FCS threat with 2-QB sets: What Boise State needs to look for vs. South Dakota

BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — You could argue that the easiest game of the Boise State football team’s nonconference schedule is coming up this weekend, but don’t let Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson hear you say that.

Boise State (1-1) hosts Football Championship Subdivision program South Dakota (3-0) at 8 p.m. Saturday at Albertsons Stadium.

“One of the best FCS teams in the country. Undefeated. They can beat anybody at any time,” Danielson said Monday afternoon. “… If we don’t play our best football, South Dakota’s going to come in here and beat us. That’s the reality of who they are, and we’ve got to be ready to play our best.”

The Broncos put together a challenging nonconference slate in 2026; they’ve already faced then-No. 2 Oregon and Memphis, and still have to face Western Michigan later in the month — all three teams came into the season with hopes of challenging for a College Football Playoff berth.

But South Dakota certainly isn’t a pushover. The Coyotes are ranked as the 10th-best team in the NCAA’s FCS rankings and have won by at least two touchdowns in all three of their games this season.

Here’s what to know about Boise State’s next opponent.

Growing FCS threat

Since moving up to the FCS level in 2008, the Coyotes have reached the 24-team FCS Playoffs five times, all in 2017 or later. And among those five appearances, their three best postseason runs have all come in the past three seasons.

South Dakota reached the playoff quarterfinals in 2023 and 2025, and reached the semifinals in 2024. The run in 2024 also featured a Missouri Valley Conference championship; no easy feat, given the Coyotes were up against the likes of South Dakota State and North Dakota State, the latter of which just transitioned to the Mountain West at the Football Bowl Subdivision level.

The Coyotes are coming off a 10-5 season but are led by new head coach Matt Vitzthum, who coached quarterbacks and wide receivers at South Dakota during the school’s playoff runs over the past two seasons.

“Got a lot of respect for Coach Vitzthum,” Danielson said. “… They’re beating people pretty good, and you can see their play style. They run the football, they’re disciplined, they play really good defense.”

Two-quarterback system

South Dakota has primarily trusted the ball in the hands of sophomore quarterback Austyn Modrzewski. In his first three games as a starter, the 6-foot-5 QB has completed 46 of his 66 pass attempts for 727 yards, 11 touchdowns and an interception.

But if you see South Dakota trotting out fifth-year QB Jackson Proctor onto the field alongside Modrzewski, don’t be shocked — the Coyotes have run a two-quarterback system for a couple of years, and it’s designed explicitly to confuse opposing defensive lines.

Proctor already has nine rushes for 118 yards this season, while Modrzewski hasn’t been afraid to keep the ball, either, running eight times for 79 yards and a touchdown.

“We’ve been up there grinding it out last night, yesterday, this morning,” defensive coordinator Erik Chinander said Monday about preparing for the Coyotes’ dual-QB threat. “They use some really good, different personnel packages.”

Well-balanced, tricky offense

It’s not just tricky QB play that makes the Coyotes so dangerous. They’ll often run two tight end or two running back sets, keeping the opposition guessing on where the ball is going to end up. Speedy fifth-year running back Charles Pierre Jr. leads the Coyotes’ rushing attack with 261 yards and four touchdowns.

South Dakota also has senior RB Keyondray Jones-Logan, who can line up in the slot like a receiver or motion back inside and receive the handoff for a quick fly sweep.

As a team, the Coyotes have recorded 753 rushing yards and 750 passing yards. When South Dakota attacks through the air, it has spread the ball out evenly between wide receivers Tennel Bryant (187 yards) and Brayden White (164), as well as Jones-Logan (124).

Boise State vs. South Dakota

When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Albertsons Stadium (34,423, Turf)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: KBOI 670 AM and KBOI 93.1 FM/Sirius XM Ch. 84 (Bob Behler, Mike Callahan)
Records: Boise State 1-1, 0-0; South Dakota 3-0, 0-0
Series: Boise State leads the series 1-0
Vegas line: Boise State by 22.5 points
Weather: High of 76, low of 52, humidity 45%, sunny, 0% chance of rain