SIOUX FALLS — The University of Sioux Falls football team will be without one of its biggest keys to winning Thursday’s Key to the City Game against neighborhood rival Augustana on Thursday night.
All-America running back Gabe Watson’s pulled left hamstring has not recovered enough for a green light from trainers, according to USF coach Jon Anderson in his weekly interview with “Craig & John” on which airs Wednesday at 3:20 on KWSN, 98.1 FM, 1230-AM, KWSN.COM, and the FREE KWSN app.
The nation’s leading Div. II rusher last season, Watson has missed all but one quarter of the Cougars’ first three games with that nagging .
The senior from California’s San Francisco Bay Area was a game time decision but sat out the season opener at Concordia-St. Paul, ran for 17 yards on 9 carries before leaving late in the first quarter of the USF home opener the next week after the injury reaggrevated. Watson was a game time decision before sitting out last Saturday’s 51-7 win at Southwest Minnesota State.
Without Watson, USF (2-1) carved the Warriors and Mustangs for 220 and 384 rushing yards, respectively. Sophomore Thuro Reisdorfer, who played receiver and backup running back in high school at Sioux Falls Washington, led USF with 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns against WSU, then galloped for 113 yards on just 13 carries (8.7 avg.), with four touchdowns at SMSU.
“What goes unnoticed is Colton Myles ran for (746) yards last year as our second (running back), and that was the plan for Thuro this year,” Anderson said, while also crediting an offensive line that had to replace multiple starters, including Los Angeles Chargers third-round pick Trey Pipkens.
“One guy can’t take 50 carries, and if things are going in the direction we want, we’re going to run the football and keep pounding it.”
The Coo are 2nd out of 16 Northern Sun Conference teams with 248 rushing yards per game, and third in the league at 5.4 yards per carry. Even in the 41-17 season opening loss at CSP, the Cougars rushed for 168 yards on 4.7 ypc without Watson.
Watson has accounted for only 6 percent of USF’s rushes (9 of 137) and 2 percent of its rushing yards (17 of 748).
But the Cougars still wish they had Watson against a Viking defense that held Wayne State to just 50 yards on the ground in a 26-13 home victory on Sunday.
“They’re good up front,” Anderson said of Augie. “Their defensive line is a veteran group. They rotate guys in there. The backers understand where they need to fit. They commit the safeties to the run game, as well. It appears to be a group that is doing good things, and they’re physical, so, we’re going to have a challenge in front of us. I know our guys are up to the task.”
The Vikings showed leakage in rush defense two weeks ago in a 27-7 loss at No. 3 Minnesota State-Mankato, giving up 334 yards on 6.4 yards per carry.
Watson or not, the Coo hope to crunch Augie the way the Mavericks did.
USF has won six of the seven “Key to the City” games since the Cougars started competing in the NSIC in 2012, a year after their inaugural Div. II season after winning three of four NAIA national championships from 2006-09.
You can hear the game on KWSN, 98.1 FM, 1230-AM, KWSN.COM and the FREE KWSN mobile app. Pregame starts at 5:30 p.m. and kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m.
USF is bringing in three food trucks to the Bob Young Field parking lot at 69th and Cliff, and those trucks will be open for tailgating needs before the gates open.
To order tickets online ticket information, click here.
