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

The Basics
No. 21/23 South Dakota (5-3, 3-2 MVFC) at Western Illinois (2-7, 2-4 MVFC)
Saturday, Nov. 6 at Noon (CDT)
Macomb, Ill | Hanson Field (16,368)
TV: None
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Carter Woodiel)
Watch Online: ESPN+ (subscription required)
Series: Western Illinois leads 6-4 ... won 38-34 in Macomb in 2019 (last meeting)

About the Coyotes:  South Dakota's chance at its first four-game win streak in conference play since 2006 was denied at home last time out against Illinois State ... QB Carson Camp was injured early in the second quarter and did not return ... USD had first-and-goal from the 9 in the closing minutes but couldn't get in for the winning score ... all three Coyote losses share similar stories of one play that could have changed an "L" to a "W" ... USD is led by RB Travis Theis and a ground game that is averaging 186 yards per game, and a defense that ranks 10th against the run and 17th overall ... all-Valley MLBs Jack Cochrane and Brock Mogensen head a defense that ranks 12th nationally in sacks

About the Leathernecks:  Western Illinois overcame an early 21-6 hole to beat that same Illinois State team 38-31 in Macomb on Saturday ... Connor Sampson passed for 298 yards and three TDs while top receivers Dennis Houston and Tony Tate combined for 11 catches, 164 yards and two scores ... the win ended a four-game skid for the Leathernecks who are playing their final home game this week ... WIU, behind Sampson and Houston, boast one of the top passing games in the country at 305 yards per contest ... only 10 FCS teams surrender more yards than WIU so a shootout is always a possibility

Quick Hits
-LB Jack Cochrane has 294 tackles. Just six players in program history have reached 300.
-Bob Nielson coached at Western Illinois from 2013-15
-These two teams have combined for no fewer than 60 points the last three meetings in Macomb and in five of the last six duals overall
-Saturday is South Dakota's fourth and final outdoor game of the regular season (first outdoor game since Sept. 25)
-South Dakota has won its last three games when coming off a bye week
-USD has outscored its seven FCS foes 156-44 in the first half
-USD was the last FCS team to surrender a rushing touchdown to a running back
-Mason Lorber has made 10 consecutive field goals (10-for-11 on the season)
-DT Nick Gaes has five sacks over the last four games and ranks fourth in the Valley in sacks

The Notes
South Dakota and Western Illinois meet for the first time since a wild 38-34 Leatherneck victory in Macomb in early November of 2019. That game saw five lead changes in the final quarter including two in the final 90 seconds. The two teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense. South Dakota ran for 304 yards while Western Illinois passed for 368. Quarterbacks Austin Simmons (USD) and Connor Sampson (WIU) both threw three touchdowns.

South Dakota's bye week came at a good time. Coyote quarterback Carson Camp sustained an injury early in the second quarter against Illinois State last time out and did not return. Coach Bob Nielson is hopeful to have Camp available this week. Second-year freshman Cole Stenstrom passed for 124 yards, ran for 37 and threw a touchdown after subbing in for Camp. Stenstrom had attempted two collegiate passes in three games prior to the Illinois State game.

Senior defensive tackle and team captain DeValon Whitcomb is expected to return to the lineup following a two-game absence due to injury. Fellow defensive lineman Brendan Webb was also injured against Illinois State and did not return. He is hopeful to return Saturday as well. The Coyotes have been without starting cornerback Myles Harden and linebacker Jakari Starling for several weeks.

Western Illinois is one of 10 teams in the FCS averaging more than 300 yards passing this season. Senior quarterback Connor Sampson is an all-Valley performer and the 10th-leading passer in the FCS. He has thrown four touchdown passes in a game three times this season and ranks ninth nationally in touchdown tosses. His top target is senior Dennis Houston who is vying for all-America honors.  Only one player in the country has more receiving yards than his 905. Thrice he has surpassed 100 yards receiving. Five of his six touchdown grabs came in the first four games of the season, but he was back in the end zone last week in an upset of Illinois State.

That offense matches up against perhaps the best South Dakota defense of its Division I era. The Coyotes rank 10th nationally against the run, 12th in scoring defense and 17th in total defense. Missouri State (281 yards) and UNI (303) have had the only success throwing against the Coyotes. The other six opponents averaged just 170 yards through the air.

South Dakota combined for nine sacks in its two games before the bye week and rank 12th nationally in sacks. Twelve different Coyotes have had a hand in a sack through eight games. Third-year freshman Nick Gaes along with six-year senior Jacob Matthew top the list with five sacks each, which are fourth-most in the Valley. Brendan Webb, who is questionable for Saturday, has four sacks and linebacker DeJaun Cooper has three. South Dakota had one sack of Sampson in its 2019 matchup. The Coyotes also had one sack in a 17-12 win against Western Illinois in 2018.

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 186 yards rushing, which ranks 24th nationally. USD is averaging 187 yards passing.

Western Illinois is allowing close to 40 points per game, but consider the Leathernecks' schedule. Four of their nine games have been against top-10 teams and high-powered offenses in Montana, Eastern Washington, Southern Illinois and South Dakota State. A fifth game was the opener at Ball State. Still, Western Illinois ranks 115th out of 123 against the run. The Coyotes hope their success on the ground can counter the Leathernecks' air attack.

South Dakota boasts the Valley's sixth- and eighth-leading rushers in third-year freshman Travis Theis and true freshman Nate Thomas. Theis has averaged 107 yards over his last three games including back-to-back 100-yard efforts against North Dakota and Northern Iowa. Thomas is averaging 6.3 yards per carry, which ranks 15th-nationally. He didn't make his collegiate debut until game three, and has seen an extended role since the injury to Shomari Lawrence in game four.

Third-year freshman Carter Bell was South Dakota's leading receiver in four consecutive games earlier this season. His high over the last three games is 18 yards as veterans Caleb Vander Esch and Brett Samson have stepped up. Vander Esch had eight catches for 92 yards and a score in the win against North Dakota. Samson had three catches for 68 yards and a touchdown last time out against Illinois State.
Vander Esch and Samson have combined for 196 catches, 2,251 yards and 23 touchdowns. Vander Esch (116) ranks fifth on the Coyotes' all-time receptions list.

Alex Jensen (LT), Kian Rexroat Potts (C) and Isaac Erbes (RG) are the veterans along the offensive line who have started 24 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 when Lombard returned to the lineup. Harberts missed the Illinois State game, but is expected to be there Saturday. Austin Wallace, who has played in 35 games over the last four seasons, and Siler Tschirhart have both started at right tackle this season and can fill in where needed.

All-Valley linebacker Jack Cochrane is vying to become 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.  306 - Todd Pharis, 1981-84
7.  298 - Jim Glogowski, 1992-95
8.  294 - Jack Cochrane, 2017-pres.

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 has compiled 27 tackles the last three games.

South Dakota's defense has intercepted six passes this season - two in three different games. Free safety Elijah Reed has two interceptions and is the team's third-leading tackler.

Cornerbacks Tre Jackson and Da'Raun McKinney along with second-year freshman safety Josiah Ganues play major roles in a secondary tasked with slowing down Western Illinois this week. Jackson has started all eight games this season and is USD's fifth-leading tackler. He has one interception and leads the team with six pass breakups. McKinney, a transfer from Iowa, missed four games following the season opener at Kansas due to injury. He had a team-high 11 tackles in his first game back against North Dakota and had a team-high 10 tackles the following game at UNI in place of injured starter Myles Harden. Ganues is seeking his first interception. He had a 65-yard fumble return at a key moment against Northern Iowa that led to a touchdown.

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 was the longest active streak in the FCS prior to last week's slate of games. The average distance on those makes is 36 yards and includes a program-record-tying 54-yarder. He is the second-most accurate FCS kicker. In addition, he has had 32 touchbacks on 43 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 44.4-yard average. In addition, USD led the nation in net punting back in the abbreviated spring season. The team currently ranks 10th 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 fourth-best return average of 32.7 yards per return. That includes a 99-yard touchdown return on the road at Missouri State back in week four.