2023 South Dakota
10–3 (7–1 Missouri Valley Football Conference). Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Western Illinois 48–6Nov 18
By 42 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Murray State 38–7Oct 7
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | at Missouri | L 10–35 | 17% |
| Sep 9 | vs St. Thomas (MN) | W 24–0 | 41% |
| Sep 16 | vs Lamar | W 35–6 | 79% |
| Sep 30 | at North Dakota State | W 24–19 | 17% |
| Oct 7 | vs Murray State | W 38–7 | 73% |
| Oct 14 | vs Youngstown State | W 34–31 | 54% |
| Oct 21 | at Indiana State | W 17–3 | 75% |
| Oct 28 | vs South Dakota State | L 3–37 | 27% |
| Nov 4 | at Southern Illinois | W 14–7 | 38% |
| Nov 11 | vs North Dakota | W 14–10 | 58% |
| Nov 18 | at Western Illinois | W 48–6 | 87% |
| Dec 2Bowls & playoff | vs Sacramento StateFCS Championship – Second Round | W 34–24 | 54% |
| Dec 9Bowls & playoff | vsNorth Dakota StateFCS Championship – Quarterfinals, CFP Quarterfinal | L 17–45 | 44% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to North Dakota State 45–17 in the FCS Championship – Quarterfinals, CFP Quarterfinal; unranked in the final AP poll; 2nd in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
In program history: The 4th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 86 on file).
- Record
- 10–3
- Conference
- 7–1 2nd in Missouri Valley Football Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 312–230
- Coach
- —
- Elo
- 1413 +143 this season
- SP+ rating
- —
- SRS
- −9.4 No. 8 of 128 in FCS
- Recruiting class
- No. 152
- Offensive coordinator
- Josh Davis
- Defensive coordinator
- Travis Johansen
- Offense
- Pistol
- Defense
- Multiple
Leaders
| Passing yards | Aidan Bouman QB | 2,551 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Aidan Bouman QB | 15 TD |
| Rushing yards | Travis Theis RB | 844 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Travis Theis RB | 6 TD |
| Receiving yards | Carter Bell WR | 896 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Carter Bell WR | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Shahid Barros DB | 7 tkl |
| Sacks | Brendan Webb DL | 0.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Josiah Ganues DB | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2023 class
| Grant Chapman OT | ★★★ | No. 1837 |
| Gabriel Hardman LB | ★★★ | No. 2520 |
| Larenzo Fenner WR | ★★ | No. 2678 |
| Roman Tillmon S | ★★ | No. 2811 |
| Jesse Miller TE | ★★ | No. 2811 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2023 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receivers | 2 | 2.0 | 0.785 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.835 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.801 |
| Defensive backs | 1 | 2.0 | 0.780 |
| Whole class | 5 | 2.4 | 0.797 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2024
The 2024 draft| Rd 7 | Myles Harden CB | Cleveland Browns |
Transfers in 0
The 2023 portalNo transfers in.
Transfers out 2
2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State | 8–0 | 15–0 | |
 South Dakota | 7–1 | 10–3 | |
| North Dakota State | 5–3 | 11–4 | |
| Youngstown State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
| North Dakota | 5–3 | 7–5 | |
 Northern Iowa | 5–3 | 6–5 | |
| Southern Illinois | 4–4 | 8–5 | |
 Illinois State | 4–4 | 6–5 | |
 Missouri State | 3–5 | 4–7 | |
| Murray State | 1–7 | 2–9 | |
| Indiana State | 1–7 | 1–10 | |
| Western Illinois | 0–8 | 0–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.