For the first time in the long history of the USD Coyote football program, they'll face off with a SoCon team on Saturday morning.

The 6th-seeded Mercer Bears won the Southern Conference this Fall, and have a unique blend of youth and experience on the roster.

The USD Coyotes enter the game white-hot, and continued their torrid pace of late with a victory over the Drake Bulldogs a week ago.

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Here's your game preview for the FCS second round game from Macon, Georgia on Saturday.

First, here's some musical accompaniment to get USD Coyote fans in the mood:

TV/Radio

TV - ESPN+, coverage beginning at 11:00am

Radio - Coyote Sports Network from Learfield, pregame coverage begins at 10:00am

Odds

*Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change.

Mercer Favored by 5.5 points

O/U 55.5 points

The Mercer Bears (9-2, 8-0 SoCon)

Wins: Wofford, The Citadel, ETSU, Samford, Princeton, VMI, Furman, #24 Western Carolina, Chattanooga (1 ranked win)

Losses: vs. Presbyterian 15-10 (8/30), @ Auburn 62-17 (11/22)

The Coach: Mike Jacobs (2nd Season)

Key Stats

Offense - 39.5 PPG, 170.5 Rush YPG, 21 Rush TDs, 333.6 Pass YPG, 35 Pass TDs

Defense - 23.6 PPGa, 92.2 Rush YPGa, 9 Rush TDa, 243.7 Pass YPGa, 24 Pass TDa

Turnovers - Offense - 9 INT, 5 FL - Defense - 9 INT, 6 FR (+1 Turnover Margin)

Key Players:

Offense - Freshman Quarterback Braden Atkinson (Rolesville, NC)

68%, 3,448 yards, 34 TDs - 7 INT, 10 rush yards, 1 TD

Defense - Sophomore Defensive Lineman Andrew Zock (Citra, FL)

41 total tackles, 20.0 TFL, 11.5 sacks, 22 QBH, 2 FF, 1 FR

Here's the preview from GoYotes.com:

VERMILLION, S.D. — The Yotes are set to take the field in the program's third-straight appearance in the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs when they make the trip down to Macon, Georgia for a clash with the No. 6-seed Mercer Bears on Saturday for the first-ever clash with a Southern Conference foe.

The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Kelsie Kasper (PxP) and Forrest Conoly (analyst) on the call for the Second Round clash. You can listen to the voice of the Coyotes John Thayer on the Coyote Sports Network beginning at 10 a.m. (CT) for the pre-game show with former Coyote Gary Culver joining Thayer for the call at 11 a.m. (CT).

YOTES IN THE FCS PLAYOFFS

South Dakota makes their fifth trip to the FCS Playoffs this season (2017, 2021, 2023-25) and third-straight trip.
It's the first trip for head coach Travis Johansen in his first season as head coach, though he's been a part of four total trips now as defensive coordinator and/or head coach.

KEY STORYLINES

South Dakota and Mercer will meet on the gridiron for the first time ever on Saturday for the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs.
This season South Dakota is 6-2 when scoring first, 6-0 when leading at halftime, 6-1 when not committing a turnover, and 4-0 with a rusher over 150+ yards in the game.
The Yotes are 3-2 against top-25 FCS opponents this season with all three wins coming to end the season (UND, SDSU, SIU).
USD had a stretch of not committing a turnover in six-straight games did not commit a turnover in six of the eight MVFC games this season. It's now seven games this season without a turnover, following the Drake game (Nov. 29).
PACING THE FCS: L.J. Phillips Jr. is third in the FCS net rushing yards (1,688),fourth in carries (264), fifth in rushing yards per game (129.8), ninth in rushing touchdowns (16), and 13th in yards per carry (6.22).

SERIES HISTORY

South Dakota and Mercer have never met on the gridiron before with Saturday's contest marking the first-ever contest.
Of the current Southern Conference (SoCon) football members, South Dakota has never played a SoCon opponent before.
It's the first-ever SoCon opponent for USD in the FCS Playoffs, making it the sixth different conference.

Here's Coach Travis Johansen on the recent play and leadership of Quarterback Aidan Bouman: