Mar 1, 2009

Wisconsin Badgers football: UW adds South Dakota to 2011 slate



The University of Wisconsin football team has added South Dakota, a Football Championship Subdivision program, to its 2011 schedule.

The Coyotes join UNLV, Oregon State and Northern Illinois as the Badgers' four nonconference opponents in 2011. UW will host UNLV and Oregon State to open the season before traveling to Chicago to play Northern Illinois at Soldier Field. South Dakota is scheduled to visit Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 24, 2011.

"What I like about the 2011 schedule is that our fans will have the opportunity to see a variety of quality football programs from around the country," Badgers coach Bret Bielema said in a statement. "We're also very excited about the chance to play in a historic venue like Soldier Field. The Big Ten schedule is always tough, and we're pleased to have our bye week in the middle of October."

South Dakota went 6-5 in 2008, its first season after making the transition to FCS (formerly Division I-AA) from Division II. The Coyotes play in the same conference (Great West) as Cal Poly, which nearly upset UW in last season's regular-season finale at Camp Randall. UW rallied to beat Cal Poly 36-35 in overtime after the Mustangs missed three extra points in the game, including one in the extra session.

Former UW athlete and graduate assistant Jake Sprague is an assistant coach for the Coyotes.

The Badgers still have two open dates on their 2010 schedule. UW will open the season at UNLV on Sept. 4, 2010, then host Arizona State two weeks later.

The Badgers' 2009 nonconference schedule includes home games against Northern Illinois, Fresno State and Wofford and a trip to Hawaii to close the regular season. (News Source :badgerbeat.com)

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