Full Game Notes (.pdf) | Cal Poly Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
South Dakota (1-1) at Cal Poly (1-1)
Saturday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. CST (5 p.m. local time)
San Luis Obispo, Calif. (Spanos Stadium)
TV: None
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Carter Woodiel)
Watch Online: ESPN+
Series: Cal Poly leads 3-1 ... teams met from 2008-11 ... USD won 50-48 in California in 2009

About the Coyotes:  USD rebounded from a close loss at Kansas by blowing out Northern Arizona at home Saturday ... Travis Theis ran for two TDs and Carson Camp passed for 213 yards and a score ... the defense stopped the run for the second straight week, got a pick-six among its three turnovers, and had four sacks ... all-Valley LBs Jack Cochrane and Brock Mogensen lead the defense ... RBs Theis and Shomari Lawrence combine to average 5.2 yards per carry ... PK Mason Lorber hit two 40-plus yarders Saturday ... P Brady Schutt is a preseason all-American

About the Mustangs:  Cal Poly is 1-1 following a 28-17 win at San Diego and a 63-10 loss at Fresno State ... Saturday is its home opener ... Beau Baldwin was head coach at Eastern Washington from 2008-16 and won a national title in 2010 ... the Mustangs went 0-3 during the spring 2021 season ... they have passed for 537 yards and ran for 99 in two games ... QB Spencer Brasch followed Baldwin from California to Cal Poly ... Fresno State transfer Chris Coleman has eight catches for 139 yards and two touchdowns ... R-Fr. Michael Briscoe has six catches for 121 yards ... leading tackler and LB Matt Shotwell is a preseason all-Big Sky honoree ... the defense has forced three turnovers in two games

Quick Hits
-USD is receiving votes in this week's AFCA Top 25 Poll for the second straight week
-USD and Cal Poly were conference foes within the Great West Conference from 2008-11
-The Coyotes will host Cal Poly for their season opener in 2022
-The MVFC leads the MVFC-Big Sky series 3-1 with two matchups left for this weekend
-South Dakota's last trip to California was against UC Davis in 2015 (won 27-17)
-Opposing running backs have carried 45 times for 68 yards in two games against USD
-USD has preseason all-Americans in LB Jack Cochrane, P Brady Schutt and LS Dalton Godfrey
-Schutt, Godfrey, Brock Mogensen (LB) and Caleb Vander Esch (WR) are returning all-conference performers

The Notes
Two teams with both an FCS win and an FBS loss meet in California Saturday as Cal Poly hosts South Dakota in a 5 p.m. local kick (7 p.m. CT) at Spanos Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2011 when both were members of the Great West Conference. In 2012, USD and Cal Poly joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Big Sky Conference, respectively.

The MVFC-Big Sky challenge is in its fifth year. Including the four meetings this year, the Valley has a 19-11 edge in games played and has narrowly won the series each season (5-3 in 2017; 5-3 in 2018; 6-4 in 2019). Last year's series had no regular-season games, but the MVFC won both playoff meetings. This year's challenge includes:
Sept. 4: North Dakota 35, Idaho State 14
Sept. 11: USD 34, Northern Arizona 7
Sept. 11: UNI 34, Sacramento State 16
Sept. 11: Montana 42, Western Illinois 7
Sept. 18: Eastern Washington at Western Illinois; USD at Cal Poly

USD and Cal Poly met each year from 2008-11:
2008: Cal Poly 49, USD 22 (at Cal Poly)
2009: USD 50, Cal Poly 48 (at Cal Poly)
2010: Cal Poly 38, USD 24 (at South Dakota)
2011: Cal Poly 27, USD 24 (at Cal Poly)

South Dakota defended a two-point conversion try with 20 seconds left to earn its 50-48 win in the season opener of 2009. The quarterbacks in that game combined for all but one of the 14 touchdowns. The Coyotes' Noah Shepard passed for 413 yards and five touchdowns and also ran for a team-high 61 yards and two scores. The Mustangs' Tony Smith passed for 407 yards and six touchdowns. Dominique Johnson caught 13 passes for 273 yards and five touchdowns for Cal Poly, one touchdown shy of the FCS record.

South Dakota enters Saturday fresh off a 34-7 win against another Big Sky foe in Northern Arizona. The Coyotes led 17-0 after three possessions and less than 10 minutes into the game. It was 27-0 at halftime and 34-0 following a 51-yard interception return by Jonathan Joanis on the opening possession of the second half. Travis Theis ran 12 times for 74 yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Carson Camp passed for 213 yards and a score.

The main storyline through two games is the play of the Coyote defense under third-year defensive coordinator Travis Johansen. The 24 points allowed in two games ranks second in the Valley to NDSU and 13th nationally. The unit has been particularly stingy against the run. Scrambling quarterbacks were the top rushers for Kansas and Northern Arizona. Opposing running backs have totaled 68 yards on 45 handoffs. Those numbers don't include 33 yards on two plays at the end of the first half Saturday against a max prevent defense.

The defensive success starts up front with the defensive line where nose tackle DeValon Whitcomb serves as nose tackle. Rush backer Jacob Matthew is fourth on the team in tackles with 10, but defensive ends Brendan Webb and Nick Gaes stand with nine each. Their play has opened up tackling lanes for all-Valley linebackers and leading tacklers Jack Cochrane (23) and Brock Mogensen (16) who have combined for a sack and six tackles for loss.

The threat Saturday, though, will mostly come through the air. The Mustangs have totaled 537 yards passing with just 99 gained through the ground. University of California transfer Spencer Brasch threw for 316 yards and two scores in a season-opening win at San Diego and 212 yards, a score and a pick in a 63-10 loss at Fresno State last week. Fresno State transfer Chris Coleman has caught eight passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns through two weeks.

The Coyote passing game is in the hands of freshman quarterback Carson Camp, who made his debut last spring and has six collegiate starts under his belt. Camp rebounded from a 98-yard performance against Kansas to throw for 213 yards and a touchdown toss last week against Northern Arizona. Only one Coyote pass catcher - redshirt freshman Carter Bell - has more than four catches and has topped 50 yards through two games.

Two-time all-Valley receiver Caleb Vander Esch left Saturday's game with a lower leg injury and did not return. Coach Bob Nielson said in his Tuesday press conference that the injury doesn't appear to be as long term as originally feared. Vander Esch has two catches this season. In addition to those listed on the depth chart, redshirt freshman Jeremiah Webb made his collegiate debut last week and hauled in a catch for 11 yards.

South Dakota has led the Valley in passing the last three full seasons, but it's the Coyote ground game that has a 323-320 lead through two weeks. Running backs Travis Theis and Shomari Lawrence have combined for 261 yards and four scores on 50 carries. Rutgers transfer Johnathan Lewis has spelled Camp at quarterback and saw his name called more last week at home. Lewis ran five times for 19 yards and completed his first pass of the season against the Lumberjacks.

The Coyotes will have freshman cornerback Myles Harden back for a full game Saturday to help combat Cal Poly's air attack. Harden led the FCS in passes defended as a true freshman last spring. He was flagged for a controversial targeting call that prevented Kansas from having to run a fourth-down play while trailing 14-10 late in the fourth quarter. Harden could not compete in the first half of Saturday's game against Northern Arizona.

Tre Jackson has made six consecutive starts at the other cornerback position for USD. Veteran Cameron Tisdale played well in place of Harden last week. Coach Nielson is also hopeful that Iowa transfer Da'Raun McKinney can return to full strength by Saturday to aid the efforts against Cal Poly.

Punter Brady Schutt and long snapper Dalton Godfrey are the preseason all-Americans on special teams, but last week it was senior kicker Mason Lorber who grabbed the headlines. Lorber was solid on field goal makes of 41 and 44 yards in the first half against Northern Arizona. Perhaps equally important, all seven of his kickoffs were sent into the end zone for touchbacks.

Speaking of special teams, the Coyote offense got a jump last week from Wesley Eliodor who returned the opening kickoff 49 yards to setup the team's first touchdown strike. Carter Bell returned the first NAU punt 18 yards to set up a four-play touchdown drive that made it 14-0. Of Eliodor's six career kickoff returns, one has gone for 49 yards and another for 69.

The last Coyote to run a kickoff back for a touchdown was Jeremy Blount in 2008. The last punt return for a score was by Stefan Logan in 2006.

South Dakota has faced a Big Sky opponent every (non-COVID) year since joining the Valley in 2012. The Coyotes have an 8-6 record against the Big Sky in that span which has come against six different Big Sky foes.

Iowa Hawkeye Connection:  defensive line coach Corey Brown is the only new addition to the Coyotes' coaching staff. Brown is the third former Iowa Hawkeye Nielson has added to his defensive staff in the last three years. Brown (DL), Abdul Hodge (LB) and Myles Taylor (DB) are all former Hawkeyes.

Milestone Watch:  Jakari Starling (99 tackles) and Jacob Matthew (96) are nearing 100 career tackles. Safety Elijah Reed (193) is nearing 200. Offensively, Caleb Vander Esch enters play with 95 career catches. Dan Skelly, who competed for the Coyotes from 2005-09, is 10th on the Coyotes' all-time receptions list with 106. Jack Cochrane is expected to make his 30th consecutive start at linebacker.