dakota is 2-10 against Northern Iowa dating back to 1982. That includes a 2-6 record inside Valley play. Trevor Bouma ran for 149 yards in the Coyotes' win at UNI in 2013. Quarterback Chris Streveler ran for 128 yards in the win at home against UNI in 2016. South Dakota averaged 82 yards rushing in the five losses to UNI since 2014.

This Coyote team enters with a ground game that ranks 18th nationally at 200 yards per contest. Starter Travis Theis is coming off his best game as a Coyote, a 23-carry, 138-yard effort against North Dakota. Theis broke 15 tackles during the game and had 104 yards after first contact. He ranks fifth in the Valley in rushing with 380 yards and has scored five touchdowns.

Theis is the third Coyote running back to eclipse 100 yards in the last four games. Mike Mansaray ran for a career-high 141 yards and two touchdowns against Cal Poly when both Theis and Shomari Lawrence were sidelined with injuries. Against Indiana State, it was Nate Thomas who compiled 111 yards on 11 rushes, mainly in the second half. Thomas spelled Theis last week with 12 carries for 49 yards against North Dakota

Alex Jensen (LT), Kian Rexroat Potts (C) and Isaac Erbes (RG) are the veterans along the offensive line who have started 22 consecutive games. Colton Harberts started the first four games at right tackle, but filled in at left guard against North Dakota after Joey Lombard was unable to go with an injury. Siler Tschirhart earned his first collegiate start last week at right tackle. Austin Wallace, who has played in 33 games over the last four seasons, can fill in where needed.

Quarterback Carson Camp has thrown a touchdown pass in five straight games. His only interceptions of the season came on the road at Missouri State. Carter Bell has been his top target in four of the last five games, but Caleb Vander Esch came alive with eight catches for 92 yards and a score against UND.

Vander Esch, a former walk-on, went right by Dan Kelly for 10th on the program's all-time receptions list and is tied with Terrance Terry and Phillip Meehan for eighth on the list with 108 catches. Here is who ranks ahead of him:
5.  114-Dustin Nowotny, 2008-11
6.  112-Shamar Jackson, 2015-18
7.  112-Brandt Van Roekel, 2014-17
8.  108-Caleb Vander Esch, 2017-pres.

Vander Esch needs 161 yards receiving to tie Mark Neumann for 10th place on the program's all-time receiving yards list.

Mason Lorber tied a 31-year old program record for longest field goal with a 54-yarder last week against North Dakota. His career-long before the make was 44 yards. Lorber has made eight consecutive field goals since missing his first attempt against Kansas. Only six kickers nationally have a better percentage through eight attempts.

Wesley Eliodor is one of 17 FCS players who have returned a kickoff for a touchdown this season. He had a 99-yard return against Missouri State. He ranks third nationally with a 34.7-yard average on nine returns.

Preseason all-American punter Brady Schutt ranks 12th nationally with a 44.9-yard average. He has finished fourth in the rankings in each of the last two seasons. USD ranked first nationally in net punting this past spring. Two blocked punts last week moved the team to 11th nationally in net punting. They were the first blocked punt allowed since 2018.

South Dakota's offense has rolled in the first half against its five FCS foes. The Coyotes have outscored teams 125-31 (25-6 on average) in the first half and outgained them 1,444-632 (289-126 on average). Carson Camp completed 63-of-91 passes for 832 yards and eight touchdowns against zero interceptions in the first halves of those games.

In the second halves of the those five games, South Dakota has run 110 times for 460 yards and completed 18-of-35 passes for 237 yards. Of Nate Thomas' 42 carries these past four games, 30 have come in the second half.

In 10 games with Carson Camp as the starting quarterback, Carter Bell has caught 40 passes for 634 yards and four touchdowns. Bell has led the Coyotes in receiving in seven of 10 games in 2021. He is the fourth-leading receiver in the Valley with 371 yards this season.

South Dakota has totaled nine sacks in its first three Valley games and ranks 15th in the nation with 16 sacks in all. Linebacker DeJaun Cooper and defensive lineman Nick Gaes lead the team with three each. Eleven different Coyotes have combined for the 16 sacks.

South Dakota's defense has held opposing running backs to 290 yards on 112 carries and zero touchdowns through six games. Northern Iowa's Dom Williams has run for a score in three straight. Bradrick Shaw has scored in two of his last three games. Vance McShane has three rushing scores for the Panthers.