South Dakota
Badgers snap counts vs. South Dakota in Week 2: Defense
Head coach Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers advanced to 2-0 on the season after grinding out a 27-13 win over Bob Nielson and the South Dakota Coyotes at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday.
“Games aren’t ever going to be perfect,” Fickell told reporters. “But the way that this team has responded when things aren’t going our way, that gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”
Here are the defensive snap counts from Pro Football Focus from the Week 2 win over South Dakota.
Defensive Line:
Curt Neal – Snap Count: [34]
Ben Barten – Snap Count: [32]
Elijah Hills – Snap Count: [30]
Dillan Johnson – Snap Count: [6]
Cade McDonald – Snap Count: [5]
Brandon Lane – Snap Count: [4]
Inside Linebackers:
Jaheim Thomas – Snap Count: [49]
Jake Chaney – Snap Count: [33]
Tackett Curtis – Snap Count: [17]
Christian Alliegro – Snap Count: [5]
Outside Linebackers:
Leon Lowery – Snap Count: [34]
Darryl Peterson – Snap Count: [31]
Aaron Witt – Snap Count: [22]
John Pius – Snap Count: [17]
Cornerbacks:
Ricardo Hallman – Snap Count: [52]
Nyzier Fourqurean – Snap Count: [30]
Xavier Lucas – Snap Count: [26]
Max Lofy – Snap Count: [25]
RJ Delancy – Snap Count: [4]
Safeties:
Hunter Wohler – Snap Count: [52]
Preston Zachman – Snap Count: [52]
Austin Brown – Snap Count: [12]
What changed for the Badgers since Week 1?
There were a few notable changes on the defensive side of the ball for the Wisconsin Badgers in Week 2. Jake Chaney getting ejected due to a targeting call forced Tackett Curtis into a major role against South Dakota, playing 17 defensive snaps after not playing at all in Week 1.
On the defensive line, it’s clear that Elijah Hills’ stock is on the way up, and Cade McDonald’s is on the way down. There are a lot of issues on the defensive line, but there is a pretty clear tier break between the top three options and the second-team players they’re mixing in behind them.
Given the lack of pressure fans and media have seen from the Badgers quartet of outside linebackers through two weeks, you have to wonder if we’ll eventually see more Jaheim Thomas snaps on the outside to make way for additional opportunities for Christian Alliegro at inside backer? Alliegro is one of the better athletes on the defense and is too dynamic, in my opinion, not to have a more defined role for Mike Tressel.
Lastly, it didn’t take long for Xavier Lucas to put himself in a position to play a meaningful role in Wisconsin’s secondary. Still, the jump from seven snaps last week to 26 is substantial, especially when he’s eating into the snap counts of veterans that the Badgers’ coaching staff trusts. Lucas will face a lot of tough competition throughout the season, but the Florida native has a chance to be the CB1 this time next year; he’s that talented.
South Dakota
Governor Rhoden signs school lunch bill into law
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Governor Rhoden officially signed HB 1082 into law on Friday, March 27.
HB 1082 is a bill that establishes parameters for reimbursing school districts that provide free or reduced-price meals to students.
Representative Kadyn Wittman, who has worked to pass the bill for several years, expressed excitement and gratitude in a post to Facebook on Friday.
“10,000 kids across our state will now have access to free school meals. No stigma. No barriers. Just the support they need to learn and grow,” wrote Wittman.
“So incredibly grateful to everyone who made this happen. This is a big win for South Dakota families!”
You can see the full bill and its sponsors here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
Retired Air Force four-star general Maryanne Miller speaks at South Dakota Mines
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Students at South Dakota Mines heard Wednesday from retired four-star general Maryanne Miller about her journey to the highest ranks of the U.S. military.
Miller is a retired four-star U.S. Air Force general. She is the only member of the Air Force Reserve ever to be promoted to this level.
She spoke about finding greatness and living a life of fulfillment. Her stories came from her time in the Air Force and as a volunteer for Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of Charity.
“We so much get focused on what is our next step in life, what’s the next career move, how do we make ourselves better in our career, and we forget about how do we make ourselves better as a human being,” Miller said. “Because they have to go tandem. If it’s not tandem, you’re going to get off track.”
Miller was commissioned in 1981 and rose through the ranks before becoming a four-star general in 2018. She was the only woman serving as a four-star officer in the military at the time. She retired in 2020 after serving for almost 40 years.
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Copyright 2026 KOTA. All rights reserved.
South Dakota
USDA to offer distaster assistance to South Dakota agriculture producers impacted by winter storms
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering financial and technical assistance to South Dakota farmers and livestock producers who may have been impacted by the recent winter storms.
“I encourage impacted producers to contact their local USDA Service Center to report losses and learn more about program options available to assist in their recovery from crop, land, infrastructure, and livestock losses and damages.” said Richard Fordyce, Production and Conservation Under Secretary.
FSA’s Emergency Conservation Program and Emergency Forest Restoration Program can assist landowners with financial assistance to restore damaged land and conservation structures or forests.
“Our staff will work one-on-one with landowners to make assessments of the damages and develop methods that focus on effective recovery of the land.” said Jessica Michalski, Acting NRCS State Conservationist in South Dakota.
For more information about the disaster assistance program, click here.
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
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