By: Madie Brink
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Sioux Falls (0-1, 0-0 NSIC) and Jamestown (0-1, 0-0 NSIC) will renew a series that has been dormant for nearly 20 years when the two programs meet for the seventh time in program history on Saturday. The NSIC matchup will be the first between the two programs as NCAA DII members.
Inside the Series
OVERALL: 7th Meeting - Sioux Falls leads 4-2
CURRENT STREAK: Sioux Falls, Won 2
LAST MEETING: Nov. 18, 2006 - USF 48, UJ 10 (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
SERIES HISTORY: The Cougars hold a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series, which dates back to Oct. 25, 1975. USF has won four of the last five meetings and enters Saturday riding a two-game winning streak against the Jimmies. The six previous matchups have produced 172 points for the Cougars, an average of 28.7 points per game.
The programs last met on Nov. 18, 2006, when Sioux Falls rolled to a 48-10 victory, marking the largest margin of victory in the series. That win followed a 29-6 Cougar victory in November of 1997. USF also picked up wins of 42-12 in 1996 and 36-21 in 1985, while Jamestown's victories came in the inaugural 1975 meeting and a narrow 15-14 decision in 1997. Saturday's matchup will mark the first meeting between the programs since that 2006 contest and the first since both programs transitioned to the NCAA Division II level.
The Cougar File
PREGAME TIDBITS: Sioux Falls enters Week Two looking to bounce back following a narrow 24-21 loss to Black Hills State in its season opener at Bob Young Field. The Cougars finished with 225 yards of total offense, including 198 through the air, and battled back after trailing 21-14 entering the fourth quarter. USF scored touchdowns on each of its three trips inside the red zone and tied the game in the fourth before Black Hills State connected on a 47-yard field goal for the final margin. Despite the setback, the Cougars protected the football through the air, finishing the night without an interception.
Quarterback
Tate Schafer completed 21-of-41 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown in his first start of the 2026 campaign. Six different Cougars caught a pass, led by
Adonis Hutchinson, who hauled in six receptions for 67 yards and recorded the team's longest reception of the night at 31 yards.
Dahlton Wood added four catches for 50 yards, averaging 12.5 yards per reception, while
Isaac Jarovski made an immediate impact with six catches for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Caden Henkes and
Noah Robertson each added 12 receiving yards as USF continued to spread the football across its receiving corps.
Bubba Tann III picked up where he left off last season as the Cougars' primary scoring threat out of the backfield. Tann carried 10 times for 34 yards and scored both of USF's rushing touchdowns, while also catching two passes for 11 yards. The senior accounted for 12 of the Cougars' 21 points in the opener and now has 12 total touchdowns over his last 12 games dating back to the beginning of the 2025 season. After rushing for 938 yards and eight touchdowns a season ago, Tann once again finds himself at the center of the Cougar offense heading into Week Two.
Defensively, Sioux Falls showed an ability to create negative plays throughout the opener. The Cougars totaled 10 tackles for loss for 32 yards, compared to just three tackles for loss by Black Hills State. Preseason NSIC Player to Watch
Andy Henson paced the defense with eight tackles, including six solo stops and a tackle for loss.
DaShawn Rohlik followed with six tackles and a tackle for loss, while
Beau Giblin,
Garret Hoffman,
Cade Morse,
Dawson Raabe and
Raysean Wilson each finished with five tackles. Wilson recorded an 11-yard tackle for loss, Morse added one for eight yards and
Denim Blackstad led the team with two tackles for loss.
London Kolb provided the Cougars' lone sack of the night as USF held Black Hills State to 123 passing yards and 4.0 yards per offensive play. The defense also recovered a fumble and forced the Yellow Jackets into 17 third-down attempts, allowing seven conversions. Black Hills State did most of its damage on the ground, but needed 50 rushing attempts to reach 174 yards, an average of 3.5 yards per carry. USF's defense finished the contest with 67 total tackles, including 57 solo stops.
The Cougar return units were another bright spot in Week One.
Mark-hel Joinville totaled 97 yards on three kickoff returns, averaging 32.3 yards per return with a long of 41, while
Cade Morse returned two punts for 52 yards and broke off a 44-yard return. Punter
Scott Dickson averaged 42.0 yards on five punts, including two of 50 yards or longer. As a team, USF averaged 32.3 yards on kickoff returns and 26.0 yards on punt returns, giving the Cougars another area to build upon as they turn their attention to Jamestown.
Scouting the Opponent
PREGAME TIDBITS: Jamestown enters Week Two with an 0-1 record after opening the 2026 season with a 30-13 road loss to Upper Iowa. The Jimmies finished with 215 yards of total offense, with 142 coming on the ground and 73 through the air. Running back Mason Whitley led the offense, carrying 17 times for 77 yards and both Jamestown touchdowns. Quarterback Cole Hentges added 65 rushing yards on 14 attempts as the duo combined for 142 rushing yards.
Whitley was also a factor in the passing and return games, catching a 27-yard pass and returning two kickoffs for 60 yards to finish with a team-high 164 all-purpose yards. Hentges completed 9-of-28 passes for 73 yards, with Gage Solano serving as his leading target with five receptions for 29 yards. Solano also handled punt return duties, while Whitley averaged 30.0 yards per kickoff return.
Defensively, Jamestown recorded eight tackles for loss and a sack while holding Upper Iowa to a 29.4-percent conversion rate on third down. Josh Bosacker led the Jimmies with 11 tackles and a tackle for loss, while Antonio Bernardini and Zach Mueller each recorded eight stops. Bernardini added two tackles for loss and Jamestown's lone sack. The Jimmies surrendered 383 total yards in the opener, including 223 on the ground, but played a disciplined game with just three penalties for 25 yards and no fumbles lost.
JAMESTOWN HEAD COACH TOM DOSCH: Tom Dosch returned to Jamestown ahead of the program's move to the NCAA Division II level, bringing extensive head coaching and NSIC experience back to the Jimmies. Dosch previously served as Jamestown's head coach from 2004-07, compiling a 25-17 record while leading the program to two NAIA playoff appearances. His first tenure was highlighted by the 2007 season, when Jamestown captured the Dakota Athletic Conference championship and climbed as high as No. 6 in the national rankings.
Dosch later spent 10 seasons as the head coach at Northern State, where he recorded 53 victories and was named the 2014 NSIC Coach of the Year after leading the Wolves to an 8-3 record. Northern State followed with a share of the NSIC North Division title in 2015. His coaching career also includes stops at North Dakota and Southern Illinois, where he contributed to multiple conference championships and postseason appearances. Dosch returned to Jamestown after most recently coaching outside linebackers at North Dakota, bringing decades of experience back to a Jimmie program beginning a new era in the NSIC.
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