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

The Basics
No. 15/15 South Dakota (5-2, 3-1 MVFC) vs. Illinois State (2-4, 0-3 MVFC)
Saturday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. CDT
Vermillion, S.D. | DakotaDome (9,100)
TV: Midco Sports (Jay Elsen, Andre Fields, Elaina Lanson)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, RJ Pattison)
Watch Online: FREE webcast on GoYotes.com | Midco Sports Plus | ESPN+ (subscription required)
Series: Illinois State leads 6-2 ... USD won 27-20 last February in Normal

About the Coyotes:  USD has won three in a row including back-to-back wins against ranked teams ... big first halves have been the catalyst ... USD has outscored FCS foes 149-31 in the first half and outgained them by an average of 268-124 ... Travis Theis has eclipsed 100 yards rushing in back-to-back games ... preseason all-American Jack Cohrane leads the team in tackles, picked off two passes last week and is the reigning MVFC Player of the Week ... Mason Lorber has made 10 consecutive field goals, which is the longest active streak in the FCS ... Brady Schutt has the 11th-best punting average in FCS ... USD has 21 sacks and ranks fifth nationally in that category

About the Redbirds:  Illinois State has lost three straight against teams ranked No. 7, No. 16 and No. 3 ... QB Bryce Jefferson returned from injury last week, but was 4-of-18 for 40 yards against the Bison ... only seven FCS teams have attempted fewer passes than the Redbirds ... freshman RB Cole Mueller missed the spring season due to injury, but ranks sixth in the Valley in rushing at 400 yards and is averaging 6.1 yards per carry ... the defense has nine interceptions, which ranks ninth nationally ... six different players have an INT ... Shannon Reid, a transfer from Tennessee, leads the team in tackles

Quick Hits
-USD is going for its first four-game win streak in conference play since 2006
-At No. 15, USD has its highest national ranking since 2017
-USD has outscored its five FCS foes 149-31 in the first half (led UNI 24-0 last week)
-The Coyotes rank 10th nationally in scoring (16.1) defense and in run defense (87.9)
-Travis Theis and Nate Thomas rank third and seventh in the Valley in rushing, respectively
-USD was the last FCS team to surrender a rushing touchdown to a running back
-LB Jack Cochrane (2 INT, 7 tackles vs. UNI) is the reigning MVFC Defensive POW
-Caleb Vander Esch (113 catches) needs one catch for fifth-most in program history
-Mason Lorber has made 10 consecutive field goals (FCS's longest active streak)
-USD is 3-0 at home this season

The Notes
South Dakota and Illinois State meet for the second time this calendar year. The Coyotes forced seven turnovers and fought back from a 17-0 deficit to beat the Redbirds 27-20 back on Feb. 27 at Hancock Stadium. USD quarterback Carson Camp passed for 221 yards and accounted for all three Coyote touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing). Cornerback Myles Harden had two of South Dakota's four interceptions and the Coyotes also forced and recovered three fumbles. Both Carson and Harden were true freshmen making their collegiate debuts.

The Illinois State game in February was a home game for Carson Camp, who played his high school ball less than two miles from Hancock Stadium. Camp became the first true freshman quarterback to start a season opener in the program's recorded history. He passed for 221 yards and ran for 20. He threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Vander Esch and a 5-yard touchdown to Carter Bell.

Illinois State saw quarterback Bryce Jefferson return from injury last week against North Dakota State. Jefferson was 4-of-18 for 40 yards and had two interceptions in a 20-0 loss to the Bison. Jefferson passed for 280 yards on 15-of-33 passing against South Dakota last winter. Austin Nagel had five catches for 132 yards.

Illinois State finished 1-3 in the spring before opting out of its remaining games. The Redbirds went 2-1 in non-conference play this fall with the loss against FBS Western Michigan. All three of their Valley losses have been to nationally-ranked teams. The Coyotes are their fourth straight game against a top-25 foe.

South Dakota is coming off a 34-21 win at Northern Iowa, the team's second straight win against a top-25 team. The Coyotes led 24-0 at halftime and responded to UNI's two quick touchdowns to begin the third quarter with a Mason Lorber field goal and a Nate Thomas touchdown run. UNI outgained USD, but the Coyotes turned three Panther turnovers into 10 points.

The first-half success against UNI was not an anomaly. South Dakota's offense has rolled in the first half against its six FCS foes, outscoring them 149-31. Carson Camp completed 76-of-106 passes for 957 yards and 10 touchdowns against zero interceptions in the first halves of those games.

South Dakota has had three different running backs eclipse 100 yards rushing in the last five games, and Travis Theis has reached 100 yards in each of the last two games. The Coyotes rank fourth in the Valley and 23rd nationally in rushing at 195 yards per game. The team is averaging 194 yards passing. Illinois State is allowing 167 yards rushing and 196 yards passing per game this season, which rank 82nd and 34th nationally, respectively.

Alex Jensen (LT), Kian Rexroat Potts (C) and Isaac Erbes (RG) are the veterans along the offensive line who have started 23 consecutive games. Colton Harberts started the first four games at right tackle, filled in at left guard against North Dakota after Joey Lombard was unable to go with an injury, and returned to right tackle last week when Lombard returned to the lineup. Siler Tschirhart, who started at right tackle against North Dakota, and  Austin Wallace, who has played in 34 games over the last four seasons, can fill in where needed.

Caleb Vander Esch, a former walk-on, has climbed to sixth on the program's all-time receptions list. Vander Esch has totaled 13 catches in the last two games. Here is who ranks ahead of him:
4.  140-Rod Tweet, 1983-85
5.  114-Dustin Nowotny, 2008-11
6.  113-Caleb Vander Esch, 2017-pres.

Vander Esch needs 130 yards receiving to tie Mark Neumann for 10th place on the program's all-time receiving yards list.

Carter Bell hauled in his third touchdown catch of the season during Saturday's win at UNI. In 11 games with Carson Camp as the starting quarterback, Bell has caught 43 passes for 652 yards and five touchdowns. He has been Camp's top receiver in seven of 11 games in 2021.

South Dakota's defense ranks 10th nationally in run defense, allowing just 88 yards per game. When UNI's Vance McShane broke a 62-yard touchdown run to start the third quarter Saturday, he became the first running back to rush for a touchdown against USD this season. The Coyotes were the last team in FCS to surrender such a score. McShane totaled three yards on his three other carries and his fellow running backs Bradrick Shaw and Dom Williams combined for 28 yards on nine rushes. Opposing running backs are averaging 3.0 yards per carry against USD this season.

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 eight sacks and 13.5 tackles-for-loss. They both have 20 tackles, which ties for ninth on the team.

Headlining the Coyote defense are all-Valley linebackers Jack Cochrane and Brock Mogensen, the team's top-two tacklers. Cochrane was named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Week after picking off two passes and totaling seven tackles against UNI last week. Both have totaled 15 tackles over the last two games. Mogensen has 5.0 tackles-for-loss including a sack this season. Free safety Elijah Reed has two of the team's six interceptions and is USD's third-leading tackler.

South Dakota played without starting cornerback Myles Harden for the first time last week. Harden was the team's fourth-leading tackler, but sustained a long-term injury late in the game against North Dakota. 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 the game against UND. McKinney has been the Coyotes' leading tackler in each of the last two games. He got his first and 11th tackle as a Coyote against North Dakota. McKinney totaled 10 tackles last week at UNI.

Mason Lorber is one of the top kickers in the nation. He has made 10 consecutive field goals since a season-opening miss at Kansas. That's the longest active streak in the FCS. The average distance on those makes is 36 yards and includes a program-tying 54-yarder inside the DakotaDome two weeks ago against North Dakota. He is the most accurate FCS kicker for those with 10 attempts. In addition, he's had 29 touchbacks on 40 kickoffs.

Brady Schutt is one of the top punters in the nation. He has ranked fourth in the FCS for punting average in each of the last two seasons and currently ranks eighth nationally with a 44.7-yard average. In addition, USD led the nation in net punting back in the abbreviated spring season. The team currently ranks 11th in net punting. Schutt's career average of 43.1 is a program record. Did we mention he and his long-snapper, Dalton Godfrey, were preseason all-Americans?

Wesley Eliodor is one of the top kick returners in the nation. He currently holds the third-best return average of 34.7 yards per return and is one of 19 FCS players who have returned a kick for a touchdown this season. The Redbirds have surrendered just four returns on 20 kickoffs this season.

South Dakota has thrown 41 passes total in the second half against its six FCS opponents. The Coyotes have run 143 times. USD ran 33 times for 120 yards in the second half against UNI last week. The team ran 10 straight times for 72 yards on a touchdown drive that made it 34-14 with 1:12 left in the third quarter. USD controlled the ball for 20 minutes, 11 seconds in the second half despite kicking off to start the third quarter.

South Dakota is 3-0 at home this season. The last time the Coyotes won four home games in a season was 2011. USD has outscored foes 92-30 inside the DakotaDome this season. Indiana State mustered 33 yards rushing. North Dakota finished with 50.