There are certain games that stick around.

September 10, 2011 is one of them.

Eastern Washington walked into the DakotaDome as the No. 1 team in the country and defending FCS national champion.

The Eagles had Bo Levi Mitchell at quarterback — the reigning national championship game MVP and one of the biggest names in the FCS.

South Dakota had Dante Warren.

Yes.

That Dante Warren.

The same guy who now coaches Charles Pierre Jr., Keyondray Jones-Logan, Carson Fletcher and the rest of USD’s running backs was the Coyote quarterback the last time Eastern Washington came to Vermillion.

And he helped author one of the biggest wins of USD’s early Division I era.

Warren opened the scoring with a two-yard quarterback draw and later found Jeremy Blount for a 48-yard touchdown.

Then the defense joined in.

Jim Thompson intercepted Mitchell and took it 67 yards to the house to make it 21-0.

Eastern eventually fought back, but Marquis Butler picked Mitchell off again in the fourth quarter and USD finished the upset, 30-17.

Warren finished with 126 yards and a touchdown through the air and another 59 yards rushing.

Mitchell threw it 60 times for 369 yards.

Eastern Washington rushed for 11.

Now, fifteen years later, the Eagles are finally coming back to the DakotaDome.

Bo Levi Mitchell is long gone.

Dante Warren will be standing on the Coyote sideline coaching running backs.

And instead of Mitchell, USD gets another Eastern Washington quarterback capable of taking over a game.

Meet #2 Nate Bell.

Don’t Get Hung Up on 1-1

Eastern Washington arrives in Vermillion at 1-1.

That record doesn’t tell you much.

The Eagles opened the year on the road against ranked Northern Arizona, piled up 429 yards and led 24-17 at halftime before NAU rallied for a 34-27 win.

Then Eastern came home and beat Northern Iowa.

UNI led 24-20 at halftime after a first half with six lead changes.

It didn’t score again.

Eastern pitched a second-half shutout, put together a 16-play touchdown drive to take the lead and eventually won 34-24.

The Eagles finished with 395 yards, went 8-of-13 on third down and won the turnover battle.

But the biggest story was obvious.

#2 Nate Bell accounted for five touchdowns.

Two passing.

Three rushing.

Meet #2 Nate Bell

Bell isn’t the tallest quarterback in America.

He’s listed at 5-10, 194 pounds — which feels generous.

But through two games:

54-of-80 passing — 67.5%
564 yards
4 touchdowns
1 interception

And then there’s the other problem:

24 carries
112 yards
4 touchdowns

Bell is Eastern Washington’s leading rusher.

Against UNI, he threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, then carried it 18 times for 94 yards and three more scores.

One of those went for 34 yards on a quarterback sneak.

Seriously.

That’s what makes him difficult.

Getting Bell out of the pocket doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve won the play.

Sometimes that’s when the second play starts.

USD Just Got a Preview

The good news?

USD already spent a Saturday dealing with a quarterback willing to run.

Northern Colorado’s #12 Kenny Lueth officially carried it 13 times for 32 yards — more attempts than any Bears running back.

But two of those were sacks.

Remove them and Lueth gained 50 yards on 11 actual rushing attempts, including runs of 11, 11, 8, 7 and 6 yards.

UNC used his legs on third down and in short yardage.

And in the fourth quarter, the Bears twice put the ball in Lueth’s hands on fourth-and-2.

USD stopped him both times.

That’s worth remembering this week.

Bell isn’t introducing USD to the concept of a quarterback run game.

He’s the advanced version of it.

Lueth was a quarterback who could hurt you with his legs.

Eastern Washington actively builds its offense around Bell as a runner.

That’s a different level of problem.

But at least USD isn’t seeing the test for the first time.

Bell Has Help

Focusing too much on Bell’s legs creates the next issue.

He can throw it too.

And Eastern doesn’t have one receiver you can simply erase.

Through two games:

#13 Wesley Garrett — 11 catches, 126 yards, 1 TD
#80 Drew Carlson — 14 catches, 120 yards
#6 Jaxon Branch — 9 catches, 116 yards, 2 TD
#17 Jamai East — 5 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD

Four players already have at least 66 receiving yards.

#6 Jaxon Branch has scored in both games, while #80 Drew Carlson leads the Eagles with 14 catches.

So if USD starts cheating extra help toward the line of scrimmage to account for Bell?

Eastern has options.

There are actual running backs too.

#7 Malik Dotson has 22 carries for 59 yards, while #3 Kevin Allen III has 13 for 56.

Eastern is averaging only 3.7 yards per carry as a team, but traditional rushing numbers don’t really explain the stress Bell creates.

The Matchup Up Front

USD’s run defense has been pretty good.

Opponents are averaging 3.7 yards per carry through two games, and Northern Colorado managed just 111 yards on 34 attempts Saturday.

When UNC needed two yards late, the Coyote front won twice.

John Starman also had three tackles for loss and two sacks.

There are things from Greeley that translate directly into this week.

Stay disciplined.

Don’t run yourself out of the play.

And when Eastern puts the game on Bell’s legs in short yardage, win up front.

Much easier said than done.

Eastern’s Defense Deserves Some Attention Too

Bell is going to get most of the attention, but Eastern’s second half against UNI shouldn’t be ignored.

24 points allowed in the first half.

Zero in the second.

Linebacker #9 Myles Mayovsky had 10 tackles against UNI after recording 18 against Northern Arizona.

Safety #31 Jaylon Jenkins intercepted five passes last season and already has another pick this year.

Up front, #4 Isaiah Perez has 1.5 tackles for loss, while #99 Gauge Larsen had two sacks against UNI.

Eastern has allowed 357.5 yards per game.

The number that interests me more?

Opponents are averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.

Because USD has been running the football.

USD Has Plenty of Answers Too

Week 1 was the Austyn Modrzewski show.

In his first collegiate start, the redshirt freshman threw for 304 yards and six touchdowns and added 81 yards and another score on the ground.

Week 2 was different.

And that’s probably a good thing.

Modrzewski went 14-of-22 for 178 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Greeley.

He didn’t need to do everything.

USD rushed for 214 yards on 34 carries.

Keyondray Jones-Logan had 55.

Charles Pierre Jr. had 46 and scored twice.

Carson Fletcher added 46.

Jackson Proctor broke a 40-yard run.

Tennel Bryant took a reverse 46 yards for a touchdown.

Through two games, USD is averaging 240.5 rushing yards per game and 7.2 yards per carry.

That’s a pretty good complement for a quarterback who has thrown eight touchdown passes without an interception.

And it brings things back to Dante Warren.

Fifteen years ago, Warren was the quarterback running around the DakotaDome against Eastern Washington.

This Saturday, he’ll be coaching one of the deepest position groups on USD’s roster on a team that is likely to be double digit favorites at home.

Different teams.

Different coaches.

Different era.

Same building.

Eastern Washington has played football in Vermillion once.

The Eagles walked in as the defending national champions and No. 1 team in America.

South Dakota beat them by 13.

Now, for the first time in fifteen years, Eastern Washington is walking back into the DakotaDome.

This time Dante Warren gets to watch from the sideline.