Can South Dakota Upset Boise State In Week 3

It happens every year…

An FCS team comes up to play an FBS school in a matchup where it’s just supposed to lay down and take their beating, and then 60 minutes go by, and fan bases are left wondering what the hell happened.

This year alone, five FCS schools have upset FBS opponents, including Idaho State’s 29-17 upset win over fellow Pac-12 member Utah State.

Now in Week 3, Boise State faces its own late-night “trap game” coming out of Vermillion.

Boise State Vs. South Dakota

Through two weeks, Boise State has played a variety of competition levels already.

They had a good showing versus a Power 4 program against Oregon and then took down a Group of 6 playoff contender in their home opener against Memphis.

The Broncos’ matchup against South Dakota will be their first and only FCS contest this year, a game where they’re favored heavily and rightly so.

Boise State has not lost to an FCS-level opponent since the turn of the century. With that said, just because South Dakota competes at a lower level of competition, doesn’t mean they’re incapable of winning.

“The more I watch South Dakota, I have more and more respect for them,” head coach Spencer Danielson said Thursday morning. “[They’re] undefeated for a reason … they’re going to be one of the best teams in the country.”

The Coyotes are 3-0 on the season and ranked No. 10 in the FCS coach's poll.

Through three games, their offense averages 501 yards and 46 points per game, which ranks sixth nationally in both statistics.

South Dakota’s offense is incredibly balanced. Freshman quarterback Austyn Modrzewski averages 242 yards per game and has 11 touchdowns through the air this season.

In contrast, Boise State’s pass defense leaves much to be desired.

Among all 138 FBS programs, the Broncos rank dead last in passing yards per game allowed, averaging 381 each week.

If you’re curious where that would rank them amongst FCS opponents, the squad improves to second-to-last in passing yards per game, just ahead of the 384 yards per game San Diego allows.

In defense of Boise State’s … defense, no FCS school had Dante Moore throwing the ball on them, and Boise State has done what many college football programs are afraid to do: schedule quality opponents early in the season.

South Dakota’s run game is led by senior running back Charles Pierre Jr., who’s racked up 261 yards and 4 touchdowns so far this season. The veteran back averages 7.5 yards per carry on 35 attempts which ranks 6ths in the FCS.

The Coyotes’ impressive run game may be thanks to the giants they have on their offensive line, their tallest being 6-foot-9, 320-pound redshirt sophomore Brendon Crispe.

“They’ve done a great job in recruiting,” Danielson said. “[Their] O-line is extremely physical. Not only their height, but they play well together, they put you in a lot of conflict.”

The Broncos have their hands full this week. Keys to the game for them will be to limit South Dakota’s possessions and to establish the run game, like they’re known to do.

Boise State’s ground game was great last week and shows no signs of slowing down, so winning the time of possession battle like they did against Memphis should not be an issue.

This week, seeing an improvement from the Broncos’ secondary would be a key indicator that the unit is making progress.

This game against South Dakota will be a nice “ramp-up” contest to get ready for the unofficial Group of 6 game of the year, where Boise State travels to Kalamazoo, Michigan to take on the 1-1 Western Michigan Broncos.

Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. MT.

Final Score: 45-31 Boise State