USD at football Western Illinois preview, prediction
The college football regular season may be winding down, but South Dakota still has a lot to play for in its final game against Western Illinois.
The Coyotes have a chance to win nine games this season, which would be the most in program history at the DI level.
“It's an opportunity to close the regular season schedule and accomplish a lot of goals that this team set for the start of the year,” South Dakota football coach Bob Nielson said. “You always want to be in that situation where the last game of the year means a tremendous amount, and it does for our club."
The Leathernecks will be searching for their first win of the season in what will be their last game as part of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They'll join the Ohio Valley Conference next season.
“There'll be a lot of emotion for them playing their last game in the Valley,” Nielson said. “They'll want to go out and leave the Valley on the right note. We've got to be prepared for that.”
Nielson coached at Western Illinois from 2013-2015 and helped lead them to the playoffs before leaving the program. He has unique insight into the challenge the Coyotes will face when they go on the road to face the Leathernecks.
Here is the tale of the tape between the two sides:
No. 5 South Dakota (8-2, 6-1) at Western Illinois (0-10, 0-7)
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Hanson Field, Macomb, Ill. TV/Radio: ESPN+/KVHT 106.3 What’s at stake: While South Dakota has likely secured a first-round bye, Nielson said the team still has a lot to play for. They're still technically in contention to win a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference – although it would take an SDSU loss against Missouri State – and a ninth win would be the most at the DI level in program history.
Western Illinois will be aiming to win their first game of the season in their final game as part of the Missouri Valley
Conference.
Who’s better: South Dakota. The Coyotes have established their defense as one of the best in the FCS and while their offense has been inconsistent at times, it's still better than the Leathernecks'.
Western Illinois hasn't scored more than two touchdowns since conference play began in September. They've also allowed conference opponents to score more than 30 points in six of their seven games.
Matchup to watch: The South Dakota offense against the Western Illinois defense.
The Coyotes offense has struggled with consistency, especially in the first half of games. They're only averaging 21.3 points per game and 327 total yards per game, but this will be a good opportunity heading into a likely bye week to bump those numbers up against the worst defense in the FCS in terms of points allowed.
USD wins if: Western Illinois doesn't turn in a historic performance. Prediction: USD, 35-7
Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31