WACO, TEXAS (USF PR) – After reaching the NCAA playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons, the University of Sioux Falls Football Team received votes in the final American Football Coaches Association Top-25 poll. National champ West Florida was ranked No. 1 and runner-up Minnesota State finished at No. 2 in the rankings.
The Cougars finished just out of the Top-25 with 40 ballot points. Extending the rankings places USF at No. 27 in the AFCA poll.
Directed by third year Head Coach Jon Anderson, USF advanced to the NCAA DII playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. After a heart-breaking 24-21 playoff loss at No. 8 Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo., the Cougars finished 8-4. Over the final eight weeks of the season, USF was 6-2 with only losses to teams ranked in the top eight in the final poll. USF had a three-point loss (42-39) to national runner-up Minnesota State and lost to Colorado Mines on a last-second field goal after leading most of the game at Golden, Colo.
Despite a roster depleted by injuries, the Cougars showed depth and heart all season. The Cougars played without two preseason All-Americans (Gabe Watson – one game – and Hakeem Johnson) along with starters all-region tight end Clint Sigg, David Varges (defensive tackle) and Ty Smith (wide receiver for at least eight games. Plus three other starters missed a good share of the final three games.
However, USF showed resilience as Harlon Hill candidate Caden Walters (one of 36 nominees for the DII Player of the Year honor) and a top-five defense helped lead the Cougars to the playoffs and into the postseason for a fifth time at the DII level.
USF, which finished tied for third overall and third in the NSIC South, recorded a 26th straight winning season, which ranks fourth across all divisions. Sophomore Thuro Reisdorfer became the 16th player in school history to crack 1,000-yard rushing and finished with 1,150 yards on 169 carries with 13 rushing TDs. He had 19 total TDs and led USF in scoring with 114 points and all-purpose yards with 1,474.
The Cougars placed two players (Walters and Nolan Kern) on the All-NSIC South Division first team and 12 overall. Nick Zimmerman was named CoSIDA Academic American. Also USF Football had 17 student-athletes named to the Academic All-NSIC Team with seven on the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence.
For the second time in three seasons, the Cougars had one of the nation’s top defenses as they ranked fifth in DII with a 260.7 yards per game allowed. They also sat fifth in the final DII rankings in passing efficiency defense at 94.15. With 19 interceptions, USF ranked 10th in DII, and finished 16th against the rush (98.8 yards) in DII. USF’s offense averaged 427.6 yards per game, which ranked third in the NSIC. Interestingly, the Cougars, which averaged 35.3 points per game (2nd in the NSIC), had a near 50-50 balance on offense with 213.8 rushing yards (2nd, NSIC) and 211.4 passing (9th, NSIC) per game.
