VERMILLION – University of South Dakota football will look to extend its win streak to five games when the team travels to Youngstown State on Saturday.

The Coyotes enter the game coming off a dominant 42-17 win over Northern Iowa, while the Penguins are reeling from being on the wrong side of a 63-17 blowout from South Dakota State. This game has historic implications and the Coyotes will want to be on the winning side.

Here are three things to look out for…

I mentioned long ago the challenge a dual-threat quarterback can pose to USD’s defense. I first wrote about it in my three things to watch for ahead of the Portland State game. Well, that didn’t happen and we didn’t get to see how the Coyote defense would handle the obstacle. But this week, Beau Brungard will take the first true dual threat test of the season.

Brungard is both the leading passer and rusher for Youngstown State. Through the air, he has passed for 1,182 yards, six touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 64.5 completion percentage. On the ground, he rushes for 532 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

Matt Zimmer/Sioux Falls live

So what are the keys to stopping him? Well, Bob Nielson already appears to have a plan to contain Brungard’s dynamic playmaking ability.

“You’ve got to do a good job of not letting it out of the pocket when he passes back,” Nielson said. “And they also have some design quarterback runs that you have to take into account as well. But I think the most important thing is to make sure that from an offense standpoint, he creates offense by escaping the pocket, and by doing things to extend the plays, be consistent with how you pressure him in passing situations. . And make sure you count him as a runner.”

As some may have noted, Theis didn’t play for much of the second half of the Northern Iowa game. He was on the sideline wearing a walking boot, but no specific injury information was provided after the game. His status remains unclear this week, but there are a few things to keep in mind regarding his situation.

First, should the Coyotes push him to play this week? My thought is no. Youngstown State is a very winnable game with or without Theis. Not to mention that USD has a plethora of talent out of the backfield with Charles Pierre, Keyondray Jones-Logan and LJ Philips. That’s more than enough production to get the job done against a team that allowed more than 400 rushing yards to South Dakota State last week. Plus, it would be a preview of next season’s backfield if Theis becomes ineligible after this season.

Nathan Swaffar / Mitchell Republic

Speaking of the Jackrabbits, would it be better for the Coyotes to rest Theis this week and save him for next week’s nationally televised Interstate Series? Even if Theis can compete against the Penguins, it seems much more cost-effective to have your starter enter your biggest game of the season with a week of rest under his belt.

I’m not going to speculate about the injury or whether he will play. But if this was my decision, I would find it best to rest Theis this week and let Pierre and Company handle it.

One of the most interesting aspects I discovered while researching this matchup is that the Coyotes have never won in this series when playing outside of the DakotaDome. Of the 11 total games between the two teams since then, six have been in Ohio and USD has yet to win a single one.

So what will be the keys to victory? First, the Coyotes should try to establish the run game early. While this is pretty much common week after week, as previously mentioned, the Penguins gave up over 400 rushing yards last week. It is something that the USD should attack. And second, keep Brungard in check. Those are just two things, but they will probably be the main keys to winning the match.

Of the ten other current members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, Youngstown State is the only team that USD has not defeated at home. While history shouldn’t play a role this time, it would still prove to be a historic moment for the program.

Nathan Swaffar is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. He joined the Mitchell Republic in July 2024 after graduating from the University of Kansas in May 2024 with a degree in journalism and a minor in history. He covers a variety of prep and collegiate sports throughout South Dakota, including USD Football.