2024 South Dakota Coyotes football team

2024 South Dakota Coyotes football
2024 South Dakota Coyotes football
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 5
FCS Coaches	No. 5
Record	7–2 (5–0 MVFC)
Head coach	Bob Nielson (9th season);
Offensive coordinator	Josh Davis (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Travis Johansen (6th season)
Home stadium	DakotaDome
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 North Dakota State	6	–	0	9	–	1
Missouri State*	6	–	0	8	–	2
No. 3 South Dakota State	5	–	1	8	–	2
No. 5 South Dakota	5	–	1	7	–	2
No. 18 Illinois State	4	–	2	7	–	3
Indiana State	3	–	3	4	–	6
No. 21 North Dakota	2	–	4	5	–	5
Youngstown State	2	–	5	3	–	8
Southern Illinois	1	–	5	3	–	7
Northern Iowa	0	–	6	2	–	8
Murray State	0	–	7	1	–	9
* Missouri State ineligible for 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant As of November 10, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 South Dakota Coyotes football team will represent the University of South Dakota in the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Coyotes will be led by ninth-year head coach Bob Nielson and will compete as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). They will play home games at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	7:00 p.m.	Northern State*	No. 5	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 45–3	7,435
September 7	2:30 p.m.	at Wisconsin*	No. 6	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	FS1	L 13–27	76,069
September 14	3:00 p.m.	at Portland State*	No. 6	Hillsboro Stadium Portland, OR	ESPN+	Canceled^[1]
September 21	1:00 p.m.	Drake*	No. 6	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 42–3	6,529
September 28	1:00 p.m.	No. 17 Southern Illinois	No. 5	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 42–13	6,706
October 5	2:00 p.m.	at Murray State	No. 4	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	ESPN+	W 59–0	6,437
October 12	2:00 p.m.	Northern Iowa	No. 4	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 42–17	8,934
October 19	5:00 p.m.	at Youngstown State	No. 4	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	W 27–17	8,560
October 26	6:30 p.m.	at No. 3 South Dakota State	No. 4	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (rivalry)	ESPNU	L 17–20 ^OT	19,351
November 9	1:00 p.m.	Indiana State	No. 5	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 49–0
November 16	12:00 p.m.	at North Dakota		Alerus Center Grand Forks, ND (Sitting Bull Trophy)	ESPN+
November 23	1:00 p.m.	North Dakota State		DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[2]

Game summaries

Northern State (DII)

Game One – Northern State Wolves (DII) (0–0) vs South Dakota Coyotes (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northern State (DII)	0	0	0	0	0
No. 5 South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Thursday August 29, 2024
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: None (played indoors)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	NSU	USD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Wisconsin (FBS)

Game Two – No. 6 South Dakota Coyotes (1–0) at Wisconsin Badgers (FBS) (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 South Dakota	0	3	10	0	13
Wisconsin (FBS)	14	3	3	7	27

at Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI

Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
Game time: 2:30 PM CST
Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C); Wind: N 9 mph
Game attendance: 76,069
Referee: David Siegle
TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

WIS – Chez Mellusi 9-yard run (Nathanial Vakos kick), 12:03 Wisconsin 7–0 Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:52.
WIS – CJ Williams 50-yard pass from Tyler Van Dyke (Nathanial Vakos kick), 4:48 Wisconsin 14–0 Drive: 3 plays, 58 yards, 1:23.

Second quarter

SD – Will Leyland 25-yard field goal, 7:14. Wisconsin 14–3. Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 5:48.
WIS – Nathanial Vakos 24-yard field goal, 0:07. Wisconsin 17–3. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 6:56.

Third quarter

SD – Keyondray Jones-Logan 35-yard run (Will Leyland kick), 12:38 Wisconsin 17–10 Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:22.
SD – Will Leyland 32-yard field goal, 5:06. Wisconsin 17–13. Drive: 5 plays, -7 yards, 1:44.
WIS – Nathanial Vakos 50-yard field goal, 2:21. Wisconsin 20–13. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:34.

Fourth quarter

WIS – Chez Mellusi 1-yard run (Nathanial Vakos kick), 7:41 Wisconsin 27–13 Drive: 11 plays, 85 yards, 4:51.

Statistics	USD	WIS
First downs	13	23
Total yards	237	385
Rushing yards	123	171
Passing yards	114	214
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12–23–0	17–27–0
Time of possession	27:31	32:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	12/23, 114 yards
	Rushing	Charles Pierre Jr.	12 carries, 83 yards
	Receiving	Travis Theis	4 receptions, 43 yards
Wisconsin	Passing	Tyler Van Dyke	17/27, 214 yards, TD
	Rushing	Chez Mellusi	16 carries, 60 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	CJ Williams	2 receptions, 53 yards, TD

at Portland State

Game Three – No. 6 South Dakota Coyotes (1–1) at Portland State Vikings (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0
Portland State	0	0	0	0	0

at Hillsboro Stadium • Hillsboro, OR

Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
Game time: 3:00 PM CST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	USD	PSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Portland State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Drake

Game Four – Drake Bulldogs (1–0) at No. 6 South Dakota Coyotes (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Drake	0	3	0	0	3
No. 6 South Dakota	14	14	7	7	42

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
Game time: 1:00 PM CST
Game weather: None (played indoors)
Game attendance: 6,529
Referee: Jason Perkins
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Elsen (play-by-play) and Andre Fields (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

14:47 USD – Keyondray Jones-Logan 99-yard kickoff return (Will Leyland kick) (USD 7–0)
3:51 USD – Travis Theis 25-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:39; USD 14–0)

Second quarter

12:17 Drake – Shane Dunning 23-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 1:05; USD 14–3)
8:44 USD – Carter Bell 6-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:33; USD 21–3)
3:14 USD – Charles Pierre, Jr. 1-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:53; USD 28–3)

Third quarter

3:14 USD – Travis Theis Jr. 4-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 3:01; USD 35–3)

Fourth quarter

3:14 USD – Charles Pierre, Jr. 20-yard pass from Aidan Bouman (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:01; USD 42–3)

Statistics	DU	USD
First downs	18	25
Total yards	211	411
Rushing yards	93	192
Passing yards	118	219
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	18–33–1	18–26–1
Time of possession	32:17	27:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	16/29, 107 yards, INT
	Rushing	Dorian Boyland	8 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Trey Radocha	7 receptions, 56 yards
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	18/24, 219 yards, TD
	Rushing	Travis Theis	9 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Carter Bell	4 receptions, 56 yards

No. 17 Southern Illinois

Game Five – No. 17 Southern Illinois Salukis (2–2) vs No. 5 South Dakota Coyotes (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Salukis	0	0	0	0	0
No. 5 Coyotes	0	0	0	0	0

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: September 28, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: None (played indoors)
Game attendance: 6,706
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SIU	USD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Murray State

Game Six – No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (3–1) vs Murray State Racers (1–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0
Murray State	0	0	0	0	0

at Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY

Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	USD	MURR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Murray State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Northern Iowa

Game Seven – Northern Iowa Panthers (2–3) vs No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (4–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Northern Iowa	0	0	0	0	0
No. 4 South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (played indoors)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNI	USD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Iowa	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Youngstown State

Game Eight – No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (5–1) at Youngstown State Penguins (2–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0
Youngstown State	0	0	0	0	0

at Stambaugh Stadium, Youngstown, OH

Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
Game time: 5:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	USD	YSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Youngstown State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 3 South Dakota State (rivalry)

Game Nine – No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (6–1) at No. 3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (5–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0
No. 3 South Dakota State	0	0	0	0	0

at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD

Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
Game time: 6:30 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPNU): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Fozzy Whittaker (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	USD	SDSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Indiana State

Game Ten – Indiana State Sycamores (4–5) vs No. 5 South Dakota Coyotes (6–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Indiana State	0	0	0	0	0
No. 5 South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (played indoors)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ISU	USD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at North Dakota (rivalry)

Game Eleven – South Dakota Coyotes at North Dakota Fighting Hawks – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0
North Dakota	0	0	0	0	0

at Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND

Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (played indoors)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	USD	UND
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

North Dakota State

Game Twelve – North Dakota State Bison vs South Dakota Coyotes – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
North Dakota State	0	0	0	0	0
South Dakota	0	0	0	0	0

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (played indoors)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	NDSU	USD
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ Carlson, Steve (September 14, 2024). "Contest with Portland State Called Off Due to Illness within Viking Program" (Press release). South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
^ "2024 Football Schedule". goyotes.com. South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved April 3, 2024.

[1] Carlson, Steve (September 14, 2024). "Contest with Portland State Called Off Due to Illness within Viking Program" (Press release). South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved September 14, 2024.

[2] "2024 Football Schedule". goyotes.com. South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved April 3, 2024.

[1]

[2]

v t e South Dakota Coyotes football
Venues	Darwin Inman Memorial Stadium (1926–1978) DakotaDome (1979–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Sitting Bull Trophy (North Dakota) South Dakota State
Culture & lore	"Hail, South Dakota!" Charlie Coyote Dakota Days
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1889 1890–1893 1894 1895–1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024