VERMILLION, S.D. — The No. 5-ranked University of South Dakota football team (7-2, 5-1 MVFC) heads north to Grand Forks, North Dakota for the final road trip of the regular season to battle the Fighting Hawks of the University of North Dakota (5-5, 2-4 MVFC) on ESPN+ and Midco Sports.
| Game 11 | No. 5/5 South Dakota (7-2, 5-1 MVFC) at (RV) North Dakota (5-4, 2-4 MVFC) | |
| Date | Time | Saturday, November 16 | 12:00 PM (CT) |
| Location | Grand Forks, N.D. | Alerus Center (12,283) |
| Fan Information | Tickets | Fan Information & Parking |
| Television | ESPN+ / Midco Sports Plus – Jody Norstedt (PxP) & Ryan Kasowski (Analyst) |
| Radio | Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver) [KVHT 106.3 FM] |
| Live Stats | (North Dakota): SIDEARM | StatBroadcast |
| Game Notes | South Dakota | North Dakota | MVFC |
| Social Media | @SDCoyotesFB  | #GoYotes x #WeAreSouthDakota | @sdcoyotesfb  | Facebook  |
GAME STORYLINES
- South Dakota has scored 40+ points in all five home games this season.
- The Yotes remain No. 5 in both polls (AFCA Coaches’ & STATS Perform) entering Week 11 after the shutout win against Indiana State.
- The Coyotes become the first Valley team to post two or more MVFC shutouts in the same season since NDSU did so in 2013.
- USD has had 56 chunk plays of 20 or more yards this season with 24 leading to touchdowns.
- The Coyote defense now leads the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 11.1 points per game.
- Furthermore, the passing defense is the best in the Valley, sitting at just 176.4 yards per game.
- The Coyote rushing attack sits sixth in the FCS (225.1 yards per game).
- HC Bob Nielson has coached in 95 career games at South Dakota, sitting at 49 career wins at USD.
- Three more wins for Nielson will put him fourth all-time in program history for games won at USD.
MVFC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Following a career-best 4.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks, sophomore Mi’Quise Grace picks up MVFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
- He also forced a fumble on a strip sack and recorded three quarterback hurries.
- He led the charge on a dominant USD defensive line that helped hold Indiana State to (-5) rushing yards and just 129 yards of total offense.
- Additionally, it’s the second shutout the Yotes have pitched this season.
YOTES TO NOTE
- Aidan Bouman has thrown for at least 200 passing yards and one touchdown in the six games this season.
- Quaron Adams has been a spark in the wide receivers group, averaging an MVFC-best 31.9 yards per catch.
- The rushing attack of Charles Pierre Jr. (96.9) and Travis Theis (81.3) sit No. 1 and No. 4, respectively, in the Valley in rushing yards per game.
- Gary Bryant III leads the defense with his 68.0 tackles per game.
- Dennis Shorter has a team-best two interceptions and is tied for the MVFC lead with his 11 pass break-ups.
- Mi’Quise Grace leads the MVFC in sacks, sitting at 7.5 on the season. Nick Gaes sits right behind him at No. 2 in the Valley at 7.0 sacks.
DOMINANT RUSHING GAME
- The run game continues to be a huge part of the Coyote offense, 225.1 rushing yards a game.
- It sits second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, being one of 15 FCS teams to average 200+ yards on the ground per game.
- The backfield of Theis & Pierre Jr. have combined for seven 100-yard rushing games (both did so against SIU).
- Charles Pierre Jr. is the lone Coyote to have a 150-yard rushing game (career-high 165 yards against Indiana State on Nov. 9, plus 153 yards in the win at Youngstown State, Oct. 19).
- He leads the MVFC with his 14 rushing scores on the season, a mark that sits fifth in the FCS.
STOUT DEFENSE
- The Yotes have made a name for themselves with a strong defensive unit so far this season.
- South Dakota has six interceptions as a team with five different Yotes having one.
- Dennis Shorter now leads the MVFC with his 11 pass break-ups this season, averaging 1.22 per game.
- LB Gary Bryant III leads the defense with his 68 tackles this season.
GETTING PRESSURE ON THE QUARTERBACK
- South Dakota sits T3rd in the MVFC in total sacks with 23 on the season.
- Mi’Quise Grace leads the MVFC with his 7.5 sacks on the season.
- Nick Gaes sits second in the Valley with his 7.0 sacks this season.
- The duo combines for 14.5 of the 23 sacks for the Yotes.
INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES & MILESTONES
- Charles Pierre Jr. cracked the program’s top-10 single season rushing touchdown list with his two scores at Youngstown State, sitting at No. 6 (tie) with his 14 rushing scores.
- He also looks to become the first Yote in the FCS era to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He sits with 872 net yards heading to Brookings.
- Keyondray Jones-Logan is one of two FCS athletes to return two kickoffs back for touchdowns this season.
- Aidan Bouman became the sixth Coyote to record 5,000 passing yards in the win against Indiana State (Nov. 9).
- Against Southern Illinois (Sept. 28), he became the ninth Coyote to eclipse 4,000 career passing yards.
- Travis Theis now sits third in program history with his 31 rushing touchdowns. He needs eight more to break the all-time program record.
- Theis eclipsed the 3,000-career rushing yard mark in the Dakota Days win over UNI.
- Carter Bell set the new program record in career receptions with his five in the SDSU game (167 & counting) and the receiving yards record in the Indiana State game.
MISC. NOTES
- DEFENDING THE DOME: Since the 2021 season, South Dakota is 18-6 inside the DakotaDome.
- USD has now won six-straight regular season games inside the DakotaDome, dating back to last season.
- The Coyotes are 13-12 in ranked vs. ranked games and 4-7 in those games on the road.
- South Dakota has put up 400+ yards of offense in the last five of the last six games.
- USD is 6-0 when leading at the half and 4-1 when they score first.
- The Yotes are 1-0 outside of the Central Time Zone this season, though having two games scheduled outside the home time zone.
INSIDE THE NORTH DAKOTA SERIES
- The Coyotes and Fighting Hawks meet for the 102nd time on Saturday in Grand Forks.
- North Dakota has won the last 15 meetings inside Alerus Center, dating back to 1987. USD’s last win there was 1985.
- This will be the first meeting in the Division I FCS era that the two teams meet with just South Dakota ranked inside the top-25.
NORTH DAKOTA QUICK HITS
- UND enters the second-to-last game of the regular season with a 5-5 overall record and a 2-4 mark in Valley play.
- The Fighting Hawks have dropped their last three contests, including a pair of games to teams South Dakota has defeated (Youngtown State, Indiana State).
- North Dakota is 5-1 in front of the home crowd, compared to 0-4 in road games.
- UND has a top-20 nationally ranked rushing offense at 196.9 yards per game. They’re led by running back Isaiah Smith who has 649 yards and sits fifth in the MVFC at 7.5 yards per carry.