VERMILLION, S.D. — In a rematch from the 2011 season 15 years earlier, South Dakota welcomes the Eastern Washington Eagles from the Big Sky back to Vermillion on Saturday for the final FCS non-conference game of the season on Family Day and Native American Heritage game at the DakotaDome.
 
Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. (CT) on ESPN+ / Midco Sports with Jay Elsen and Andre Fields 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. (noon). Gary Culver and Jerry Palleschi will join him for the game action inside the DakotaDome.
 

GAME 3 | No. 11 SOUTH DAKOTA (2-0, 0-0 MVFC) vs. EASTERN WASHINGTON (1-1, 0-1 Big Sky)
Date | Time	Saturday, September 12 | 1:00 PM (CT)
Location	Vermillion, S.D. | The DakotaDome (9,100)
Fan Information	Tickets | Parking | Game Day Info | Digital Program
Television	ESPN+ / Midco Sports - Jay Elsen (PxP), Andre Fields (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 | Eastern Washington | MVFC | College Pressbox
Social Media	@SDCoyotesFB  | #GoYotes | @sdcoyotesfb  | Facebook

 
PROMOTIONS

• Saturday is Family Day and Native American Heritage game at the DakotaDome.
• For the second-straight season, the Coyotes will honor local tribes in the state of South Dakota with the 'Sungmanitu' script decals on the white helmets – meaning 'Coyote' in the Lakota language. The Sungmanitu script logo was designed by Sadie Red Wing.

 
SETTING THE SCENE

• South Dakota meets their second and final Big Sky opponent of the 2026 season – for the second straight week – when they welcome the Eastern Washington Eagles to town on Saturday.
• The Yotes are 2-0 to start a season for the first time since the 2017 season under Bob Nielson.
• Saturday marks a rematch from the 2011 season that saw South Dakota – in their fourth season of FCS football – take down the No. 1-ranked and defending national champions Eagles, 30-17, in the program's first ever game against the No. 1-ranked FCS opponent.
• It's the final non-conference home game of the season for South Dakota, and for the month of September.
• In just one of four meetings between MVFC and Big Sky opponents this season, South Dakota looks to aid the Valley into its 10^th-straight challenge victory.
• The Coyotes check in at No. 11 in the Stats Perform media poll and at No. 12 in the AFCA Coaches' poll.
• Eastern Washington is led by 10^th year head coach Aaron Best.
• RB Charles Pierre Jr. needs just 58 rushing yards to become the 15^th Coyote in program history to have 2,000+ rushing yards in their career.
• South Dakota has 16 explosive plays (20+ yards) with half of them (8) resulting in touchdowns.

 
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 2-0 record.
• QB Austyn Modrzewski has thrown for multiple touchdown passes in his first two games as the starter at South Dakota.
• His eight touchdown passing touchdowns sits T1st in the MVFC and his 482 passing yards leads the conference. The 241.0 passing yards per game sits second in the conference.
• WR Brayden White has a touchdown reception in each of his first two games as a starting wide out.
• He sits T1st in the MVFC in touchdown receptions (3) and third in receptions per game (4.5).
• In the win at Northern Colorado, RB Charles Pierre Jr. picked up his first rushing scores of the season – having two – and now sits with 23 rushing scores in his South Dakota career.
• The 23 scores moves Pierre Jr. to fourth all-time at South Dakota in the FCS era. He needs just one more rushing score to crack the all-time top-10 list.
• LB Wade Abrams leads the defense with his 19 tackles this season and DL John Starman leads the team with his 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks.
• P Brook Honoré Jr. leads the MVFC with his 49.17 yards per punt mark and four 50+ yard punts this season. Two of every three of his punts have gone for 50+ yards in the first two games.
• 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.
• The Coyotes are 32-29 in the month of September in the Division I FCS era and have twice finished September unbeaten (2017, 2023).

 
SUCCESS IN THE DOME

• Since the Dome opened in 1979, USD has played 271 football games in it. The Yotes are 188-83 all-time in the dome, winning nearly 70% of the games played in the Dome.
• The Yotes are an impressive 30-11 in the DakotaDome as a ranked team and 19-5 when ranked inside the top-15 (FCS era).

 
SERIES HISTORY

• South Dakota and Eastern Washington are set to meet on the gridiron for just the second time on Saturday with both meetings having been played in the DakotaDome.
• South Dakota won the first-ever meeting against the Eagles back in 2011.
• Eastern Washington traveled to the DakotaDome fresh off their 2010 national championship and ranked No. 1 but it was the Coyotes who put up 30 points on EWU on the way to a 30-17 victory.
• It was the first game in the FCS that South Dakota squared off with the FCS No. 1-ranked team.