September 3, 2026

GAME 2 AT A GLANCE

Date: Saturday, September 5 at Black Hills State (S.D.)  Location: Spearfish, S.D. / Lyle Hare Stadium
Start Time: 1 p.m.
Tickets:  CASH ONLY AT GATE Purchase Tickets Online

THIS WEEK
Dakota State (S.D.) (1-0 overall record, No. 25 in NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll) journeys west in South Dakota to take on former conference foe and current NCAA Division II Black Hills State (S.D.) (1-0 overall record) Saturday afternoon.  Kick-off from the Lyle Hare Stadium is set for 2 p.m. (Central Time)/1 p.m. (Mountain Time).

THE SERIES
Series Overall: Black Hills State leads series 34-21-2
Series Notes: The two squads will meet for the 58th time overall on Saturday afternoon. The series dates back to 1951, where BHSU won the first ever meeting 34-7. DSU and BHSU were former members of the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC), as well as Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) after SDIC Conference dissolved after 1999-2000.   Both teams played yearly until 2010 when BHSU made the jump to NCAA Division II. The Yellow Jackets have won the last six meetings.  The last time DSU defeated BHSU was on Sept. 18, 2004, in Spearfish by the score of 27-17.  Both teams used to play in the Missouri River Shootout Traveling Trophy.

STATS COMPARISON
 

35.0	Scoring Offense	24.0
33.0	Rushing Offense	197.0
429.0	Passing Offense	123.0
462.0	Total Offense	308.0
27.0	Scoring Defense	21.0
147.0	Rushing Defense	27.0
229.0	Passing Defense	198.0
376.0	Total Defense	225.0
3	Interceptions	0
5/41.0	Punts/Avg.	4/43.0
1-4	Sacks-Yards Lost	0-0

DSU-BHSU LOOK BACK
Dakota State (S.D.) and Black Hills State (S.D.) began their all-time series back in 1950's, where they were members of the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC).  When SDIC dissolved after 1999-2000, both schools became members of the Dakota Athletic Conference with North Dakota schools.
  
The teams began their Missouri River Shootout Traveling Trophy in early 2000's, sharing a long-standing athletic rivalry dating back to their days together in the SDIC Conference.  Both schools stopped playing regularly after 2010 when BHSU transitioned to NCAA Division II.

The Yellow Jackets won the last meeting on Oct. 2, 2010, in Spearfish by a narrow score of 14-9.  Black Hills State had won the last six meetings, with the Dakota State's last win coming on Sept. 18, 2004, in Spearfish.  

The Trojans had won four straight meetings with the Yellow Jackets from 1998 through 2001, and eight straight meetings from 1971 through 1978.

ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE (S.D.)
Black Hills State (S.D.) was once a member of the NAIA and the SDIC. After a long tenure in the SDIC, BHSU shifted its athletic affiliation to NCAA Division II and became a full member in 2013. They currently compete in the RMAC (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference).

Black Hills State finished their 2025 season with an overall record of 3-8 and a 3-6 mark in RMAC play. The Yellow Jackets earned their first victory last season against Fort Lewis (Colo.). BHSU finished their season on a two-game winning streak, ending the year with victories against Adams State (Colo.) and New Mexico Highlands.

The Yellow Jackets opened their season on the road against former SDIC conference foe Sioux Falls (S.D.). Black Hills State won by a score of 24-21. With their season-opening victory, BHSU extends their winning streak to three games dating back to last season.

Josh Breske enters his seventh season as head coach at Black Hills State (S.D.). He has a career record of 26-31 at BHSU.

BHSU finishes their non-conference schedule against the Trojans before opening their nine-game conference slate against Adams State (Colo.). BHSU was picked to finish eighth in the ten-team RMAC league.

LAST TIME OUT
Quarterback Tray Hettick fueled the Trojan offense against DWU with a career night, completing 23-of-32 passes for career-highs 429 yards (fourth most single game in DSU football school record book) and five touchdowns (tied fourth most single-game touchdown passes). He connected with four different receivers for touchdowns.

Melek Ford was Hettick's primary target, hauling in nine receptions for a whopping career-high 242 yards (second most single-game receiving yards in DSU football school record book).

Sam Marcus punted five times for 205 yards, averaging 41.0 yards per punt. Four of his five punts landed inside the Dakota Wesleyan 20-yard line, and his longest punt traveled 53 yards.  His highlight came with his last punt of the game where it was landed on DWU's 1-yard line with less than a minute to go in the game.

AG BOWL GAME, FC CONFERENCE CROSS-OVER
Dakota State (S.D.) will take on NCAA Division III Nebraska Wesleyan in the 11th annual Ag Bowl contest. Kick-off for Ag Bowl is set for 6 p.m. on Sep. 12.  There will be a Ag Bowl tailgate meal before the game.  

It will be the second straight year that the Trojans host the Prairie Wolves in the annual Ag Bowl game.

DSU then begins their two-week cross-over contests with the Frontier Conference's West Division. The Trojans host Arizona Christian on Sep. 19 at 1 p.m. before heading to Southern Oregon on Sep. 26 to finish out cross-divisional play.

The Frontier East divisional games begin on Oct. 3 as the Trojans host Montana Tech, followed by Dickinson State (N.D.) on Oct. 10 at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field.

TROJANS IN THE NAIA & FC EAST RANKS
According to the NAIA-PrestoStats as of Monday, Dakota State quarterback Tray Hettick leads the nation in passing yards with 429 yards. He is also tied for third in the nation for passing touchdowns with five. 

Melek Ford ranks third in the nation with nine receptions and second in the nation in receiving yards with 242. Ford leads the FC East in receiving touchdowns with two.

The Trojan defense leads the NAIA in interceptions with three.

DAKOTA STATE 2026 REMAINING HOME SCHEDULE
Dakota State's 2026 home slate features six contests at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field. The Trojans finished last year with a perfect 5-0 home record.

Dakota State kicks off Frontier Conference East Division action against preseason favorite Montana Tech on Oct. 3. The Trojans finish their homestand against Dickinson State (N.D.) in the annual Homecoming/Senior Day contest on Oct. 10.

The final home contest against Mayville State (N.D.) is set for Oct. 31 at 1 p.m.

2026 DAKOTA STATE FOOTBALL TEAM LEADERS

• Rushing:  Trajan Davis - 7 rushes, 23 yards
• Passing:  Tray Hettick - 23-of-32 (71.9 completion rate), 429 yards, 5 touchdowns
• Receiving:  Melek Ford - 9 catches, 242 yards, 2 touchdowns
• Scoring:  Melek Ford - 12 points - 2 touchdowns
• Punting:  Sam Marcus - 5 punts, 205 yards - 41.0 yards per punt
• Field Goals:  N/A
• Kick-offs:  Malte Hamann - 6 kickoffs, 313 yards - 52.2 yards per kickoff
• Returns:  Maddox Kihne - 3 returns, 55 yards
• Tackles:   Josiah Perez - 9 tackles (4 solos, 5 assists)
• Tackles-for-loss:  Lamarcus Osborne - 1.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 yards loss
• Sacks:  Lamarcus Osborne, Kai Rigdon - 0.5 sacks, 4.0 yards loss
• Interceptions:  Tamareon 'Frosty' Foster - 1 interception, 7 yards return (4 pass break-ups), Michael Foster - 3 interceptions, 20 yards return