The Pregame
Ahead of Saturday's FCS Playoff game, Coyote Alley will be the place to be. East of the DakotaDome near the tennis courts, Coyote fans are welcome to enjoy music by DJ Marcus Destin and food from Backyard BBQ. Students will receive a free meal voucher from Backyard BBQ and the first 500 students at the game will get a playoff rally towel. Coyote Alley is free to the public.
 
The Game
This will be the Coyotes' third playoff appearance in the last six full seasons under Bob Nielson. Third-ranked South Dakota will take on the 15^th-ranked Sacramento State Hornets which have played in the last four fall FCS Playoffs. This is the first time these two teams have met.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota finished its regular season 9-2 which included four wins against top-25 teams. The Coyotes beat Western Illinois 48-6 in Macomb back on Nov. 18 in the regular season finale. USD is the No. 3 overall seed and received a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs.
 
South Dakota had seven all-MVFC honorees and five players who earned honorable mention. Senior linebacker Brock Mogensen was named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan award after leading the Valley with 85 tackles in eight conference games. He also ranked 20^th nationally for stops with 103 during the regular season. He overseas a defense that ranks top-five nationally in scoring defense and 13^th in passing yards allowed.
 
Cornerback Myles Harden is a semifinalist for Division I Comeback Player of the Year. After suffering injuries that kept him off the field the last two seasons, he started all 11 contests this year. Harden tallied 47 tackles this season and has accepted an invitation to compete in the East-West Shrine Bowl.
 
On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver Carter Bell proved his value this season, surpassing 2,000 career receiving yards last time out and putting him fifth on the Coyotes' all-time list. In the backfield, Travis Theis is only 21 yards away from making his debut among the top five Coyote rushers of all time.
 
Aidan Bouman is the seventh quarterback in program history to throw for 2,000 yards in a single season. He averaged 287 yards in the last two games and has led an offensive that has turned it over just seven times this season, third-fewest nationally.
 
The Hornets
Sacramento State is coming off a road playoff game last week against North Dakota where they won 42-35. The matchup against North Dakota was the first FCS playoff game Sacramento State has played on the road in program history. The Hornets finished their regular season 7-4, going 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference.
 
Junior Kaiden Bennett and true freshman Carson Conklin have taken turns at quarterback in recent weeks, but it was Bennett who was in full control last week at North Dakota. Bennett passed 207 yards, ran for a career-high 126 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in the win. Conklin was the starter in the regular season finale at UC Davis.
 
All-American tight end Marshel Martin has 190 career catches for 2,367 yards and 27 touchdowns – most at that position in program history. He played through an injury early in the season which limited his snaps, but boasts a 103-yard performance against Idaho State and had 52 yards and a touchdown three games ago against Cal Poly. Receivers Carlos Hill and Jared Gipson have combined for more than 1,200 yards and eight touchdowns.
 
Running back Marcus Fulcher is the 10^th-leading rusher in program history and enters with 27 career touchdowns. He too, was limited with injuries this year, but still managed to rank second on the team with 527 rushing yards. Sophomore Elijah Tau-Tolliver spells Fulcher.
 
Another Hornet who has found himself among the greats was linebacker Armon Bailey. Bailey averaged 8.2 tackles per game on the season, placing him third in the Big Sky and 53^rd in the FCS. He had exactly eight against North Dakota last week and claimed two of the Hornets' four sacks.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota head coach Bob Nielson was awarded the MVFC Coach of the Year title and is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award. He led the Coyotes to their highest ranking in the polls at the FCS level. Nielson's 227 career wins are second-most among active FCS coaches and eighth-most among active NCAA football coaches.
 
Mogensen, Harden and defensive end Brendan Webb earned first-team MVFC honors. This is the first time South Dakota has had three defensive honorees. Bell, Theis, center Joey Lombard and placekicker Will Leyland earned second-team honors. Linebacker Stephen Hillis, tight end JJ Galbreath, offensive guard Isaac Erbes, defensive tackle Nick Gaes and safety Dennis Shorter earned honorable mention. Charles Pierre Jr., Mosai Newsom, Joe Cotton and Parker Fryar were all chosen to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team.