South Dakota Coyotes Face Big Sky Test Ahead of Missouri Valley Grind
VERMILLION, S.D. The South Dakota football team is using its non-conference schedule to prepare for the gauntlet that awaits in Missouri Valley Football Conference play, and Saturday's matchup against Eastern Washington provides another measuring stick for the 2-0 Coyotes.
First-year head coach Matt Vitzthum leads USD into the DakotaDome for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Eagles, the second straight Big Sky Conference opponent after a 38-23 road win at Northern Colorado on Sept. 5. The back-to-back Big Sky matchups give the Coyotes a valuable look at a different brand of football before the schedule turns even tougher.
Why the Big Sky matchup matters for USD
The Missouri Valley and Big Sky are widely considered the two strongest conferences in FCS football, and this week's top-25 rankings back that up. Four MVFC teams sit in the top 10, including South Dakota State at No. 2, Illinois State at No. 5, North Dakota at No. 6 and Youngstown State at No. 10. South Dakota checks in at No. 11.
The Big Sky is equally loaded. Defending national champion Montana State holds the No. 1 spot, followed by Montana at No. 3, UC Davis at No. 7, Idaho State at No. 17 and Northern Arizona at No. 24.
For Vitzthum, the two conferences share more than just strong rankings.
Both leagues have built consistency, Vitzthum said. There's probably a little bit more diversity offensively in their league than ours. Our league is built a lot more in the trenches. Both conferences have elite coaching staffs that challenge each other. You have to be at your best every single weekend, otherwise you can get beat in both leagues.
Eastern Washington brings a different style
The contrast in offensive styles makes this stretch particularly valuable for USD. The Missouri Valley has built its identity on physical rushing attacks and winning in the trenches. The Big Sky, by contrast, is known for aggressive passing games and skilled defenders in space.
Eastern Washington, picked eighth in the Big Sky preseason poll, defeated Northern Iowa 34-24 in its home opener on Sept. 5. The Eagles present a different challenge than Northern Colorado did.
Eastern Washington will present plenty of challenges, Vitzthum said. Their offense is going to do some things to us that we don't see a ton of. They are an up-tempo team, and they are going to spread the football field out more than we are used to in the Missouri Valley, which will be a great test for us.
Recent playoff history shows Big Sky strength
The Coyotes have felt the Big Sky's impact in recent postseasons. In 2024, USD beat UC Davis in the FCS quarterfinals before falling at Montana State in the semifinals. The 2025 playoff run ended with a 52-22 loss at Montana.
Saturday's game is one of just four MVFC-versus-Big Sky matchups on the non-conference schedule this season. North Dakota plays Portland State on Saturday, while Northern Iowa already faced Eastern Washington last week.
The Missouri Valley has won all nine installments of the Big Sky-MVFC challenge since it began in 2017. A USD win would give the Coyotes their fourth straight regular-season victory over a Big Sky opponent dating to 2022.
What a win would mean for the Coyotes
A victory would push USD to 3-0 for the first time since 2017 under Vitzthum, providing momentum before the final non-conference game at Boise State on Sept. 19. Valley play opens Sept. 26 on the road against Youngstown State.
The guys are really excited to be 2-0, but this is going to be a really good opponent ahead and the schedule does not get any easier moving forward, Vitzthum said. I think we have a really mature group that's focused on becoming the best versions of themselves, and we're going to be all focused on trying to be 1-0 again this week.