VERMILLION, S.D. (KELO) — The USD football team is back in Vermillion this week for their annual Dakota Days game. The Coyotes are seeking their fourth straight win, following one of their biggest wins in recent years.
USD is fresh off a huge win in Fargo last weekend. The Coyotes improved to 3-1 following a 24-19 win over #2 NDSU.
“It was a good win. A win that honestly our team deserved. I thought we outplayed them. I thought it was a great first half of football by our football team,” Bob Nielson said. “We showed a lot of character in the second half.”
The Yotes raced out to a 21-3 first half lead, a stark contrast to how the Coyotes started their first three games.
“I think we’re getting more confident. Our guys are doing a good job of executing our plan,” Nielson said. “We created a couple of explosive plays on Saturday, which was really important. It was something we talked about during the week.”
USD continued to involve several pieces of their offense in the game plan, including receivers Carter Bell and Jack Martens. Bell earned weekly honors catching five balls for 124 yards and two scores.
“They both have the ability to separate from the defense and they’re both good with the ball in their hands, as Carter showed Saturday,” Nielson said. “We’ve got to keep finding ways to involve them offensively.”
South Dakota has now won three straight games and their hope is that some home cooking can continue that success, first with Murray State this week and Youngstown State on October 14.
“To be in the thick of things from a league standpoint, you’ve got to be great at home and win. You’ve got to find ways to win on the road and we found a way to win on the road last week,” Nielson said. “Now we get to come back home and we’ve got to take care of business, keep improving and play well this week at home.”
The Coyotes will host Murray State Saturday. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. in the Dakota Dome.
