VERMILLION, S.D. — No. 4/5 South Dakota football opens the 2025 campaign under first-year head coach Travis Johansen with a trip to Ames, Iowa on national television for a clash with the No. 22 Iowa State Cyclones.
 
Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. on FOX with Tim Brando, Devin Gardner, and Josh Sims on the call. You can listen to the game on Coyote Sports Network with the voice of the Coyotes John Thayer beginning the pre-game show at 1:30 p.m. Gary Culver and Jerry Palleschi will join him for the game action in Ames.
 

Game 1 | No. 4/5 SOUTH DAKOTA (0-0, 0-0 MVFC) at No. 22 IOWA STATE (1-0, 1-0 Big 12)
Date | Time	Saturday, August 30 | 2:30 PM (CT)
Location	Ames, Iowa | Jack Trice Stadium (61,500)
Television	FOX - Tim Brando (PxP), Devin Gardner (Analyst), Josh Sims (Sideline)
Radio	Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver) [KVHT 106.3 FM]
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	South Dakota | Iowa State | MVFC
Social Media	@SDCoyotesFB  | #GoYotes x #WeAreSouthDakota | @sdcoyotesfb  | Facebook

KEY STORYLINES

• South Dakota embarks on their 130^th season of college football and with their 31^st head coach in program history.
• USD enters the 2025 campaign on the heels of back-to-back 10+ win seasons for the first time since 1985-86.
• South Dakota begins inside the top-5 this season, checking in at No. 4 in the FCS STATS Perform and No. 5 in the AFCA Coaches' preseason polls.
• THE CAPTAINS: The Yotes have named for captains for the 2025 season in Wade Abrams (R-Jr., LB), Aidan Bouman (Sr., QB), Charles Pierre Jr. (R-JR., RB), and Tim White (R-Sr., DB).
• Bouman begins his third full season as QB1 for the Yotes, set to make his 32^nd career start.
• USD returns the first 1,000-yard rusher in the Division I era in Pierre Jr., leading the team in rushing yards.
• The opening week depth chart sees 14 transfers new to the roster with seven slated to make their first potential start at South Dakota.
• USD sees four opponents on the 2025 schedule that earned berths to the 2024 FCS Playoffs, plus the FBS opponent in Iowa State.
• The Yotes will open the season against the Cyclones for the second time in program history (1953).

COYOTES IN SEASON OPENERS

• The Yotes are 79-55 (.590) in season openers dating back to 1889.
• In the Division I FCS era, USD is 1-10 in openers on the road with the lone win coming at Drake (2017).
• Nine of the 11 games in the Division I era on the road were against FBS opponents.
• With season-openers on the road, USD is 16-19 including opening the 1953 season at Iowa State (ISU, 35-0).

SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday's clash will be the 10^th all-time meeting between South Dakota and Iowa State.
• Iowa State is 9-0 all-time in the series, sitting 7-0 with games in Ames.
• The last meeting was back in 1959 in Vermillion with ISU prevailing 52-31.
• The last meeting in Ames was 1958 resulting in a 53-0 shutout win for the Cyclones.
• In fact, South Dakota has not scored a single point against the Cyclones in Ames in the seven previous meetings.