Full Game Notes (.pdf) | NDSU Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
South Dakota (2-1, 0-0 MVFC) at North Dakota State (3-0, 0-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. (CDT)
Fargo, N.D. | Fargodome (18,700)
TV: Midco Sports (Jay Elsen; David Brown; Jody Norstedt)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver & Jerry Palleschi)
Watch Online: ESPN+ ($) | Midco Sports Plus ($)
Series: NDSU leads 57-26-2 (won the last six since a 24-21 USD win in Fargo in 2015)

About the Coyotes:  South Dakota is trying to return to playoff form after hosting its first playoff game in 35 years back in 2021 ... eight starters return on each side of the football ... the defense boasts three preseason all-Americans in CB Myles Harden and LBs Brock Mogensen and Stephen Hillis ... the unit ranks third nationally in sacks and sixth in scoring defense ... Hillis and Mogensen were the top tacklers in the Valley last season ... the offense is under the direction of new coordinator Josh Davis who won a national title at rival SDSU last season ... QB Aidan Bouman started the final four games of last season ... the run game behind Nate Thomas and Travis Theis totaled 305 yards and four TDs vs. Lamar

About the Bison:  The defending national runner-up has yet to play a true road game and is celebrating homecoming this week ... QBs Cam Miller and Cole Payton have combined for 13 TDs (9 rushing) through three games ... QB1 Miller is completing 80 percent of his passes ... QB2 Payton is the team's leading rusher ... NDSU is averaging 278 yards rushing per game ... senior safety Cole Wisniewski has three INTs and leads the Bison with 20 tackles ... the Bison have a 7-0 edge in turnovers thru three games ... 17 different players have caught a pass ... NDSU has won 12 consecutive Valley openers

Quick Hits
-SD has won four of its last six MVFC openers. The Coyotes have opened on the road in six of Bob Nielson's eight seasons.
-DT Nick Gaes had 5 TFL and 3 sacks vs. UST; DE Brendan Webb had 3.5 sacks vs. Lamar; The Coyotes rank third nationally in sacks.
-LB Brock Mogensen is the eighth player in program history to record 300 tackles
-CB Myles Harden has forced eight turnovers in his last nine games dating back to last season
-Nate Thomas ran for a career-high 164 yards vs. Lamar. Travis Theis ran for 120 yards. The two combined for four rushing TDs.
-USD scored touchdowns on five of its six offensive possessions against Lamar
-Jack Martens, Carter Bell and JJ Galbreath have combined for 33 of USD's 38 receptions
-South Dakota has beaten a ranked team every year since 2013
-Dakota Days (USD homecoming) is next week

The Notes
South Dakota rebounded from an opening day loss at the SEC's Missouri by handling St. Thomas and Lamar on consecutive weekends in Vermillion. The Coyotes outscored those two teams 59-6, sacked them 11 times, and limited them to 440 yards of total offense. Offensively, USD averaged 6.0 yards per carry while quarterback Aidan Bouman passed for 299 yards and three touchdowns.

Conference play opens Saturday at North Dakota State whose only FCS losses since 2021 are to South Dakota State. The two teams met in last year's MVFC opener in Vermillion. South Dakota led that game 17-10 at halftime, but the visiting Bison used a dominant second half to earn a 34-17 win. NDSU ran 61 times for 356 yards and four touchdowns. USD ran 55 plays for 265 yards. The result was a lopsided time of possession that was 40 minutes to 20 in favor of the Bison.

The last time South Dakota visited Fargo, the Coyotes were playing for their first conference title since 2005. The two teams met in the final game of the regular season in 2021. NDSU was 6-1 in Valley play. USD was in a three-way tie at 5-2. The Bison burst out to a 28-0 lead and rolled up 522 yards of offense in a 52-24 win against then-No. 16 South Dakota. The Coyotes finished the regular season 7-4 and went on to host Southern Illinois in an NCAA playoff game. The Bison went on to win the 2021 national title.

This series has been one-sided with two exceptions. South Dakota won a wild 40-37, quadruple overtime game in Vermillion back in 2002. Ryan Justice threw two touchdowns and Jason Anderson ran for two scores. Fast forward to Fargo in 2015 where Miles Bergner drilled a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give USD a 24-21 win over Carson Wentz and the Bison. It was the Coyotes' first win in Fargo since 1978. USD scored 10 points in the final five minutes and held the Bison scoreless in the second half, yielding 56 yards on the Bison's five drives. Ryan Saeger passed for 202 yards, ran for 92 and accounted for all three USD touchdowns.

Defending NDSU's ground game is always the key. When USD beat NDSU in 2015, the Coyotes held the Bison to 125 yards rushing and 320 yards total. In the six matchups since, NDSU has averaged 361 yards rushing per game and 6.3 yards per carry.

South Dakota's defense held St. Thomas to 166 yards of total offense and pitched its first shutout since 2019. The Tommies hadn't been held scoreless in a game for nearly 12 years. St. Thomas ran 11 plays on USD's side of the field and didn't draw closer than the Coyotes' 30-yard line.
   USD yielded two long drives to Lamar to begin the game, but forced the Cardinals to settle for a pair of field goals. Lamar ran 20 more plays than South Dakota, but the Coyotes outgained the Cardinals 401-274.

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.

Fourth-year sophomore Aidan Bouman is the starting quarterback in Davis' system. Bouman, who spent his first two years at Iowa State, led South Dakota back from a 21-7 deficit against 14th-ranked Southern Illinois on Dakota Days (homecoming) last season and remained QB1 for the final four games of 2022. He has now played in 7.5 games and thrown 194 passes. He has accounted for 14 touchdowns (12 pass) against three turnovers (2 INTs, 1 lost fumble).

Bouman completed 7-of-9 passes against Lamar. The nine passes are the fewest thrown by the Coyotes since at least 2000. That's because the ground game got 164 yards from Nate Thomas and 120 from Travis Theis. It is the second time in the last eight games dating back to last season that USD has had two running backs eclipse 100 yards in a game.

Thomas was South Dakota's leading rusher as a true freshman in 2021. He carried 12 times for 60 yards in Fargo against the Bison. He was injured during the 2022 spring semester and missed all of last season. Thomas has scored eight touchdowns in 13 collegiate games.

USD's offensive line had a new look last game. 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 made his first collegiate start and played left guard. Right guard Isaac Erbes is a sixth-year senior and team captain who has started 42 consecutive games. Joey Lombard is a two-year starter at center and left tackle Joe Cotton made his USD debut in the season opener.

South Dakota's receiving room is anchored by fifth-year junior Carter Bell, a high school quarterback, who has 100 collegiate catches for 1,406 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ran a punt back for a touchdown the last time he was in Fargo. 
    Jack Martens currently leads the Coyotes with 15 catches for 188 yards and a score. Fourth-year tight end JJ Galbreath is a returning starter who was South Dakota's second-leading receiver last year with 286 yards on 22 catches.

The Coyote defense ranks sixth nationally in scoring defense and 18th in total defense. 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 304 career tackles.

Hillis and Mogensen have received support at all levels through three 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 14 tackles. Safety Dennis Shorter leads the team with 21 tackles. Cornerback Myles Harden has forced two turnovers and is the team's third-leading tackler.

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 40 collegiate games. His 3.5 sacks against Lamar are the most by a Coyote at the Division I level.

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 2-for-2 on field goals and 8-for-8 in extra points. Mata took the last extra point in USD's win against Lamar.

South Dakota is in the midst of four home games out of five, though this week is the one away game. This is the longest such streak since 2011. The Coyotes host Murray State for Dakota Days (homecoming) next Saturday and Youngstown State comes to Vermillion the week after.

South Dakota's helmets will have stickers with a green ribbon both this week and next as part of Student-Athlete Mental Health Week.