No. 15 South Dakota vs Murray State: Who has the edge?
The Coyotes aren’t satisfied with defeating North Dakota State last weekend, and they’re not satisfied with their new No. 15 ranking either.
“You beat a good team like that, you're going to get some recognition, we understand that,” South Dakota football coach Bob Nielson said at his weekly media availability. “The only way those rankings mean anything is if you keep winning.”
South Dakota will have a great chance to keep moving up the rankings heading into their Oct. 28th meeting with South Dakota State, but they’ll have to take it one game at a time and up next is Murray State.
Here's the tale of the tape between the two teams before they meet for the first time in the DakotaDome.
No. 15 South Dakota (3-1, 1-0) vs Murray State (2-2, 1-0)
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: The DakotaDome, Vermillion, SD
TV/Radio: Midco Sports Plus/ University of South Dakota Varsity Network app
What’s at stake: South Dakota has played themselves into a pretty good spot after last weekend's win over North Dakota State. Now, they’re ranked 15 and have a chance to move up the ranking with each win they get.
What’s at stake for Murray State is their perfect conference record. The Racers won their inaugural game in the conference 30-28 over Indiana State. Murray rode a balanced offensive attack to the win, where the Racers posted 146 passing yards and 112 rushing yards.
Who’s better: South Dakota is better, they’re one of the top teams in the country for a reason. Their defense has been on another level since their loss to Missouri, and their offense is getting better at executing offensive coordinator Josh Davis’s vision every week.
USD has scored on nine of 11 possessions over the past two games.
Meanwhile Murray State isn’t elite at any specific area, but their run game is as close to that as anything else. They rank 49th in the FCS in rushing yards per game, averaging158 per game. Redshirt junior running back Cortezz Jones has led the Racers in rushing over the past two games, averaging 103 yards over that stretch.
Matchup to watch: Murray State’s running game against the Coyotes defense. The Riders 49th ranked rushing attack will be in for a test against the USD defense. The Coyotes allow 137 rushing yards per game which is 39th in the country.
USD wins if: Their defense continues their strong play, and the Coyotes continue improving on offense.
Prediction: South Dakota, 28-14.
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: South Dakota, Murray State: Who has the edge?
