By: Madie Brink
November 2, 2022
SIOUX FALLS – The No. 25 Sioux Falls Cougars will host the (RV) Wayne State Wildcats this weekend at Bob Young Field. Kick-off is set for 1:00pm with gates opening at 12:00pm. USF will honor 14 seniors this weekend for their annual "Senior Day" game.
The History
The Cougars are currently 9-0 against the Wildcats dating back to their first match-up in 2012. USF has taken five road wins and four home victories from Wayne State with their largest victory being 59-10 in 2015.
In their most recent match-up last season, the Coo came away with a 38-17 road win over the Wildcats. USF had 333 yards of total offense with 241 on the ground and 92 through the air. Thuro Reisdorfer ran for his 11th 100+ yard game with 146 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown. Reisdorfer currently has 17 100+ yard games as a Cougar and sits fifth in the USF record books.
Adam Mullen completed 10 of his 15 attempts for 92 yards and one touchdown as well as rushed for 16 yards and a rushing touchdown. Brady Crawford helped lead the Coo with two sacks for a loss of 14 yards followed by Cal Botsford, Taj Wyatt and Jonathan Taylor.
The (RV) Wildcats
Wayne State is coming off a 56-14 win over Upper Iowa to improve to 7-2 on the season. The Wildcats sit 3rd in the NSIC overall standings and are currently receiving votes (RV) in the AFCA Coaches' Poll.
Thus far, Wayne State has averaged 435.6 yards of total offense a game with 228.11 passing and 207.4 rushing. While the Wildcats average 33.44 points per game, they are led by senior running back, Anthony Watkins, and sophomore wide receiver, Jadon Johnson. Watkins currently averages 74.78 yards a game with nine touchdowns on the year while Johnson averages 62.89 yards a game with four touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback, Nick Bohn, enters this weekend with 1,865 passing yards and 15 touchdowns while also being the second leading rusher for the Wildcats with 563 rushing yards on the season and six touchdowns.
The No. 25 Cougars
Sioux Falls is looking to get back on track following a 24-38 loss against Minnesota State last weekend. USF currently sits at 25th in the AFCA Coaches' Poll and 4th in the NSIC South Division.
The Cougars have put up 287 points this season averaging 31.89 points a game along with 37 touchdowns on the season. USF enters this weekend with a pretty even spread with 1,917 yards rushing and 1,913 passing yards. Adam Mullen currently sits within the USF top-10 for career passing yards with 4,007 and 27 touchdowns. Mullen threw for a career high 313 yards last weekend against the Mavericks and looks to continue his efforts this weekend against Wayne State.
The USF run game continues to be led by Thuro Reisdorfer and Landon Freeman combining for 1,673 of the Cougars 1,917 rushing yards. Reisdorfer is averaging 120.89 yards a game along with 15 touchdowns on the season while Freeman has picked up eight touchdowns averaging 65 yards a game. Ethan Wittenburg and Carter Slykhuis continue to be the top-2 receivers for USF. Wittenburg is averaging 72.11 yards a game with four touchdowns while Slykhuis is averaging 40.44 yards with two touchdowns this seaon.
The Seniors
Sioux Falls will recognize 14 seniors this Saturday.
3 – Cam Alfaro – Defensive Back – Chico, CA
4 – Tanner Beaton – Wide Receiver – Fargo, ND
8 – Ethan Wittenburg – Wide Receiver – Franklin, WI
9 – Grant Rice – Linebacker – Gayville, SD
26 – Gio Purpura – Defensive Back – McHenry, IL
34 – Thuro Reisdorfer – Running Back – Sioux Falls, SD
41 – Taj Wyatt – Defensive Line – Avon, OH
46 – Caleb Kennedy – Tight End/Fullback – Broomfield, CO
47 – Jonathan Taylor – Defensive Line – Bellwood, IL
67 – Terrell Conner – Offensive Line – Owatonna, MN
77 – Jackson Wright – Offensive Line – Sergeant Bluff, IA
78 – Jared Dexter – Offensive Line – Brentwood, CA
94 – Jess Ybarra – Defensive Line – Moreno Valley, CA
97 – David Martinez – Defensive Line – Rancho Cucamonga, CA
More Info
For all things Cougar Football be sure to download the new USF Cougars app to follow along! Follow The Coo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates all season long. Fans can also follow along with live stats, watch the NSIC live video and tune into the KWSNradio broadcast with Tom Frederick and Tim Hiatt for every Cougar Football game!
