The Pregame
Coyote Alley, presented by HyVee and Scheels, will be buzzing Saturday for the 106^th Dakota Days football tailgate. Located directly east of the DakotaDome near the tennis courts, Coyote Alley will have music by The Warning Shots, inflatables and food from HyVee, the Taco Bus and Q Holdings BBQ food truck. This area is free for the public to access and will be home to alumni, Coyote Sports Properties and students tailgate programming.
 
The Game
Coming off a road win against the Bison, the Coyotes (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) are looking for a Dakota Days victory versus Missouri Valley newcomer Murray State (2-2, 1-0 MFVC). This will be the first meeting between the two teams.
 
The Coyotes
After South Dakota took down NDSU in Fargo, the Coyotes are ranked No. 15 in the Stats Perform FCS National Rankings and No. 21 in the FCS Coaches Poll ahead of Saturday's game against the Racers.
 
Quarterback Aidan Bouman has completed 17-of-21 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns in the last two games and aided the offense in securing points on 9-of-11 possessions with eight touchdowns and one field goal against NDSU and Lamar. The offense is under the direction of new coordinator Josh Davis who won a national title during his time at SDSU last season. Wide receiver Carter Bell scored two touchdowns and totaled 124 yards against NDSU and was named MVFC Offensive Player of the Week.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, safety Dennis Shorter had a season-high 13 tackles in Fargo, earning him a spot alongside Bell as defensive player of the week. Shorter is joined by three preseason all-Americans in cornerback Myles Harden and linebackers Brock Mogensen and Stephen Hillis. USD's defensive line has helped produce 13 sacks in four games.
 
The Racers
Murray State beat Indiana State 30-28 in its MVFC debut at home last week. The Racers have been led by quarterback DJ Williams, the OVC Freshman of the Year in 2021, who has thrown for four touchdowns with no interceptions on the season. Running back Cortezz Jones leads the team in yards on the season with 237, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. In each of the last two games, tight end Cole Rusk has secured a touchdown for the Racers and is leading the team in receiving yards with 196 on the season.
 
Punter Orion Phillips was named MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in the Racers' win over Indiana State. Phillips, a freshman from Australia, booted five punts, totaling 229 yards for a 45.8-yard average including a 67-yard effort that was downed at the 1-yard line in last week's game.
 
One Last Thing
The Coyotes are 67-33-5 (.662) all-time on Dakota Days and have won 17 of their last 21 homecoming games. Head coach Bob Nielson has led the Coyotes to a 6-0 mark on Dakota Days. This will be Bouman's first Dakota Days start after making his collegiate debut last Dakota Days with 2:43 left in the second quarter.
 
South Dakota's helmets will have stickers with a green ribbon this week as part of Student-Athlete Mental Health Week.