Preview: USD football travels to Kentucky to face Murray State
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 13—MURRAY, Ky. — The South Dakota Coyotes will hit the road after back-to-back home victories when they travel southeast to face the Murray State Racers on Saturday afternoon.
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USD has lost its last two road games to Boise State and Youngstown State, as it looks to pick up its first Missouri Valley Football Conference away contest of the season.
How to watch the Coyotes and what to know about both programs:
Week 7: No. 9 South Dakota Coyotes (5-2, 2-1 MVFC) at Murray State Racers (1-5, 0-2 MVFC)
When: Saturday, Oct. 17, at 4 p.m.
Where: Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Kentucky
TV: ESPN+ — Rob Cross (Play-by-Play), Bryan Cross (Analyst)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Jerry Palleschi) [KVHT 106.3 FM]
Streaming: ESPN+
Records last year: USD 10-5, Murray State 1-11
Series: USD leads the all-time series over Murray State 3-0
Last time: USD defeated Murray State 49-24 last year in Vermillion.
Last week: USD defeated Southern Illinois at home 31-10, while Murray State was on a bye week but lost to North Dakota on the road 55-28 in its last outing on Oct. 3.
Rankings: USD is ranked No. 9 in the FCS
Coaches: USD — Matt Vitzthum (first year, 5-2); Murray State — Jody Wright (third year, 3-27)
Leading passers: USD — Austyn Modrzewski (106-for-158, 1,581 yards, 19 TDs, 5 INTs); Murray State — Jim Ogle (42-for-71, 412 yards, 3 TDs, 4 INTs)
Leading rushers: USD — Charles Pierre Jr. (585 yards, 90 carries, 7 TDs); Murray State — Tyrell Campbell (279 yards, 52 carries, 2 TDs)
Leading receivers: USD — Brayden White (28 receptions, 390 yards, 5 TDs); Murray State — Dimitri Howard (13 receptions, 215 yards, 1 TD)
Top defenders: USD — Wade Abrams (61 total tackles, 36 solo tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3 PBUs, 2 QBHs, 1 FF); Murray State — Dylan Rowsey (46 total tackles, 24 solo tackles, 1 PBU, 1 FF, 1 FR)
Quick game hits: South Dakota and Murray State are set to meet for the fourth time on Saturday, as USD has won all three meetings. The last time the Coyotes and Racers met in Murray, Kentucky, USD dominated with a 59-0 shutout victory. All four meetings will now have taken place in the month of October. ... South Dakota hits the road riding a two-game winning streak after back-to-back three-plus score victories at the DakotaDome. ... USD has outscored its opponents 152-74 in the first half this season thanks to a plus-43 margin in the first quarter. ... The Coyotes are one of the least penalized teams in the FCS this season with just 30 penalties through seven games, the 4.3 average per game sits No. 5 in the nation. ... South Dakota redshirt freshman center Lucas Feldkamp has been named the MVFC's offensive lineman of the week after USD put up 486 yards of offense on 8.8 yards per play against Southern Illinois last weekend. It's the most yards SIU has surrendered to an FCS team this season. ... Coyote linebacker Wade Abrams leads the Missouri Valley with 61 total tackles and 8.7 tackles per game this season. Abrams has posted four double-digit tackle games this season with a career-best 14 tackles at Boise State on Sept. 19. ... The Coyotes have scored a touchdown on their opening drive the last three games, in every MVFC game, and four of their last five contests. ... USD quarterback Austyn Modrzewski is back to being tied for the FCS lead in passing touchdowns with 19 on the season, while Charles Pierre Jr. currently sits second in the Valley in rushing yards with 585 behind South Dakota State's Josiah Johnson (680) after back-to-back 100-yard rushing games. ... Murray State enters Saturday's contest with a three-game losing streak and are coming off a bye week. ... Last time out, Murray State fell to then No. 5-ranked North Dakota 55-28. The Racers jumped out to a fast 21-0 lead in Grand Forks, but the Fighting Hawks came roaring back with 55 unanswered points to take control of the game. The 28 points at North Dakota two weeks ago was the most points the Racers have scored in a game this season, including in their lone win this season (27-18 win over Valparaiso). ... The Racers' offense has struggled to get much of anything going offensively this season, sitting last in the MVFC in scoring offense (14.8 PPG, 119th nationally), passing offense (152.0 YPG, 109th nationally) and total offense (269.0 YPG, 116th nationally). The run game isn't much better at 117.0 yards per game (8th in MVFC, 93rd nationally).