The 2018 South Dakota Coyotes football team represented the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship univ ...

in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach

Bob Nielson Bob Nielson (born September 28, 1959) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of South Dakota, a position he had held since the 2016 season. Nielson was the head football coach at Ripon College (1989–1990) ...

and played their home games in the

DakotaDome The DakotaDome is an indoor multi-purpose stadium in the north central United States, located on the campus of the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, South Dakota. Opened in 1979 at a cost of $8.2 million, the 9,100-seat venue is th ...

. They were a member of the

Missouri Valley Football Conference The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivis ...

. They finished the season 4–7, 3–5 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place.

Previous season

The Coyotes finished the 2017 season 8–5, 4–4 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place. They received an at-large bid to the

FCS Playoffs The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was k ...

, which was the schools first ever FCS Playoff bid, where they defeated Nicholls State in the first round before losing to

Sam Houston State Sam Houston State University (SHSU or Sam) is a public university in Huntsville, Texas. It was founded in 1879 and is the third-oldest public college or university in Texas. It is one of the first normal schools west of the Mississippi River and ...

in the second round.

Preseason

Award watch lists

Preseason MVFC poll

The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Coyotes predicted to finish in sixth place.

Preseason All-MVFC Teams

The Coyotes placed seven players on the preseason all-MVFC teams. Offense ''1st team'' Shamar Jackson – WR ''2nd team'' Tyler Ciurej – OL Nick Jensen – OL Mason Scheidegger — OL Defense ''1st team'' Darin Greenfield – DL Andrew Gray – DB ''2nd team'' Brady Schutt – P

Schedule

Game summaries

at Kansas State

Kansas State's Isaiah Zuber was credited for saving the game with two key plays: an 85-yard punt return with South Dakota leading 24–12. Later in the game caught a touchdown pass from Skylar Thompson with 7:21 left to give K-State its first lead of the second half. Kansas State scored all but seven of its points on field goals and special teams. Sophomore kicker Blake Lynch scored Kansas State’s first 12 points on field goals of 22, 24, 38 and 44 yards. Kansas State racked up 13 penalties for 129 yards, but maintained more control of the ball with 37:39 of offense compared to South Dakota's 22:21. going over 100 years for the first time since 2016 against Florida Atlantic. South Dakota quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 257 yards and one touchdown, continually finding receiver Levi Falck (11 catches, 140 yards) open against top K-State cornerback Duke Shelley. The Coyotes led 24–12 at halftime. ESPN reported "... one solid takeaway is how well the Coyotes were in control for much of the game. They did a great job limiting the Kansas State offense for three quarters and had many Kansas State fans, players and coaches frustrated throughout the night."

Northern Colorado

at Weber State

at Southern Illinois

Missouri State

Northern Iowa

at Youngstown State

North Dakota State

at Indiana State

Western Illinois

at South Dakota State

Ranking movements

References

{{South Dakota Coyotes football navbox

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

South Dakota Coyotes football seasons

South Dakota Coyotes football : ''For information on all University of South Dakota sports, see South Dakota Coyotes'' The South Dakota Coyotes football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of South Dakota located in the U.S. state of South ...