University of South Dakota Coyotes NCAA Football News

Not only did Hitchcock-Tulare win the 2009 Class 9B state football championship, but the Patriots also dominated the all-state football team chosen by the South Dakota Football Coaches Association.

Given the way the season went, it's hard to imagine the University of South Dakota football team finishing it off any different than it did.

Determination drove the USD football team in the Coyotes 50-48 win over Cal Poly this past weekend.

It was only four years ago that Noah Shepard took the reigns during DakotaDays. The redshirt freshman stepped in and took control.

The Cal Poly football team passed like it hadn't all season on Saturday. And for a triple-option team that seemed to be reaching into an empty bag every other time it needed a double-digit comeback this season, it was shocking.

The win handed the Mustangs their first home loss of the season and sealed a 5-5 season for USD, while also giving the Coyotes third place in the Great West Conference with a 2-2 record.

Cal Poly finally figured out a way to stop South Dakota quarterback Noah Shepard.

The University of South Dakota football team was involved in only one serious beatdown last year, and it came at Cal Poly, where the Mustangs built a 42-7 lead before the Coyotes knew what was happening in a 49-22 loss.

South Dakota running back Chris Ganious, 20, looks for running room during the Coyotesa 45-21 victory over Southern Utah.

University of South Dakota student Jamie Helmke, a 2008 Spencer High School alumna, happily departs the DakotaDome field on Nov.

Freshman Marcus Sims carries the ball in Saturdaya s game against Southern Utah at the DakotaDome.

So much for not having to sweat Selection Sunday. By virtue of a 34-15 loss to third-ranked Southern Illinois on Saturday in Brookings, No.

Chris Ganious ran for 170 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as South Dakota defeated Southern Utah 45-21. The Coyotes rushed for 334 yards and finished with 569 overall.

VERMILLION - Equipped with a long-range perspective, there's nothing really unsettling about what has happened to the University of South Dakota football team this year.

GREELEY, Colo. - The University of South Dakota couldn't squash a history of bad luck in Greeley as the University of Northern Colorado beat the Coyotes 21-17 in a battle of old North Central Conference rivals Saturday.

Playing on a field surrounded by snow after a storm passed through the region the previous day, South Dakota got behind early when UNC passed for 53- and 24-yard touchdowns.

The University of Northern Colorado's Jace Davis pulls in a touchdown pass past the hands of University of South Dakota defender Mychal Bogan on Saturday at Nottingham Field in Greeley.

The University of South Dakota football team has a return date with Northern Colorado today - seven years after the two teams last played.

Who: South Dakota at Northern Colorado What: College football matchup Where: Nottingham Field, Greeley When: 1:35 p.m. today Source: Staff report It may seem a little late in the season for a nonconference game, but the University of Northern Colorado football team would rather have it than no game at all.

The USD football team had a big hole to fill in the middle of its defense this season.