2024 South Dakota Coyotes football team

2024 South Dakota Coyotes football
2024 South Dakota Coyotes football
MVFC co-champion
NCAA Division I Semifinal, L 17–31 at Montana State
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 4
FCS Coaches	No. 3
Record	11–3 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach	Bob Nielson (9th season);
Offensive coordinator	Josh Davis (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Pistol
Defensive coordinator	Travis Johansen (6th season)
Base defense	Multiple
Home stadium	DakotaDome
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 2 South Dakota State +^	7	–	1	12	–	3
No. 3 North Dakota State +^	7	–	1	13	–	2
No. 4 South Dakota +^	7	–	1	11	–	3
Missouri State*	6	–	2	8	–	4
No. 11 Illinois State ^	6	–	2	10	–	4
Youngstown State	3	–	5	4	–	8
Indiana State	3	–	5	4	–	8
North Dakota	2	–	6	5	–	7
Southern Illinois	2	–	6	4	–	8
Northern Iowa	1	–	7	3	–	9
Murray State	0	–	8	1	–	11
* Ineligible for 2024 FCS playoffs due to transition to the FBS

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant As of December 28, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 South Dakota Coyotes football team represented the University of South Dakota as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Coyotes were led by ninth-year head coach Bob Nielson and played their home games at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota.

Preseason

MVFC poll

The MVFC released it preseason prediction poll on July 22, 2024. The Coyotes were predicted to finish third in the conference.^[1]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
MVFC media poll
1	South Dakota State	482 (42)
2	North Dakota State	437 (1)
3	South Dakota	371
4	Southern Illinois	293
5	North Dakota	276
6	Illinois State	264
7	Youngtown State	255
8	Northern Iowa	227
9	Missouri State	164 (1)
10	Indiana State	68
11	Murray State	67

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	7:00 p.m.	Northern State*	No. 5	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 45–3	7,435
September 7	2:30 p.m.	at Wisconsin*	No. 6	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	FS1	L 13–27	76,069
~~September 14~~	~~3:00 p.m.~~	at ~~Portland State~~*	No. 6	~~Hillsboro Stadium~~ ~~Portland, OR~~	~~ESPN+~~	Canceled^[2]	N/A
September 21	1:00 p.m.	Drake*	No. 6	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 42–3	6,529
September 28	1:00 p.m.	No. 17 Southern Illinois	No. 5	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 42–13	6,706
October 5	2:00 p.m.	at Murray State	No. 4	Roy Stewart Stadium Murray, KY	ESPN+	W 59–0	6,437
October 12	2:00 p.m.	Northern Iowa	No. 4	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 42–17	8,934
October 19	5:00 p.m.	at Youngstown State	No. 4	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	ESPN+	W 27–17	8,560
October 26	6:30 p.m.	at No. 3 South Dakota State	No. 4	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (rivalry)	ESPNU	L 17–20 ^OT	19,351
November 9	1:00 p.m.	Indiana State	No. 5	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 49–0	5,515
November 16	12:00 p.m.	at North Dakota	No. 5	Alerus Center Grand Forks, ND (Sitting Bull Trophy)	ESPN+	W 42–36	8,974
November 23	1:00 p.m.	No. 1 North Dakota State	No. 4	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD	ESPN+	W 29–28	9,062
December 7	2:00 p.m.	No. 14 Tarleton State*	No. 4	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	W 42–31	6,231
December 14	2:00 p.m.	No. 5 UC Davis*	No. 4	DakotaDome Vermillion, SD (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)	ESPN+	W 35–21	6,135
December 21	2:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Montana State*	No. 4	Bobcat Stadium Bozeman, MT (NCAA Division I Semifinal)	ABC	L 17–31	20,557
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[3]

Game summaries

Northern State (DII)

Game One – Northern State Wolves (DII) (0–0) vs South Dakota Coyotes (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolves (DII)	3	0	0	0	3
No. 5 Coyotes	10	21	7	7	45

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Thursday August 29, 2024
Game time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: None (played indoors)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	NORST	SDAK
First downs	11	20
Total yards	207	351
Rushing yards	147	266
Passing yards	60	85
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	8-13-2	9-13-0
Time of possession	31:55	28:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern State	Passing	Daniel Britt	8-11 60 Yards 1 INT
	Rushing	Hank Craft	11 Carries 68 Yards
	Receiving	Tanner Branson	2 Catches 25 Yards
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	9-12 85 Yards
	Rushing	Charles Pierre Jr	13 Carries 136 Yards 2 TD
	Receiving	Carter Bell	3 Catches 32 Yards

at Wisconsin (FBS)

Game Two – No. 6 South Dakota Coyotes (1–0) at Wisconsin Badgers (FBS) (1–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Coyotes	0	3	10	0	13
Badgers (FBS)	14	3	3	7	27

at Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI

Date: Saturday September 7, 2024
Game time: 2:30 PM CST
Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C); Wind: N 9 mph
Game attendance: 76,069
Referee: David Siegle
TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

WIS – Chez Mellusi 9-yard run (Nathanial Vakos kick), 12:03 Wisconsin 7–0 Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:52.
WIS – CJ Williams 50-yard pass from Tyler Van Dyke (Nathanial Vakos kick), 4:48 Wisconsin 14–0 Drive: 3 plays, 58 yards, 1:23.

Second quarter

SD – Will Leyland 25-yard field goal, 7:14. Wisconsin 14–3. Drive: 11 plays, 57 yards, 5:48.
WIS – Nathanial Vakos 24-yard field goal, 0:07. Wisconsin 17–3. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 6:56.

Third quarter

SD – Keyondray Jones-Logan 35-yard run (Will Leyland kick), 12:38 Wisconsin 17–10 Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:22.
SD – Will Leyland 32-yard field goal, 5:06. Wisconsin 17–13. Drive: 5 plays, -7 yards, 1:44.
WIS – Nathanial Vakos 50-yard field goal, 2:21. Wisconsin 20–13. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:34.

Fourth quarter

WIS – Chez Mellusi 1-yard run (Nathanial Vakos kick), 7:41 Wisconsin 27–13 Drive: 11 plays, 85 yards, 4:51.

Statistics	SDAK	WIS
First downs	13	23
Total yards	237	385
Rushing yards	123	171
Passing yards	114	214
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12–23–0	17–27–0
Time of possession	27:31	32:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	12/23, 114 yards
	Rushing	Charles Pierre Jr.	12 carries, 83 yards
	Receiving	Travis Theis	4 receptions, 43 yards
Wisconsin	Passing	Tyler Van Dyke	17/27, 214 yards, TD
	Rushing	Chez Mellusi	16 carries, 60 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	CJ Williams	2 receptions, 53 yards, TD

at Portland State

Game Three – No. 6 South Dakota Coyotes (1–1) at Portland State Vikings (0–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Coyotes	0	0	0	0	0
Vikings	0	0	0	0	0

at Hillsboro Stadium • Hillsboro, OR

Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
Game time: 3:00 PM CST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SDAK	PRST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Portland State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Drake

Game Four – Drake Bulldogs (1–0) at No. 6 South Dakota Coyotes (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	0	3	0	0	3
No. 6 Coyotes	14	14	7	7	42

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
Game time: 1:00 PM CST
Game weather: None (played indoors)
Game attendance: 6,529
Referee: Jason Perkins
TV announcers (ESPN+): Jay Elsen (play-by-play) and Andre Fields (analyst)

Game information

First quarter

14:47 USD – Keyondray Jones-Logan 99-yard kickoff return (Will Leyland kick) (USD 7–0)
3:51 USD – Travis Theis 25-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:39; USD 14–0)

Second quarter

12:17 Drake – Shane Dunning 23-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 1:05; USD 14–3)
8:44 USD – Carter Bell 6-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:33; USD 21–3)
3:14 USD – Charles Pierre, Jr. 1-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:53; USD 28–3)

Third quarter

3:14 USD – Travis Theis Jr. 4-yard run (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 3:01; USD 35–3)

Fourth quarter

3:14 USD – Charles Pierre, Jr. 20-yard pass from Aidan Bouman (Will Leyland kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:01; USD 42–3)

Statistics	DRKE	SDAK
First downs	18	25
Total yards	211	411
Rushing yards	93	192
Passing yards	118	219
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	18–33–1	18–26–1
Time of possession	32:17	27:43

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Drake	Passing	Luke Bailey	16/29, 107 yards, INT
	Rushing	Dorian Boyland	8 carries, 51 yards
	Receiving	Trey Radocha	7 receptions, 56 yards
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	18/24, 219 yards, TD
	Rushing	Travis Theis	9 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Carter Bell	4 receptions, 56 yards

No. 17 Southern Illinois

Game Five – No. 17 Southern Illinois Salukis (2–2) vs No. 5 South Dakota Coyotes (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Salukis	0	7	6	0	13
No. 5 Coyotes	14	21	0	7	42

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: September 28, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: None (played indoors)
Game attendance: 6,706
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SIU	SDAK
First downs	16	24
Total yards	366	549
Rushing yards	60	302
Passing yards	306	247
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	23-41	11-17
Time of possession	24:41	35:19

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Illinois	Passing	Hunter Simmons	23-41 306 Yards 2 TD
	Rushing	Shaun Lester Jr	10 Carries 31 Yards
	Receiving	Keontez Lewis	3 Catches 88 Yards 1 TD
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	11-17 245 Yards 2 TD
	Rushing	Travis Theis	25 carries 147 Yards 2 TD
	Receiving	JJ Galbreath	2 Catches 100 Yards 1 TD

at Murray State

Game Six – No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (3–1) vs Murray State Racers (1–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Coyotes	21	3	21	14	59
Racers	0	0	0	0	0

at Roy Stewart Stadium • Murray, KY

Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
Game attendance: 6.437
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SDAK	MURR
First downs	26	10
Total yards	582	213
Rushing yards	361	90
Passing yards	221	123
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	16-22-1	13-21-2
Time of possession	36:20	23:40

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	16-22 221 Yards 1 TD 1 INT
	Rushing	Travis Theis	14 Carries 132 Yards 2 TD
	Receiving	Quaron Adams	3 Receptions 83 Yards
Murray State	Passing	Jayden Johannsen	7-13 84 yards 2 INT
	Rushing	Jawaun Northington	11 Carries 46 Yards
	Receiving	JK Carter	3 Receptions 54 Yards

Northern Iowa

Game Seven – Northern Iowa Panthers (2–3) vs No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (4–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	7	3	7	0	17
No. 4 Coyotes	7	21	14	0	42

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (played indoors)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNI	SDAK
First downs	16	24
Total yards	311	513
Rushing yards	56	192
Passing yards	255	321
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	19-28-1	18-21-0
Time of possession	24:31	35:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Iowa	Passing	Matthew Schecklman	18-26 250 yards 1 TD 1 INT
	Rushing	Tye Edwards	19 carries 53 yards 1 TD
	Receiving	Desmond Hutson	4 Receptions 94 Yards
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	17-20 284 Yards 2 TD
	Rushing	Charles Pierre Jr	21 Carries 105 Yards 2 TD
	Receiving	AJ Coons	2 Receptions 61 Yards 1 TD

at Youngstown State

Game Eight – No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (5–1) at Youngstown State Penguins (2–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Coyotes	0	14	10	3	27
Penguins	7	10	0	0	17

at Stambaugh Stadium, Youngstown, OH

Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
Game time: 5:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SDAK	YSU
First downs	19	22
Total yards	415	346
Rushing yards	192	138
Passing yards	223	208
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12-18-0	22-32-0
Time of possession	26:01	33:59

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	12-18 223 Yards 1 TD
	Rushing	Charles Pierre Jr	21 Carries 153 Yards 2 TD
	Receiving	JJ Galbreath	3 Receptions 79 Yards
Youngstown State	Passing	Beau Brungard	22-31 208 Yards 1 TD
	Rushing	Beau Brungard	16 Carries 69 Yards 1 TD
	Receiving	Max Tomczak	9 Receptions 90 Yards

at No. 3 South Dakota State (rivalry)

Game Nine – No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (6–1) at No. 3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (5–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
No. 4 Coyotes	7	0	0	7	3	17
No. 3 Jackrabbits	7	7	0	0	6	20

at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD

Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
Game time: 6:30 p.m.
Game attendance: 19,351
TV announcers (ESPNU): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Fozzy Whittaker (analyst)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SDAK	SDST
First downs	18	19
Total yards	275	329
Rushing yards	82	166
Passing yards	193	163
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	21-35-1	21-29-0
Time of possession	28:22	31:38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	20-32 163 Yards
	Rushing	Travis Theis	15 Carries 78 Yards 1 TD
	Receiving	Jack Martens	3 Receptions 66 Yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	20-27 163 Yards
	Rushing	Angel Johnson	14 Carries 81 Yards
	Receiving	Griffin Wilde	5 Receptions 61 Yards

Indiana State

Game Ten – Indiana State Sycamores (4–5) vs No. 5 South Dakota Coyotes (6–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Sycamores	0	0	0	0	0
No. 5 Coyotes	7	14	14	14	49

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (played indoors)
Game attendance: 5,515
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	INST	SDAK
First downs	5	21
Total yards	129	622
Rushing yards	-3	317
Passing yards	132	305
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	12-23-0	15-21-0
Time of possession	27:15	32:45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana State	Passing	Elijah Owens	11-21 131 Yards
	Rushing	Shen Butler-Lawson	10 Carries 15 Yards
	Receiving	Zavion Taylor	4 Receptions 66 Yards
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	14-20 238 Yards 2 TD
	Rushing	Charles Pierre Jr	11 Carries 165 Yards 2 TD
	Receiving	Quaron Adams	2 Receptions 133 Yards 2 TD

at North Dakota (Sitting Bull Trophy)

Game Eleven – No. 5 South Dakota Coyotes (7–2) at North Dakota Fighting Hawks (5–5) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Coyotes	0	17	10	15	42
Fighting Hawks	7	14	0	15	36

at Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND

Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
Game time: 12:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (played indoors)
Game attendance: 8,974
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	SDAK	UND
First downs	25	23
Total yards	512	323
Rushing yards	322	143
Passing yards	190	180
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	20-31-0
Time of possession	32:44	27:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing	Aidan Bouman	15-21 190 Yards 3 TD 1 INT
	Rushing	Charles Pierre Jr	15 Carries 173 Yards 1 TD
	Receiving	Charles Pierre Jr	4 Receptions 75 Yards 1 TD
North Dakota	Passing	Simon Roufo	20-30 180 Yards 3 TD
	Rushing	Sawyer Seidl	7 Carries 68 Yards 1 TD
	Receiving	Bo Belquist	10 Receptions 96 Yards 1 TD

No. 1 North Dakota State

Game Twelve – No. 1 North Dakota State Bison (10–1) vs No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (8–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Bison	0	0	0	0	0
No. 4 Coyotes	0	0	0	0	0

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
Game weather: None (played indoors)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	NDSU	SDAK
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 14 Tarleton State (NCAA Division I playoff–second round)

Game Thirteen – No. 14 Tarleton State Texans (10–3) vs No. 4 South Dakota Coyotes (9–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 14 Texans	0	0	0	0	0
No. 4 Coyotes	0	0	0	0	0

at DakotaDome • Vermillion, SD

Date: Saturday December 7, 2024
Game time: 2:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TAR	SDAK
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tarleton State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ "Valley Football 2024 Preseason Team and Poll". Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 22, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
^ Carlson, Steve (September 14, 2024). "Contest with Portland State Called Off Due to Illness within Viking Program" (Press release). South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
^ "2024 Football Schedule". goyotes.com. South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved April 3, 2024.

[1] "Valley Football 2024 Preseason Team and Poll". Missouri Valley Football Conference. July 22, 2024. Retrieved November 27, 2024.

[2] Carlson, Steve (September 14, 2024). "Contest with Portland State Called Off Due to Illness within Viking Program" (Press release). South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved September 14, 2024.

[3] "2024 Football Schedule". goyotes.com. South Dakota Coyotes. Retrieved April 3, 2024.

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v t e South Dakota Coyotes football
Venues	Darwin Inman Memorial Stadium (1926–1978) DakotaDome (1979–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Sitting Bull Trophy (North Dakota) South Dakota State
Culture & lore	"Hail, South Dakota!" Charlie Coyote Dakota Days
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1889 1890–1893 1894 1895–1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024