The Pregame
Coyote fans in Youngstown are encouraged to join us for a pregame social from 11 am. – 1 p.m. (ET) at Avalon Downtown Pizzeria, which sits a mile from the stadium at 17 W Federal St. Kickoff from Stambaugh Stadium is 2 p.m. (ET).
                                                                                
The Game
Two teams coming off dramatic wins meet Saturday in Ohio. South Dakota is coming off its best result of the season, a 27-24 upset of then-No. 14/17 Southern Illinois on homecoming in Vermillion. Youngstown State meanwhile scored 11 points in the final three minutes of a 28-27 road win at winless Western Illinois. Both teams have playoff aspirations. Neither can afford a loss Saturday.
 
The Coyotes
Quarterback Aiden Bouman made his collegiate debut last week and helped rally the Coyotes back from a 21-7 deficit. He is expected to make his first start Saturday to try to boost an offense producing fewer than 150 yards passing per game. The Coyotes' defense has been led by its linebackers and a deep secondary, but all eyes will be on the defensive line this week as USD tries to slow down the nation's leading rusher.
 
The Penguins
Youngstown State is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Valley. The Penguins have won the games they were supposed to win and lost the games they weren't favored to win up to this point. This game will say a lot about YSU.
 
Jaleel McLaughlin is the premier rusher in all of FCS. He's averaging eight yards a carry and 150 yards per game. Youngstown has combined for more than 600 yards on the ground alone in the last two weeks against Indiana State and Western Illinois. The Penguins also made a quarterback change in the middle of this season. Mitch Davidson has helped take the pressure off McLaughlin and kept defenses honest. His top target Bryce Oliver is the Valley's fourth-leading receiver.
 
The Series
Youngstown State leads the series 7-2 and is 5-0 at home against the Coyotes. The Penguins outrushed USD 303-12 in a blowout win in the spring season of 2021. The Coyotes outrushed YSU 327-66 in a blowout win in Vermillion back in 2019.
 
One Last Thing
No matter who takes the snaps at quarterback for South Dakota Saturday, the offense will continue to feature the 1-2 duo of backs Travis Theis and Shomari Lawrence. Both surpassed 100 yards and scored against Southern Illinois' ninth-ranked run defense last week. Like the defensive line, USD's offensive line will have a big say in the final tally of this one.