University of Sioux Falls football aims to get back to Division II playoffs in 2022

The University of Sioux Falls football team is getting tired of the what-ifs. In 2019, they made the playoffs at 8-3, then blew a 14-0 lead in their first-round playoff game, losing 24-21.

Then after COVID-19 wiped out the 2020 season, they came back to go 8-3 again last year, but a pair of one-score losses cost them, as they were the last team in their region cut from the playoff picture.

This year’s squad is teeming with weapons on offense, loaded on the offensive and defensive lines, and motivated to avoid the pitfalls that have turned potential great seasons into merely good ones in recent years.

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“When you leave it in the regional voters’ hands it seldom works out for you,” said coach Jon Anderson. “You have to take it into your own hands and do it yourself, and this group is focused on doing that.”

What to know about University of Sioux Falls football

2021 Record: 8-3 (NSIC South Division champs)

Coach: Jon Anderson (6th year, 32-14)

Offensive coordinator: Hayden Mace

Defensive coordinator: Joe Ford

Returning starters: 8 offense, 6 defense

College football: Northern State football is ready to move into NSIC's upper ranks. 

2021 summary: USF was close to a historic season last year. They lost their season opener at Bemidji State after they fell behind 24-0 and couldn’t finish a comeback, losing 24-16. They upset Augustana in their big rivalry game, one week after getting routed at Northern State. A 14-10 loss to Winona State in late October was the dealbreaker. USF rallied to win their final three games and finish 8-3, but just missed out on the playoffs. Their win over the Vikings, however, did allow them to claim the NSIC South Division title.

Who’s gone: Wide receivers Ty Smith and Dominic Pegley move on after productive careers, while the defense said goodbye to several important players, most notably defensive end Joey Wehrkamp, linebacker Harvey Enalls and defensive backs Lee Pitts, Nate Durfee and Dorian Fedrick.

Who’s new: A pair of transfer wide receivers are expected to contribute – Ethan Wittenburg had a team-high 624 receiving yards last year for Winona State, while Carter Kuchel comes up I-29 from USD.

Who’s back: Thuro Reisdorfer, Landon Freeman and Jacqueze Lockett all return to make the most formidable backfield in the NSIC, while fourth-year sophomore Adam Mullen is back for his second year as the starting quarterback. Four starters return on the offensive line, two of whom (Brennan Moran and Jasper Parks) were all-NSIC last year. On defense, tackle Amaurii Grosskopf and linebacker Cody Jantzen are all-conference returners.

Scouting the offense: Reisdorfer is the preseason NSIC South offensive player of the year coming off two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, and Freeman was explosive last year, rushing for 827 yards on just 87 carries. Mullen has a greater grasp of the offense and the full confidence of the players and staff after a solid rookie season that saw him complete 66 percent of his throws for 2,103 yards and 16 touchdowns. Hunter Schneider and Mark Leonard are capable tight ends, and the two transfer wideouts will join with Carter Slykhuis and Trey Brown to give Mullen weapons on the outside. They’re all working under a new coordinator, as offensive line coach Hayden Mace was given the job after Jim Chapin moved up to Division I at Eastern Washington.

“You could tell last year Adam was a little timid being a new starter,” Reisdorfer said of Mullen. “Now you can see the confidence. He had a good year and this year he’s going to be capable of so much more. I really trust him – we all do. I think he’s going to take a big step forward.”

Player to watch: The 6-foot-2 Wittenburg was the top deep threat (18.2 yards per catch) on a Warriors offense that was determined to spread the ball around to its receivers. While USF would like to do the same thing, they won’t hesitate to let Wittenburg rack up big numbers if he can develop a rapport with Mullen.

Scouting the defense: Wehrkamp and Enalls were two of the best defensive players of USF’s Division II era and will be near impossible to replace, and the secondary will have new starters at corner. But the Cougars believe their defensive line is going to be more than just a strength – they expect to play up to 10 people, and from Grosskopf to Jonathan Taylor, Walker Harris and Brady Crawford, several of them can play at an elite level. Jantzen is a tackling machine at the second level, and Cam Alfaro and Gio Purpura are coming off solid seasons at safety.

Player to watch: Zach Durfee is an emerging redshirt freshman defensive lineman who could carve out a big role for himself. Anderson said Durfee has star potential.

Special teams: Seamus Hall was an all-conference pick as a freshman punter last year and returns to flip the field. Nick Hernandez was 7-for-12 on field goals.

Outlook: There’s a palpable confidence and excitement within the Cougar program. With a loaded running game, a reloaded receiving corps and a quarterback who feels like an established veteran after learning the ropes last year, the offense should be hard to stop. There are question marks on defense, but the depth of the D-line could solve many of them.

“If we were to set a goal anything short of winning a conference championship I think that would be disrespectful to the program,” said Jantzen. “We set our goals high and they’re attainable. There’s a buzz in the locker room because I think everyone on the team knows we can do this. We can win that championship and make a playoff run.”

USF Cougars football schedule

Sept. 1 at MSU-Moorhead

Sept. 10 vs MINOT STATE

Sept. 17 at Concordia-St. Paul

Sept. 24 vs MINNESOTA DULUTH

Oct. 1 at Augustana

Oct. 8 VS SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE

Oct. 15 at Mary

Oct. 22 at Winona State

Oct. 29 vs MSU-MANKATO

Nov. 5 vs WAYNE STATE

Nov. 12 at Upper Iowa

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: How University of Sioux Falls football aims to get back to playoffs