South Dakota Hopes Third Time is Charm Against Montana

For the third straight year, the South Dakota Coyotes find the Montana Grizzlies on their schedule, and USD is hoping that 2014 is the season that they can go from being competitive against the Griz to being victorious against one of the top programs in the FCS.

Last weekend, the Coyotes got in the win column for the first time this season with a 41-16 victory over William Penn from the NAIA.

USD did a lot right on offense against the Statesmen behind quarterback Kyle Saeger, making his first start for the injured Kevin Earl. The offense was especially prolific in the final seven minutes of the game when they put up 17 points.

Head coach Joe Glenn told me there was a very good reason for the Coyotes' late dominance:

On the defensive side of the ball, it was a mixed bag for the Coyotes. They did hold William Penn to no completions and zero yards thru the air, but the Statesmen did grind out 335 yards on the ground, in part because of their triple option attack and in part because of some USD breakdowns:

Now it's on to Missoula to battle Montana for the third straight season.

The fourth ranked Griz opened the season with a 17-12 loss at Wyoming, followed by last week's 48-14 win at home over Central Washington.

Montana has beaten USD each of the last two seasons, but both games were decided in the second half.

In 2012, the Coyotes led in the third quarter in Missoula before losing by a point.

Last season in Vermillion, USD led 14-3 in the first half and had a 27-24 lead with less than two minutes to play, when the Griz ran a kickoff back 98-yards to secure a 31-27 victory: