Who has the edge in USD's conference opener against No. 2 North Dakota State
South Dakota will face perhaps their biggest challenge of the season this weekend when they travel to Fargo, North Dakota to take on North Dakota State in their conference opener.
Coyotes coach Bob Nielson said as much in his weekly media availability.
“We understand that they’re going to test us differently,” Nielson said of the challenge in facing the No. 2 team in the country on the road. “We’re going to have to play really well defensively … One of the big things to beat a team like this is you have to play really complimentary football and that goes back to finding a way to possess the football yourself, put points on the board and all the things that go with that.”
Nielson said one of the biggest challenges will be fending off the booming Fargodome crowd and keeping control of possession.
The Bison are 3-0 entering Saturday’s matchup while USD is 2-1. The Coyotes played North Dakota State well last season and even held a 17-0 lead at halftime, before falling 34-17.
Nielson said something he’s noticed about this year’s NDSU team is the balance they’ve found in the play of their two quarterbacks.
“Offensively they’ve shown a little bit more explosive play ability,” Nielson said. “They’ve got a better balance between the running game and the passing game. (Both) quarterbacks are playing very well. They’ve always had the ability to use their quarterbacks as runners, but I think now they’ve built a nice complement to that with them throwing the football.”
Here is the tale of the tape between the two sides heading into the conference opener.
USD at No. 2 North Dakota State
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Fargodome
TV/Radio: Midco Sports 2, ESPN+/ Coyotes Sports Network
What’s at stake: At the University of South Dakota’s media day, Nielson said last year’s 3-8 season snowballed after early season losses. In 2022 the Coyotes lost their first three conference games, getting off on the wrong foot again is exactly what’s at stake this year. This year they'll have a softer opening conference schedule, especially compared to last season when they started with losses against ranked North Dakota State and South Dakota State before also losing to Illinois State.
Who’s better: North Dakota State is the more talented team, but the Coyotes played the Bison close last season through the opening two quarters.
Matchup to watch: North Dakota State’s run game against USD’s defense. The Bison possess the number four rushing attack in the country, averaging 278 yards per game. NDSU quarterback Cole Payton is a big part of that as the team's leading rusher.
On the other side, the Coyotes' defense against the run is nothing to scoff at. They boast two preseason All-American linebackers, Brock Mogensen and Stephen Hillis. The pair were the top tacklers in the Valley last season, and lead a defense that is top 25 in the nation defending against the run. As a team, the Coyotes allow only 119 rushing yards per game, but they’ve yet to face an attack as ferocious as North Dakota State.
USD wins if: If Aidan Bouman can make quick, effective passes against the Bisons' pass rush and the Coyotes offense can find a balance between their passing and running game while also holding the North Dakota State run game below their season averages, they’ll have a shot.
Prediction: North Dakota State 42, USD 14.
Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: USD vs NDSU preview: Who has the edge between the Bison and the Coyotes?
