Before there was a Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Before there was a DakotaDome.

Before either program played Division I football.

South Dakota and North Dakota were already playing each other.

The first meeting was in 1903.

And for nearly half a century, they played for something a little more interesting than conference standings.

The Sitting Bull Trophy.

Introduced in 1953, the trophy was a carved wooden bust of Sitting Bull, created following a dispute between the two states over the relocation of his remains from North Dakota to South Dakota.

The trophy was retired after the 1999 season amid concerns surrounding the use of Native American imagery.

So no, the teams won’t actually exchange the trophy Saturday. But the rivalry never went anywhere.

North Dakota leads the all-time series 64-34-5.

South Dakota has won the last three.

And Saturday marks the 104th meeting between two programs that have spent more than 120 years finding reasons not to particularly like each other.

This one might be especially important.

No. 8 South Dakota.

No. 6 North Dakota.

Both 6-2.

Both 3-1 in the Missouri Valley.

The old trophy may be gone.

The stakes certainly aren’t.

UND Just Beat the No. 1 Team in America

Let’s start with the obvious.

North Dakota is coming to Vermillion after beating No. 1 South Dakota State 21-10.

Not a fluky win.

Not a last-second field goal.

The Fighting Hawks controlled much of the afternoon.

UND led 21-0 in the second quarter.

It held a South Dakota State offense that entered the game averaging nearly 292 rushing yards to just 157 on the ground.

The Jackrabbits finished with 326 total yards and 10 points.

Both season lows.

And UND did it against an SDSU team that had looked like the best team in the country for much of the season.

North Dakota’s defense held Chase Mason to 14-of-33 passing and didn’t allow SDSU to score in the fourth quarter.

The Fighting Hawks finally broke a five-game losing streak to the Jackrabbits.

Now they’re heading south.

And I’d imagine they’re feeling pretty good about themselves.

Meanwhile, USD Was Busy Making Murray State Look Competitive

We spent all last week having some fun at Murray State’s expense.

The Racers were 1-5.

They’d won three of their previous 30 games.

They were allowing more than 40 points per game.

And they’d invited South Dakota to their Homecoming.

It seemed like a pretty obvious mismatch… Then the game started.

Murray State scored first. USD answered. Murray answered again.

And somehow, at halftime, the scoreboard read:

South Dakota 14, Murray State 14.

The Racers actually outgained USD 351-327 for the game.

The Coyotes finished with 174 rushing yards, 153 passing yards and an interception.

This wasn’t the offensive performance we saw against Southern Illinois.

But the second half was much better.

USD outscored Murray 34-6 after halftime and eventually won 48-20.

Brayden White finished with seven catches, 78 yards and two touchdowns.

Austyn Modrzewski threw three touchdown passes.

Tennel Bryant scored again.

And the running back committee helped finish things off. A win is a win.

But after watching North Dakota dominate SDSU, I don’t think anybody is going to spend this week celebrating how thoroughly we handled a one-win Murray State team.

Especially when one of USD’s most important players wasn’t even on the field.

Where Is Charles Pierre Jr.?

This might be the biggest question of the week for the South Dakota offense.

#3 Charles Pierre Jr. did not play against Murray State.

Neither did Keyondray Jones-Logan, leaving USD without two important pieces of its backfield.

According to head coach Matt Vitzthum’s update, Pierre is day-to-day and could return either this week against North Dakota or the following week.

That’s encouraging. But it’s not a guarantee. And this is a pretty significant week to potentially be without him.

Before missing the Murray State game, Pierre had put together back-to-back 100-yard performances.

109 against Indiana State.

138 against Southern Illinois.

After struggling against Boise and Youngstown, the rushing attack was finally looking like itself again.

Then Pierre was unavailable, and USD ran for 174 yards against Murray State.

Carson Fletcher led the way with 56 yards on 12 carries.

Reid Watkins added 38.

Courtney Rivers finished with 35 and scored his first career touchdown.

But Pierre is still the most established running back in that room.

And North Dakota isn’t Murray State.

The Fighting Hawks are allowing just 112.3 rushing yards per game.

If Pierre plays, USD has a much better chance of creating the offensive balance it wants.

If he doesn’t?

Fletcher, Watkins and the rest of the room are going to have to produce against one of the better defensive fronts in the Valley.

We’ll see what the injury report looks like as Saturday approaches.

Meet #1 Jerry Kaminski

North Dakota has an injury question of its own.

And it’s a big one.

#1 Jerry Kaminski was injured against Northern Iowa two weeks ago.

An ankle injury.

He finished that game on crutches and in a walking boot, and North Dakota initially considered him week-to-week.

In fact, backup #8 Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson reportedly prepared to start against South Dakota State.

Kaminski had other plans.

After spending significant time rehabbing throughout the week, he played against the Jackrabbits. And won.

Kaminski completed 10-of-16 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns against SDSU.

Those aren’t eye-popping numbers. But they were enough.

And before the ankle injury, Kaminski had been having a very good season.

Through eight games:

1,742 passing yards.

21 passing touchdowns.

4 interceptions.

He’s also rushed for 294 net yards and three touchdowns. This is not some backup who happened to play well for a week.

Kaminski threw for more than 2,500 yards last season and added another 607 rushing yards.

USD fans should remember him.

He was the quarterback in last year’s game at the DakotaDome.

And he’ll certainly remember that afternoon.

The biggest question now is how much the ankle affects his mobility.

Kaminski is dangerous when he can extend plays and use his legs.

If he’s limited in that area, North Dakota loses part of what makes its offense difficult to defend.

But considering he just played through the injury to beat the No. 1 team in the country, I wouldn’t build a defensive game plan around assuming he can’t move.

UND Can Run the Football Without Kaminski

And this is the other problem. North Dakota doesn’t need Kaminski to carry the rushing attack.

The Fighting Hawks are averaging 208.3 rushing yards per game. They have two running backs who can cause problems.

#6 Charles Langama has rushed for 514 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. Against SDSU, he broke a 49-yard touchdown run that gave UND a 14-0 lead.

Then there’s #4 Matt Lawson. Lawson has 396 rushing yards this season and is coming off a career-high 99 yards against the Jackrabbits.

It’s a pretty effective combination.

Langama provides the explosives.

Lawson gives UND another back capable of handling significant carries.

And both benefit from the attention Kaminski demands.

This is a much better rushing offense than the one USD faced last Saturday.

Which means the improvement we saw against Indiana State and Southern Illinois is going to get a serious test.

#2 Deng Deng and the Passing Game

If UND does throw it, one name to remember is #2 Deng Deng.

Pretty good football player, too.

Deng leads the Fighting Hawks with 34 receptions for 518 yards.

He caught one of Kaminski’s two touchdown passes against SDSU.

Then there’s #5 Korey Tai, who has 25 receptions for 371 yards and five touchdowns.

And #11 Cameron Weir, who caught a 35-yard touchdown against SDSU and has four receiving scores on the season.

North Dakota has legitimate receiving weapons.

But the passing game hasn’t needed to carry the offense because UND has been so effective running the football.

The question for USD is whether it can change that.

Take away the traditional running game.

Make Kaminski throw.

And see whether that ankle holds up when he has to move around in the pocket.

Easier said than done.

North Dakota’s Defense Is Going to Be a Problem

UND isn’t just an offense with a good quarterback.

The defense has been one of the better units in the FCS.

Through eight games, North Dakota is allowing:

304.4 total yards per game.

112.3 rushing yards per game.

192.1 passing yards per game.

Opposing quarterbacks are completing just 56.4 percent of their passes.

And the Fighting Hawks have recorded 17 sacks.

Then there’s #0 Lance Rucker.

Rucker was one of the best pass rushers in the FCS last season, finishing with 11.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

He missed the first seven games this year with a foot injury.

Guess when he returned? Against South Dakota State.

Of course.

Rucker finished with three quarterback hurries in his season debut.

And sophomore cornerback #27 Grant Noland had an even bigger afternoon, breaking up six passes against SDSU.

That’s going to matter.

Modrzewski is averaging more than nine yards per pass attempt and has thrown 22 touchdown passes, tied for second nationally.

UND has shown it can make quarterbacks uncomfortable.

This will be one of the toughest defensive tests Modrzewski has faced all season.

Three Straight for the Coyotes

There’s another reason Saturday should be interesting.

Despite North Dakota’s historical advantage in the rivalry, USD has won the last three meetings.

In 2023, the Coyotes beat No. 10 North Dakota 14-10 inside the DakotaDome.

In 2024, USD traveled to Grand Forks and won 42-36, overcoming an early deficit and ending a 15-game road losing streak against UND.

It was South Dakota’s first win in Grand Forks since 1985.

Then came last season. And that game was weird.

USD blocked a punt for a safety.

Larenzo Fenner caught a 43-yard touchdown.

And defensive lineman Chris Dixon forced a fumble that Dejuan Lewis scooped up and returned 80 yards for a touchdown.

Suddenly USD led 26-7.

North Dakota fought back. The Fighting Hawks scored twice to make it 26-21.

But USD stopped UND on downs on its final two possessions and held on.

South Dakota 26, North Dakota 21.

Three straight.

But none of those wins came easily.

And after beating SDSU, North Dakota has to believe this is an opportunity to finally end the streak.

Not if the Coyotes have anything to say about it.

What I’m Watching

1. Charles Pierre’s Availability

This is the first thing I’m watching all week.

If Pierre is healthy enough to return, that changes the matchup.

UND has been excellent against the run.

USD needs its best rushing options available.

But if Pierre isn’t ready, the Coyotes can’t simply abandon the ground game.

Fletcher, Watkins and the offensive line are going to have to find a way.

2. How Healthy Is Kaminski?

He played against SDSU.

He played well enough to win.

But how mobile is he going to be another week removed from the ankle injury?

And can USD make him uncomfortable without letting Langama and Lawson take over the game?

That’s a pretty important balancing act.

3. Can USD Actually Stop the Run?

The run defense has improved considerably since Boise and Youngstown.

But Murray State still managed 145 rushing yards.

And North Dakota is averaging more than 200 per game.

Langama can break a long run.

Lawson can keep the chains moving.

Kaminski can run when healthy.

USD doesn’t need another afternoon chasing a rushing attack all over the field.

4. Which USD Offense Shows Up?

Against Southern Illinois, the Coyotes had 486 yards on 55 plays.

Against Murray State, they had 327 yards despite scoring 48 points.

Some of that difference was field position and turnovers.

Some was the missing personnel.

But we’re going to need a much sharper offensive performance Saturday.

North Dakota isn’t going to hand over possessions like Murray State did.

5. The DakotaDome

Saturday will be just the fifth (potentially 6th?) time two top-10 teams have met in Vermillion in the FCS era.

And the timing couldn’t be better.

USD has won three straight.

North Dakota just knocked off No. 1 SDSU.

Both teams are 6-2 and 3-1 in the Valley.

The winner stays squarely in the conference title race.

The loser falls to two conference losses with the season entering November.

Oh, and it’s a rivalry that’s been played since 1903.

That’s a lot of history packed into one afternoon.

No. 6 North Dakota at No. 8 South Dakota

Saturday, October 24

1:00 p.m. CT

DakotaDome — Vermillion, South Dakota

ESPN+ / Midco Sports

The old Sitting Bull Trophy. (We need to create a new trophy)

And now two top-10 teams playing for something bigger than bragging rights.

This is what the Valley is supposed to be.