VERMILLION — The University of South Dakota football team found real success in the 2023 season.
An 11-3 finish, a quarterfinal appearance, and a No. 4 ranking in the final poll of FCS coaches was enough for the program to be proud of. But the bitterness of his 45-17 loss to North Dakota State in the FCS quarterfinals and the desire for more wins made the team eager to return to spring ball.
“I don't think a lot of guys were really happy,” head coach Bob Nielson said. “When you get to the playoffs, and you get out of the playoffs, you're just hungry for the next year to extend it to the end. Or… Our players have been focused on doing what it takes to get even further in their quest to win a championship and get there from where they are.”
The Coyotes have already completed five official spring practices, with 10 remaining. The next practice will be Tuesday, April 1 at 7 a.m., and the spring game will be Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m. at the Dakota Dome.
The limited restrictions of the transfer portal, combined with the allure of name, image and likeness deals, create a constant threat of teams losing top talent to larger programs.
Although the portal reopens at the end of the spring semester, the Coyotes made it through the winter without being hit hard.
USD graduated five starters from last year's team, with junior Myles Harden declaring for the NFL Draft. However, none of the other 16 starters entered the transfer portal, each listed on the spring roster.
“We want our players to feel like they're having a great experience, and I think that's exactly the case with our program. Our players feel like they're growing and they're having a great experience. “I feel like we're doing well,” Neilson said. I’m surrounded by great people. As a result, you will want to continue investing here at the University of South Dakota. ”
There were some losses. Running backs Nate Thomas and Mike Mansaray rushed for 398 yards on 64 carries and 70 yards on 22 carries, respectively, but each entered the portal after seeing their snaps decline last season. . Thomas landed in Idaho, but Mansarai remained available.
Other players further down the depth chart left opportunities for playing time.
However, the core returning players are in spring training, with incoming seniors Travis Theis, Carter Bell, JJ Galbreath and Joey Lombardo on offense, and Nick Gase, Blake Holden and Mosai on defense. – Includes Newsom, Dennis Shorter and Josiah Ganus.
“We have great leadership,” Neilson said. “Just like we had a really good upper-class leadership group on last year's team, we have a really good upper-class leadership group on this football team, and they're going to be important to our team moving forward here this spring.” It plays a role.”
Increases confidence in offense
Josh Davis has a lot to work on as he enters his second season as offensive coordinator. All 2023 offensive starters except right guard Isaac Erbes return in 2024, and there has been only one change to the offensive staff, with wide receivers coach Craig Bagnell replaced by Matt Wittsam.
And throughout the first week of spring ball, Nielson noticed the impact of continuity.
“It gave us a lot more confidence in the plan and a greater sense that we could actually put it into action,” Neilson said. “There are still new things to learn, but not everything is new like it was a year ago in the spring. You can see that in the way we execute.”
South Dakota State needs to improve its offense if it is to build on its 11-win season. Last year's offense was efficient in several ways, scoring on 91 percent of its red zone trips and averaging a respectable 6.3 yards per play, but it allowed just 24 points per game. Many of the team's big wins came from defense.
And improving his offensive output, especially through improved explosiveness, will be a focus during spring ball.
“I think the only thing we took away from last year's understanding is that we have to be a team that has the ability to score more points than we do and not a team that has to rely on us all the time.” It’s about winning low-scoring games,” Neilson said.
Neilson acknowledged that the rushing game is better than the passing game in that regard.
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” he said. “But there's some work to be done there. And that's going to be the focus for the second half of spring practice.”
Jacob Nielson is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. He joined Mitchell Republic in July 2023 after graduating from Utah State University in 2023 with a degree in journalism and a minor in history. He covers a variety of prep and college sports throughout South Dakota.
