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South Dakota State University Athletics
SDSU resumes league play at Indiana State
10/21/2008 1:00:00 AM | Football
The South Dakota State University football team begins its stretch run of the Missouri Valley Football Conference season Saturday, traveling to Indiana State.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Eastern Time (1 p.m. Central) at Memorial Stadium in Terre Haute, Ind.
The Jackrabbits, 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the MVFC, have not played a league contest since losing 34-20 at Northern Iowa on Sept. 20. SDSU opened the league slate with home wins over Youngstown State and Western Illinois on Sept. 6 and 13, respectively.
SDSU enters Saturday's matchup as one of five teams with one loss in conference play. Western Illinois, Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois are all 3-1, while the Jackrabbits are a half-game back at 2-1 along with Missouri State.
Indiana State, meanwhile, is winless at 0-7 overall and 0-3 in MVFC play. The Sycamores are coming off a 56-0 shutout loss at Western Illinois last week.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between South Dakota State and Indiana State in football. The Jackrabbits will be making their first-ever trip to the state of Indiana for a football game.
In 2005, SDSU hosted Valparaiso, winning 69-6 in the Cereal Bowl at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, in the only other Jackrabbit game against a team from Indiana.
COACH TO CURE MD: Jackrabbit head coach John Stiegelmeier will join college football coaches from around the country in the fight against a common opponent ? Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy ? when SDSU plays at Indiana State on Saturday.
By wearing an armband with the Coach to Cure MD insignia, coaches will show their support for Coach to Cure MD, the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) newest charitable project.
Football fans will be able to donate to muscular dystrophy research either online at CoachToCureMD.org or by texting the word “CURE” to 90999 to automatically donate $5 from their mobile phones.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood. Because the Duchenne gene is found on the X-chromosome, it primarily affects boys and occurs across all races and cultures. Boys and young men with Duchenne lack dystrophin, a protein critical to the structural stability of muscle fibers. Patients develop progressive muscle weakness that eventually causes loss of mobility, wheelchair dependency and a decline in respiratory and cardiac function. Currently, there is no cure for Duchenne and limited therapeutic options exist.
The AFCA is joining with the Parent Project for Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) to make Coach to Cure MD a reality and generate support for research using the nationwide, one-day, game-day event. .
ONLINE COVERAGE: Audio and video coverage of Saturday's game is scheduled to be available via subscription service at GoJacks.com, the official website of SDSU athletics. Monthly subscriptions for the Jackrabbit Extra, which includes live audio and video streaming are available for $9.95 per month or $99.95 for an entire year of coverage. An audio-only subscription also is available for $4.95 per month, with programming consisting only of live radio broadcasts.
Video of Saturday's game will be via a feed from Indiana State, with coverage starting at 12:40 p.m. Central Time. A league-wide video package is available for purchase at www.valley-football.org.
Local radio coverage Saturday begins on WNAX 570 AM at 11:30 a.m. Central Time, with an expanded pre-game show. Steve Imming returns to call the play-by-play and Jerry Oster will once again provide color commentary.
In all, nine of the Jackrabbits' 12 games this season are scheduled to be available via streaming video on the Jackrabbit Extra:
? Aug. 28 at Iowa State
? Sept. 6 Youngstown State
? Sept. 13 Western Illinois
? Oct. 4 McNeese State
? Oct. 18 Cal Poly
? Oct. 25 at Indiana State
? Nov. 1 Missouri State
? Nov. 8 Illinois State
? Nov. 22 North Dakota State
RABBITS DROP OUT OF RANKINGS: For the first time all season, South Dakota State does not appear in the top 25 of the Football Championship Subdivision national rankings.
The Jackrabbits' rankings of 12th in the Sports Network poll and 13th in the FCS Coaches' Poll on Sept. 15 were the program's highest since moving to the Division I FCS ranks in 2004.
SDSU, which is still receiving votes in both polls, began the season ranked 19th in the Sports Network poll and 20th in the poll conducted by the Football Championship Subdivision coaches. Last season, the rankings were reversed as SDSU was 19th in the preseason coaches' poll and 20th in the Sports Network poll.
DIFFICULT DOZEN: For the first time in the 111-year history of Jackrabbit football, SDSU will play a regular season slate consisting of 12 games.
As it has throughout its move to the Football Championship Subdivision, SDSU will again play a challenging schedule. Six of the Jackrabbits' opponents are currently ranked, including four other Missouri Valley Football Conference members in the FCS Coaches top 25. Northern Iowa is fourth, Southern Illinois stands 13th, Western Illinois checks in at No. 14 and North Dakota State has dropped to 25th.
Two non-conference opponents, third-ranked Cal Poly and 11th-ranked McNeese State (La.), also appear in this week's poll.
The Jackrabbits played four of their ranked opponents at home, starting with games against Youngstown State in the Cereal Bowl on Sept. 6 and Western Illinois in the Sept. 13 Beef Bowl. The matchup with McNeese State was the Hobo Day game on Oct. 4, with the game against Cal Poly played on Oct. 18.
James Madison (Va.) again holds the top spot in both the FCS Coaches' and Sports Network polls this week.
In its four-plus seasons competing at the FCS level, SDSU has squared off against ranked opponents 23 times and holds a 7-16 record following the loss last week to Cal Poly.
CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are four senior captains:
? Ryan Berry, quarterback, Watertown, S.D.;
? Brock Campbell, defensive back, Cherokee, Iowa;
? Kevin Robling, offensive lineman, Jordan, Minn.;
? Eric Schroeder, defensive tackle, Stewartville, Minn.
OVERTIME UNKIND: SDSU's triple-overtime loss to McNeese State (La.) on Oct. 4 dropped the Jackrabbits to 1-4 in overtime games. The Jackrabbits have lost four overtime games in a row after defeating Nebraska-Omaha, 30-27, in double overtime during the 1998 season.
All five of the Jackrabbits' overtime games have gone at least two overtimes.
1998: vs. Nebraska-Omaha W, 30-27 (2 OT)
2002: at Augustana (S.D.) L, 33-39 (3 OT)
2004: at Southern Utah L, 17-23 (2 OT)
2007: at Western Illinois L, 26-29 (4 OT)
2008: vs. McNeese State (La.) L, 44-46 (3 OT)
SCOUTING INDIANA STATE: Indiana State is in a major rebuilding mode under first-year head coach Trent Miles.
The Sycamores enter Saturday's homecoming game having lost 45 of their last 46 games, going winless in both 2005 and 2007. The last time ISU won a game came on homecoming in 2006 against Missouri State, 28-22.
Indiana State has been outscored 335-40 in seven games this season, including 173-13 in three Missouri Valley Football Conference games.
Offensively, the Sycamores have used four different players at quarterback. Charles Dowdell has played in five games and leads the team in completion percentage at 47.3 percent (26-of-55) with 211 yards through the air and has added another 176 yards on the ground.
Darius Gates leads the team in rushing with 205 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The receiving corps is lead by Ryan Patrick, who has caught 24 passes for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
One defense, Quinton Scott ranks third in the league with an average of 9.1 tackles per game. Donye McCleskey is tied for ninth in the MVFC with 8.0 tackles per contest.
COACH STIG: John Stiegelmeier has built the South Dakota State University football team into a program on the rise in the ranks of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
The 2007 season, Stiegelmeier's 11th as head coach of the Jackrabbits, was his most successful as SDSU claimed its first conference title since 1963 by winning the Great West Football Conference championship. After starting 0-3 for the second consecutive season, SDSU reeled off seven wins in its final eight games, including a 29-24 victory over previously undefeated North Dakota State the final week of the season, to claim the GWFC title with a 7-4 overall record and 4-0 mark in league play.
In leading SDSU to the GWFC title, Stiegelmeier was named conference coach of the year and was honored by the American Football Coaches Association as the Division I Football Championship Subdivision Region 5 Coach of the Year. In addition, he was one of five finalists in the FCS for the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.
Overall, Coach Stig has led the Jackrabbits to a 71-55 record (.563 winning percentage). SDSU has posted six consecutive winning seasons, including the school's first four campaigns at the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) level. The Jackrabbits have had a winning record in nine of Stiegelmeier's 11 years as head coach, including four with seven or more victories.
After posting back-to-back 6-5 seasons in 2004 and 2005, the Jackrabbits rose another notch in 2006 as they compiled a 7-4 overall record, finishing the season ranked 21st in the final FCS poll conducted by The Sports Network and 22nd in the College Sporting News coaches' poll. After an 0-3 start, the Jackrabbits rebounded by winning seven consecutive games for the first time since 1963. Three of the victories came in the closing minutes against nationally ranked teams, setting up a showdown with North Dakota State on the final week of the season for both the Dakota Marker and Great West Football Conference title.
Although SDSU fell short in the championship game, the Jackrabbits finished with their most victories since 2003 and their best mark in the three-year history of the GWFC at 3-1.
In 2008, the Jackrabbits will enter another new era in their Division I pursuits as they join the nine-team Missouri Valley Football Conference. With the transition period over, SDSU will be able to qualify for the NCAA postseason either by earning the league's automatic berth as league champion or as an at-large selection.
Stiegelmeier, 51, is the 20th head coach for the Jackrabbits. His tenure of 11-plus years as head coach is the second-longest head coaching stint in school history.
The Selby, S.D., native first became acquainted with the Jackrabbit football program as a student assistant under John Gregory during SDSU's only NCAA playoff season in 1979. With the Jackrabbits' victory at McNeese State (La.) on Sept. 30, 2006, Stiegelmeier passed Gregory (55-50-3 from 1972-81) for sole possession of second place on the SDSU career wins list.
After graduating from SDSU with degrees in mathematics and physical education, Stiegelmeier enrolled in graduate school at the University of Northern Iowa, where he served on the coaching staff of a Panther squad which posted a 7-4 mark in 1981.
Stiegelmeier coached at Eau Claire (Wis.) North High School from 1981-84, then returned to his home state as defensive coordinator, secondary coach and recruiting
coordinator at Northern State University from 1984-87. Northern was 8-3 in his last season with the Wolves and finished fourth in the nation in total defense.
After NSU, Stiegelmeier went back to school, enrolling at the University of Wisconsin, where he was a graduate assistant on the staff headed by Don Morton while working on his doctorate.
Stiegelemeier returned to his alma mater in July 1988, joining Wayne Haensel's Jackrabbit coaching staff as secondary coach and recruiting coordinator. After Haensel stepped down following the 1990 season, Stiegelmeier was elevated to defensive coordinator by new head coach Mike Daly.
In six seasons as defensive coordinator, Stiegelmeier helped guide the Jackrabbits to a 41-23 record, turning in a winning record in all six seasons, including five seven-win seasons. That track record of success helped Stiegelmeier secure his first head coaching position in December 1996, when he was named Daly's successor.
The Stiegelmeier era opened in style Sept. 13, 1997, as the Jackrabbits recorded a 17-7 victory at UC Davis. Although SDSU finished Stiegelmeier's first season with a 4-6 record, the foundation was laid for future success. The Jackrabbits posted a 6-5 record during the 1998 season and broke through with an 8-3 overall mark and a 6-3, fourth-place showing in the North Central Conference.
Led by Harlon Hill candidate Josh Ranek, SDSU posted its most victories in 20 years in 1999 and was ranked 15th in the final NCAA Division II regular season poll, despite being picked sixth in the NCC race by both the coaches and media. That season, Stiegelmeier was named North Central Conference Coach of the Year.
SDSU went on to post upper-division finishes in the NCC three of its last four years before moving into the ranks of Division I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) in 2004.
ATTENDANCE SURGE: The Jackrabbits have seen steady attendance increases since joining the Football Championship Subdivision ranks in 2004.
In its last season as a member of NCAA Division II, 2003, SDSU averaged 5,547 fans over six home dates. Average attendance grew to 9,652 in 2006 and a record 11,218 average attendance in 2007.
The Jackrabbits are on pace to surpass the attendance record this season, averaging 12,5122 fans per game through three home dates. The first three home games drew at least 11,000 fans each.
BERRY AT THE HELM: Senior Ryan Berry is on a record-setting pace for the Jackrabbits during his senior season.
A Watertown native, Berry is in his second full season as the starting quarterback and is the most experienced returning signal-caller in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Berry turned in three consecutive games (UNI, SFA, McNeese) with 300-plus yards passing, marking the first time a Jackrabbit player has accomplished the feat since SDSU moved to the Division I Football Championship Subdivision ranks in 2004. Berry recorded single-game career highs of 32 completions, 53 attempts and 375 yards in a loss Sept. 20 at Northern Iowa, then completed 30-of-44 passes for 350 yards and two TDs a week later at Stephen F. Austin. His third 300-yard game was a 23-of-33, 317-yard performance versus McNeese State in which he threw a season-high four touchdowns.
Through seven games this season, Berry has thrown for 1,974 yards, putting him on pace to break Brad Nelson's single-season school record of 3,141 yards in 2003. He also could challenge for the Missouri Valley Football Conference single-season record of 3,469 yards set by Northern Iowa's Ryan Helming, in 1999.
The last Jackrabbit signal-caller to compile consecutive 300-yard games was Nelson, who threw for 338 yards against Minnesota State, Mankato and 346 yards at South Dakota in 2003, en route to the single-season record.
In 2007, Berry was efficient as he started all 11 games, completing 60.1 percent (197-of-328) of his passes with 19 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. His 2,132 yards were the ninth-best single-season total in school history.
Berry's record as a starter at SDSU is 11-9, and he has thrown a touchdown pass in 17 of those 20 starts. During his redshirt freshman season in 2005, he led the Jackrabbits to a victory in the season finale over Northern Colorado. In his first career start, against Georgia Southern, Berry tied a Jackrabbit single-game record with five touchdowns in a 55-42 loss.
Berry has moved into seventh place on the SDSU career passing list with 4,891 yards, surpassing Shane Bouman (4,663 yards from 1988-91) with 252 yards against Cal Poly. Next on the list are Mike Busch (sixth with 4,980 yards) and Todd McDonald (fifth with 4,999 yards).
HARRIS MOVING UP: Senior wide receiver JaRon Harris cracked the top 10 in career receiving yards at Stephen F. Austin (Texas) and has since moved into the Jackrabbit top 10 for career receptions
With team highs of 43 receptions and 640 receiving yards, including a single-game career-high 176 yards versus McNeese State on Oct. 4, Harris enters Saturday's matchup with 125 career receptions for 1,915 yards. His receptions total currently ranks sixth on the Jackrabbit career charts, but likely will move into fourth this weekend as he trails Dennis Thomas (127 receptions from 1982-85) and Darren Baartman (128 receptions from 1988-91) for the fifth and fourth spots, respectively. Harris also stands fourth in career receiving yards, trailing Rusty Lenners (1,942 yards from 1993-96) for the third spot on the chart.
Harris led the team with 40 receptions for 664 yards and seven touchdowns in 2007.
SHARING THE WEALTH: JaRon Harris is one of three Jackrabbit players to already pass the 30-reception mark this season.
Besides Harris with his 43 receptions and 640 yards, junior wide receiver Glen Fox has tallied 39 receptions for 468 yards and running back Kyle Minett has added 33 catches for 297 yards.
In addition, junior wide receiver Mike Steffen has contributed 19 receptions as part of a Jackrabbit receiving corps that features 11 different players with at least one catch this season.
MINETT LEADS RUNNING GAME: Sophomore Kyle Minett has handled the bulk of the duties at running back for South Dakota State this season.
The Ruthton, Minn., native led the team with an average of 6.2 yards per carry in 2007, and ranked second in yards gained with 476. He was named the Outstanding Player of the Beef Bowl as he racked up 134 yards on 11 carries and added a 40-yard touchdown reception in a 38-3 victory over Texas State.
Minett has posted three 100-yard rushing performances this season. He opened 2008 by gaining 111 yards on 22 carries against Iowa State, then tallied 123 yards on 14 carries the next week versus Youngstown State (Ohio).
His third 100-yard game came against Stephen F. Austin (Texas) on Sept. 27, rushing a career-high 33 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner from 1 yard out on the final play of the game, to cap a 50-48 come-from-behind Jackrabbit victory. He was honored as the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance at Stephen F. Austin, a game in which he added seven receptions for 92 yards.
Minett has scored a touchdown in the first six games of the season ? a streak that was snapped Oct. 18 against Cal Poly. He currently ranks 17th in the Football Championship Subdivision with an average of 8.86 points per game ? 10 touchdowns and one two-point conversion.
STARTING SAFETIES: Each of South Dakota State's starting safeties collected interceptions in the Jackrabbits' 40-7 victory over Youngstown State.
Senior Brock Campbell recorded the first interception of the season, picking off a Penguin pass on their opening possession. Sophomore Conrad Kjerstad later added a pair of INTs, giving him three for his career. Kjerstad also forced a fumble in the season opener at Iowa State.
Campbell added his second interception of the season in the first half of the Sept. 13 game versus Western Illinois, before being injured and missing the next three games. Kjerstad also was injured against WIU, but played against Northern Iowa and McNeese State.
Both starting safeties were held out of the Sept. 27 game at Stephen F. Austin, but returned to the starting lineup Oct. 18 against Cal Poly.
PICK SIX: The Jackrabbits have employed an opportunistic defense over the past few years and again rank among the leaders in the Football Championship Subdivision for interceptions.
Heading into Saturday's game with Indiana State, SDSU has tallied 12 interceptions to rank in a tie for fifth place among FCS squads. Nine different players have recorded an interception, with Conrad Kjerstad, Brock Campbell and General Parnell sharing the team lead with two apiece.
In the Oct. 4 game versus McNeese State (La.), the Jackrabbits picked off a pair of passes, including an 82-yard interception return for touchdown by sophomore linebacker Derek Domino ? the first return for a score by an SDSU player this season.
Linebacker Jimmy Rogers got into the act Oct. 18 versus Cal Poly, intercepting Mustang quarterback Jonathan Dally for the first time all season.
During the 2007 season, the Jackrabbits notched 19 interceptions, five of which were returned for touchdowns. All-America cornerback Tyler Koch led the Jackrabbits with seven interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns.
PRIDDY PUNTING: Sophomore punter Dean Priddy provided a solid performance in the season opener, booting three balls for an average of 51 yards per punt. All three of his punts covered at least 50 yards, measuring 52, 50 and 51 yards, respectively.
For the season, Priddy is averaging 40.9 yards on 28 punts. He has landed five punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line, including a 42-yarder on his final punt of the night against Western Illinois that pinned the Leathernecks at their own 2-yard line with under a minute to play.
Priddy booted a season-best 55-yard punt against Cal Poly in his last outing.
REIFENRATH SOLID: Sophomore kicker Peter Reifenrath won the battle for placekicking duties at the end of fall camp and has been a solid contributor on special teams. A native of Decorah, Iowa, Reifenrath has made 9-of-14 field goal attempts, including making career-long 42-yarders at Northern Iowa on Sept. 20 and at Stephen F. Austin (Texas) on Sept. 27.
Reifenrath, who has made a field goal in SDSU's first six games, ranks in a tie for 15th place in the Football Championship Subdivision with an average of 1.29 field goals made per game. He also is 22-of-23 on extra-point tries this season.
HOMETOWN CONNECTION: SDSU has used the services of some home-grown talent the past few seasons.
Brookings natives Chris Wagner and Chris Doblar were two of the top three receivers for the Jackrabbits a year ago, but both graduated. Wagner, a tight end, was in training camp with the Oakland Raiders this summer.
Four Jackrabbit players who hail from Brookings remain on the SDSU roster: senior defensive back Nash Simet, junior running back Jordan Paula, sophomore running back Tyler Duffy and freshman wide receiver Dan Schmidt.
A LOOK AHEAD: SDSU returns home for a pair of Missouri Valley Football Conference games. The Jackrabbits will take on Missouri State on Nov. 1, followed by a Nov. 8 matchup against Illinois State. Both games are slated for 1 p.m. kickoffs at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
The Nov 8 game has been designated as senior Recognition Day for the Jackrabbit football program. That game also has been selected for the Missouri Valley Football Conference's television package, airing live on Fox College Sports.
To read the entire release, download the document below.
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