The Game Finally!!
What was originally set for Sept. 19, 2020, then Feb. 19, 2021, is now here on March 13. The South Dakota Coyotes, No. 21 in this week's FCS rankings, will play their home opener against Missouri State inside a newly-remodeled DakotaDome. It will be the first game played inside the 42-year old facility with two new entrances, a modern concourse and permanent seating all on the west side. In addition, the facility will show off enhancements to sound and lighting.
 
The Game!
It's a pair of 1-1 teams looking to stay in the upper echelon of the Valley standings. Both teams won their home opener and are coming off losses to top-10 ranked teams a week ago. For South Dakota, it is its first game against a team outside the top-10 rankings in four games dating back to last season's upset of SDSU. For Missouri State, it is a chance to avenge a 45-10 home loss to USD a season ago and end a three-game skid against the Coyotes.
 
The Record
Technically, Missouri State is 1-4. The Bears played at Oklahoma back in the fall and also had a home-and-home series against Central Arkansas. They beat Western Illinois 30-24 in game one this spring before being blanked by NDSU 25-0 last week.
 
Quarterback Jaden Johnson is a redshirt freshman who transferred in from Southern Miss. He has averaged 158 yards passing with just one touchdown toss through five games. He has a pair of capable weapons at wide out including Damoriea Vick, who has 12 catches for 211 yards through two games this spring, and Lorenzo Thomas, who has 10 catches for 139 yards in four games. Defensively, the Bears already have more sacks than they did all of last season, and Virginia Tech transfer Jeremy Webb has three interceptions in five games.
 
The Series
South Dakota leads 4-2. These two teams me consecutively from 2012-15, but did not meet in 2016 or 2017. The Coyotes have won the two meetings since, a 35-28 win in Vermillion in 2018 and a 45-10 decision in Springfield in 2019. USD averaged 484 yards of offense in those two wins while its defense forced seven turnovers.
 
The Coyotes
Turnovers have been the story for South Dakota in two games. The Coyotes forced seven of them in rallying back to beat Illinois State in week one and added two more last week to keep points off the board against North Dakota. Offensively, USD has only given back a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions and the one last week was as good as a punt. The Coyotes have the best turnover margin in the FCS.
 
The Freshmen
Both sides of the ball for USD are filled with returning starters and upper classmen, but it's the two true freshmen who have caught everyone's eye early on. That's Carson Camp at quarterback and Myles Harden at cornerback. Camp accounted for all three touchdowns in the win at Illinois State, but was beat up a bit last week. Harden had two interceptions in his first game and leads FCS in passes defended.
 
One Last Thing
Missouri State's new head coach, Bobby Petrino, spent 14 years at the FBS level including two stints at Louisville and also Arkansas and Western Kentucky. Petrino's second stint at Louisville included the 2016 season when quarterback Lamar Jackson won the Heisman Trophy.