South Dakota football will play its 2016 home opener against Weber State on Sept. 10 inside the DakotaDome as part of a home-and-home series announced Tuesday.
It will be the first meeting between the two programs since 1970 and the first to be played in Vermillion.
The game will be played one week following South Dakota’s season opener against California in Berkeley. The Coyotes renew their rivalry with North Dakota in Grand Forks the week after hosting Weber State which will conclude non-conference play in 2016.
The Weber State Wildcats, located in Ogden, Utah, are under the direction of head coach Jay Hill, a longtime assistant coach at the University of Utah. Weber State was 2-10 overall and 2-6 in the Big Sky in 2014 – the team’s first season under Hill. The Wildcats made back-to-back trips to the FCS playoffs in 2008 and 2009, but have won two games in each of their last three seasons.
South Dakota and Weber State played to a 21-21 tie in Ogden on Nov. 21, 1970, in the only meeting between the two teams. South Dakota alum Steve Pelot ran for 134 yards and three touchdowns in a game that the Coyotes led 21-0 at halftime. South Dakota quarterback Tom Engleman passed for 100 yards and ran for 52 more in front of 3,700 in attendance.
The Coyotes are scheduled to host North Dakota on Sept. 16, 2017. South Dakota will return to Ogden to face Weber State on Sept. 15, 2018. Go to GoYotes.com for more information on future schedules.
