Jackrabbits roll past Indiana State, 49-9

Saturday, October 25

Terre Haute, Ind.

2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT

South Dakota State University

4-4 , 3-1

Indiana State

0-8 , 0-4

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
South Dakota State	7	9	13	20	49
Indiana State	0	0	7	2	9

10/25/2008 1:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

By: SDSU Sports Info

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. ? Kyle Minett and Glen Fox each scored two touchdowns and Ryan Berry threw for four second-half touchdowns to lead South Dakota State to a 49-9 victory over winless Indiana State Saturday afternoon.

The Jackrabbits improved to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Indiana State dropped to 0-8 overall, 0-4 in conference play.

SDSU scored on its opening drive of the game, marching 62 yards on nine plays. After getting a break with an offsides penalty against on third-down during the opening set of downs, Minett capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Jackrabbits made the score 9-0 with a safety early in the second quarter. On second down from the ISU 6, Antonio Thompson sacked Ryan Roberts in the end zone.

Indiana State moved the ball effectively in the first half but failed to convert on a couple of scoring opportunities by missing field goals from 39 and 47 yards.

SDSU built the advantage to 16-0 late in the second quarter as Minett scored for the second time in the game, scampering in from 13 yards out to finish off a 10-play, 70-yard drive.

The Jackrabbits carried the momentum into the second half, scoring on their first drive as Berry connected with Glen Fox on an 8-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score at 22-0.

ISU used some trickery to score its only touchdown of the game. The Sycamores extended their next drive with a fake punt, then on the very next play, Darrius Gates threw a 42-yard touchdown pass at the 11:48 mark of the third quarter to Jeramie Gray on a halfback option.

Twice the SDSU defense stopped the Sycamores on fourth down inside the 5-yard line ? a goal-line stand in the second quarter and at the 4-yard line late in the third quarter.

SDSU responded with two long scoring drives to end any hopes of a Sycamore comeback. Fox hauled in a 39-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter to cap a six-play, 86-yard drive set up by a 47-yard run by Minett, who carried the ball 21 times for a career-high 145 yards. SDSU then went on an 11-play, 96-yard drive covering five minutes that ended with a 6-yard pass from Berry to JaRon Harris.

However, on the ensuing point-after try, Kyle Harris' kick was blocked and returned for two points by the Sycamores' Larry Carter.

SDSU tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Colin Cochart scored the first on a 10-yard pass from Berry, then backup quarterback Ryan Crawford ran one in from five yards out.

Minett ended the game with a career-high 145 yards on 21 carries. He also caught four passes for 65 yards as the Jackrabbits tallied 498 yards of total offense ? 231 yards rushing and 267 through the air.

Fox led the receiving corps with seven catches for 83 yards, followed by Cochart with five receptions for 66 yards.

Berry ended the game 19-of-25 passing for 261 yards as he topped the 2,000-yard mark for the season and 5,000 in his career.

Linebackers Jimmy Rogers and Derek Domino led the Jackrabbit defense with eight tackles each. SDSU recorded four sacks in the game, with Danny Batten notching a sack among his three tackles for loss.

ISU managed only 79 yards on the ground and 245 yards of total offense. Gray led the Sycamores with 20 yards, all of which came on one carry. Ryan Roberts, the fourth quarterback used by ISU this season, completed 15-of-24 passes for 124 yards. Gates led the receivers with seven catches for 61 yards.

Jayden Everett made a game-high 18 tackles for ISU.

SDSU resumes conference play Nov. 1 by hosting Missouri State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

Notes: Saturday's game was the first meeting between SDSU and Indiana State in football ... the safety was the second of the season by the Jackrabbit defense; the other coming against Youngstown State in the home opener on Sept. 6 ... the 40-point margin was the largest in SDSU's favor for a road game since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004 ... ISU's losing streak reached 22 games ... backup linebacker Dirk Kool handled the punting duties for SDSU and averaged 44 yards per punt ... Kool's first collegiate punt traveled 41 yards and forced a Sycamore fair catch at their own 8-yard line ... Harris took over place-kicking duties for the Jackrabbits and made 5-of-6 PAT tries but did not attempt a field goal ... Crawford completed 1-of-3 passes for six yards, with his lone completion being Brad Iverson's first collegiate reception ... Erich Feller notched an interception in the fourth quarter for SDSU's only takeaway of the game ... Berry moved into fifth place on the Jackrabbit career passing chart with 5,153 yards, moving past both Mike Busch (4,980 yards from 1984-85) and Todd McDonald (4,999 yards from 1990-93) ... Harris tied Dennis Thomas (1982-85) for fifth place on the SDSU career receptions list with 127, and took over third place in career receiving yards with 1,952, passing Rusty Lenners (1,942 yards from 1993-96)