The University of South Dakota will make a visit to Stewart Stadium for WSU’s home opener on Sept. 15. The Coyotes began their season with a nail-biter of a loss at Big 12 power Kansas State, before defeating Big Sky Conference opponent Northern Colorado 43–28 on Sept. 8.
Weber State held a brief lead over the University of Utah in week one before falling 41–10. The Wildcats bounced back on Sept. 8 in San Luis Obispo, as they defeated Cal Poly by a final score of 24–17.
On offense, it is possible sophomore quarterback Jake Constantine will make his first start for the Wildcats. Constantine relieved freshman starter Kaden Jenks against Cal Poly on Sept. 8 after Jenks went down with an injury. Constantine posted a quarterback rating of 129 with his limited playing time, connecting on 60 percent of his targets for 84 and a touchdown.
South Dakota junior signal caller Austin Simmons has posted a rating of 137 over his first two games with a stat line to match. He connected on 57 percent of his passes for 719 yards and five touchdowns.
As for Weber State’s wide receivers, freshman star Rashid Shaheed has been the top target thus far. Shaheed has hauled in six catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, but he is perhaps even more dangerous in the return game. Shaheed has amassed 97 return yards thus far.
The Coyotes possess a triple threat from their receiving core. Sophomore Levi Falck, senior Shamar Jackson and junior Trystyn Ducker are the usual suspects. Falck has amassed 14 catches for 164 yards, Jackson seven for 146 and a touchdown, and Ducker four for 131 and a touchdown as well.
Standout freshman running back Josh Davis is a top candidate to start for the Wildcats on Saturday, after he piled up a 173 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in his debut against Cal Poly.
For South Dakota, sophomore Kai Henry typically takes the workload, as he has rushed for 81 yards on 29 carries.
Defensively, senior linebacker Landon Stice and junior defensive end Jonah Williams have stood out with 34 combined tackles. Stice has an interception, while Williams has recovered a fumble.
The Coyotes’ defense features senior linebacker Alex Gray, sophomore defensive back Phillip Powell and junior defensive lineman Darin Greenfield. Gray and Greenfield each have two sacks and three 3 tackles for loss, while Gray additionally has nabbed an interception and a fumble recovery. Greenfield has delivered massive contributions in two games, with a pair of interceptions and fumble recoveries for his team.
