​LINCOLN, NE – SEPTEMBER 19: North Dakota quarterback Jerry Kaminski (1) evades a tackle during the game between the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the Nebraska Cornhuskers on September 19, 2026, at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, NE. (Photo by Nathanial George/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Date: Saturday, October 24Time: 2:00 PM (ET)TV: ESPN+The Quick HitsAs it probably will for the rest of the regular season, the Missouri Valley has one of the premier matchups of the weekend in the FCS. This week #6 North Dakota, fresh of a huge home win over South Dakota State, squares off with the other team from the Mount Rushmore State. The Hawks take their 3-1 conference record on the road to Vermillion to take on South Dakota in a game that will have a whole awful lot to say about the playoff picture in about a month. The #8 Coyotes are in the midst of their own postseason push and share a similar 6-2 overall record with UND. South Dakota has won three straight but the level of competition is going to ramp up significantly on Saturday. Last year when these two came together it was the ‘Yotes who escaped with a 26-21 victory. Now, almost a year later in the same building, USD is looking to get the better of their neighbors to the North once more and if they do this time, it seems like they’ll be on the fast track to a top eight seed and, perhaps, a league title. The CoachesEric Schmidt began running the ship for North Dakota last year and the transition from longtime head man Bubba Schweigert has been a relatively smooth one so far. In his first season, Schmidt led UND to the postseason and won a game before getting bounced in the second round to a very good Tarleton State squad. In year two he has the Hawks already two wins away from tying last year’s total and, if he pulls it off over South Dakota, it will be his ninth conference victory in a league that is extremely deep and talented. Schmidt is a North Dakota alum, having played linebacker for the Hawks (then Fighting Sioux) from 1998 to 2001. His counterpart on Saturday will be another guy who’s just getting his feet wet as a head coach. South Dakota’s Matt Vitzthum is in his inaugural season heading up the Coyotes after serving as the team’s wide receivers coach in 2024 then quarterbacks coach/co-offensive coordinator last fall. Vitzthum took over in short order for Travis Johansen who moved on after just one season. He has not missed a beat, though, and has the ‘Yotes playing at the high level they’ve become accustom to as of late. North Dakota Offense vs. South Dakota DefenseThe UND offense got a big boost last week with the return of senior quarterback Jerry Kaminski. Kaminski, who went down a couple weeks ago, came back and played well last week against SDSU after there was some worry he might miss time. The Hawks will need him in order to keep up in these big games they have coming down the pipe. He’s thrown for 1,742 yards and 21 touchdowns