SPEARFISH, S.D. - A long-standing South Dakota rivalry renews on Saturday, September 5, as Black Hills State hosts No. 25 Dakota State in the 2026 home opener at Lyle Hare Stadium. The former SDIC and DAC rivals who used to play for the Missouri River Shootout trophy will meet for the first time in 16 years with a number of streaks on the line, as the Yellow Jackets enter with a 3-game win streak overall back to 2025 and a 6-game win streak over the Trojans, while DSU enters with a 6-game win streak of their own dating back 2025 as well. 

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO 
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, September 5 / 1 p.m. / Spearfish, S.D. / Lyle Hare Stadium 
Live Stream: RMAC Network (Pay-Per-View) 
Linear TV: KNBN-2 (Rapid City, S.D.) & KSFL (Sioux Falls, S.D.) 
Radio: KDSJ Radio 
Notable Information: Fans are highly encouraged to purchase tickets online prior to arriving at the game as all Lyle Hare Stadium entrances will be CASH ONLY ticket purchases on Saturday. Additionally, due to the extreme heat conditions  

BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES 

• Black Hills State earned a season opening victory in week zero with a 24-21 victory at Sioux Falls last Thursday night. The win marked the end of an 8-game losing streak in the battle of former SDIC foes, and the first for BHSU against USF since 1993. 
• The win marked the third straight for the Yellow Jackets dating back to last season, which includes commanding victories over Adams State (59-0) and New Mexico Highlands (55-28). The win over the Grizzlies saw BHSU's offense rack up 599 yards, the seventh most in the Breske era, while the defense pitched its first shutout since 2022. The Green & Gold's offense and defense continued to roll the following week as they posted 50 or more points in back-to-back weeks for the first time in the program's NCAA Division II era, and the defense secured six turnovers. 
• In the 2026 RMAC Preseason Football Coaches' Poll, the league tabbed the Yellow Jackets to finish eighth with 29 points. 
• In just his second collegiate start, Kade Weber went 16-of-24 passing for 123 yards and a touchdown, while on the ground he ran the ball 13 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns. He guided the offense down the field on an 18-play, 77-yard drive that spanned 10:49 of game time for a touchdown on the opening drive, setting the tone as the Yellow Jackets controlled the ball for 42:09 of the 60-minute contest, ranking third nationally in NCAA Division II through one week of football. 
• Adding to the rushing attack that ran the ball 50 times against the Cougars last Thursday night and helped amass 174 net yards were Danny Davis who rushed the ball 19 times for 41 yards and Wyatt Trembly who ran the ball 11 times for 34 yards. 
• Three Yellow Jackets tallied multiple receptions in the week zero victory, including being led by Jayden Williams who recorded a game-high six receptions for 66 yards, while Joseph Randle hauled in four passes for 30 yards and a touchdown, and Bryce Coulson notched three receptions. 
• Coulson, an all-region return man a year ago, also was able to break off a 34-yard punt return to set up the BHSU offense for points in the first half, his fourth punt return of 25 or more yards in his career. He tallied two returns for 43 yards and an average of 21.5 yards per return. 
• Defensively, four players notched a team-high four tackles in the win over Sioux Falls, including Cole Marquez, Terrence Curtis, Jacob Nelson, and Jayshon Liles. Curtis added an addition pair of pass break-ups in the secondary, while Liles Caden Stansbury, and Kaleb Tulloss each recorded 1.0 tackle for loss. 
• Preseason All-RMAC selections Jaheim Roper posted three tackles in the opening week of the season. 
• Josh Breske is in his seventh season as the head coach of his alma mater, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a 27-31 record and three winning campaigns in his tenure. 

#25 DAKOTA STATE STORYLINES 

• Dakota State pushed their win streak to six games dating back to the 2025 season as they defeated Dakota Wesleyan 35-27 for the Chamber of Commerce Traveling Trophy. The 6-game win streak is the longest for the Trojans since the 1991 season. 
• Dakota State entered the 2026 season ranked No. 25 in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Top-25 Poll announced on August 24 following an 8-2 campaign in 2025, their most wins since an 8-3 2017 season. 
• DSU finished second in the Frontier Conference East Division in 2025 and were picked to finish second in the division in the 2026 Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. 
• DSU jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead against the Tigers with three of Tray Hettick's five passing touchdowns in the contest. Haettick went 23-of-32 passing in the contest as he accumulated 429 yards through the air. His 429 passing yards rank fourth-most in a single game in program history, and his five passing touchdowns are tied for fourth in the program's single game history. 
• With the passing game the focus of the offensive attack for the Trojans in week zero, Trajan Davis' 23 net rushing yards on seven attempts led the way for the 33-yard team total. 
• The top receiver for DSU last Saturday night was Melek Ford, who hauled in nine receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns. His 242 yards rank second in program history in a single game as he averaged 26.9 yards per reception. Additional receivers to catch touchdown passes were Tim Halbur, Maddox Kihne, and Jovi Wolf. 
• Josiah Perez, the second-leading returning tackler from 2025, led the Trojans with 9.0 total tackles against Dakota State, including adding a pass break-up. The pair of Kaden Van Otterloo and Hayden Westman each added 8.0 tackles. 
• The Dakota State defense forced three Tiger turnovers in the opening game of the season, as Tamereon Foster recorded a pick along with four pass break-ups and Aidan Jahns and Michael Foster added one interception of their own. 
• Josh Anderson, the longest tenured and winningest coach in Dakota State history, begins his 18th season in Madison and holds a 73-102 career record with the Trojans. 

SERIES HISTORY 

• Black Hills State and Dakota State will meet for the 58th time on the gridiron since the 1951 season, with the Yellow Jackets holding a 34-21-2 advantage since that time frame. 
• The in-state foes were long-standing members of the now defunct SDIC and DAC, and last met October 2, 2010, at Lyle Hare Stadium in Spearfish where the Yellow Jackets earned their sixth consecutive win over the Trojans in a 14-9 battle. 
• In the fall of 2004, the match-up became a trophy game, as the two teams began to square off in what was termed the "Missouri River Shootout." In the seven meetings with the trophy on the line, BHSU held a 6-1 advantage from 2004-10.