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

The Basics
No. 23/20 Youngstown State (3-2, 1-1 MVFC) at No. 10/17 South Dakota (4-1, 2-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. (CDT)
Vermillion, S.D. | DakotaDome (9,100)
TV: None | This game is part of the Valley Game of the Week package on ESPN+
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver & Jerry Palleschi)
Watch Online: ESPN+ ($) (Lane Grindle, PBP; Danan Hughes & Don Patterson, analysts)
Series: Youngstown State leads 8-2 (home team has won the last six matchups)

About the Coyotes:  South Dakota backed up its big win at NDSU by rolling over Murray State on Dakota Days last week ... the offense has been incredibly efficient over its last three games, scoring on 15 of 20 possessions with 13 TDs and 2 FGs ... the run game has averaged 193 yards and 5.6 ypc against FCS opponents ... QB Aidan Bouman is ninth nationally in QB efficiency ... he has 15 career TD passes against 2 INTs ... LB Brock Mogensen is the seventh-leading tackler in program history and climbing ... the defense has allowed 32 points in four games against FCS foes ... the Coyotes have 13 sacks on the year and have allowed four sacks ... Brendan Webb and Nick Gaes have combined for 8.5 sacks

About the Penguins:  Youngstown State dismantled fifth-ranked Southern Illinois 31-3 at home last weekend ... it followed a 44-41 road loss at UNI ... the Penguins have allowed the fewest rushing yards nationally among teams with five games ... 19 sacks by their defense for 133 yards aid those rushing numbers ... fifth-year junior LB Alex Howard has four sacks and a team-leading 32 tackles ... Northern Michigan transfer Tyshon King has scored 8 TDs and is averaging 6.8 ypc on the ground ... QB Mitch Davidson is averaging 203 yards passing ... WR Bryce Oliver has 29 catches for 397 yards and 1 TD

Quick Hits
-South Dakota's No. 10 ranking is its highest since the 2017 season
-Vermillion is the site of one of three FCS top-25 matchups this week
-The Coyotes have outscored teams 97-13 in three games inside the DakotaDome this year
-USD's scoring defense (13.4 ppg) is best in the nation among FCS scholarship teams
-USD's offense has scored on 15 of 20 possessions over the past three games (13 TDs, 2 FGs)
-LB Brock Mogensen (326) needs 10 tackles to move into fourth place on USD's career list
-RB Travis Theis needs 113 yards to move into 10th place on the Coyotes' all-time rushing list
-Theis' 190 yards rushing last week are the second-most by a USD RB at the D1 level (Chris Ganious, 193 yds vs. S. Utah in 2009)
-WR Carter Bell needs three catches to move into 10th place on the Coyotes' all-time list

The Notes
South Dakota hosts Youngstown State Saturday in the Missouri Valley Football Conference Game of the Week. It is one of three FCS games this weekend involving a pair of top-25 teams. The others are North Dakota (15/15) hosting North Dakota State (6/7)and Montana (16/10) hosting Idaho (3/3) in a Big Sky matchup of 5-1 teams. South Dakota hosted two top-25 matchups during the 2021 season.

South Dakota has won four games in a row for the first time since the start of the 2017 season when the Coyotes began the year 6-0 and went on to advance to the round of 16 in the FCS playoffs. That year's team climbed as high as No. 4 in the rankings. This week marks USD's return to the top 10 of the rankings for the first time since that playoff season.

South Dakota was No. 6 and Youngstown State was No. 3 during the 2017 season when the two teams met inside the DakotaDome. Coyote kicker Ryan Weese made a 29-yard field goal in the closing seconds to give South Dakota a 31-28 win. Quarterback Chris Streveler passed for 360 yards and three touchdowns that day.

South Dakota's two wins against Youngstown State came in Vermillion in 2017 and 2019. The Coyotes won the 2019 contest easily 56-21. This is the first meeting between the two teams in the DakotaDome since 2019. Youngstown State won games in Ohio in the spring 2021 and fall of 2022.

Youngstown State outgained South Dakota on the ground 303-12 in 2021 en route to a 28-10 win during the spring COVID season and racked up 451 yards of offense in a 45-24 win against USD during week eight of last season. Both of those games took place in Ohio. That's where Coyote quarterback Aidan Bouman made his first collegiate start at quarterback. He passed for 254 yards and accounted for two touchdowns, but South Dakota was limited to 56 yards rushing. Five sacks by the Penguins aided the final rushing numbers.

South Dakota has made its living running the football these last few games, but Youngstown State boasts the nation's best run defense for teams that have played at least five games. Here are some of USD's offensive highlights the last three games:
-Nate Thomas ran for a career-high 164 yards and Travis Theis added 120 yards against Lamar. USD scored touchdowns on five of its six possessions and averaged 7.8 yards per carry.
-USD scored TDs on its first three possessions at NDSU. Carter Bell caught five passes for 124 yards and two TDs all in the first half. The Coyotes attempted two passes in the second half.
-Theis ran for a career-high 190 yards and two TDs vs. Murray State. Charlies Pierre Jr. earned his first carries and totaled 80 yards and two scores on 13 totes. USD averaged 6.3 yards per carry.

No other FCS team has two running backs who have surpassed 160 yards rushing in a game this season. Thomas dressed, but did not play last week vs. Murray State. Pierre Jr. complimented Theis in the run game.

USD's offensive line has had a new look the last three games. Bryce Henderson, who started the first two games at left guard, moved to right tackle to fill the void left by Caden Ellingson who is rehabbing from an injury. Sam Kohls has made his first three collegiate starts at left guard. Right guard Isaac Erbes is a sixth-year senior and team captain who has started 44 consecutive games. Joey Lombard is a two-year starter at center and left tackle Joe Cotton made his USD debut in the season opener.

Carter Bell, Jack Martens and tight end JJ Galbreath had caught 42 of Bouman's 48 completions heading into last week. But Tristan Michaud led the Coyotes with 53 yards on four catches against the Racers and Javion Phelps hauled in a 33-yard pass. Michaud and Phelps combined for six catches, four of which went for first downs. They had one catch apiece entering the game.

New offensive coordinator Josh Davis won a national title with rival South Dakota State last season. Davis was a standout wide receiver at SDSU. He served as offensive coordinator at Northwestern College (NAIA) for six seasons. After going 3-7 in year one, the Red Raiders were a combined 51-10 with five straight playoff appearances. Davis returned to SDSU last season and Northwestern won the 2022 NAIA national title.

Davis is one of six new coaches on Bob Nielson's staff. Others include Jeff Nady (OL at Nevada last year), Craig Bagnell (head coach at Mary), Tim Morrison (off. coord. at Upper Iowa), Rob Snyder (former LSU Tiger) and Steve Ferentz (former Iowa Hawkeye who has spent the last three years with the Miami Dolphins). More information on the Coyote coaching staff can be found on page four.

The Coyote defense leads the nation in scoring defense (13.4 ppg) and ranks 14th in total defense (303.4 ypg) among FCS scholarship teams. The unit is led by preseason all-American linebackers Stephen Hillis and Brock Mogensen who led the Valley and were among the national leaders in tackles last season. Hillis began his career at Air Force and transferred to USD in 2019 after being diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes. He served mainly on special teams until last year when a week one injury elevated Hillis to the starting lineup. Hillis went on to earn first-team all-MVFC honors while leading USD in tackles-for-loss (8.0) and sacks (4.0). Mogensen is a two-time all-Valley linebacker (2021 spring season and 2022 fall season) with 326 career tackles, seventh-most in program history and fourth-most among active FCS players.

Hillis and Mogensen have received support at all levels through five games. Brendan Webb and Nick Gaes on the front lines have combined for 8.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles-for-loss. Micah Roane has added two sacks and 21 tackles. Safety Dennis Shorter is the team's second-leading tackler and forced a key fumble at the goal line in the third quarter of last week's game. Cornerback Myles Harden has forced eight turnovers in his last 11 games dating back to last season. He has an interception and a recovered fumble this season.

Defensive coordinator Travis Johansen moved Webb from defensive end to rush backer, a hybrid position in Johansen's scheme that routinely leads the unit in sacks and tackles-for-loss. Webb is a three-year starter who has compiled 11.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles-for-loss in 41 collegiate games. His 3.5 sacks against Lamar are the most by a Coyote at the Division I level.

Gaes was the defensive star against St. Thomas. He had three sacks, five tackles-for-loss and forced a fumble in helping South Dakota hand the Tommies their first shutout in nearly 12 years. Gaes was rewarded with MVFC and National Defensive Player of the Week honors. 

South Dakota is 3-0 at home this season. The Coyotes have outscored those two foes 97-13, sacked them 11 times and limited them to 722 yards of total offense (240 ypg).

South Dakota has boasted strong specialists throughout Nielson's tenure. This year's unit features all new starters. Punter Tyler Ebel is a redshirt freshman, kicker Zeke Mata is a recent arrival from LSU who is handling kickoff duties and long snapper Caden Pellizzer is a new arrival from Northern Michigan. Will Leyland, a fourth-year sophomore, is 4-for-4 on field goals and 16-for-16 in extra points. Mata took the last extra point in USD's win against Lamar.