The Pregame
Coyote fans making the trip to Manhattan are encouraged to join us at a pregame tailgate sponsored by the Howling Pack. The event takes place from 1-5 p.m. in the Grain Science Complex Lot located at 1980 Kimball Avenue in Manhattan. The tailgate is free to attend. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis for $20 per car. For questions about the tailgate, contact Hillary Sosinski at 605-638-9015.
 
The Game
South Dakota and the Big 12's Kansas State Wildcats meet Saturday in Manhattan, Kansas, at 6 p.m. in the season opener for both teams. Both teams are coming off solid seasons a year ago. The Coyotes qualified for the FCS playoffs for the second time in four full seasons and were 7-5 overall. The Wildcats were 7-5 during the regular season before ending the year with a 42-20 win over LSU in the Texas Bowl.
 
The Series
It is the third meeting between South Dakota and Kansas State since 2015 and sixth meeting overall. The Wildcats have won all five prior matchups and all contests have taken place in Manhattan. The teams last squared off in 2018 when South Dakota took a 24-12 lead into the fourth quarter only to see the Wildcats rally for a 27-24 win.
 
The Familiarity
The 2018 season turned out to be the final one for Kansas State's legendary head coach Bill Snyder. The Wildcats hired North Dakota State coach Chris Klieman, who begins his fourth year at KSU. Klieman was the coach when USD stunned the Bison in Fargo, 24-21, back in 2015. He is 20-16 in three seasons at Kansas State.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota's Bob Nielson begins his 30^th season as a collegiate head coach and seventh with the Coyotes. He starts with third-year sophomore Carson Camp at quarterback, who has started all 16 games since arriving as a true freshman. Kansas native Travis Theis along with Shomari Lawrence return to a backfield that averaged 170 yards on the ground last year, and Carter Bell returns as the team's top receiver. Preseason all-American Brock Mogensen is back at linebacker and the Coyotes feature their most experienced secondary in Nielson's tenure.
 
The Wildcats
Former Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez starts anew at Kansas State. The dual-threat veteran has an incredible weapon in running back Deuce Vaughn, a consensus All-American last year who ran for 1,404 yards and caught a team-high 49 passes. KSU features Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year Felix Anudike-Uzomah, a defensive lineman with 11 sacks, six forced fumbles and 51 tackles a year ago. Leading tackler Daniel Green is also back after logging 16 TFLs in 2021.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota has faced an FBS program every (non-COVID) year since 2010 and has wins against Minnesota (2010) and Bowling Green (2017) in that span. The Coyotes led Kansas in the final minutes a year ago before falling 17-14 in Lawrence. Future USD schedules include Missouri (2023), Wisconsin (2024) and Iowa State (2025).