#8 South Dakota

The South Dakota Coyotes will become the tenth team in the MVFC conference this year. The addition of USD into the conference was a hot topic for many MVFC fans. Many fans saw the addition of South Dakota as a problematic travel aspect since it may require (in some seasons) two plane trips to the Dakota region a year. Other fans saw the addition of USD as a dilution, in terms of overall team strength, in the MVFC. Some South Dakota State fans are bitter that the Coyotes have joined them on the same level in D-1; North Dakota State fans are not threatened. Whatever angle, opinion, or feelings we might have on the addition to South Dakota means nothing. What we can discuss will be the potential strengths the Coyotes will bring to the table.

2010 Coyotes after beating Minnesota (USD Media Guide '11)

South Dakota RB, Marcus Sims (Photo by: David Lias)

The Coyotes have been a traditionally fairly well-to-do program for decades. In Division II, the Coyotes made 4 playoff appearances and won 10 conference titles in a strong D-II NCC. So what have they done in D-1? Their strength of schedule since moving to D-1 has been an issue, mainly consisting of a worn down Grest West Football Conference, a couple D-II schools, and an FBS game each year. South Dakota did not perform as strongly as North Dakota State or South Dakota State in the Great West and it will be interesting to see how they handle the heavy strength of the Missouri Valley Conference. With the exception of a victory on the road against Minnesota in 2010, the Coyotes have struggled to be a threat on the road since joining D-1. That certainly must be turned around before the Coyotes can think about contending for the Valley crown and a trip to the playoffs. South Dakota has recently hired new head coach, Joe Glenn, to take over the reigns after releasing coach Ed Meierkort. Glenn has an 8-2 playoff record in the FCS and will look to rejuvenate the Coyotes.

In 2012, South Dakota will look toward some young talent to carry the Coyotes through the first season in the MVFC. Sophomore QB, Josh Vander Maten is expected to take the reigns and provide efficiency for the Yotes. Last year as a backup to star Dante Warren, he managed the game very well during his limited time on the field. He connected on 22 of 38 pass attempts for slightly over 200 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs.

At RB, Marcus Sims will lead the offense as a lone senior in the backfield. Sims ran for 678 yards last season and scored four times. He split time with Chris Ganious at RB and QB Dante Warren effected the Coyote run game last year as well. Warren ran for 415 yards 9 TDs, and had the most running attempts by any other Coyote last year. If the Coyotes can recreate Warren's production then the Coyotes could be an offensive threat in 2012.

On defense, South Dakota returns a tremendous athlete Tyler Starr who had 14 sacks and 7 forced fumbles last year at linebacker. Starr will look to step into a leadership position as a junior and will continue to impact the game defensively for the Coyotes. South Dakota lost their top three tacklers from last season. Look for LB Darius Hogans and DB Aaron Swift (no relation to Taylor) to accompany Starr as this years leading defensive starters.

South Dakota's schedule will be much more difficult than what fans have seen in the past. The non-conference schedule is highlighted by a September 22nd date with Big Ten foe, Northwestern. I see South Dakota coming out of the non-conference slate sitting at 1-2 with their win coming against Colgate.

They open up the conference with two home dates against Illinois State and Western Illinois. Illinois State handled USD last year; they allowed the Coyote offense only 108 yards as ISU beat USD 28-3 in Normal.

The games I see USD having the best chances of winning are Western Illinois, Missouri State, and South Dakota State. The last game of the season against South Dakota State will be a barnburner. As the rivalry is renewed, USD will be bringing everything they have; no rivalry game is a guaranteed win. At the end of the season, I expect USD's final record to be somewhere between 2-9 and 4-7.