Full Game Notes (.pdf) | North Dakota State Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
No. 16 South Dakota (7-3, 5-2 MVFC) vs. No. 4 North Dakota State (9-1, 6-1 MVFC)
Saturday, Nov. 20 at 2:30 p.m. (CST)
Fargo, N.D. | Fargodome (18,700)
TV: Midco Sports (Jay Elsen, Andre Fields) | KELOTRA | CW of the Black Hills
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Carter Woodiel)
Watch Online: ESPN+ (subscription required) | Midco Sports Plus
Series: NDSU leads 55-26-2 ... won the last four and 23 of 25 dating back to 1987

About the Coyotes:  South Dakota is trying to earn a share of its first conference title at the FCS level ... the Coyotes have secured their first winning season in the Valley and have reached seven wins for the second time since 2006 ... they've done it by putting together its best defensive unit since leaving Division II ... it's headed by inside linebacker Jack Cochrane, who leads the Valley with four interceptions and just surpassed 300 career tackles ... it also features a front seven that has produced 30 sacks in 10 games ... offensively, USD is led by freshmen RBs Travis Theis and Nate Thomas ... QB Carson Camp has 15 TDs against 3 INTs ... WR Carter Bell has 605 yards and 5 TDs

About the Bison:  NDSU has secured the Valley's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs and won at least a share of its 10th conference title in 11 seasons with only the COVID-shortened year the lone exception ... the Bison have done it by holding half its teams to 10 points or less ... NDSU boasts the sixth-ranked defensive group in the FCS ... it's headed by MLB Jackson Hankey, who is on pace to lead the Bison in tackles for the third straight season ... Cam Miller took over starting QB duties three games ago and has nine TD passes in his last four games ... TaMerik Williams leads a bevy of Bison ball carriers

Quick Hits
-South Dakota can clinch a share of its first conference title since 2005 with a win
-The Coyotes were picked to finish eighth in the MVFC Pre-Season Poll
-No one has more wins against Massey top-15 teams this year than South Dakota (3).
-USD's last win in the series was a 24-21 victory in Fargo back in 2015 (0-4 since)
-Our final play against SDSU last week drew national headlines
-QB Carson Camp has thrown a record 91-yard touchdown pass and completed a game-winning Hail Mary in back-to-back weeks
-Jack Cochrane (307 tackles) is the seventh player in program history to reach 300 tackles
-Nate Thomas has run for 200 yards and averaged 7.4 ypc over the last two games
-The Coyotes are seeking their second FCS playoff bid and first since 2017

The Notes
South Dakota faces fourth-ranked North Dakota State Saturday on the final day of the regular season. The Bison (9-1, 6-1) have already clinched at least a share of their 10th conference title in 11 seasons and can win the title outright with a victory Saturday. The Coyotes (7-3) can grab a share of their first Valley crown with a win in Fargo. Not bad for a team picked to finish eighth in the pre-season poll.

South Dakota in Fargo on NDSU Senior Day is quickly becoming a Valley tradition. The Coyotes will have made five trips to the Fargodome since joining the league in 2012, and have been NDSU's final regular season home game on the schedule for all but one of them. The lone exception, of course, was South Dakota's improbable 24-21 win over Carson Wentz and the Bison back in 2015. That contest took place in mid-October.

This game is one of five between FCS top-25-ranked teams on the docket, which means the result will have playoff implications. South Dakota's seven FCS wins, which include SDSU, UNI and North Dakota, should be enough for the Coyotes to grab one of 13 at-large bids available this season. A road win against NDSU would have to put the Coyotes in the conversation for a top-eight seed which comes with a first-round bye and a second-round home game. Back-to-back wins against top-10 teams, a Valley title and three close losses including one to an FBS school would be compelling. In fact, 8-3 Maine was a No. 7 seed in 2018 and 9-3 Central Arkansas was a No. 8 seed in 2019, the last two 24-team brackets. NDSU, which has the Valley's automatic bid, may be a top-eight seed win or lose Saturday.

Why South Dakota? The Coyotes have a Massey Rating of 11 with a strength of schedule of 12 BEFORE traveling to NDSU Saturday. No one has more wins against Massey top-15 teams this year than South Dakota. Only 15 FCS teams have such a win and only six have more than one. The Coyotes also have one of 11 road wins against Massey top-15 teams.

South Dakota's seven wins have been by an average of 19 points. Its three losses have been by a TOTAL of 17 points. Kansas converted a 4th-and-10 on its final drive and scored a touchdown with 1:10 left to win 17-14. Missouri State defended three plays from the 1-yard line in the first half and survived USD's 1st-and-goal from the 9 in the final minute of a 31-23 decision. Illinois State survived 1st-and-goal from the 4 in the final minute of a 20-14 win. Coyote quarterback Carson Camp was injured early in the second quarter of that game and did not return.

Camp passed for a season-high 288 yards and the Coyotes totaled 422 yards in Saturday's win against South Dakota State, which featured a top-20 defense. Camp was hit and intercepted on the first play of the game and USD's only punt ended possession two. The Coyotes missed two field goals before scoring on four of their final five drives. The exception was a failed 4th-and-1 run from the SDSU 28 trailing 17-14 with two minutes left to play.

South Dakota's defense held the Jackrabbits' top-10 offense to 20 points, half their season average, during last week's win. The team held all-American running back Pierre Strong Jr. to 103 yards on 28 carries. His longest rush gained 10 yards. The Coyotes also had two interceptions. Elijah Reed forced three fumbles during the game, but SDSU was able to pounce on each one.

It was third-year freshman Jeremiah Webb who answered Carson Camp and the Coyotes' prayer in the end zone last week. His 57-yard, Hail Mary catch was his first collegiate touchdown and his ninth collegiate catch. He had six catches for 153 yards against the Jacks. All six catches resulted in first downs (two third-down conversions). He entered the game with three career catches for 32 yards.

Webb was earning more snaps last week due to an injury to Kody Case against Western Illinois. Webb's 185 receiving yards are fourth-most on the team. South Dakota's leading receiver is Carter Bell, who ranks eighth in the Valley with 605 yards. Bell's five touchdown catches rank seventh in the Valley. Bell has topped 21 yards receiving just once in the last five games, but the exception was a 5-catch, 182-yards and 2-touchdown game against Western Illinois two weeks ago. All five catches came in the first half. They included touchdown catches of 91 yards (program record) and 60 yards.

The South Dakota and North Dakota State matchup scheduled for this past spring was cancelled the morning of due to COVID-19. The last meeting was a 49-14 NDSU win in Fargo to end the 2019 regular season. The Bison ran for 419 yards and totaled 700 yards of offense in that one. South Dakota ran for 245, but passed for a season-low 73 yards.

South Dakota's offense, which led the Valley in passing for three consecutive seasons from 2017-19, has handed the keys to a veteran offensive line and a stable of young running backs. The Coyotes are averaging 184 yards rushing, which ranks 23rd nationally. They boast the sixth- and seventh-leading rushers in the Valley in Nate Thomas (74.4 ypg) and Travis Theis (72.6 ypg).

Alex Jensen (LT), Kian Rexroat Potts (C) and Isaac Erbes (RG) are veterans along the offensive line who have started 26 consecutive games.

All-Valley linebacker Jack Cochrane is vying to become the second player in program history to earn Valley Defensive Player of the Year honors. In addition to leading a top-20 defense in tackles, he leads the Valley with four interceptions, ranks sixth in passes defended and has 8.0 tackles-for-loss including a sack. Cochrane is the seventh player in program history to make 300 tackles. Here is a look at the all-time list:
5.  331 - Craig Austin, 1978-81
6.  307 - Jack Cochrane, 2017-pres.
7.  306 - Todd Pharis, 1981-84

Cochrane is half of a pair of all-conference linebackers roaming the middle of the Coyotes' defense. Fourth-year sophomore Brock Mogensen earned all-Valley honors this past spring when he ranked second in the Valley in tackles per game. Mogensen is South Dakota's second-leading tackler this season. He had a sack, five TFLs and forced a fumble two weeks ago in Macomb.

South Dakota's defense has intercepted 10 passes this season – two in five different games. The Coyotes are plus-6 in turnovers this season, which ranks third in the Valley. The Bison are second in the Valley at plus-7.

The Coyotes have been playing without starting cornerbacks Tre Jackson and Myles Harden. Da'Raun McKinney, a transfer from Iowa, and veteran Cam Tisdale have started the last two games on the outside. All 36 of McKinney's tackles this season have come in the last five games, which are second on the team to Jack Cochrane. He's also had seven pass breakups in that span. Tisdale has played in 30 games and made 14 starts at cornerback over the last four seasons.

South Dakota has 30 sacks this season and ranks 13th nationally in sacks per game. Third-year freshman Nick Gaes along with six-year senior Jacob Matthew top the list with six sacks each, which are third-most in the Valley. Defensive lineman Brendan Webb has four and linebacker DeJaun Cooper has three.

The Coyotes boast perhaps the best group of specialists in the nation. Punter Brady Schutt has ranked fourth in the nation in punting average the last two seasons and holds the program's career record of 43.0 yards per punt. He currently has the 12th-best average, but consider that half his 50 punts have been pinned inside the 20 and he has just three touchbacks. Mason Lorber had made 10 consecutive field goals before two misses last week. He has also generated touchbacks on 38 of his 54 kickoffs (70 percent). Return man Wesley Eliodor ranks sixth nationally with a 30.2 return average that includes a 99-yard touchdown against Missouri State. Long snapper Dalton Godfrey is a preseason all-American.