Can USD overcome letdown against SDSU, continue strong season?

Oct. 30—VERMILLION — For the University of South Dakota football team, Saturday's loss to South Dakota State was an epic letdown.

The Coyotes had reason to believe the in-state matchup could be competitive, entering the game riding a six-game winning streak and a No. 4 ranking in the FCS Stats Perform poll,

USD fans had a full-fledged online campaign to bring ESPN College Gameday to Vermillion, and the stakes had hardly been higher, as a win would have given USD sole-possession of first place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and assert the Coyotes as a national contender.

Instead, the Jackrabbits dispelled any notion USD was near its level this season, pummeling the Coyotes 37-3 in front of a sold-out DakotaDome.

Not just a loss, but a reality check.

We don't know what any Coyote players were thinking postgame, because coach Bob Nielson shielded his athletes from speaking to the media. But if South Dakota isn't careful, it's the type of loss that could disrupt the confidence of the team for the duration of the season.

And with another top-10 matchup approaching Saturday against No. 10 Southern Illinois, the now No. 9 Coyotes need to find the correct response to Saturday's defeat. The process began Sunday, when Nielson met with his team and reminded them "we're a good football team."

"Certainly there's going to be disappointment with the loss but at the same time, I hope that disappointment lights the fire that, 'Hey, we can be better than what we showed on Saturday,'" Nielson said in his press conference on Monday.

"We need to be that good football team Saturday at Southern Illinois. That's what it's going to take to find a way to get a win."

For the Coyotes, allowing some perspective of how good SDSU really is could be therapeutic. USD isn't the first proud program to get shown up by the Jackrabbits this season. The Jacks beat North Dakota by three touchdowns, and Northern Iowa by 35 points. And, in case you haven't heard, SDSU is on a 22-game winning streak and is the defending FCS national champions.

Though SDSU being the 'Yotes primary rival adds insult, losing to that caliber of football team doesn't have to prevent USD from having one of its best seasons in its Division I history.

The Coyotes are still a top-10 team, and with three games remaining against Southern Illinois, North Dakota and Western Illinois, it has a chance to further bolster its resume and claim a top-eight seed in the FCS playoffs.

However, to accomplish that feat, USD has to play better. The team is in an offensive lull, scoring just 17 points against winless Indiana State and failing to cross the goal line against SDSU.

There's issues from each of the Coyotes' last three games that suggest it's not playing its best football right now.

Last Saturday, ineffectiveness running the ball against the Jackrabbits and a handful of mistakes resulted in a failure to sustain drives. Against Indiana State, the Coyotes struggled to control the pace of play, and ended up in a close game against an inferior opponent. And against Youngstown State, the defense gave up big plays to let the Penguins back into the game.

"We haven't been quite as efficient offensively," Nielson said. "Saturday, when we had the opportunity to keep a drive alive, we dropped the ball. Plays that we've been making (we didn't make.) At the same time, we didn't do a good job of getting them off the field when we had opportunities to do that.

"It's back to complimentary football. We've got to be the ones that are controlling the ball and we've got to be the ones that are moving it, not the other team."

The good news is the offense is "pretty much back to full strength," according to Nielson. Left guard Bryce Henderson, who was injured in the nonconference portion of the schedule, returned to the field last week, and Nate Thomas, who recorded one carry against SDSU, is back to "100 percent," Nielson added.

With the veteran leadership — particularly on the defensive side of the ball — and a group of players that endured a 3-8 season last year to return and win its first six FCS games this season, USD has the tools to overcome adversity.

But in order to beat the Salukis at 1 p.m. Saturday in Carbondale, the emotional letdown of getting dominated by a rival on a big stage has to be short lived.