Vermillion, South Dakota — A pair of teams seeking their first win of the season meet Saturday inside the DakotaDome as South Dakota hosts the Big Sky’s Northern Arizona. The two programs first met in 2013 when then-No. 22 Northern Arizona beat USD 22-16 in Flagstaff. The Coyotes won the rematch the following year, 28-21, in an upset of the 23rd-ranked Lumberjacks behind quarterback Ryan Saeger who ran for 108 yards, passed for 85 and totaled three touchdowns.
South Dakota has faced a Big Sky opponent every (non-COVID) year since joining the Valley in 2012. The Coyotes have a 7-6 record against the Big Sky in that span which has come against six different Big Sky foes.
South Dakota is coming off a 17-14 loss against the Big 12’s Kansas Jayhawks Friday. The Coyotes took a 14-10 lead on a 25-yard touchdown run by Kansas native Travis Theis with 5:13 to go. But Kansas drove 64 yards on 11 plays, survived a 4th-and-10, and scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:10 left.
Kansas quarterback Jason Bean led the Jayhawks in rushing with 54 yards, but the three Kansas running backs totaled 30 yards on 25 carries. Kansas went 3-and-out on its first four possessions and didn’t record a first down until the second quarter.
Conversely, Travis Theis carried 18 times for a career-high 96 yards and a score in his first collegiate start to pace South Dakota. Shomari Lawrence, who carried just twice in four games last spring, had 11 rushes for 59 yards including a 29-yard touchdown run that cut Kansas’ lead to 10-7 in the third quarter. South Dakota out-gained the Jayhawks 165-82 on the ground and 263-245 overall.
The Coyotes debuted a newly remodeled DakotaDome last spring. The $26 million renovation includes two new entrances, a modern concourse and permanent seating on the west side. It also includes a new football locker room and players lounge on the first level, and coaches offices and meeting spaces on the fourth level. Saturday will mark the first game inside the new DakotaDome without fan restrictions on attendance.
