Analysis: Keys to Coyotes' defensive success this season

Nov. 17—VERMILLION — Much of the University of South Dakota's football success this season is derived from the performance of its defense.

The Coyotes are ranked fifth in the FCS in scoring defense, allowing just 15.5 points per game. They're allowing 4.0 yards per rush, a near one-yard improvement from last season, and 181.4 passing yards per game, a 39-yard improvement from last year.

"That's a group that's playing together really well," head coach Bob Nielson said. "All three levels. We're getting plays out of our front when we need them, and the secondary when we need them. The linebacker core has been very consistent for us which we expected them to be. They're playing with a great deal of confidence."

Here's a glance at how USD has been able to perform at such a high level.

The Coyotes' defensive staff would argue this season isn't a 180-degree turn from last year but rather a steady improvement from a respectable defensive effort last season that was skewed by a 68-14 loss to Northern Iowa in the season finale.

And nearly everyone that was there last year, is back.

"There's a lot of continuity right now in our group," defensive coordinator Travis Johansen said. "... And even last year, there were a lot of bright spots from a defensive standpoint we felt like we could build on. We never felt like we had to go overhaul the people that we had, we just had to continue to work and develop, and from a team perspective, get everything in position to where we can be successful as a team."

In an era of college football fraught with transfers and coaching changes, USD's defense has had similar staff and personnel in recent seasons.

Johansen has been the defensive coordinator since the 2019 season. Passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Miles Taylor joined the staff from Iowa in 2020. Inside linebackers coach and Wisconsin alum Elijah Hodge came aboard in the spring of 2022. Iowa alum Steve Ferentz joined the staff as linebackers coach in 2022.

On the field, of the 11 first-stringers on the active depth chart, 10 of them were starters a season ago, and six had at least two years of starting experience. Leading the group in experience is defensive back Myles Harden, who is in his fourth year of starting, and linebacker Brock Mogensen, who is a fifth-year starter, and has been a part of the program since 2018.

There's a deep familiarity in the defensive scheme, and multiple leaders capable of setting the standard.

"It's awesome having (Mogensen) directing the defense, making all the calls, checks, all that kind of stuff," linebacker Stephen Hillis said. "And then just on the D-line, Nick Gaes has been playing a lot of years, Micah Roane's played a lot of years, Brendan Webb's played a lot of years, and they've done a lot of really great things for our defense."

To score on the Coyotes this season has often required putting together long, sustained drives. Because against USD's defense, explosive plays — run plays of 12 or more yards, and passing plays of 15 or more yards — are hard to come by.

Against Southern Illinois, USD allowed six explosive plays, the furthest coming on a 25-yard pass. Against North Dakota, the Coyotes contained the Fighting Hawks to just two explosive plays, the furthest coming on a 19-yard rush.

When things have gone array for the defense, it's often been due to a failure to prevent these plays. Against Youngstown State, for example, the Coyotes allowed nine explosive plays, including two passes for 65 and 66 yards, and the Penguins scored 31 points.

"It's the main thing for us," Johansen said. "We believe limiting explosives in games is our formula for winning. We play defense that way and we want to make teams earn it. And sometimes that does come with patience and sustained drives. But, we feel like if we can limit those explosives, the odds are certainly in our favor to win the game."

The formula to prevent explosive plays is rooted in a cliche that can be heard from any USD defensive player who is asked about the team's success: "Do your one-eleventh." Each player is hyper-focused on fulfilling their own assignment, and the result is a disciplined group that doesn't blow their coverage, or miss tackles.

"I think our focus here on fundamentals first allows us to play pretty good football," Johansen said. "We get off blocks and tackle at a high level, alongside the preparation and scheme. And we've developed the program to a point where we feel like we can compete on the national level."

USD is 10th nationally in red zone defense, holding opponents to 14 touchdowns on a combined 30 trips inside the Coyote 20-yard line. Stopping teams in the red zone is one of the team's primary focuses.

In preparation for Western Illinois, for example, Johansen anticipated the team would spend "about 40 plays" in practice learning to defend the Leathernecks' red zone plays.

"We put a lot of time and attention into making sure we understand what our opponent is trying to accomplish in the red zone and what we need to do to defend it," Johansen said. "Those are such crucial plays, though we would prefer not to play down there and just leave teams out of the red zone completely."

The effort has paid out in a big way for the Coyotes this season. In its win over North Dakota State to open Missouri Valley Football Conference play, South Dakota held the Bison to field goals on two of its drives into the red zone, proving the difference in a 24-19 win.

Against Southern Illinois, USD needed a goal-line stand to prevent overtime, with the Salukis at first-and-goal from the 5-yard line in the waning seconds. They stood tall for four straight plays and forced an interception on fourth-and-goal to win the game.

USD will look to continue its defensive success in the regular season finale against Western Illinois at 2 p.m. Saturday in Macomb, Illinois, but is hopeful the improvement on that side of the ball can carry them further into the FCS playoffs.