Full Game Notes (.pdf) | Missouri State Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
Missouri State (3-5, 1-4 MVFC) at South Dakota (2-6, 1-4 MVFC)
Saturday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m. (CDT)
Vermillion, S.D. | DakotaDome (9,100)
TV: Midco Sports (Jay Elsen, Andre Fields, David Brown)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Carter Woodiel)
Watch Online: FREE webcast on GoYotes.com | ESPN+ ($) | Midco Sports Plus ($)
Series: Tied 4-4 ... MSU won both matchups in 2021 (spring & fall) ... USD is 3-1 in Vermillion

About the Coyotes:  South Dakota's pursuit of back-to-back playoff appearances came to a halt last week in Ohio ... the team is taking a look at redshirt freshman QB Aidan Bouman, who helped rally the Coyotes to victory on Dakota Days and was rewarded with his first collegiate start last week ... Bouman passed for 254 yards and accounted for two TDs, but took five sacks and lost a fumble ... Wesley Eliodor hauled in his fourth TD catch while RB Travis Theis scored for the fifth time this year ... LBs Stephen Hillis and Brock Mogensen are the top tacklers in the Valley ... the defensive unit is hopeful to return CB Myles Harden, DT Nick Gaes and OLB Michael Scott back from injury

About the Bears:  It has been a wild ride for Missouri State. The team was 1-10 in 2019, brought in Coach Petrino and instantly turned things around by making playoff appearances in both the spring and fall of 2021 ... that led to a preseason top-10 ranking ... two impressive wins at the start made it a top-five ranking, but the team lost five in a row and a third straight postseason appearance seems unlikely ... QB Jason Shelley is the reigning MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and is surrounded by talent at the skill positions ... the defense has given up an average of 38 points in its five losses

Quick Hits
-Saturday is Military Appreciation Day at the DakotaDome
-USD is 2-1 at home this season and has averaged 27 points in those three games
-The Coyotes are ranked 37th in the Massey Ratings with the toughest strength of schedule in FCS
-LBs Stephen Hillis (9.5 tpg) and Brock Mogensen (9.0 tpg) are the two-leading tacklers in the Valley
-Aidan Bouman is expected to make his second collegiate start at quarterback
-Both games with Missouri State in 2021 were decided by one possession
-WR Wesley Eliodor had a career-high 70 yards receiving last week. He has caught four of the team's six TD passes this season
-Safety Dennis Shorter had a career-high 13 tackles last week

The Notes
South Dakota hosts Missouri State on Military Appreciation Day Saturday inside the DakotaDome. It marks the fourth home game of the season for the Coyotes, who dropped a 45-24 decision at Youngstown State last week. Missouri State, once ranked in the top-five of the national polls, ended a five-game skid with a 64-14 drubbing of winless Western Illinois last week in Springfield.

Missouri State was the opponent in the spring of 2021 when South Dakota first debuted the newly remodeled DakotaDome. It was the Coyotes' only home game during that four-game slate. Carson Camp passed for 339 yards and USD outgained Missouri State by more than 100 yards, but the Bears prevailed 27-24. Montrae Braswell had a 100-yard kickoff return for a score and a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown to lead Missouri State. It was the first win in the series for MSU in four tries.

The return game in Springfield, Missouri, came in the conference opener in September of 2021. Missouri State rallied back from a 23-14 halftime deficit to post a 31-23 win. South Dakota had two chances to tie from inside the Bears' 10 down the stretch, but an interception and a turnover on downs preserved Missouri State's win. Jason Shelley passed for two touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns for the Bears. Carter Bell had three catches for 102 yards to lead South Dakota.

Both South Dakota and Missouri State, both playoff teams last fall, had higher hopes than entering this week's game with 1-4 Valley records. The Coyotes have been hindered by an offense that averaged 12 points per game over the first six games of the season. The Bears have surrendered an average of 38 points in their five losses this season. Both teams logged their Valley win in homecoming contests. Missouri State is looking for its first road win since a 27-14 decision at Central Arkansas to begin the year.

It was the Coyote defense last week that couldn't slow down Youngstown State. The Penguins racked up 451 yards of offense and scored on all six of their first-half possessions. Two fumbles – one on special teams and one by the offense – fueled a 28-3 second-quarter advantage for Youngstown State.

Indeed, it's the opponent's ground attack that has proven most effective against the Coyotes this season. Teams are averaging more than 200 yards per game against USD. Youngstown State, bouyed by the nation's leading rusher, finished with exactly 200, but the Penguins also passed for 251. Only one other team this season – Cal Poly in a loss – has had that level of success throwing the ball against South Dakota this fall.

Missouri State's offense has had much more success through the air than on the ground. The unit was averaging 90 yards rushing prior to last week's 214-yard, five-touchdown outburst against Western Illinois. The Bears also passed for a season-high 383 yards last week.

South Dakota has turned its offense to redshirt freshman quarterback Aidan Bouman, a transfer from Iowa State. Bouman entered late in the first half of the Coyotes' last home game against Southern Illinois and rallied the team back from a 21-3 deficit to a 27-24 win. Bouman passed for 120 yards and a score in that one. He was 17-of-30 for 254 yards and accounted for two touchdowns last week at Youngstown State. He was also sacked five times and lost a fumble on a 3rd-and-22 play before halftime that led to a YSU touchdown.

Bouman's passing total last week was the second-highest produced by the Coyotes this season. South Dakota's passing game was averaging 149 yards heading into its week seven game against Southern Illinois. Quarterback sacks have been an issue all season. The Coyotes have surrendered 31 of them through eight games after allowing 32 in 12 games a year ago.

Prior to last week, Carson Camp had started all 23 games since arriving to campus as a true freshman. He is eighth on the Coyotes' all-time passing chart with 4,123 yards. He threw for a career-high 355 yards and accounted for four touchdowns earlier this season against Cal Poly. But in the other six games, he was 60-of-118 for 549 yards and one touchdown against five interceptions and the offense totaled 40 points.

No matter who takes the snaps at quarterback, South Dakota remains a run-first offense with a pair of capable backs in Travis Theis and Shomari Lawrence. Both surpassed 100 yards and reached the end zone in the last home game against Southern Illinois. Theis ran 12 times for 56 yards and scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the season last week at Youngstown State. He is the Valley's fifth-leading rusher at 74 yards per game. He also leads the Coyotes with 18 catches. Lawrence is averaging 5.7 yards per carry and 57 yards rushing per game.

Before looking too deep at South Dakota's offensive rankings this season, consider that in addition to Kansas State in the opener, South Dakota has faced the No. 2 (SDSU), No. 6 (NDSU), No. 11 (Montana), and No. 16 (Illinois State) FCS defenses in five of its eight games.
     Another factor is that the Coyotes are running 58 offensive plays per game. By comparison, USD averaged 67 plays in 2020 and 2021 and 81 plays per game in 2017 and 2018. In fact, USD has consistently huddled in recent weeks for the first time in Bob Nielson's tenure.

Speaking of tough competition, South Dakota ranks 37 out of 130 FCS teams in this week's Massey Ratings. The Coyotes are the only two-win team in the top 39 and that's because South Dakota is facing the toughest FCS schedule (ever?).
     Compare South Dakota at No. 37 to one of its early 2023 opponents St. Thomas. The Tommies are 7-1 and the AFCA Coaches poll has placed them in the top 25 this week. The computer (Massey) ranks St. Thomas No. 83. Why? The Tommies, which compete in the non-scholarship Pioneer League, are facing the 128th-ranked schedule (out of 130). They have two Division II wins and their best win, Davidson, is ranked No. 91. South Dakota has faced one foe out of eight outside the top 40 and boasts a win against No. 18 Southern Illinois.

Linebacker Stephen Hillis leads the Valley and ranks in the top-20 nationally in tackles per game (76 in eight games). What's impressive there is that Hillis wasn't a starter at the beginning of the season. He entered when Jakari Starling was injured in the season opener at Kansas State. Hillis also didn't play the majority of the game against Cal Poly when a first-half injury forced him to exit. Hillis leads the Coyotes with 3.0 sacks and is second with 6.5 tackles-for-loss.

Brock Mogensen is an all-conference linebacker and a preseason all-American playing alongside Hillis. He had a career-high 15 tackles in the Valley opener against NDSU and added a game-high 10 stops recently against Illinois State. Mogensen is currently tied for second in the Valley in tackles per game (72 in eight games).

The Coyotes' brightest star defensively has been sophomore cornerback Myles Harden, who led the nation with six forced turnovers in just four games, but has not competed the last two weeks due to injury. Harden led the nation in passes defended per game during the COVID-shortened season. He ranks seventh nationally in passes defended currently. Harden remains questionnable to return this week against Missouri State.

For the first time in Bob Nielson's 30 years of coaching, a special teams player has been voted a team captain. That player is all-American long snapper Dalton Godfrey, who doubles as an academic all-American. Godfrey is working with two new specialists this year and both are seniors. Eddie Ogamba, who transferred from Iowa State prior to last season, is doing the kicking. John Bickle, who had success at Division III Wheaton College last year, is the punter.

Bickle boasts the second-best punting average in the league and the Coyotes rank ninth nationally in net punting, a category the program has held high rankings in for a long time behind Miles Bergner and Brady Schutt. The Coyotes led the nation in net punting during the COVID-shortened season.