SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — SDSU and USD are set to battle in a top-five showdown Saturday night in Brookings.
USD, coming off its first trip to the FCS quarterfinals, has won its last five games. The Coyotes are outscoring their opponents by more than 27 points per game.
“This is the best University of South Dakota team I think I’ve witnessed on film,” SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said. “It’s not a knock in any way. It’s more of a compliment of their growth and how far they’ve come.”
SDSU, the two-time reigning FCS champion, has also rolled past its opponents, outscoring the opposition by more than 20 points as well.
“We have a great deal of respect for the quality of players, the way that they’re coached,” USD head coach Bob Nielson said. “They’re a team that’s not going to beat themselves.”
Saturday marks the 117th meeting between the two programs, dating back to 1889. The Jacks have won the last two meetings in the series and nine of the 11 showdowns at the Division-I level.
“It would be a big win,” Nielson said. “I talk about every win in this league is a big win, but certainly the South Dakota State-South Dakota rivalry is a special one for not just our players, but for our fans and for our alumni.”
“This one is extremely important,” Rogers said. “It’s important because it’s the next one up. It is important because it is a rivalry. It’s important to our South Dakota players, and we need to come out and get ready to play with our hair on fire.”
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday night. You can follow along on live blog on KELOLAND.com and catch highlights tonight at 10.
