The Pregame
South Dakota and South Dakota State resume their rivalry at 2 p.m. Saturday in Brookings. If you're heading to the game, join USD fans and friends for a tailgate in the Visiting Team Tailgate Lot from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. That lot is located at the corner of Medary Ave. and 13^th St.
 
Parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis for $10 per car. Dykhouse Stadium is approximately a 10-minute walk away. The tailgate is free, but please RSVP here.
 
The Game
It is the 116^th meeting in a rivalry that dates back to 1889. South Dakota has won the last two, but trails the all-time series 55-53-7. This is the first matchup in Brookings since 2018 and the Coyotes haven't won their in five tries since 2000. It's also the earliest these teams have met since 2003. It has traditionally been an end-of-season matchup, but Jacks' fans would prefer an early-October forecast and by all accounts a terrific crowd should be on hand to watch this one.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota (1-3, 0-1 MVFC) is coming off a bye and remains in the midst of one of the toughest schedules to begin the regular season. In addition to facing Kansas State, No. 20 in the FBS rankings this week, South Dakota will have faced the top-three FCS teams at the end of the day Saturday.
 
The Coyotes led top-ranked North Dakota State 17-10 at halftime last time out before the Bison got things rolling in the second half. Consistency on both sides of the ball for 60 minutes has been elusive, but that's easier said than done against top competition.
 
Travis Theis is the fifth-leading rusher in the Valley at 74 yards per game, and quarterback Carson Camp is one game removed from a career-high 355-yard, three-touchdown performance against Cal Poly. Defensively, cornerback Myles Harden leads the nation with six forced turnovers and linebackers Brock Mogensen and Stephen Hillis are two of the top three tacklers in the Valley.
 
The Jackrabbits
South Dakota State (4-1, 2-0) has won four in a row since a 7-3 loss at Iowa to open the season. That includes a 28-14 win at then-No. 4 Missouri State to start conference play on Sept. 24. The Jackrabbit defense, led by linebacker Adam Bock, has been terrific, especially against the run. A team has yet to reach the century mark on the ground against SDSU. The unit ranks third nationally against the run, fifth in yards overall and eighth in scoring, holding foes to 14 points per game.
 
Isaiah Davis is the second-leading rusher in the Valley and is coming off a 199-yard performance last week against Western Illinois. Quarterback Mark Gronowski was slow in starting back up from a leg injury that forced him to miss all of last fall, but has come on of late. The 2021 spring MVFC Offensive Player of the Year is responsible for 13 touchdowns against two interceptions. He has talented weapons in the Janke brothers at receiver and NFL prospect Zach Heins at tight end.
 
The Notes
Five of the last six meetings have been decided by seven points or less … Camp needs 48 yards passing to become the seventh quarterback in program history to reach 4,000 yards … Harden leads the nation with four forced fumbles, three of which USD has recovered … only three FCS players have more than interceptions than his three … Mogensen had a career-high 15 tackles last time out
 
One Last Thing
The winner of this game will earn two points for their respective athletic department towards this year's South Dakota Showdown Series. The Coyotes currently lead this year's series 1.5-0.5 by virtue of their win in volleyball and a tie in soccer.