Vermillion, South Dakota — USD is coming off a pair of tough losses after earning a top-25 ranking.
The Coyotes outgained MSU 440-324, but gave up a special teams touchdown and a pick-six, and YSU out-rushed the Coyotes 303-12 in last week’s outing.
NDSU lost for the first time in 40 games and the FCS world stopped for a second. The Bison have won all three games since including a 34-13 thrashing of in-state rival North Dakota last week and the globe started spinning again. QB Trey Lance left the team to prepare for the NFL draft and the Bison have played both Zeb Nolan and Cam Miller in his place, and those two have combined for 128 yards passing per game with four touchdowns in five games. Regardless of the QB, running the football and stopping the run remain staples for the Bison program. Four different backs have accumulated between 200-300 yards , and 12 different defenders have combined for 14 sacks.
South Dakota, which has played three of four on the road to start the season, returns home to host North Dakota State this week inside the DakotaDome. The Coyotes won’t have to leave the state of South Dakota the rest of the spring slate. In addition to being home in three of their final four games, the Coyotes’ lone remaining road trip is to South Dakota State.
North Dakota State represents the fourth top-10 team the Coyotes will have faced dating back to South Dakota’s 24-21 upset of South Dakota State at the end of the 2019 campaign. South Dakota has won two of its last three games against top-10 teams with the week two loss at North Dakota the lone exception.
South Dakota is one of just four teams that have beaten North Dakota State since 2015.
Turnovers have been the great equalizer for South Dakota in its recent string of top-10 victories. The Coyotes forced four turnovers when they beat South Dakota State 24-21 to end 2019. They forced seven turnovers in knocking off Illinois State 27-20 in their season opener this season.
