Lawrence, Kansas — USD opens the football season at Kansas Friday night and is coming off a 1-3 record during its first spring football season that had its final four games cancelled due to COVID-19
Carson Camp became the first true freshman QB to start a season opener in recorded history and finished as the Valley’s second-leading passer at 241 ypg. The defense in coordinator Travis Johansen’s second season produced 11 turnovers in four games, seven of which came in an upset at No. 7 Illinois State in the season opener and specialist Brady Schutt helped lead the nation’s top punt unit.
UW-Whitewater legend Lance Leipold has replaced Les Miles as coach of Kansas, which finished 0-9 in 2020. USD has faced an FBS program every (non-COVID) year since 2010 and has wins against Minnesota (2010) and Bowling Green (2017) in that span.
The 2021 fall football season begins with a trip to Lawrence, Kansas, to face the Kansas Jayhawks. It is a rematch from a game played eight years ago when the Coyotes led 7-0 after one quarter, trailed 14-7 at halftime and lost 31-14. The two teams combined for 503 yards rushing and just 177 yards passing.
South Dakota has faced four other Big 12 (or former Big Eight) programs in its history. The list includes Oklahoma (last meeting in 2019), Kansas State (2018), Nebraska (1964) and Iowa State (1959). South Dakota led Kansas State 24-12 in the fourth quarter of the 2018 meeting before KSU prevailed 27-24.
Future Coyote schedules include trips to Kansas State (season-opener of 2022), Missouri (season-opener of 2023), Wisconsin (2024) and Iowa State (season-opener of 2025).
USD is seeking a return to balance on the offensive side of the ball. South Dakota averaged 31.5 points per game during Nielson’s first four seasons from 2016-19. The short four-game sample in the spring produced 17.8 points per game. The Coyotes have boasted one of the top passing games in the country in recent years, but the running game dropped from 185 yards per game in 2019 to 80 this past spring. Take away 20 sacks and the average rises to 109 yards per game.
South Dakota’s defense held foes to 20.5 points per game this past spring and helped produce the fifth-best turnover margin in the nation. The unit recovered six fumbles, picked off five passes and accumulated seven sacks in just four games. The focus during the offseason includes being better against the run, which allowed teams 219 yards per game last spring, and getting off the field on third down where teams converted at a 50-percent clip. Coach Nielson hinted during media day to more 4-3 looks this fall to aid in run defense when necessary.
Coyote specialists include senior punter Brady Schutt, a preseason all-American in both 2019 and 2020-21 who has performed at an all-American level both seasons. Schutt’s punt unit led the nation in net punting during the spring and ranked seventh in 2019. His averages of 45.1 yards per punt in 2019 and 46.0 yards per punt in 2020-21 were both fourth-best nationally. His career punt average of 42.9 yards per boot is a program record.
South Dakota has lost just two games under Nielson when holding teams to fewer than 27 points. Both of those losses came during the 2021 spring season.
