Full Game Notes (.pdf) | NDSU Notes (.pdf)
The basics
South Dakota (1-2, 0-0 MVFC) vs #1/1 North Dakota State (2-1, 0-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Sept 24 at 1pm (CDT)
Vermilion, SD | Dakota Dome (9,100)
TV: Midco Sports (Jay Elsen, Andre Fields, David Brown)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Carter Woodiel)
Watch online: Midco Sports Plus | ESPN+ (subscription required)
Series: NDSU leads 56-26-2…won last five and 24 of 26 from 1987
About the coyotes: South Dakota used a career play by QB Carson camp to pass Cal Poly 38-21 for its first win last week… Camp passed 355 yards and three points and added a 75-yard TD run… sparking a session that totaled seven points over two games USD scored touchdowns on his first three possessions and got enough stops from defense to earn the win…RB Travis Theis is the 4th biggest rusher in the valley… LB Stephen Hillis has emerged as the USD’s premier tackler…CB Myles Harden netted all four defense-forced turnovers (2 FF, 2 INTs)…TE JJ Galbreath comes from a 6-catch, 87-yard effort…specialists John Bickel (P) and Eddie Ogamba (K) are new to the starting XI
About the bison: NDSU has won nine of the last 11 FCS championships … the Bisons’ most recent being a 38-10 win over Montana State last January … NDSU didn’t take much effort to get past Drake and North Carolina A&T at home in week one and two, but Arizona, an underdog at home, was up to the task…the Bison haven’t lost straight games since 2009…RB Hunter Luepke carried seven times in total through the first two wins…he ran 18 times for 115 yards and two TDs and also caught a touchdown against Arizona… QB Cam Miller passed for 219 yards against USD last year
Fast hits
-USD and NDSU met in Fargo last season in the final game of the Valley schedule
-USD is playing its MVFC opener at home for only the second time under Nielson (7 years old).
– The Coyotes had a string of four consecutive conference opening wins last year at Missouri State
-Tackle links Alex Jensen is the reigning MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week
-QB Carson camp eighth on the Coyotes’ all-time pass list (3,832 yards). RB coach Dane Warren is seventh (4,361).
-LB Brock Magensen (203 tackles) surpassed 200 career tackles during last week’s game
-USD forced four turnovers and CB Myles Harden is responsible for them all
– South Dakota’s last win of the series was a 24-21 win at the Fargodome in 2015
-The Coyotes face the toughest FCS schedule in the nation this season
The notes
The state of North Dakota returns to the DakotaDome for the first time since 2018 and only the fourth time since a wild four-overtime win in South Dakota in 2002. This MVFC opener game is a repeat of last season’s Valley Closer — a 52-24 NDSU win in Fargo. The Bison took a 28-0 lead and overtook the Coyotes 522-293.
None of the expected running backs played a role at last year’s meeting in Fargo. South Dakota Travis Theis only needed a handover before leaving the game with an injury. In three games, he’s the fourth-best rusher in the Valley. Hunter Luepke from North Dakota did not play at all last year due to an injury. He is an all-American defenseman eligible for this season’s Walter Payton Award.
Defending the NDSU’s ground game is always the key. When South Dakota defeated Carson Wentz and the Bison in 2015, the Coyotes limited NDSU to 125 yards rushing and 320 yards overall. In the five matchups since then, the Bison have averaged 363 yards on the ground alone and 590 total yards. They’ve averaged no fewer than 6.4 yards per carry in their last five wins against South Dakota.
Keep rides and earn points against the NDSU defense is the other side of the coin. Arizona managed to do both as it posted a 31-28 excitement against the Bison last week. The Wildcats scored on five of their 10 possessions and ran out 2:48 in the Finals. South Dakota scored three second-half touchdowns against NDSU in last year’s meeting after scoring 14 points in each of their previous three games against Bison.
South Dakota’s offense got rolling last week with the win over Cal Poly in the Coyotes’ home opener. quarterback Carson camp Passed for a career-high 355 yards in just 21 passes and had a 75-yard touchdown streak on the third play. He was named the College Football Performance Award’s National Performer of the Week, an honor he shared with Delaware quarterback Nolan Henderson. Camp completed 21 of 27 passes for 196 yards with two touchdowns against an interception last year against NDSU.
South Dakota has beat a ranked team every year since 2013. The Coyotes beat three ranked teams in North Dakota, UNI and South Dakota State a year ago.
head coach Bob Nielsen announced last week that he has Takeover of playcalling tasks for the Coyote offense. USD scored a touchdown and a field goal attempt on 27 possessions against elite units from Kansas State and Montana. Twelve of those possessions were 3-and-out. South Dakota scored with two 3-and-outs on six of 12 possessions against Cal Poly last week.
Carson camp recorded his first 300-yard passing play since the COVID-shortened spring season in 2021. He basically hit his first 18 passes against Cal Poly with a dropped pass being the lone exception. A pass knocked down at the line with 10 minutes left was his first not to hit his receiver.
The camp has struck 13 different recipients through three games. Close end JJ Galbreathwho has earned extended snaps with an injury Austin Goehring, is coming from career highs of six catches for 87 yards. Galbreath leads the team with 10 catches for 150 yards. Wesley Elodor, who caught nine passes last season, has seven catches for 124 yards and a score this season. He caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Camp in the first quarter of last week’s win.
One connection yet to get going this season is Camp to Carter bell, the Coyotes’ leading receiver last year with 41 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns. Bell caught two passes for 18 yards in the season opener against Kansas State. He was targeted six times against Montana and once against Cal Poly last week but was pinned without a catch. Bell entered the Montana game after catching a pass in 17 straight games.
Camp entered the The Coyotes’ Eternal Passing List. He ranked just outside the top 10 last week but overtook Tom Engelman, Kevin Earl and Mark Jenkins to move up to eighth place with 3,832 yards. Only seven quarterbacks in program history have rushed for 4,000 yards. Current assistant coach Dane Warren is seventh on the all-time list with 4,361 yards. Jason Seurer is sixth with 4,759 yards.
South Dakota returns four of five starters to his offensive line, but those four have yet to be on the field at the same time this season. Preseason All American Alex Jensen missed the season opener but returned against Montana. launch center Joey Lombard was injured in the second half at Kansas State and has yet to return.
Injuries have also affected Coyote’s defense. Start Linebacker Jakari Star was injured in the season opener and has not returned. corner back Da’ Raun McKinney couldn’t face Cal Poly last week. Lead tackler Stephen Hillis was injured in the second quarter last week and did not return. All-American preseason linebacker Brock Magensen played in a cast last week after injuring his hand against Montana.
Alongside Hillis, cornerback has been a shining star on the Coyote defense this season Myles Harden, who has returned after breaking a leg midway through last season. No one in the nation has forced more fumbling than his three, and two of those were recovered by the Coyotes. Only five players in the nation have more interceptions than Harden’s two. Harden had a career-high nine tackles against Cal Poly and is USD’s third-leading tackler with 22 stops, including 4.0 for the loss.
newbie Michael Scott, an Akron graduate, has distinguished himself from his rush linebacker position. He got his team-leading third sack of the year against Cal Poly last week and is ranked 14th nationally in that category. Scott is the USD’s fourth-best tackler with 20 stops.
security Josh Manchigiah has more experience than anyone else. He has played in more than 50 games at South Dakota State for the past five seasons. He started in the first two games of the season and recovered from a fumble that ended Cal Poly’s first drive in the home opener last week.
veterans De Valon Whitcomb and Jackson Cocker graduated on the defensive line. Young stars Nick Gaes, Brendan Webb and Micah Roane Return. Blake Holden is poised for a bigger role in tackle after playing in five games last year and is redshirt freshmen Earl Miller Jr. and Dominik Caggiano made their collegiate debuts along the line this season.
For the the first time in Bob Nielsenis 30 years of the coaching, a special teams player was elected team captain. This player is an all-American long snapper Dalton Godfrey, doubling as an academic All-American. Godfrey is working with two new Specialists this year and both are seniors. Eddie Ogambawho transferred from Iowa State prior to last season, won the kicking duties. John Bickelwho thrived at Division III Wheaton College last year is the player.
South Dakota was one of 10 FCS teams who returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown last year in the regular season. Wesley Elodor had a 99-yard kickoff return against Missouri State. Carter bell had a 47-yard punt return for a score against North Dakota State. Bell jumped at Cal Poly last week with a 45-yard punt return.
South Dakota has improved to 18-2 in home games since 2003. The Coyotes were, and still are, 4-2 at home last season 155-83 (.651) all-time at the DakotaDomewhich went online in 1979.
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