Boise State’s Week 3 matchup brings a very different kind of test to Albertsons Stadium.
After opening against Oregon and Memphis - a pair of teams with College Football aspirations - the Broncos now turn to South Dakota, an FCS opponent that arrives with plenty to like. The programs haven’t met since 1973, when Boise State rolled to a 53-10 win at what was then Bronco Stadium.
South Dakota is coming off a strong 2024 campaign, finishing 10-5 overall and second in the Missouri Valley Conference behind North Dakota State before falling to Montana in the FCS quarterfinals. The Coyotes also made a coaching change in February, with head coach Travis Johansen leaving to become Rutgers’ defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator Matt Vitzthum getting promoted to the top job.
Vitzthum inherits a program that has put together three straight double-digit win seasons, and the schedule sets South Dakota up to bring a 3-0 record into Boise State’s building. But the Coyotes also have some major turnover to manage, starting at quarterback after four standout years from Aidan Bouman. In 46 starts, Bouman piled up 9,278 passing yards, 68 touchdowns and only 18 interceptions.
The leading candidate to replace him is redshirt freshman Austyn Modrzewski, a 6-foot-5, 215-pound pocket passer who was a two-time Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year at Mountain Vista High School.
South Dakota still has plenty of firepower around the new quarterback. Charles Pierre Jr. rushed for 1,245 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024, though he missed most of last season because of injury.
He enters the year as a candidate for MVC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The Coyotes also have an explosive back in Keyondray Jones-Logan, while Tysen Boze and Tennel Bryant return at receiver.
Junior tight end Jesse Miller is another piece South Dakota is expecting to lean on.
Up front, the Coyotes will be built around returnees Caden Ellingson, Brock Woolf and UTEP transfer Jake Utley. Beyond that trio, the offensive line is still largely untested at the Division I level.
Defensively, South Dakota brings back some experienced talent as well. Chris Dixon returns at defensive tackle after starting all 15 games last season and finishing with 69 total tackles, and Nathan Laperi is back on the line too.
The Coyotes are also counting on transfers John Starman from Brown, Tyler Sapit from Bemidji State and Isaiah Wray from Concordia-St. Paul to make an impact.
Linebacker looks like a real strength with Gabriel Hardman, who had 90 total tackles in 2025, and Wade Abrams, who added 49 tackles. In the secondary, freshman All-America cornerback RJ Stewart is the lone returning starter. Stewart posted 58 total tackles, seven pass breakups and three interceptions, and one of the defensive backs South Dakota lost is Roman Tillmon, who is the frontrunner to start at nickelback for Boise State this year.
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