The University of South Dakota (USD) is heading to the FCS playoffs for the fourth time in its program’s history, marking the second consecutive trip for the Coyotes, a first at the Division I level.
South Dakota has earned the No. 4 seed, achieving this for the second straight season, which also provides them with a first-round bye.
“This team’s legit,” stated USD redshirt junior quarterback Aidan Bouman. “We’ve fought some really hard battles this year, went through a lot of adversity in different games. We’re battle-tested.”
The Coyotes secured a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship by defeating then-No. 1 North Dakota State 29-28 in their regular-season finale on Saturday. They finished the season with a 9-2 record and were perfect at 6-0 at home, outscoring opponents by over 30 points per game in the DakotaDome. After last year’s loss in the FCS quarterfinals, the team is eager to advance further this season.
“There’s a lot of motivation,” Bouman expressed. “We know how good our team is. Like I say, every time, we just got to go week-by-week. We can’t look too far ahead right now. We’ve got to be ready for our first matchup, whoever that’s going to be.”
Now entering the postseason, the Coyotes believe their 7-1 record in the tough Missouri Valley Football Conference has equipped them for this single-elimination tournament.
“Every week you’re going to have to play your best football,” said USD head coach Bob Nielson. “We talk about that all the time in the Valley. And that’s why playing in this league is really a playoff-ready kind of schedule.”
“We feel like whenever we play our best ball, no one can beat us,” added USD redshirt junior wide receiver Javion Phelps. “So, going forward, we’re going to showcase that.”
The Coyotes have a bye into the second round, where they will host either Tarleton State or Drake on December 7.