Sep. 3—VERMILLION, S.D. — For all the attention Austyn Modrzewski deserved after his first collegiate start at quarterback, there was something perhaps even more important to take away from the University of South Dakota football’s season-opening victory last weekend.
The Coyotes have a lot of new pieces. And, at least through one game, those pieces looked like they belonged.
Modrzewski’s debut was the obvious headline in USD’s 59-20 home victory over Central Connecticut State. The first-year starter threw for 304 yards and six touchdowns, tying a single-game USD record while setting a school record for most passing yards in a quarterback debut. He added 81 yards and another touchdown on the ground. That is the kind of debut that naturally draws the spotlight.
But it also can discredit the fact that 13 different players — seven on offense and six on defense — made either their first collegiate start or their first appearance in a Coyote uniform. And they were part of the reason USD looked so explosive on offense and so promising on defense. But can they do it again?
The Coyotes head to Greeley, Colorado, for their first road test Saturday against Northern Colorado, a team that nearly put USD’s season in jeopardy a year ago. Northern Colorado pushed the Coyotes to overtime at the DakotaDome before USD escaped with a 24-17 victory for its first win of the season, which was close to being an 0-3 start.
And this time there will be no hiding behind the excuse of first-game nerves, which USD coach Matt Vitzthum is relieved about.
“I’m very relieved and excited to get into a rhythm and a routine of what it’s going to be like every single week, instead of the focus being about me or about Austyn or about the first time of this or first time of that,” Vitzthum said on Tuesday in his weekly presser. “It was awesome to see some of those first-time guys get that out of the way, including myself. And now we can just kind of carry on and do business as usual.”
That might be the most important part coming out of the win. The Coyotes got their first-game jitters out of the way. Now they get to find out what this group actually is, and there are plenty of weapons.
Modrzewski may have thrown six touchdown passes, but five different receivers caught touchdown passes. That is a pretty good indication of what this offense could look like moving forward under second-year offensive coordinator Tim Morrison.
Brayden White made his first career start at wide receiver and had 82 yards on five catches and two touchdowns. Keyondray Jones-Logan, meanwhile, returned after missing the entire 2025 campaign and immediately reminded everyone why he can be such a valuable chess piece. He caught two passes for 103 yards, giving him his first career 100-yard receiving game in his first game back.
Chris Herrin caught a 23-yard touchdown in his first collegiate action. Jesse Miller scored on a touchdown reception to close the first half, while Tennel Bryant showed off his big-play ability with a 49-yard touchdown on a deep post over the middle. Miller, a junior tight end, and Bryant, a senior wide out, are not exactly unknown, as both saw time last season, but both are looking to carve out larger roles.
Then there is Tysen Boze. The player many expected to be the Coyotes’ top receiving threat entering the season caught two passes for 13 yards. And that might actually be a good thing for USD. Not because Boze’s production was not good, but because it showed the Coyotes don’t necessarily need one receiver to dominate the offense.
USD had nine explosive plays of at least 20 yards against CCSU. Last season, it took the Coyotes three full games to reach nine explosive plays. That does not guarantee this will become one of the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s most explosive offenses. But it certainly provides evidence that the ceiling is higher than it was a year ago.
“I was really happy with the way we distributed the football to a lot of different position groups and players,” Vitzthum said. “I think it’s going to make us challenging to defend, so we have to keep utilizing the talent that we have. We got a lot of mouths to feed on offense, and we have to do a good job of distributing that ball around.”
While the playmakers made the highlight reel, the five new starters along the offensive line may have been just as important in the season opener. None of the five offensive linemen who started Saturday had started a game for USD last season. Yet the group looked comfortable.
Redshirt freshman Lucas Feldkamp handled center in his first collegiate action. Brendon Crispe started at left tackle, Northwestern transfer Nick Herzog at left guard, Caden Ellingson at right guard and UTEP transfer Jake Utley at right tackle. For Herzog and Utley, their starts were just the second starts of their careers on the offensive line and first as a Coyote. It was also Crispe’s first-ever start, while Ellingson had some starts before being injured all of last season.
Utley was USD’s highest-graded offensive lineman against CCSU at 76.8 and earned the conference’s first weekly offensive lineman nomination.
But Vitzthum singled out Feldkamp when discussing the players he was most concerned about entering the opener.
“I think a guy that I was probably most concerned with, even more than Austyn, was Lucas,” Vitzthum said. “He’s a redshirt freshman that played every single down for us at center, which is not easy. They’re moving the front a lot, doing a lot of different things, and Lucas really did a nice job of getting us on the same page up front. It’s a solid start from all of them to build on.”
That is enormous for a young quarterback. A clean pocket makes life easier, as do running lanes. And an offensive line that can communicate and handle pressure allows Modrzewski to focus on being a quarterback rather than constantly worrying about what is happening around him.
The Coyotes also cannot expect Modrzewski to throw for 304 yards and six touchdowns every week. At some point, they are going to have to win ugly, much like they did last year. And that is where Charles Pierre Jr. and the rushing attack come in.
Pierre led USD with 77 yards on 10 carries last week, while Carson Fletcher added 45 yards and a 24-yard touchdown. If the offensive line continues to develop, that combination could make USD significantly more difficult to defend.
If there was a question mark entering the season, it may have been the defense. There were new faces, particularly on the back end.
But after CCSU scored on its opening possession, the Coyotes settled in. The Blue Devils had just 90 total yards in the first half, with much of that coming during a 10-play, 64-yard opening touchdown drive. CCSU finished with only 115 passing yards. That is encouraging for a defense that was trying to establish an identity with so many newcomers.
Nathan Laperi, John Starman and Isaiah Wray all earned their first starts along the defensive line. Kansas State transfer Asher Tomasczewski rotated in and recorded USD’s first sack of the season. Jaylen Boehm-Peterson made his first start at cornerback in his second season at USD and finished with three tackles opposite of RJ Stewart. Iowa transfer Kael Kolarik made his first start at safety and recorded four tackles and a half tackle for loss. Minnesota transfer Harrison Brun also made his Coyote debut at outside linebacker and had four tackles.
“In the first drive, I think a lot of those first-time guys did some things that were very uncharacteristic of what I’ve seen in fall camp,” Vitzthum said. “So some of those young guys, or guys that are new to us, were just settling into the scheme of our defense and understanding of just doing their jobs. When we do things the right way, we can be dominant on that side of the football.”
Notably, USD’s special teams also got a fresh start. Bohdie Ing was perfect on all eight extra-point attempts and made his first field goal, a 30-yarder. Transfer punter Brook Honorè Jr. averaged 46 yards on two punts, with a long of 50 and one inside the 20.
Northern Colorado will be the next test for the Coyotes. The Bears opened their season with a tough 30-29 home loss to Weber State after missing a potential tying extra point in the final seconds.
They will be hungry, and USD will have to deal with a road environment while trying to avoid repeating last year’s offensive struggles against the Bears, when the Coyotes managed just 99 passing yards on 7-of-19 passing under Aidan Bouman in the overtime win behind the All-American play of L.J. Phillips Jr.
The Coyotes are searching for their first road-opening victory since 2017, when they defeated Drake. If they are going to end that drought Saturday, they will need the new guys to become less “new” and more comfortable. That starts with doing what they showed they can do last week in the home opener. Only this time, they have to do it away from home for the first time.
“(Northern Colorado) pretty much suffocated us when it came to throwing the football last year, so we have to do a much better job in the game-planning process,” Vitzthum said. “We have to protect, throw, and catch at a much better rate than we did a season ago. I know our staff is working tirelessly right now and putting together a really good plan for the guys to do that.”