VERMILLION, S.D. — For the second-straight week, the No. 6/6-ranked South Dakota football team will go to battle against a fellow top-10 Dakota school when they make the two-hour trip north on I-29 to square off with No. 5/5-ranked South Dakota State on Saturday, October 31 from Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium for the annual Interstate Series game, presented First Interstate Bank.
 
Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. (CT) on ESPNU with Jason Ross Jr. (PxP) and Tyoka Jackson (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 2 p.m. (CT). Gary Culver and Jerry Palleschi will join him for the game action inside up in Brookings.
 

GAME 10 | No. 6 SOUTH DAKOTA (7-2, 4-1 MVFC) at No. 5 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (6-2, 3-1 MVFC)
Date | Time	Saturday, October 31 | 3:00 PM (CT)
Location	Brookings, S.D. | Dana J. Dykouse Stadium (19,300)
Fan Information	Tickets | Parking | Game Day Info | Interstate Series
Television	ESPNU / ESPN+ - Jason Ross Jr. (PxP), Tyoka Jackson (Analyst)
Radio	Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Jerry Palleschi) [KVHT 106.3 FM]
Live Stats	StatBroadcast | USD Season Stats (PDF)
Game Notes	South Dakota | South Dakota State | MVFC | College Pressbox
Digital Program	Digital Program
Social Media	@SDCoyotesFB  | #GoYotes | @sdcoyotesfb  | Facebook

 
THE INTERSTATE SERIES

• Saturday's game is presented by First Interstate Bank.
• The Jackrabbits lead the 2026 series, 2.5-1.5.
• South Dakota picked up their points with a soccer draw in the first meeting (Sept. 24) and a volleyball victory up in Brookings (Oct. 23).
• The Coyotes won the 2025-26 series with the score 11.5-8.5.

 
SETTING THE SCENE

• South Dakota heads north winners of four-straight, the longest win streak this season.
• The clash on Saturday plays massive implications for both the MVFC title race and FCS Playoff seeding.
• Saturday marks the second-straight top-10 clash for the Coyotes, both being against Dakota schools.
• The Yotes are 2-1 against ranked foes this season, winning the last two (vs. #25 SIU, vs. #6/8 UND).
• South Dakota looks to win their first ranked vs. ranked game on the road this season at SDSU.
• USD has outscored opponents 186-91 (+95 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. 6 in the Stats Perform poll.
• South Dakota State is led by 2nd year head coach Dan Jackson. 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.
• OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: WR Brayden White was named the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week following his first-career 100-yard receiving day (6 rec., 101 yards) and his league-leading eighth touchdown grab – the game-winning score in overtime against No. 6/8-ranked North Dakota.

 
NEWS & NOTES

• South Dakota is in their 131st season of college football and with their 32^nd head coach in program history and embarking on the 15^th season in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
• In his first season as head coach, Matt Vitzthum holds a 7-2 record [7-1 vs. FCS opponents].
• The win over North Dakota (Oct. 24) put Vitzthum in the top-5 all-time at USD for head coaches in total victories in their first season as head coach. He sits in a three-way tie for fourth heading to Brookings.
• QB Austyn Modrzewski has thrown for multiple touchdown passes in seven of the nine games as the starter at South Dakota.
• He's thrown at least one TD pass in all nine games this season. It now sits as the fifth-longest streak with a touchdown pass.
• His 24 touchdown passing touchdowns sits TIED FOR THE FCS LEAD. 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 LEADS the MVFC with his eight (8) touchdown receptions this season.
• RB Charles Pierre Jr. eclipsed 2,000 career rushing yards against Eastern Washington (Sept. 12), becoming the 15^th 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 75 tackles.
• He's posted four double-digit tackle games this season with a career-best 14 tackles at Boise State (Sept. 19).
• DL Nathan Laperi and DL Chris Dixon lead the team with 3.0 sacks and LB Gabriel Hardman leads the team with his 6.0 TFLs and three forced fumbles.
• Hardman's and Abrams three forced fumbles this season sits T1st in the FCS with Harrison Brun's and DL Jeff Bowie's two fumble recoveries sitting T7th in the FCS.
• K Bohdie Ing connected on a USD- and career-long 47-yard field goal in the win against North Dakota (Oct. 24). He's a perfect 8-for-8 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 192 games in the DakotaDome (192-83) since it opened in 1979.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• South Dakota and South Dakota State are set to meet for the 120^th time on Saturday in the second-longest rivalry series west of the Mississippi River.
• The series dates back to 1889 when, in fact, South Dakota was not even officially a state when the first game was played back in May 1889 (Statehood coming in November 1889).
• The Jackrabbits hold a slight advantage in the all-time series, 58-54-7.
• In Brookings, the Jacks lead it 32-14-3 as USD looks for their first win up north since the 2000 season.
• The Yotes won the 2025 game in Vermillion, 24-17, in a color rush game.