The Basics
Murray State (2-2, 1-0 MVFC) at No. 15/21 South Dakota (3-1, 1-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. (CDT)
Vermillion, S.D. | DakotaDome (9,100)
TV: Midco Sports (Jay Elsen; Andre Fields; Darron Wallace)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver & Jerry Palleschi)
Watch Online: ESPN+ ($) | Midco Sports Plus ($)
Series: First Meeting
About the Coyotes: South Dakota is coming off a statement win at NDSU Saturday, its second win in Fargo since 2015 … the offense has scored on nine of 11 possessions in its last two games with
8 TDs and 1 FG … the defense has allowed two TDs in three games against FCS opponents … QB Aidan Bouman has completed 17-of-21 passes for 264 yards and three TDs in the last two games … the offense is under the direction of new coordinator Josh Davis who won a national title at rival SDSU last season … the defense boasts three preseason all-Americans in CB Myles Harden and LBs Brock Mogensen and Stephen Hillis … veteran safety Dennis Shorter is the team’s leading tackler
About the Racers: Murray State topped Indiana State 30-28 at home last week in its MVFC debut … QB DJ Williams was OVC Freshman of the Year in 2021 and injured in game one of 2022 … he has thrown 4 TDs against no interceptions through four games … junior RB Cortezz Jones averages 6.6 ypc and leads a ground game averaging 155 yards a game … OL Jacob Frye and WR Taylor Shields were preseason all-MVFC honorable mention picks … safety Zayteak McGhee has two of the Racers’ five INTs … Murray State has four sacks and has allowed four sacks … freshman punter Orion Phillips is a weapon
Quick Hits
-Saturday will be the 106th Dakota Days (homecoming) football game
-The Coyotes are 67-33-5 (.662) all-time on Dakota Days and have won 17 of their last 21
–Bob Nielson is 6-0 on Dakota Days
-Murray State is USD’s 15th different Dakota Days opponent in the last 17 years
–Carter Bell (Off.) and Dennis Shorter (Def.) are the reigning Valley Players of the Week
-Bell, Jack Martens and JJ Galbreath have combined for 42 of USD’s 48 receptions
-USD is back in the national rankings for the first time since the end of the 2021 season
-USD has scored on nine of 11 possessions over the past two games (9 TDs, 1 FGs)
-CB Myles Harden has forced eight turnovers in 10 games dating back to last season
-The Coyotes have outscored teams 59-6 in two games inside the DakotaDome this year
The Notes
South Dakota hosts conference newcomer Murray State Saturday in what will be the Racers’ first road game as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Murray State topped Indiana State 30-28 at home last week and is 2-0 against FCS opponents this season. Both of those games have been at home. Murray State’s two losses are 56-0 at Louisville and 35-14 at Middle Tennessee State.
Saturday marks the 106th Dakota Days football game. The first took place in 1914 against Yankton. Murray State will be the Coyotes’ 15th different Dakota Days opponent in the last 17 seasons. South Dakota is 6-0 on homecoming under Bob Nielson.
Dakota Days Facts:
-USD is 67-33-5 on Dakota Days (31-12 inside the DakotaDome)
-The most points USD has scored in a homecoming game is 60 (60-7 vs. Morningside in 1973)
-The highest scoring Dakota Days was in 1968 when South Dakota defeated South Dakota State
-The last overtime game came in 2009 (L, 23-24 vs. UC Davis)
-The 2019 contest was the first shutout in the series since 2004
It was Dakota Days 2022 that Aidan Bouman made his collegiate debut. He entered last year’s homecoming game against then-No. 14 Southern Illinois trailing 21-7 with 2:43 left in the second quarter. Bouman marched the offense 43 yards to setup a field goal before the first-half horn that made it 21-10, then capped the opening drive of the second half with a touchdown toss to Wesley Eliodor that made it 21-17.
Shomari Lawrence tied the game at 24-24 with a 29-yard run early in the fourth quarter and USD got a game-winning, 44-yard field goal from Eddie Ogamba with 2:31 left. Bouman went on to start the final four games of the 2022 campaign. He is making his ninth collegiate start Saturday.
The 2022 result is one of a number of exciting finishes on Dakota Days during Bob Nielson‘s tenure. Linebacker Alex Coker stopped No. 24 Missouri State on a fourth down play from the 1-yard line with two minutes left to perserve a 35-28 win in 2018. Chris Streveler passed for 360 yards and Ryan Weese made a 29-yard field goal with seven seconds left to lift USD to a 31-28 win against No. 3 Youngstown State in 2017. The Coyote defense stopped two fourth-quarter drives in 2016 en route to a 28-25 win against No. 11 Northern Iowa in Nielson’s first Dakota Days contest.
The box scores of South Dakota’s last two games are crazy. The Coyotes scored touchdowns on five of six possessions in their 35-6 win against Lamar, but the score was 7-6 at halftime. USD had two offensive possessions in the first half and had nine pass attempts all game. Instead, Nate Thomas ran for 164 yards and Travis Theis added 120. They combined for four rushing scores. USD totaled 48 offensive plays and averaged 8.4 yards per play.
USD ran just 38 plays last week for a 7.1-yard average in its win at North Dakota State and had five offensive possessions. The Coyotes reached the end zone the first three times they had it, which meant eight consecutive touchdown drives dating back to the Lamar game. The Coyotes had two possessions in the second half – a 3-and-out and an 8-minute drive that netted a field goal.
South Dakota has run more than 100 offensive plays in a game four times under Bob Nielson. The Coyotes have run 86 offensive plays in their last two games. Only one FCS team nationally has run fewer plays than South Dakota through four games. USD ranks 43rd nationally in yards per play (5.7 ypp).
South Dakota is 2-0 at home this season. The Coyotes have outscored those two foes 59-6, sacked them 11 times and limited them to 440 yards of total offense.
South Dakota and South Dakota State are the only FCS programs with more than one win against North Dakota State since the start of the Bison’s first of nine championship seasons in 2011. The Coyotes have defeated at least one ranked opponent every year since 2013.
New offensive coordinator Josh Davis won a national title with rival South Dakota State last season. Davis was a standout wide receiver at SDSU. He served as offensive coordinator at Northwestern College (NAIA) for six seasons. After going 3-7 in year one, the Red Raiders were a combined 51-10 with five straight playoff appearances. Davis returned to SDSU last season and Northwestern won the 2022 NAIA national title.
Davis is one of six new coaches on Bob Nielson‘s staff. Others include Jeff Nady (OL at Nevada last year), Craig Bagnell (head coach at Mary), Tim Morrison (off. coord. at Upper Iowa), Rob Snyder (former LSU Tiger) and Steve Ferentz (former Iowa Hawkeye who has spent the last three years with the Miami Dolphins). More information on the Coyote coaching staff can be found on page four.
USD’s offensive line has had a new look the last two games. Bryce Henderson, who started the first two games at left guard, moved to right tackle to fill the void left by Caden Ellingson who is rehabbing from an injury. Sam Kohls has made his first two collegiate starts at left guard. Right guard Isaac Erbes is a sixth-year senior and team captain who has started 43 consecutive games. Joey Lombard is a two-year starter at center and left tackle Joe Cotton made his USD debut in the season opener.
South Dakota’s receiving room is anchored by fifth-year junior Carter Bell, a high school quarterback, who has 105 collegiate catches for 1,530 yards and 13 touchdowns. He logged his fourth career 100-yard receiving game last week at NDSU and has caught two touchdowns in a game three times.
Jack Martens has matched Bell’s 17 catches this season and has 211 yards receiving. Fourth-year tight end JJ Galbreath is a returning starter who was South Dakota’s second-leading receiver last year with 286 yards on 22 catches.
The Coyote defense ranks eighth nationally in scoring defense and 20th in total defense. The unit is led by preseason all-American linebackers Stephen Hillis and Brock Mogensen who led the Valley and were among the national leaders in tackles last season. Hillis began his career at Air Force and transferred to USD in 2019 after being diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes. He served mainly on special teams until last year when a week one injury elevated Hillis to the starting lineup. Hillis went on to earn first-team all-MVFC honors while leading USD in tackles-for-loss (8.0) and sacks (4.0). Mogensen is a two-time all-Valley linebacker (2021 spring season and 2022 fall season) with 317 career tackles, seventh-most in program history.
Hillis and Mogensen have received support at all levels through four games. Brendan Webb and Nick Gaes on the front lines have combined for 8.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles-for-loss. Micah Roane has added two sacks and 19 tackles. Safety Dennis Shorter leads the team with 34 tackles. Cornerback Myles Harden has forced two turnovers and is the team’s fifth-leading tackler.
Defensive coordinator Travis Johansen moved Webb from defensive end to rush backer, a hybrid position in Johansen’s scheme that routinely leads the unit in sacks and tackles-for-loss. Webb is a three-year starter who has compiled 11.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles-for-loss in 40 collegiate games. His 3.5 sacks against Lamar are the most by a Coyote at the Division I level.
South Dakota has boasted strong specialists throughout Nielson’s tenure. This year’s unit features all new starters. Punter Tyler Ebel is a redshirt freshman, kicker Zeke Mata is a recent arrival from LSU who is handling kickoff duties and long snapper Caden Pellizzer is a new arrival from Northern Michigan. Will Leyland, a fourth-year sophomore, is 3-for-3 on field goals and 11-for-11 in extra points. Mata took the last extra point in USD’s win against Lamar.
South Dakota is in the midst of four home games out of five, though this week is the one away game. This is the longest such streak since 2011.
South Dakota’s helmets will have stickers with a green ribbon this week as part of Student-Athlete Mental Health Week.