South Dakota delivered a first-half TKO for the second time in as many weeks as the Coyotes entertained a sellout crowd at Cal Poly with a 48-14 victory. The win gave the Missouri Valley Football Conference a 4-2 victory against the Big Sky Conference in the league's annual challenge. South Dakota posted two wins to that tally.
 
Here are some other notes from week three:

• How good was that first half? Here are the numbers:
  • First Downs: USD 26, Cal Poly 4
  • Rushing Yards: USD 218, Cal Poly 25
  • Passing Yards: USD 234, Cal Poly 86
  • Total Yards: USD 452, Cal Poly 111
  • Time of Possession: USD 21:32, Cal Poly 8:28 (6 possessions, none longer than 1:43)
  • Third Downs: USD 6/7, Cal Poly 2/7
  • South Dakota Punts: 0
  • Cal Poly 3-and-outs: 3
• Totaling the first halves of the last two games:
  • Points: USD 68 (8 TDs, 4 field goals, 2 punts), Opponents 7 (10 punts, 1 TO, 1 TD)
  • Total Yards: USD 751, Opponents 252
• Mike Mansaray earned his first start at running back and had 17 carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He ran just four more times and totaled 141 yards in all.
• Fellow freshman running back Nate Thomas had 15 carries for 92 yards and a score in his collegiate debut
• Mansaray, Thomas and Cole Stenstrom all scored their first collegiate touchdowns
• The Coyotes' 353 yards rushing are the most under Bob Nielson and second-most by the program since 2009
• USD's three non-conference opponents totaled 284 yards rushing (zero touchdowns)
• Carson Camp threw two touchdown passes for the second time in his seven starts
• Austin Goehring hauled in his third collegiate touchdown pass (first this season)
• Carter Bell tied his career high six catches and led USD with 94 yards including a touchdown, the fourth of his career. Bell has led USD in receiving five times in the last seven games dating back to the spring season.
• Zach Witte made his first collegiate catch
• Mason Lorber was 2-for-2 on field goals for the second straight week
• Jack Hagy, in his second collegiate game, totaled five tackles including a sack and had back-to-back tackles for loss on a drive in the fourth quarter
• DeJaun Cooper earned his first start at USD. He had four tackles including a strip sack in the fourth quarter.

 
QUOTABLE
 
Freshman running back Mike Mansaray
Upon learning he was going to get the start…
"I was excited. I'm the next guy pretty much. We all prepare the same as if we are all the number one guy, so I felt I was prepared well. My coach put me in the right position and I made plays.
 
On the quick start…
"It was Brett who made a catch on a deep ball and I was already hyped. I'm like, next time I get this carry it has to be to the house. The o-line blocked their butts off and we made it happen."
 
Sophomore cornerback Tre Jackson
On defending Cal Poly…
"We trusted the coach's plan and executed throughout the game. We played hard every snap, got to the ball and tackled well.
 
"We didn't hear until after warmups that No. 1 was going to start at quarterback. Coach Johansen told us that he could run the ball pretty good, had good speed, young, but we were focused and hyped for each other."
 
Sophomore center Kian Rexroat-Potts
On the keys to success…
"The keys for us were to just keep swinging, no matter how much we're up or down, we're just going to keep playing as hard as we can.

"The backs did a great job today. They got their reads, made their cuts and we were solid fundamentally. We understood what we had to do against those 3-man and 4-man fronts."
 
On any advice to the young running backs…
"We always try to bring them up, talk them up when they make a good cut or a good run. We're going to block as hard as we can for whoever is back there and do our job so they can do theirs."
 
Sophomore linebacker Brock Mogensen
On the approach with a late change in quarterback…
"Our reaction was kind of the same, just come out here and be the more physical team and ball. He came in a couple of times in games for them in the prior games, and he came in more of a runner, he's an athletic kid. But we rolled with what we had and tried to lay our scheme down.
 
On what a win like this does for a team getting set for Valley play…
"It's huge. Coming out here to California, you're half way across the country so to come out here, do a business trip, try to get better and improve. But this was a big step for where we're headed and now we need to get ready for Missouri State."