Full Game Notes (.pdf) | St. Thomas Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
St. Thomas (1-0, 0-0 Pioneer) at South Dakota (0-1, 0-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. (CDT)
Vermillion, S.D. | DakotaDome (9,100)
TV: Midco Sports (Jay Elsen; Andre Fields)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver & Jerry Palleschi)
Watch Online: ESPN+ ($) | Midco Sports Plus ($)
Series: USD leads 1-0 (won 22-6 in Vermillion back in 1979 ... first game played in the DakotaDome)

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 ... 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 ... RB Travis Theis is in his third season as the starter and has 1,690 yards and 15 TDs ... WR Carter Bell has 92 career catches for 1,295 yards and 11 TDs

About the Tigers:  St. Thomas is in its third season at the FCS level ... the Tommies are 18-4 since the transition and won the Pioneer League (non-scholarship) last year with an 8-0 mark ... they have faced just two scholarship programs at the FCS level ... they lost 44-3 at UNI in 2021 and 44-13 at Southern Utah in 2022 ... UST opened 2023 with a 36-26 win against Division II Black Hills State ... the Tommies had a 225-41 advantage on the ground, but were outgained 325-109 through the air ... preseason all-American WR Andrew McElroy did not play ... QB Amari Powell made his first career start

Quick Hits
-Saturday is Ag Appreciation Day at USD
-South Dakota beat St. Thomas 22-6 in USD's first game inside the DakotaDome in 1979
-UST head coach Glenn Carusso was the offensive coordinator at USD from 2004-05
-South Dakota has won 18 of its last 20 home openers
-USD is playing four of its next five games at home ... the last such streak of home games came back in 2011
-LBs Stephen Hillis and Brock Mogensen led the Valley in tackles last season ... Mogensen enters play this week with 292 career tackles
-CB Myles Harden forced six turnovers (3 INT, 3FF) in his first four games last year ... he had an INT last week vs. Missouri
-Jack Martens caught eight passes for a career-high 89 yards last week at Missouri
-QB Aidan Bouman has combined for 10 TDs against one INT in five career starts

The Notes
Welcome to 2023! South Dakota begins year eight under Bob Nielson who has led the Coyotes to the playoffs twice in his tenure including two seasons ago in 2021. USD played the toughest schedule (ever?) in FCS last season, lost its offensive coordinator two games in and finished 3-8. This year's schedule sees USD playing six homes games for the first time since 2019.

Enter new offensive coordinator Josh Davis, who 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. In five-and-a-half games, Bouman passed for 892 yards and combined for 10 touchdowns (8 pass, 2 rush) against one interception. He threw for 156 yards and a score in the season opener at Missouri Thursday.

Bouman is one of six team captains on this year's team. Another is fifth-year junior running back Travis Theis who has earned honorable mention all-MVFC honors in two seasons as the starter. He ranked sixth in the conference with 775 yards on 4.7 ypc last season and was second on the team in receptions with 25. Theis ran for more than 1,400 yards with 13 touchdowns in the last two seasons (22g).

Nate Thomas and Mike Mansaray, injured for nearly all last season, are back to spell Theis and bolster the ground game. Thomas was South Dakota's leading rusher as a true freshman two seasons ago when he averaged 6.3 ypc. He sustained an injury during the spring season and that injury kept him out for all of 2022. Mansaray had a 141-yard, two-touchdown performance as a second-year freshman in 2021 and finished as the Coyotes' third-leading rusher. He sustained a season-ending injury in week two last season. Mansaray carried 10 times Thursday at Missouri and caught a six-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

South Dakota's receiving room is expected to be anchored by fifth-year junior Carter Bell, a high school quarterback, who has 92 collegiate catches for 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns. Bell doubles as USD's return man and he has one career punt return score. Bell caught 41 passes for 673 yards and five touchdowns in 2021. He totaled 59 yards through six games last year before USD switched to Bouman. Bell totaled 16 catches for 186 yards and three touchdowns in five games with Bouman under center.

The No. 2 man in the receiving room behind Bell is up for grabs and Jack Martens made a solid case for the role in the season opener. Martens was targeted 10 times at Missouri. He caught eight passes for a career-high 89 yards. Martens had 11 catches for 169 yards and a score last year as a redshirt freshman.
     Third-year sophomore Javion Phelps is a returning starter who caught 18 passes for 235 yards last season. Tristan Michaud is a 6-6 target from Iowa State. He and Bouman ran scout team together all of 2021 in Ames and the winter going into 2022.
   Redshirt freshmen Cole Rhoden (transfer from Kansas) and Tysen Boze were on the initial two deep as was junior Datwan Blackwood. All three are seeking their first collegiate catches.

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. Jack Hagy, who began at USD on the defensive side of the ball, is on the two-deep after competing mainly on special teams last season. Fourth-year sophomore Jacob Remmert also traveled to Missouri.

USD's offensive line features three veterans in the middle and two young tackles. Right guard Isaac Erbes is a sixth-year senior and team captain who has started 40 consecutive games. Joey Lombard is a two-year starter at center and left guard Bryce Henderson was the starter there a year ago. Caden Ellingson is the right tackle this year after earning three starts a year ago. Left tackle Joe Cotton made his USD debut Thursday.

Coordinator Travis Johansen's defense faced 131 more plays than USD's offense ran and was on the field an average of nearly seven minutes longer each game. Fortunately, eight starters and three preseason all-Americans return to the unit. One of those starters is NFL prospect Myles Harden, a cornerback, who has missed the last half of each of the last two seasons. Harden has six interceptions and five forced fumbles in 17 collegiate games. His latest came Thursday at Missouri.

Linebackers Stephen Hillis (115) and Brock Mogensen (106) were the top tacklers in the Valley 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). He has racked up 292 tackles in 38 collegiate games. Just seven players in program history have made 300 tackles.

Johansen has moved sixth-year senior Brendan 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 7.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles-for-loss in 38 collegiate games. He earned his first sack at the new position Thursday at Missouri.

Veteran safeties Josiah Ganues and Dennis Shorter man the back line. Shorter was USD's third-leading tackler last season. Ganues is a two-year starter approaching 100 career tackles (97). Ganues, Harden and safety Tim White all attended Miramar High School in Florida. White, listed behind Shorter in the initial two deep, attended Robert Morris last season.

The defensive line is headed by returning tackles Blake Holden and Nick Gaes. Nebraska transfer Mosai Newsom is expected to make an immediate impact in the middle as well. Mi'Quise Grace, a promising redshirt freshman, and sixth-year senior Micah Roane will rotate at defensive end.

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 handled kickoff duties against Missouri and long snapper Caden Pellizzer is a new arrival from Northern Michigan. Will Leyland, a fourth-year sophomore, handled placekicking duties in week one. Leyland made a 40-yard field goal in Missouri and tacked on an extra point in his collegiate debut.

Saturday is Ag Appreciation Day at the DakotaDome. A number of vendors will be set up near Coyote Alley for patrons to visit. And speaking of Coyote Alley, it is back for year two along Taylor Street just east of the DakotaDome. Canby Misfits is providing entertainment for game one. They will perform from 11 a.m - 12:30 p.m. HyVee is providing a free lunch for the first 500 people to visit their tent (drinks not included). And Coyote alumni A.J. Schable and Tyler Starr will be on hand to sign autographs from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.