Three things you need to know: South Dakota

Just one more day until Kansas kicks off the 2013 season. As you may already know, Kansas is playing South Dakota, an FCS opponent. Here are three things to know about the Coyotes.

1. Kansas last played South Dakota in 1900:

Tomorrow is the rematch 113 years in the making. The Jayhawks pummeled the Coyotes. Here is a recap of the game:

OCT. 26, 1900 – Lason Odle ran for 80 yards and scored three
touchdowns in limited playing time to help Kansas turn a 14-0
halftime lead over South Dakota into a 42-0 rout in Vermillion.
Four different Kansas players scored in the shutout, including
George Tucker, who accounted for 196 yards and two of the
game’s first three touchdowns. Despite the lopsided score,
the South Dakota contingent, which numbered nearly 1,000,
showed great hospitality and the KU players proclaimed, “The
Dakota girls know more about football than anyone in Kansas.”

2. South Dakota last beat an FBS team in 2010

The Coyotes aren’t unfamiliar to the FCS-beating-an-FCS bug that hit college football last week. Back on September 11, 2010, South Dakota defeated Minnesota, 41-38.

3. South Dakota won their season opener

Last week, South Dakota beat a pretty bad UC Davis team, 10-7. They relied heavily on their running game, notching 195 yards on the ground.  Their quarterback, Josh Vander Maten, can scramble as he had 42 yards on 16 carries, including the Coyotes’ lone touchdown (a 3-yard run). The key to KU winning on Saturday is to limit the South Dakota rushing attack.