# 2021 South Dakota Coyotes football team

The 2021 South Dakota Coyotes football team represented the University of South Dakota in the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Coyotes competed as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference and were led by sixth-year head coach Bob Nielson. They played their home games at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 7:00 p.m. | at Kansas* | | David Booth Kansas Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS | ESPN+ | L 14–17 | 26,103 |
| September 11 | 1:00 p.m. | Northern Arizona* | | DakotaDomeVermillion, SD | | W 34–7 | 5,247 |
| September 18 | 7:00 p.m. | at Cal Poly* | | Alex G. Spanos StadiumSan Luis Obispo, CA | | W 48–14 | 11,075 |
| September 25 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 18 Missouri State | | Robert W. Plaster StadiumSpringfield, MO | | L 23–31 | 12,738 |
| October 2 | 2:00 p.m. | Indiana State | | DakotaDomeVermillion, SD | | W 38–10 | 6,267 |
| October 9 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 13 North Dakota | | DakotaDomeVermillion, SD (Sitting Bull Trophy) | ESPN+ | W 20–13 | 5,304 |
| October 16 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 16 Northern Iowa | No. 21 | UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA | | W 34–21 | 7,202 |
| October 23 | 1:00 p.m. | Illinois State | No. 15 | DakotaDomeVermillion, SD | ESPN+ | L 14–20 | 5,415 |
| November 6 | 12:00 p.m. | at Western Illinois | No. 23 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | ESPN+ | W 42–21 | 1,972 |
| November 13 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 4 South Dakota State | No. 19 | DakotaDomeVermillion, SD (rivalry) | | W 23–20 | 9,068 |
| November 20 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 4 North Dakota State | No. 16 | FargodomeFargo, ND | | L 24–52 | 16,252 |
| November 27 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 21 Southern Illinois* | No. 17 | DakotaDomeVermillion, SD (NCAA Division I First Round) | ESPN+ | L 10–22 | 3,597 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Kansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| South Dakota | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Kansas | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium • Lawrence, KS
* Date: Friday, September 3, 2021
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: sunny • Temperature: 80°F
* Game attendance: 26,103
* Referee: Derek Anderson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Neely, Barrett Brooks
* Pregame line: Kansas -11.5
| Statistics | SD | KAN |
| First downs | 14 | 12 |
| Total yards | 262 | 245 |
| Rushes/yards | 41/164 | 41/82 |
| Passing yards | 98 | 163 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–22–0 | 17–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:52 | 34:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Dakota | Passing | Carson Camp | 10–22, 98 yards |
| South Dakota | Rushing | Travis Theis | 18 carries, 96 yards |
| South Dakota | Receiving | Kody Case | 2 receptions, 37 yards |
| Kansas | Passing | Jason Bean | 17–26, 163 yards, 2 TD |
| Kansas | Rushing | Jason Bean | 15 carries, 54 yards |
| Kansas | Receiving | Mason Fairchild | 4 receptions, 58 yards |

### Northern Arizona

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lumberjacks | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Coyotes | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 34 |

### at Cal Poly

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Coyotes | 21 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 48 |
| Mustangs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |

### at No. 18 Missouri State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| South Dakota | 14 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| No. 18 Missouri State | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
at Plaster Stadium • Springfield, MO
* Date: Saturday, September 25, 2021
* Game time: 7:05 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Winds N NE 1 mph; Clear and Cool
* Game attendance: 12,738
* Referee: Aaron Adams • Umpire: Keith Wohlers • Linesman: John Winter • Line judge: Scott Landy • Back judge: Kurt Dingmann • Field judge: Brad Brunet • Side judge: Leanne Surmin
* TV announcers (ESPN3): Scott Warmann, Danan Hughes, Kelly Burke
* Box Score
| Statistics | USD | MSU |
| First downs | 14 | 22 |
| Total yards | 361 | 439 |
| Rushes/yards | 33/ 130 | 46/ 158 |
| Passing yards | 231 | 281 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12-29-2 | 19-29-0 |
| Time of possession | 24:11 | 35:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Dakota | Passing | Carson Camp | 12/29, 231 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| South Dakota | Rushing | Nate Thomas | 4 carries, 60 yards |
| South Dakota | Receiving | Carter Bell | 3 catches, 102 yards |
| Missouri State | Passing | Jason Shelley | 19/29, 281 yards, 2 TD |
| Missouri State | Rushing | Tobias Little | 14 carries, 71 yards |
| Missouri State | Receiving | Ty Scott | 7 catches, 111 yards, 1 TD |

### at No. 4 North Dakota State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Coyotes | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 4 Bison | 21 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 52 |
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
* Date: November 20, 2021
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. (CT)
* Game weather: Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,252
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | South Dakota | North Dakota State |
| First downs | 15 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 54-293 | 70-522 |
| Rushes–yards | 27-97 | 47-303 |
| Passing yards | 196 | 219 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21-27-1 | 19-23-0 |
| Time of possession | 24:01 | 35:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Dakota | Passing | Carson Camp | 21/27, 196 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| South Dakota | Rushing | Nate Thomas | 12 car, 60 yds |
| South Dakota | Receiving | Jeremiah Webb | 3 rec, 54 yds |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Cam Miller | 19/23, 219 yds, TD |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | Jalen Bussey | 5 car, 62 yds, TD |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | Phoenix Sproles | 2 rec, 87 yds, TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | USD | NDSU |
| 1st | 6:46 | 12 | 62 | 5:37 | NDSU | TaMerik Williams (#22) 1-yard touchdown run, Jake Reinholz (#37) kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 1st | 5:17 | 1 | 75 | 0:12 | NDSU | Phoenix Sproles (#11) 75-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Jake Reinholz (#37) kick good | 0 | 14 |
| 1st | 0:18 | 6 | 49 | 3:06 | NDSU | Cam Miller (#7) 8-yard touchdown run, Jake Reinholz (#37) kick good | 0 | 21 |
| 2nd | 12:00 | 1 | 43 | 0:11 | NDSU | Christian Watson (#1) 43-yard touchdown run, Jake Reinholz (#37) kick good | 0 | 28 |
| 2nd | 6:20 | 11 | 71 | 5:35 | USD | 25-yard field goal by Mason Lorber (#31) | 3 | 28 |
| 3rd | 12:42 | | | | USD | Punt returned 47 yards for touchdown by Carter Bell (#14), Mason Lorber (#31) kick good | 10 | 28 |
| 3rd | 10:01 | 7 | 36 | 2:34 | NDSU | 30-yard field goal by Jake Reinholz (#37) | 10 | 31 |
| 3rd | 4:05 | 9 | 55 | 4:08 | NDSU | TaMerik Williams (#22) 8-yard touchdown run, Jake Reinholz (#37) kick good | 10 | 38 |
| 3rd | 3:15 | 4 | 75 | 0:50 | USD | Mike Mansaray (#21) 40-yard touchdown reception from Carson Camp (#18), Mason Lorber (#31) kick good | 17 | 38 |
| 4th | 14:26 | 7 | 65 | 3:49 | NDSU | Jalen Bussey (#21) 20-yard touchdown run, Jake Reinholz (#37) kick good | 17 | 45 |
| 4th | 10:48 | 7 | 31 | 3:32 | NDSU | Kobe Johnson (#4) 2-yard touchdown run, Jake Reinholz (#37) kick good | 17 | 52 |
| 4th | 5:28 | 13 | 75 | 5:20 | USD | JJ Galbreath (#82) 8-yard touchdown reception from Carson Camp (#18), Mason Lorber (#31) kick good | 24 | 52 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 24 | 52 |