Football: Young secondary breaks doubts of inexperience

Last year the University of South Dakota Coyotes had a stout secondary. Stout enough that halfway through the season, the group was only giving up 117 yards per game through the air — the best not only in the Missouri Valley, but the best in the entire Football Championship Subdivision.

That was last year — now a memory. But this year’s group of defensive backs is an entirely a new group, something that will take some adjustments before everyone can thrive.

Last year’s secondary featured a group of four seniors: Devin Taverna, Dyllon Knox, Aaron Swift and Jarrid Bryant.

“That was an older, experience and very mature group that had played a lot of football,” defensive coordinator Jason Petrino said. “I felt like I could do a lot with that group, whereas with this group it’s kind of like we need to walk before we can run. It takes time.”

Petrino said this year’s group is dramatically different.

Senior Steve Tellefsen, one of the team’s starting cornerbacks, is the only senior of the group and was able to get his feet wet last year by playing in sub packages, racking up 10 tackles and two pass breakups.

The next four players to see the field the most in the secondary came into the season with 10 tackles combined. Those players are cornerback Michael Lilly and safeties Jacob Warner, Tyson Graham and Zeke Lewis — a group who had zero career starts in red and white.

Graham, who is tied for a team-high with 22 tackles, said the whole group heard the talk about their inexperience leading up to the season.

“There was a lot of speculation about us being a brand new secondary,” Graham said. “Since the fall, we’ve rallied together”

Last season didn’t end the Coyotes wanted. The team ended the season on a five game losing streak. As the losses piled on, so did the opponent’s passing yards.

Opponents averaged 241 passing yards against South Dakota during the losing streak, a far cry from the 117 yards per game during the first seven weeks.

“It had a lot to do with the quarterbacks we faced,” Petrino said. “This league is all about the quality of quarterbacks you face and those last four or five games were against some dynamic QBs.”

This group, like last year, has gotten off to a nice start in the secondary. Through three games, the Coyotes have given up 162 passing yards per game, good for 30th best in the FCS.

“We’re doing good, and we’re making some plays,” Tellefsen said. “We’re just trying to get better every day by working hard.”

Graham said the secondary has already improved.

“We come a far way in the last few months. It’s really been a grind,” Graham said. “We’ve shown a lot of improvement.”

A unique group, Graham transitioned from wide receiver just last year. Lilly played last season in California at Santa Ana City College and stepped into the USD lineup from day one.

The group features three sophomores, all who have years to grow. That youth, Petrino said, excites him.

“Over the last two years we’ve had lots of turnover and transition in the secondary,” Petrino said. “Now we have a great foundation.”

Tellefsen, who played with both the old and the new groups, said there won’t be as much of a difference as people might think.

“We can be as good as last year,” Tellefsen said. “Once we figure the mental stuff out, we’re going to be in good shape. It’s a good unit.”

(Sophomore defensive back William Armstead (left) zeroes in on a William Penn running back during the Coyote’s home opener September 6 at the DakotaDome. Rebecca Kroeger|The Volante)