Minett leads Jackrabbits to Dakota Marker victory

Saturday, October 17

Brookings, S.D.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

5-1 , 4-0

North Dakota State

1-6 , 0-4

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
North Dakota State	7	6	0	0	13
South Dakota State	14	7	0	7	28

Jackrabbits win at WIU, await Selection Sunday

10/17/2009 11:15:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: SDSU Sports Info

Kyle Minett rushed a career-high 34 times for 164 yards and two touchdowns and the Jackrabbit defense held North Dakota State off the board in the second half as 14th-ranked South Dakota State claimed the Dakota Marker for the third consecutive season with a 28-13 victory Saturday night.

The game was played before a Coughlin-Alumni Stadium crowd of 14,188. SDSU improved to 5-1 overall and maintained a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference lead with Southern Illinois at 4-0. The Bison dropped to 1-6 overall, 0-4 in league play.

Early on, the game appeared as though it would be a shootout as both teams scored on their opening drives.

NDSU took the opening kickoff and marched 62 yards on seven plays, capping the drive with a 22-yard touchdown on a screen pass from Nick Mertens to D.J. McNorton. It marked the first time the Jackrabbit defense allowed a first-quarter touchdown this season.

The Jackrabbits came right back with a seven-play, 57-yard scoring drive. Redshirt freshmen Thomas O'Brien and Aaron Rollin hooked for catches of nine and 36 yards, the latter of the two plays giving SDSU first-and-goal. One play later, Minett plunged in from a yard out to extend his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown to 11.

After SDSU was stopped short on a fourth-and-1 play deep in Bison territory on its next possession, the Jackrabbit defense shifted the momentum in SDSU's favor. On the first play of the drive, Derek Domino intercepted a Mertens pass and ran it back 16 yards for a touchdown.

The Jackrabbits made it 21-14 early in the second quarter on a 22-yard touchdown run by Tyler Duffy to finish off a seven-play, 62-yard drive.

The Bison cut the margin to one possession on their final drive of the first half, putting together a nine-play, 89-yard touchdown drive that ended when Mertens found Gary Williams from 20 yards out with 59 seconds remaining. However, backup kicker John Obarski, who was playing in place of an injured Shawn Bibeau, missed the extra point to put the score at 21-13 heading into halftime.

The second half turned into a defensive struggle until the Jackrabbits were able to re-establish the running game. Minett ended the scoring early in the fourth quarter with a 20-yard touchdown run.

SDSU's defense gave up only 51 yards of total offense in the second half, including only 15 through the air as the Bison completed 4-of-14 passes in the final 30 minutes.

The Jackrabbits out-gained North Dakota State by a 203-122 margin on the ground behind Minett's season-high 164 yards, and held a 322-252 advantage in total offense. Duffy added 48 yards on nine attempts.

O'Brien finished the night 13-of-21 passing for 119 yards, with Mike Steffen leading the Jackrabbit receivers with four catches for 50 yards.

For NDSU, D.J. McNorton, playing in place of a suspended Pat Paschall, gained 57 yards on 17 carries and added three receptions for 27 yards. Mertens was 15-of-31 passing for 130 yards.

Defensively, the Jackrabbits were led by Domino, who recorded 12 tackles and intercepted two passes from his linebacker position. Chris Johnson added 12 stops.

Preston Evans led NDSU with a game-high 13 tackles, including a sack.

SDSU continues its homestand with an Oct. 24 Hobo Day matchup against nationally ranked Northern Iowa. Kickoff is slated for 2:05 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. NDSU hosts Missouri State on Oct. 24.

NOTES: SDSU improved to 4-2 in Dakota Marker games and put together its first three-game winning streak against North Dakota State since the 1961-63 seasons ... the Jackrabbits have won the last four meetings in Brookings ... NDSU leads the all-time series by a 51-40-5 count ... SDSU improved to 10-2 in MVFC games and has won five in a row ... the Jackrabbits' leading receiver, Glen Fox, was limited to one catch for seven yards ... Minett posted the 11th 100-yard game of his career and fourth this season ... the Jackrabbits have not allowed a third-quarter touchdown this season, outscoring their opponents 55-3 ... SDSU is averaging 13,496 fans for its first three home games ... the Jackrabbits improved to 55-17 at home under John Stiegelmeier and 20-5 in home night games