VERMILLION, S.D. — For just the fifth time in program history, the South Dakota football team will play in a top-10 contest in front of the home crowd as they welcome No. 6/8 ranked North Dakota to the DakotaDome on Saturday as the two teams enter with identical records and look to stay in the race for a Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) title.
Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. (CT) on ESPN+ with
Jay Elsen (PxP) and
Andre Fields (analyst) 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 12 p.m. (CT).
Gary Culver and
Jerry Palleschi will join him for the game action inside the DakotaDome.
PROMOTIONS
- Saturday is Youth Day at the DakotaDome!
- A deal of $5 youth tickets + discounted parent tickets (call-in or walk-up only)
- A Charlie Coyote meet-and-greet from 11 to 11:30 a.m. at the SE Dome entrance!
- South Dakota will offer $5 beers (Bud Light and Busch Light) during the duration of the third quarter. This will not be available during halftime.
- The game sponsor this week is Midco.
SETTING THE SCENE
- South Dakota returns home winners of three-straight games with all three games having 30+ points.
- Saturday marks the FIFTH all-time top-10 clash in Vermillion with both teams ranked inside the top-10. It's the fourth time since the DakotaDome has been open (1979-pres.) with USD holding a 2-1 record.
- It's the third top-10 clash in the Dome in the FCS era for South Dakota with the last two coming back in 2023 (vs. No. 1 SDSU, vs. No. 10 North Dakota)
- USD is 1-1 against ranked opponents this season with the win coming against No. 25 Southern Illinois (Oct. 10).
- South Dakota is one of three teams in the MVFC to average 14+ yards per pass completion this season, but leads the MVFC with their 9.2 yards per attempt.
- USD has outscored opponents 166-88 (+78 margin) in the first half this season thanks to a +50 margin in the second quarter.
- The Coyotes are inside the top-10 of the two major FCS polls this week – No. 6 in the AFCA poll and No. 8 in the Stats Perform poll.
- The Yotes started the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2017 season under Bob Nielson and have two win streaks of three consecutive games this season.
- North Dakota is led by 2nd year head coach Eric Schmidt. He's 0-1 all-time against South Dakota.
- South Dakota picked up FCS win No. 100 with the 44-14 Dakota Days victory over Indiana State on October 3.
NEWS & NOTES
- South Dakota is in their 131st season of college football and with their 32nd head coach in program history and embarking on the 15th season in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
- In his first season as head coach, Matt Vitzthum holds a 6-2 record [6-1 vs. FCS opponents].
- QB Austyn Modrzewski has thrown for multiple touchdown passes in six of his first eight games as the starter at South Dakota.
- He's thrown at least one TD pass in all eight games this season. It now sits in a tie for fifth-longest streak with a touchdown pass, tying Aidan Bouman last season (2025).
- Modrzewski's 178.0 QB rating LEADING the FCS.
- His 22 touchdown passing touchdowns sits T2nd in the nation (FCS). He became the fastest Yote in program history to reach 18 passing touchdowns in a season (min. amount to crack single-season top-10), doing so in just six games.
- WR Brayden White now sits tied for the lead in the MVFC with his seven touchdown receptions this season.
- RB Charles Pierre Jr. eclipsed 2,000 career rushing yards against Eastern Washington (Sept. 12), becoming the 15th Coyote in program history to achieve 2,000 rushing yards.
- His 28 career rushing scores which sits T7th all-time at South Dakota and second-best in the FCS era.
- LB Wade Abrams once again LEADS the MVFC and leads the USD defense with his 68 tackles and 8.5 tackles per game this season.
- He's posted four double-digit tackle games this season with a career-best 14 tackles at Boise State (Sept. 19).
- DL Nathan Laperi leads the team with 3.0 sacks and LB Gabriel Hardman leads the team with his 5.0 TFLs and three forced fumbles.
- Hardman's three forced fumbles this season sits T2nd in the FCS with Harrison Brun's two fumble recoveries sitting T5th in the FCS.
- K Bohdie Ing connected on a USD- and career-long 43-yard field goal to tie the game at 24-24 in the fourth quarter at Boise. He's 6-for-6 on field goals this season.
- THE CAPTAINS: The Yotes have named three season-long captains for the 2026 season in Tysen Boze (offense), Gabriel Hardman (defense), and Keyondray Jones-Logan (special teams).
- Announced earlier during Fall Camp, senior defensive lineman Chris Dixon was named a top-10 (No. 9-ranked) prospect in the 2027 Canadian Football League (CFL) draft.
- South Dakota has won 191 games in the DakotaDome (191-83) since it opened in 1979.
- One more victory this season for Vitzthum will move him into the program's top-5 list for most wins in their first season as head coach at South Dakota (T4th = 7 wins). Former head coach Travis Johansen (2025) set the record with his 10 wins last season.
SERIES HISTORY
- South Dakota and North Dakota meet for the 104th time in series history on Saturday.
- It's one of two series in program history with 100+ meetings (SDSU, 119 meetings).
- UND leads the series, 64-34-5 in one that dates back to the first-ever meeting back in 1903.
- South Dakota, on the other hand, has won the last three meetings dating back to 2023.
- The last time these two met in Vermillion, last season, it was South Dakota picking up a 26-21 victory over No. 8-ranked North Dakota.
- The Fighting Hawks, however, have the narrow advantage in the series in Vermillion, sitting 25-20-2.
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