VERMILLION, S.D. -- In what figures to be one of biggest games in NCAA Division II and the North Central Conference, the 14th-ranked South Dakota football team (4-0) and the fourth-ranked Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (3-0) will meet in a key North Central Conference opener on Saturday at the DakotaDome. The Hall of Fame game will begin at 2 p.m., as USD tries to open the season with five straight wins for the first time since 1996. The game will be televised on KELO-TV of Sioux Falls, S.D.

The USD Athletics Department will honor the Hall of Fame Class of 2005 during halftime of the game. In addition, USD will recognize Marci Miller of Rapid City, S.D., who is the second straight USD student-athlete to be named the state winner (South Dakota) of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Miller, who graduated last May, also was an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipient in 2005.

At Stake - USD to go for Win 100 in DakotaDome The Coyotes will put its national ranking and a nine-game home winning streak on the line vs. Nebraska-Omaha. USD is ranked 9th in the D2football.com poll, 14th in the AFCA coaches' poll, 13th by the Don Hansen Weekly Football Gazette and ninth in the College Sports Report. The Coyotes were also ranked 20th by Lindy magazine in the preseason. Nebraska-Omaha will look to improve to 3-0 after having a bye last week. In its most recent action, UNO defeated Central Washington, 28-21, on Sept. 10. With a Coyote win, USD will reach 100 wins since the DakotaDome opened in 1979. USD is now 99-52 all-time at the DakotaDome.

South Dakota to Honor Class of 2005 in Hall of Fame Ceremonies Saturday Morning Seven individuals with connections to The University of South Dakota will be inducted into the Henry Heider Coyote Sports Hall of Fame at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24 at the Al Neuharth Media Center. The inductees included: Scott Jones, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Kathy (Young) Larsen, Madison, S.D.; Mark McLoughlin, Olds, Alberta, Canada; Dr. Peter Rodman, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Todd Salat, Anchorage, Alaska; Robb White, Riverside, Mo.; and the late Lee Roy Hisek, formerly of Tyndall, S.D. The induction of the Class of 2005 will grow the Coyotes Sports Hall of Fame to 224. In addition to the induction of the Class of 2005, USD will recognize the 1982-85 women's basketball teams, which won three consecutive North Central Conference titles and competed in the NCAA Division II playoffs for three-straight seasons. The 2005 Coyotes Sports Hall of Fame Committee voted the USD women's basketball team into the "Special Achievements - Preserving History at South Dakota" category.

Series South Dakota leads the all-time series with Nebraska-Omaha, 23-21-1, although the Mavericks have won nine straight games against the Coyotes. A year ago, the Mavericks defeated USD, 20-13, at Al. F. Caniglia Field. USD's last win against UNO was a 55-37 decision in Omaha in 1995. USD's last win over UNO at the DakotaDome was a 30-16 decision in 1994. UNO has won the last four games held at the Dome. In the first 10 games between the schools, USD won nine and the other game ended in a 6-6 tie in 1940. From 1935-1940, UNO scored a total of 18 points while USD had 78 points. The Coyotes registered shutouts in three straight years from 1936-38. Coyotes Broadcasts South Dakota football games (home-and-away) will be broadcast on the Coyote Sports Network. All USD football games will be held on Saturday afternoons and broadcast on Sportsradio 1570 (AM) "The Ticket" ( Vermillion/Yankton, S.D.) and KSQB 1520 AM (Sioux Falls, S.D. ). Kevin Culhane, '77, will handle play-by play duties with Jeff Culhane and Max Hawk serving as color analysts. Lane Grindle, '04, will serve as the sideline reporter with Joe Van Goor as the studio host. The broadcast will be available on the internet at www.usdcoyotes.com or at www.kvht.com. Additionally, the Coyote games will be available on Teamline at 1-800-846-4700 (team code: 6056). Teamline is a fee-based phone service in which Coyote fans can call to listen to the broadcast.

Reaching Out to the Public The Ed Meierkort Football Show can be heard each Wednesday at 6:05 p.m. on Sportsradio 1570 (AM) "The Ticket" in Yankton/Vermillion, S.D. Meierkort will also address a booster club meeting each Monday at 7 p.m. (during the season) at C.J. Callaways in Sioux Falls.

South Dakota 44 Colorado Mines 41 OT A 33-yard field goal by Frank Leibfarth gave The 16th-ranked South Dakota Football Team (4-0) a dramatic 44-41 overtime win over Colorado Mines (1-3) at Brooks Field in Golden, Colo. The game-winning field goal by Leibfarth, a redshirt freshman from Yankton, S.D., was his first attempt and conversion of the season. USD opened up a 20-0 first quarter lead and led, 41-13, late in the third quarter before Colorado School of Mines made a furious fourth quarter comeback to tie the game at 41-41. The Orediggers scored 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. With 3.5 seconds to go, the Orediggers' Justin Gallas caught a "Hail Mary" pass and the PAT by Aaron Abel tied the game. South Dakota quarterback Wes Beschorner of Lohrville, Iowa led the Coyote offense with another outstanding game. He accounted for five TDs, including four by pass. Beschorner, who now has thrown for four TDs in four straight games, completed 20-of-28 passes for 302 yards and one interception. He had TD passes for 6, 4, 80, and 12 yards. Beschorner also rushed for 74 yards on 14 carries and had a seven-yard TD run. Junior running back Stefan Logan of Miami, Fla., had his 10th straight 100-yard rushing game. He finished with 124 yards on 22 carries and had a four-yard TD run in the first quarter. The USD receiving corps were led by the tandem of Derek Gearman of Lennox, S.D., and Brooks Little of Castlewood, S.D. Gearman had five catches for a career-best151 yards and a TD. Little caught seven passes for 74 yards and a TD. Overall, USD had 574 yards on 78 plays of total offense. USD had 272 yards on the ground and 302 yards through the air. Meanwhile, Colorado Mines had 436 yards in total offense on 78 plays, including 367 yards passing. Danny Medina, who took over for starting quarterback Garrett Mehl in the second half, completed 17-of-22 passes for 242 yards and two TDs. Gallas had 10 receptions for 116 yards and a TD. Florendo, who had 30 yards rushing and three rushing TDs, caught five passes for 115 yards and a TD. After USD recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff, the Coyotes quickly jumped on top as junior running back Stefan Logan scored on a four-yard run with 14:06 to play in the first quarter. USD's defense immediately stepped up to help USD build on its lead. USD linebacker Alex York of Guthrie Center, Iowa, intercepted a pass to give USD possession inside the Orediggers' 30-yard line. Seven plays later, Beschorner connected with sophomore tight end David Cronin of Holstein, Iowa, on a six-yard TD pass with 10:35 to play in the first quarter. With Leibfarth's kick, USD took a 14-0 lead. At the 5:26 mark of the first quarter, Beschorner threw another TD pass, a seven-yard scoring play to senior tight end Nick Cunningham of Albert Lea, Minn. The extra point kick failed and USD led, 20-0. The Orediggers cut the lead to 20-3 on a 30-yard field goal by Aaron Abel with 59 seconds to go in the first quarter. After the Oredigger's score, the Coyotes answered quickly. Beschorner connected with Gearman on an 80-yard TD pass play on the first play of the drive. The two-point conversion pass by Beschorner failed as USD built a 26-3 lead with 47 seconds left in the first quarter. Colorado Mines answered with a 35-yard field goal by Abel to cut USD's lead to 26-6 at the 12:28 mark of the second quarter. South Dakota added another score on a six-yard Beschorner TD run with 5:23 to play in the second quarter. Beschorner hit Cronin on a two-point conversion as USD led, 34-6. USD moved the ball 51 yards in eight plays and used 3:03 of the clock on the scoring drive. Late in the second quarter (1:12), Colorado Mines scored on a one-yard TD run by Bryan Florendo to draw the Orediggers within, 34-13. Neither team mounted very much offense in the third quarter until the Coyotes scored with 4:08 to play. Beschorner threw his fourth TD pass of the day, hitting Little for a 12-yard score and giving USD a 41-13 lead. From that point, Colorado Mines responded with a furious rally. First, Florendo scored on a 69-yard pass play from Medina to cut the lead to 41-20 at the 13:34 mark of the fourth quarter. After the Coyotes fumbled the kickoff, the Orediggers again cut into the Coyotes' lead. Florendo scored his third TD of the game with 10:34 to play as USD's lead was dwindled to 41-27. After USD failed to move the ball, Florendo scored on a one-yard run as the Orediggers drew within, 41-34, with 3:21 to play in the game. The Orediggers moved the ball 80 yards in 11 plays and used 4:25 of the clock. After the Orediggers' kickoff, USD managed to pick up a first down on offense but was forced to punt with 30 seconds to play in the game. Colorado Mines responded with a three-play, 64-yard scoring drive as Gallas caught a 27-yard pass from Medina at the end of regulation. With Abel's kick, the Orediggers and Coyotes were tied, 41-41. USD won the coin toss in overtime and elected to play defense. After gaining one first down, the Orediggers came up short on a third-down play inside the Coyote 10-yard line and opted to try a field goal. Abel's kick was off-line which gave USD possession. USD's offense moved the ball to the 16-yard line and elected to kick a field goal on fourth down. At that point, Leibfarth shook off a time out by Colorado Mines and connected on his game-winning field goal. USD's defensive leaders were Jordan Davis of San Antonio, Texas, and Ricardo Sorrell of Las Vegas, Nev., who each recorded seven tackles. John Barker of Sioux City, Iowa, had six tackles and a quarterback sack. York and Tim Dacy of Gregory, S.D., had interceptions while Alan Flyger of Hurley, S.D., had a fumble recovery.

About South Dakota Head Coach Ed Meierkort Ed Meierkort has made a major difference in just his second season as head football coach at South Dakota. With Meierkort as head coach, the Coyotes have a 13-2 record in its past 15 games. Meierkort has compiled a 68-57 career record. His teams have an 8-0 record in the DakotaDome. A year ago, he led USD to a 9-2 record and 4-2 in the NCC. The Coyotes, who had a perfect 6-0 record at the DakotaDome (first time ever), was ranked seventh in the American Football Coaches Association Poll late in 2004. USD finished ranked 16th in the country. He is just one of two Coyotes head coaches (A.H. Whittemore, 1902) to ever win nine games as a first-year coach. With a 13-2 overall record, Meierkort has the best 15-game start by a head coach in school history. Rev. James Henderson opened his coaching career with a 13-3 mark in 1911-13. He has his 16th-ranked Coyotes at 4-0 this season. Before taking over the head coaching duties at USD, he had a 55-55 record at Wisconsin Stout, although his teams compiled a 29-11 mark in his last four seasons at that school . Meierkort recruited and coached 16 All-Americans at Wisconsin Stout and had two players move on to the National Football League, Tony Beckham (115th pick, Tennessee Titans) and Jeff Hazuga (FA, Minnesota Vikings). At USD, he has had six all league selections and an All-American (Brian Alderson). Meierkort served as assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator, defensive coordinator and strength coach at Southwest Minnesota State from 1983-89. At SMSU, he was the assistant head coach during 1989-93 and defensive coordinator from 1984-89. At SMSU, the squad twice won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and qualified for the NAIA playoffs twice. SMSU finished in the top-10 twice, including a No. 5 ranking in 1990. He was the defensive coordinator for the NAIA's number-one ranked defense in 1988 and defensive coordinator for the nation's No. 2 ranked team in 1991. Prior to going to SMSU, he served as a graduate assistant at South Dakota State in 1983. In 1982, he was defensive coordinator and head coach for baseball at Dakota Wesleyan. Meierkort earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration in 1982 from Dakota Wesleyan. Originally of Chicago, Ill., he also has a Master of Arts degree in athletic administration from SDSU in 1987. He is a member of the NCAA National Rating Committee, AFCA, Wisconsin State High School Coaches Association and the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association. He also served on the Chancellor's Athletic Advisory Board and the Chancellor's Commission for Gender Equity at Wisconsin-Stout. He and his wife, Terri, have two sons, Reid and Chase.

About Nebraska-Omaha Nebraska-Omaha, which won the NCC title in 2004 (8-3, 5-1 in the NCC), has opened the 2005 season with a 3-0 mark and are ranked fifth in the AFCA coaches poll. UNO has opened the season with a 41-17 win over Nebraska-Kearney on the road before winning home games with then fifth-ranked Northwest Missouri State, 28-23; and a 28-21 win over Central Washington in week three. UNO did not play last weekend. UNO is averaging 201 yards rushing (603 yards, 131 attempts, 4.6 yards per rush, six TDs) and 248.0 yards passing (47-71-3 int., 744 yards, eight TDs) per game. UNO has 1,347 yards in total offense on 202 plays or 6.7 yards per play and 449.0 per game. Quarterback Brian Masek has completed 44-of-67 passes for 705 yards with eight TDs and three interceptions. He has a 184.51 pass efficiency ranking and averaged 235.0 pass yards per game. He has also rushed for 64 yards. Running back Jamar Day leads the rushing attack with 307 yards on 44 attempts or 7.0 per rush. Day, who has scored four TDs, is averaging 153.5 rushing yards per game. Chris Denney leads the receiving corps with 12 catches for 293 yards and three TDs. He is averaging 24.4 yards per catch and 146.5 yards per game (two games). UNO owns a 97-61 overall scoring advantage, including a 20-7 margin in the first quarter and 43-14 in the second period. Opponents have outscored UNO, 17-13, in the third quarter and 23-21 in the fourth quarter. UNO has a 63-21 advantage in first-half scoring and have been outscored 40 to 34 in the second half. The defense, which is allowing just 87.7 yards rushing per game, has permitted 272.3 yards passing each outing. Linebacker Kenny Onatolu leads USD with 20 tackles, including 14 solo stops. He has 1.4 tackles and a fumble recovery. Reed Taylor has 15 tackles and three interceptions while linebacker Taiwo Onatolu has three sacks and 14 tackles.

About UNO Head Coach Pat Behrns Pat Behrns has led the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks to four conference titles and the best winning percentage in league play over the past six years. The Mavs have also made four trips to the NCAA playoffs. Behrns' Maverick record of 82-46 (.640) ranks him third in school history in victories and second in winning percentage. He has had eight players earn All-America honors, including 2003 national rushing leader Justin Kammrad, who was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy. The native of David City, Neb., came to UNO with a strong background in the NCC. He spent six seasons as the head coach at North Dakota (1980-85). He served as an assistant coach at Utah State (1986-91) and as the offensive coordinator at Nevada-Las Vegas (1992-93) before being hired as the head coach at UNO. Behrns spent two years at McCook Junior College and finished his collegiate playing career at Dakota State College, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in 1972 and served one season as the defensive secondary coach. He earned a Master's degree from New Mexico State in 1974 and was a graduate assistant at the school in 1973-74. He became the defensive secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at North Dakota in 1975 and replaced Gene Murphy as the head coach at the school in 1980. Behrns has been named the NCC's Coach of the Year four times, in 1996, 1998, 2000, and in 2004. He also was a recipient of the Omaha Sportscasters' Association Sportsman of the Year Award in 1996.

Coyote Notes South Dakota Football Team Leads Nation in Four Offensive Categories The 14th-ranked South Dakota Football Team (4-0) is the highest-scoring and most productive unit in NCAA Division II in 2005, according to statistics released by the NCAA this week. Overall, the Coyotes lead the nation in four offensive categories (individual or team). The Coyotes rank first nationally in total offense at 636.8 yards per game; scoring at 60.0 points per game; rushing offense at 357.0 yards per game and passing efficiency (individual, Wes Beschorner), 256.5 rating. USD's Stefan Logan ranks first in the NCC and third in the nation in rushing at 163.8 yards per game. Logan, a junior from Miami, Fla., is also sixth in Division II in all-purpose yards at 198.3 yards per game. He has rushed for 100 yards or better in 10 straight games and tied a USD career record (Chul Schwanke, 1982-85) with 18 games of 100 yards rushing or better. The South Dakota Football Team is off to one of its best starts in school history. Already, USD has scored 240 points. Leading the way is quarterback Wes Beschorner, whose pass efficiency ranking of 256.5 leads the nation. Beschorner, a senior from Lohrville, Iowa, is sixth in the nation in total offense per game, generating an average of 317 yards per game. Named honorable mention Offensive Player of the Week by D2football.com on Monday, Beschorner has completed 56-of-75 passes for 1,043 yards with 16 TDs and just two interceptions. He is completing 74.7 percent of his passes and averaging 260.8 passing yards per game. Beschorner has also rushed for 225 yards on 26 carries with three TDs. He has thrown an 80-yard TD pass and recorded a 79-yard scoring run. USD also ranks 14th nationally in passing offense with 279.8 yards per game. The Coyotes are 15th in the nation in rushing defense (85.3 yards per game). In addition, nose tackle Matt Murphy, a sophomore from Rapid City, S.D., is 18th in the nation in quarterback sacks with 1.0 per game (four sacks). NCC Stat Leaders Wes Beschorner leads the North Central Conference in four statistical categories after three weeks of the season. He is first in passing yards per game (260.8), total offense (317 yards per game), pass efficiency (256.5) and TD passes (16). Stefan Logan leads the league in rushing yards at 163.8 per game. Logan's 9.6 per carry average is the league's best. Logan also has the league's longest scoring play this season - his 98 yard TD carry against Truman State. He is also the league's top all-purpose performer at 198.2 yards per game. USD's Derek Gearman is second in the league with an average 95.8 per game and a league best 31.9. Brooks Little is third with 90.2 receiving yards per game. Junior punter Luke Mikkelsen leads the NCC with a 41.7 yards per punt average, although his work load has been limited. USD has punted just nine times this season. Nose tackle Matt Murphy is first in sacks with four and Adam Schwaderer is second in tackles for loss at 1.62. USD leads the NCC in eight team categories including in scoring offense (60); total offense (636.8 yards per game); rushing offense (357 yards per game); pass efficiency (223.7); first downs (106); opponent first downs (52); fourth down conversions (5-8, 62.5 percent); and opponents third down conversions (18.9 percent).

Alderson Named to Three Preseason All-America Squads Brian Alderson, a senior on the South Dakota Football Team, has been named three preseason All-America squads this fall. He earned first-team offense honors on the www.CollegeSportsReport.com team and was a second-team selection on the D2Football.com website team. He was also selected to the Don Hansen Football Gazette's Preseason All-America offensive squad. Alderson, who has started 33 straight games at offensive tackle since his sophomore season, was named to a pair of All-America squads after the 2004 season, including the Daktronics, Inc., All-America Division II second-team and the Associated Press Little All-America third-team. In 2004, Alderson, a native of Hartford, S.D., was one of eight finalists for the inaugural Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year Award, which is presented by the Manheim Touchdown Club of Lancaster, Pa. Last fall, Alderson also was selected to the All-Northwest Region Team by Don Hansen's Football Gazette. A first-team All-NCC selection, Alderson recorded 58 knockdown blocks and anchored an offensive line that produced the nation's eighth-best and the NCC's top rushing attack (269.1 yards per game) in 2004. He allowed just two quarterback sacks.

Logan Ties Career Mark for 100-yard Rushing Games Junior running back Stefan Logan of Miami, Fla., rushed for 124 yards on 22 carries in the 44-41 overtime win over Colorado-Mines on Sept. 17. He now has rushed for 100 yards or better in 10 straight games, dating back to the 2004 season. He tied a school-record with his 18th career 100-yard rushing game (Chul Schwanke, 19822-85, 18). Earlier this season, he set two single-game records with the best rushing performance in school history in a 63-24 win over Truman State at the DakotaDome on Sept. 3. Logan rushed for 295 yards on just 13 carries and scored three rushing TDs. He broke the old single game mark of 285 yards rushing in 1999 by Jamel White. Logan had TD runs of 42, 77 and a school-record 98-yard score. A two-time All-NCC selection, Logan has three 200-yard rushing games in his career. Logan has 655 yards rushing on 68 carries in three games and is averaging 163.8 yards rushing per game. He is averaging 9.6 yards per rush this season and has six rushing TDs. Logan has become the second running back in school history to gain 3,000 in his career. He now has 3,155 yards on 423 carries or 7.5 yards per carry. He now needs 273 yards to break the school's career rushing mark of Chul Schwanke, who had 3,427 yards rushing from 1982-85. In his career, he has 101 runs or receptions of 10 yards or more. Already this season he has seven overall TDs, including a 57-yard TD pass and scoring runs of 98, 77, 42, 5, 5 and 4 yards.

Logan Moves Up to Third on USD's Career All-Purpose Chart Logan is now third on the Coyotes' career all-purpose yards chart with 3,629 yards.. He has 3,155 rushing yards, 410 receiving yards and 64 return yards. Ahead of Logan on the all-purpose chart is Chul Schwanke (1982-85), first, 4,449; and Phillip Meehan (1995-98), second, 4,010. Against Colorado Mines, he passed Dwight Duncombe (1972-74), 3,482. He now needs 381 yards to move into second-place all-time.

Beschorner Moves Up to Third on Career Passing Chart Senior quarterback Wes Beschorner of Lohrville, Iowa continues his move up the USD career passing charts. With four TDs against Colorado Mines, he now has 41 in his career. Against Colorado Mines, he completed 20-of-28 passes for a career-best 302 yards with four TDs and his second interception of the season. He now has amassed 4,234 yards (299 comp., 493 att., 4,234 yards, 41 TDs), which places him third on the career passing chart. He trails Ryan Justice (1999-02), 5,924 yards and Jason Seurer (1989-92), 4,759 yards. Beschorner already owns nine school records. This season, Beschorner has completed 56-of-75 passes (74.7 pct.) for 1,043 yards and 16 TDs. He has a pass efficiency rating of 256.55 and is averaging 260.8 yards per game. Beschorner also has 225 yards rushing on 26 carries with three TDs. He is averaging 8.7 yards per carry and 56.2 yards per game.

Beschorner Also Third on Career Total Offense Chart Beschorner has moved into third on the USD career total offense chart with 5,242 yards on 725 plays or 7.2 per play, which is the best in school history. Against Colorado Mines, he moved into third place all-time and past Chris Miller (1994-97), 5,120 yards, 883 plays (5.8 avg. per play). He needs 167 yards to move into second place on the career chart. Ahead of Beschorner is Ryan Justice (1999-02), first, 5,992 yards, 1,123 plays, 5.3 avg. per play; and Mark Jenkins (1972-75), 5,409 yards, 848 plays, 6.3 yards per play. This season, Beschorner has 1,268 yards in total offense on 101 plays, which averages to 317.0 per game and 12.55 yards per play. He had a career-best 374 yards in total offense vs. Colorado Mines. Coyotes By the Numbers South Dakota has outscored opponents by a 240-75 margin this season. USD owns a 62-13 first quarter edge and has dominated in the second quarter with an 92-17 advantage. USD owns a 63-7 advantage in the third quarter while opponents have a 38-20 margin in the fourth quarter. In the second and third quarters, the Coyotes owns a 155 to 24 advantage over opponents. This season USD has totaled 2,547 yards in total offense per game which amounts to 636.8 per game. Opponents have 966 yards in total offense or 241.5 per game. USD has scored 34 TDs this season and recorded one converted field goal. USD is averaging 357.0 yards rushing and 279.8 yards passing per game.

Coyotes Set New Total Offense Record Against Truman State The South Dakota football team accumulated a school-record 746 yards on 50 plays in total offense in the 63-24 win over Truman State on Sept. 3.. The Coyotes rolled up 459 yards on 30 carries on the ground and had 287 yards passing. It was the second straight week that USD broke its single-game total offense mark. On Aug. 25, USD broke the 1986 team's mark of 648 yards in total offense when the Coyotes rolled up 667 yards vs. Minnesota-Crookston. Against Truman State, a member of the MIAA Conference who had defeated then 13th-ranked Winona State in week one, the Coyotes averaged 14.9 yards per play on offense.

USD Team MVPs for Colorado Mines Game Announced The South Dakota coaching staff announced the team MVPs for the Colorado Mines game on Sept. 17. They include: Offensive MVP - Derek Gearman, junior, wide receiver, Lennox, S.D.; Defensive MVP - Tim Dacy, junior, defensive back, Gregory, S.D.; Special Teams MVP - Frank Liebfarth, redshirt freshman, kicker, Yankton, S.D.; Offensive Scout Team MVP - Jacob Arthur, freshman, offensive tackle, Clark, S.D.; and Defensive Scout MVP - Ryan Routh, freshman, linebacker, Sioux Falls, S.D.

Beschorner Named National Player of the Week on Offense by the Don Hansen Weekly Football Gazette South Dakota quarterback Wes Beschorner of Lohrville, Iowa, has been named the National Player of the Week on offense by the Don Hansen Weekly Football Gazette. Beschorner had a career-best in passing yards and led the 14th-ranked South Dakota Football Team (4-0) to a 44-41 overtime win over Colorado School of Mines (1-3) on Sept. 17 in Golden, Colo. For the fourth straight game, Beschorner threw for four TDs and, for the second time this season, accounted for five TDs on offense. Beschorner completed 20-of-28 passes for a career-best 302 yards and he also rushed 14 times for 74 yards and scored on a seven-yard run. He had TD passes for 6, 4, 80, and 12 yards. He also set a career-best with 374 yards in total offense. In his career, Beschorner now has 5,242 yards in total offense which places him third all-time at USD. With 302 passing yards against Colorado Mines, he now has 4,234 yards passing, which is third on USD's all-time passing list. He is just the third Coyote player in school history to put up that total. Beschorner now has 16 passing TDs and two rushing TDs this season. He has 41 passing and 16 rushing TDs in his career. Beschorner is the second USD football players to earn national player of the week honors in 2005. Stefan Logan, a junior from Miami, Fla., earned national honors from D2football.com after rushing for a school-record 295 yards on 13 carries against Truman State on Sept. 3.

Leibfarth Named NCC Co-Special Teams Player of the Week Frank Leibfarth, a redshirt freshman on the 16th-ranked South Dakota Football Team, has been named the Co-North Central Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, according to an announcement by the league office on Sept. 19. The game-winning field goal by Leibfarth of Yankton, S.D., was his first attempt and conversion of the season. Liebfarth, an honors student at USD who spent the past summer on a fellowship at Columbia University in New York City, made the game-winning kick his first field goal (and attempt) in his career. He also converted three of four PATs in the win over Colorado School of Mines on Saturday. In his first year as the Coyotes' place-kicker, Leibfarth is 25-of-26 on PATs and has scored 28 points in 2005.