Jackrabbits host WIU in Beef Bowl

The South Dakota State University football team will be in search of its first victory of the season as it hosts nationally ranked Western Illinois in the 44th Annual Beef Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Saturday at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. A pre-game barbecue will run from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. directly south of the stadium. Barbecue tickets can be purchased at the event, with proceeds benefitting scholarships in the Animal and Range Sciences Department at SDSU.
At 0-4, the Jackrabbits will be attempting to avoid their worst start in program history. No SDSU team has ever started the season 0-5 — the closest being the 1965 squad which went 0-4-1 through its first five games.
Western Illinois, meanwhile, has engineered a dramatic turnaround under head coach Mark Hendrickson. Picked to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Fighting Leathernecks enter Saturday's game 4-1 overall, including a 2-0 mark in league play, after a 28-16 victory last week at North Dakota State. WIU broke into the national polls this week, checking in at No. 20 in both the Sports Network/Fathead.com media poll and the FCS Coaches rankings.

THE SERIES: Saturday's matchup marks the eighth meeting between Western Illinois and South Dakota State on the gridiron. WIU holds a 4-3 advantage, although the Jackrabbits have won each of the last two meetings. The Jackrabbits' 27-7 victory in the 2009 regular season finale marked the largest margin of victory in the series.
Following are the final scores from each of the previous seven meetings:
• Sept. 11, 1976: Western Illinois 28, SDSU 21 (at Brookings)
• Sept 3, 1977: SDSU 23, Western Illinois 6 (at Macomb, Ill.)
• Sept. 13, 1980: Western Illinois 33, SDSU 27 (at Brookings)
• Sept. 12, 1981: Western Illinois 17, SDSU 13 (at Macomb, Ill.)
• Aug. 30, 2007: Western Illinois 29, SDSU 26 [4 OT] (at Macomb, Ill.)
• Sept. 13, 2008: SDSU 24, Western Illinois 22 (at Brookings)
• Nov. 21, 2009: SDSU 27, Western Illinois 7 (at Macomb, Ill.)

MEDIA 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 of select games are available for $11.95 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.
Local radio coverage Saturday begins on flagship station WNAX 570 AM at 4:30 p.m. Central Time, with an expanded pre-game show. Steve Imming returns to call the play-by-play, with Tyler Merriam providing color commentary. The game also can be heard on the following Jackrabbit Sports Network stations, starting at 5:30 p.m. CT:
• Belle Fourche: KBFS 1450 AM
• Brookings: KJJQ 910 AM
• Mobridge: KOLY 1300 AM
• Pierre: KGFX 1060 AM
• Rapid City: KRKI 99.5 FM
• Watertown: KWAT 950 AM

JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2010 football season, head coach John Stiegelmeier will be a guest on the “Jackrabbit Insider,” a weekly behind-the-scenes look at South Dakota State University athletics.
The half-hour television show which features interviews with Jackrabbit coaches and student-athletes, airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on Sioux Falls-based KTTW FOX 7. The show is also broadcast on FOX Sports North at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and on FOX College Sports Central at 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Online, the show can be viewed at GoJacks.com.

THE BEEF BOWL: South Dakota State University is home to the original Beef Bowl.
The Beef Bowl was started as SDSU's way of recognizing those individuals and firms involved in the beef industry in South Dakota.
Festivities include a pre-game barbecue with proceeds going toward scholarships in the
Animal and Range Sciences Department, as well as presentation of the SDSU Friends of the Beef Industry Award. Proceeds from a live steer auction at halftime benefit Jackrabbit Athletics.
More than 10,000 people have attended each of the last six Beef Bowls and nine times overall. SDSU holds a 24-19 record in the Beef Bowl, winning each of the last four contests and nine of the last 11.

SLOW STARTS: South Dakota State's 0-4 start to the 2010 campaign marks the first time since 1969 the Jackrabbits have gone winless through their first four games.
After starting both the 2006 and 2007 seasons with 0-3 records, SDSU rebounded to contend for conference titles. The 2006 squad reeled off seven consecutive victories after an 0-3 start to set up a showdown with North Dakota State for the Great West Football Conference championship — a game the Bison eventually won 41-28 at the Fargodome.
In 2007, the Jackrabbits won six of their final seven games, including their final five contests, to claim the GWFC title. SDSU defeated previously unbeaten North Dakota State, 29-24, in the season finale to win their first league title in football in 44 years.

SLOW STARTS, PART II: The Jackrabbits have yet to produce any points in the first halves of games so far this season. Through the first four games, SDSU has been outscored 58-0 in the first half.
The Jackrabbits hold a 34-33 scoring advantage in the second half of games.

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE: The South Dakota State University football team has enjoyed a home-field advantage at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium since making the move to the Football Championship Subdivision level.
Since joining the FCS ranks at the start of the 2004 season, the Jackrabbits have posted a 25-8 mark at CAS, including a 7-2 record in Missouri Valley Football Conference games.
Lights were installed at CAS prior to the 2001 season and SDSU has turned in a 20-6 record in home night games.
Overall, SDSU has compiled a 158-99 record in 49 seasons at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

VALLEY PREVIEW: The Jackrabbits were picked to finish in second place in the 2010 Missouri Valley Football Conference race, according to a poll conducted by league coaches, sports information directors and media that was released in early August.
SDSU finished the 2009 season as league runner-up with a 7-1 conference record and 8-4 overall mark. SDSU made its first postseason appearance in 30 years and first as a member of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, falling to top-seeded Montana in the opening round.
Defending champion Southern Illinois was picked to repeat, gaining 30 of the 36 first-place votes to tally 313 points. SDSU was next with 252 points, including a pair of first-place votes, followed by Illinois State with 249 points and three first-place votes.
The middle third of the preseason poll consisted of Northern Iowa, fourth with 244 points and one first-place vote; Missouri State, fifth with 164 points, and North Dakota State, sixth with 151 points.
The bottom third of the poll included Youngstown State (130 points), Western Illinois (70) and Indiana State (47).
In addition, five Jackrabbit players were named to the MVFC Preseason Team. On offense, senior center Ryan McKnight and senior running back Kyle Minett were recognized.
A first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection in 2009, McKnight started all 12 games for the Jackrabbits' playoff-qualifying squad and was an integral part of an offense that averaged 27.8 points and 341.2 yards of total offense per game. Last week, the Sioux Falls native was named to the Sports Network Preseason All-America First Team.
Minett, a native of Ruthton, Minn., has been named to the Walter Payton Award watch list for the top offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision, as well as to the Sports Network Preseason All-America Third Team. Minett enters his senior season third among returning FCS backs and fourth on the SDSU career charts with 3,069 career rushing yards. A two-time second-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, he has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, rushing for 1,304 yards and 16 TDs last season, when he was named to the Associated Press All-America Third Team.
The defensive unit included senior linebacker Derek Domino and senior strong safety Conrad Kjerstad.
Domino posted a team-high 100 tackles in 2009, earning first-team all-MVFC honors. The Spring Lake Park, Minn., native also shared the team lead with five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
Kjerstad ranked third on the team with 81 tackles and shared team-high honors with five interceptions, but has since suffered a career-ending injury.
SDSU also was represented on special teams as senior punter Dean Priddy was named to the MVFC Preseason Team. An Eden Prairie, Minn., native, Priddy averaged a career-best 41.2 yards per punt in earning second-team all-MVFC honors. Priddy landed 19 of his 60 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line and notched eight punts of 50 yards or more.
Senior tight end Colin Cochart recevied honorable mention recognition. The team's top returning receiver, the Kewaunee, Wis., product led the team with five touchdown catches last season, while adding 26 receptions for 240 yards.

CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are four senior captains:
• Cole Brodie, defensive back, Dacula, Ga.;
• Conrad Kjerstad, defensive back, Wall;
• Ryan McKnight, offensive lineman, Sioux Falls;
• Kyle Minett, running back, Ruthton, Minn.

RABBITS RANKED: For the fourth year in a row, South Dakota State appeared in the preseason national rankings for the Football Championship Subdivision, checking in at No. 9 in the Sports Network/Fathead.com media poll and 10th in the FCS Coaches' poll.
Following back-to-back losses to start the season, the Jackrabbits fell out of the top 25, but remain among the top teams receiving votes in both polls.
The Jackrabbits began the 2009 season ranked 22nd in the Sports Network poll and 23rd in the preseason poll conducted by the Football Championship Subdivision coaches. SDSU climbed to as high as ninth in the national rankings before finishing the season 11th in both the media and coaches' polls.
In 2008, SDSU opened the season 19th in the Sports Network poll and 20th in the coaches' poll. When opening the 2007 season, the rankings were reversed as SDSU was 19th in the coaches' poll and 20th in the Sports Network rankings.

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Playing a ranked opponent is nothing new for the Jackrabbit football team, which has taken on some of the nation's elite Football Championship Subdivision programs since moving up from Division I at the start of the 2004 season.
In its six-plus seasons at the FCS level, SDSU has played 31 games against ranked FCS opponents and compiled a 9-22 overall record.

WORKING OVERTIME: Since overtime rules were implemented in college football in 1996, the Jackrabbits have played five overtime games. SDSU won its first-ever overtime contest, a 30-27, double-overtime decision on Hobo Day against Nebraska-Omaha, but has lost its last four extended games.
Following is a history of SDSU's overtime games:
• Oct. 17, 1998 vs. Nebraska-Omaha    W, 30-27        2 OT
• Oct. 19, 2002, at Augustana (S.D.)    L, 33-39        3 OT
• Nov. 13, 2004, at Southern Utah        L, 17-23        2 OT
• Aug. 30, 2007, at Western Illinois        L, 26-39        4 OT
• Oct. 4, 2008, vs. McNeese State (La.)    L, 44-46        3 OT

SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS: What a difference a year makes for the Western Illinois football program.
After suffering through a one-win season in 2009, including a last-place finish in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the Fighting Leathernecks have positioned themselves for one of the most dramatic turnarounds in all of college football this season. WIU enters tonight's game with a 4-1 overall record and is tied atop the MVFC with a 2-0 league mark. The Leathernecks' only loss this season came on Sept. 11 at Purdue, 31-21.
Matt Barr leads the conference in pass efficiency with a rating of 136.13, throwing eight touchdowns against only one interception. Overall, Barr has completed 56.6 percent (73-of-129) of his passes for 931 yards. The senior signal-caller is a dual threat as he has run for another 251 yards, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, with a touchdown.
Ten different receivers have caught passes for the Leathernecks, led by Terriun Crump with 19 receptions for 261 yards and a touchdown. Lito Senatus has tallied 15 receptions for 208 yards and a team-high four touchdowns. Todd Speight has added eight catches for 112 yards and is one of the top return specialists in the league, averaging 19.7 yards on kickoff returns and 11.8 yards per punt return.
Freshman Bryce Flowers is on his way to joining a long list of recent 1,000-yard rushers for Western Illinois. Through five games, Flowers has compiled 534 yards and seven touchdowns, while averaging 6.4 yards per carry. His average of 106.8 yards per game ranks 15th nationally.
Caulton Ray, who has started all five games, has totaled 449 yards so far this season to give the Leathernecks a potent 1-2 rushing attack — one that ranks third among FCS squads with an average of 274.2 yards per game.
The offensive line is anchored by senior right guard Gary Sumlin and senior right tackle Mike Lamphear. Juniors Jordan Valle at center and left tackle Enock Presendieu are joined in the starting lineup by sophomore left guard Max Dancer.
When the offense has stalled, punter Chris Fuchs has proven to be another weapon. The senior is averaging 37.5 yards per attempt and has landed 13 of his 28 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
Overall, WIU ranks sixth in the Football Championship Subdivision by scoring an average of 38 points per game, and also stands fourth in scoring defense by allowing only 13.6 points per contest.
The defense is spearheaded by an active group of linebackers led by Kyle Glazier. A senior, Glazier has been credited with a team-best 45 tackles this season, including 5.5 tackles for loss with two sacks.
Fellow linebacker Brandon Kreczmer has posted 31 tackles, with 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks, along with an interception.
Defensive end Mike Stieren leads the team with 3.5 sacks among his 17 tackles.
In the secondary, sophomore Tyler West has been the top playmaker, registering 25 tackles with an interception and pass breakup.
As a team, the Leathernecks are plus-eight in turnover margin. WIU has forced 11 turnovers — eight fumbles and three interceptions — while committing only three turnovers.

LAST MEETING: The 12th-ranked South Dakota State University football team made a final statement toward locking up a Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth, downing Western Illinois, 27-7, Nov. 21, 2009, at Hanson Field in Macomb, Ill.
The Jackrabbits, who snapped a two-game losing skid, ended the regular season with an 8-3 overall record and second-place mark of 7-1 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. WIU dropped its 10th consecutive game, falling to 1-10 overall and 0-8 in league play.
SDSU wasted little time setting the tone by scoring in the opening minute of the game. After Aaron Rollin returned a kickoff 45 yards into Western Illinois territory, Kyle Minett broke through the right side of the line for a 39-yard touchdown run on the Jackrabbits' second play.
The Fighting Leathernecks took advantage of a Jackrabbit interception to score its first touchdown of the day. After a 20-yard return by Ed Rogers gave WIU the ball at the Jackrabbit 25, Dre Gibbs rambled into the end zone on the first play of the drive.
The Jackrabbits answered with a 39-yard field goal by Kyle Harris with 5 minutes, 6 seconds remaining in the first quarter and extended the lead to 17-7 early in the second quarter after Chris Johnson forced a fumble that was recovered by Conrad Kjerstad at the WIU 45. Minett capped the nine-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
SDSU came up with another big play to set up its third touchdown of the half. Chris Tracy blocked a punt with 1:37 and Erich Feller fell on the ball at WIU 16. Two plays later, Thomas O'Brien connected with Glen Fox from 10 yards out to put the Jackrabbits up 24-7 at the half, following the extra point by Harris.
In the third quarter, the Jackrabbits ended a Western Illinois scoring drive with their second blocked kick of the game on a 34-yard field goal attempt. SDSU then marched 68 yards on 12 plays, chewing up nearly six minutes before Peter Reifenrath kicked a 33-yard field goal on the final play of the third quarter for the final scoring of the day.
Minett ended the game with 147 yards on 23 carries as he posted his 13th career 100-yard rushing game and sixth of the season.
O'Brien completed 12-of-24 passes for 142 yards. Saunders Montague led the receivers with five catches for 68 yards.
Buck Buchanan Award nominee Danny Batten led the defensive effort by recording a career-high three sacks for a loss of 19 yards. As a team, the Jackrabbits recorded four sacks.
Chris Johnson and Derek Domino each notched eight tackles for the Jackrabbits, with Batten and Corey Jeske each tallying seven stops.
For Western Illinois, Gibbs topped the 100-yard mark with 103 yards on 20 carries. Wil Lunt completed 25-of-38 passes for 206 yards, with Lito Senatus recording a game-high seven receptions for 63 yards.
Kyle Glazier led the Fighting Leathernecks with 12 tackles.

LAST WEEK: South Dakota State squandered five potential scoring opportunities in Northern Iowa territory, falling at the 15th-ranked Panthers, 24-14, on Oct. 2 before a crowd of 14,686 at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The Jackrabbits remained winless at 0-4, including an 0-2 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. UNI, paced by 100-yard rushers Carlos Anderson and Tirrell Rennie, improved to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in league play.
Each team missed out on scoring opportunities in the first quarter. UNI missed a 45-yard field goal on its second drive of the game and had a 30-yard attempt blocked by Cole Brodie on its next possession.
SDSU moved the ball into UNI territory late in the first quarter, but Kyle Minett was stripped of the football on a screen pass that would have
A Brodie interception on the next play from scrimmage set the Jackrabbits back at the UNI 30. The drive stalled at the 24 before Kyle Harris kicked a 41-yard field goal that would have given SDSU a 3-0 lead. However, the Jackrabbits were flagged for an illegal formation penalty and Harris' second attempt, from 46 yards, was blocked.
UNI took advantage, scoring the first touchdown of the game. Rennie broke off a 65-yard run on the opening play of the drive to set up first and goal, then scored from a yard out on a fourth-down attempt.
SDSU put together its best drive of the first half in the closing minutes of the stanza, moving 65 yards as Minett carried for 30 and gained another 12 through the air. The Jackrabbits would come up empty again as O'Brien lofted a pass into the end zone that was intercepted in the end zone by UNI's Andre Martin for a touchback.
The Jackrabbit offense got back on track during the opening drive of the second half. Minett gained 47 yards on a run up the middle on the second play from scrimmage to move the ball to the UNI 30. O'Brien completed a key third-down pass for a gain of 16 yards to Tyrel Kool to move the chains and later connected with Kool on a 9-yard touchdown pass to finish off an eight-play 77-yard drive.
UNI came back to take the lead on the ensuing drive, marching 67 yards on eight plays for the go-ahead touchdown, an 8-yard run by Rennie at the 6:10 mark of the third quarter.
The next Jackrabbit possession ended with another turnover. With the ball again at the UNI 30, Minett's pass attempt out of the wildcat formation was intercepted again by Martin in the end zone.
The Panthers extended their lead to 17-7 early in the fourth quarter with another time-consuming drive. Billy Hallgren capped a 16-play, 64-yard that took more than seven minutes off the clock with a 33-yard field goal.
SDSU trimmed the deficit to 17-14 late in the fourth quarter with a nine-play, 77-yard scoring drive capped by an O'Brien 6-yard touchdown pass to Colin Cochart.
O'Brien was 7-for-8 passing on the drive for 52 yards.
The Jackrabbits' attempt at an onside kick went out of bounds, giving UNI the ball at the SDSU 45. Rather than run the ball and work clock, UNI opted for a deep pass. Schuylar Oordt reached over a Jackrabbit defender in the end zone for a 44-yard touchdown pass from Rennie that sealed the Panthers' victory.
SDSU's last attempt to stay in the game ended once again across midfield as O'Brien was intercepted by Varmah Sonie.
Total offense was nearly equal, with UNI holding a slight edge of 390 yards to 385 by the Jackrabbits. The Panthers gained 276 yards on the ground as Anderson rushed 24 times for 136 yards and Rennie added 121 yards on 13 carries. Rennie completed 3-of-6 pass attempts for 69 yards, while Zach Davis completed 9-of-13 throws for 45 yards. Oordt led the Panther receivers with five receptions for 68 yards.
Minett posted his third consecutive 100-yard game with 137 yards on 18 carries. O'Brien completed 22-of-37 passes for 230 yards, with Kool the primary target by collecting 10 receptions for 113 yards.
Derek Domino led the Jackrabbit defense with 12 tackles, including one for loss. Andy Mink, making his first career start at nose tackle in place of an injured Ross Basham, was credited with 11 tackles, including two for loss and a sack.
Jamar Thompson paced the UNI defense with 11 tackles.

MINETT ON PAYTON LIST: South Dakota State University running back Kyle Minett remains one of 20 players on the official watch list for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, which is awarded to the top offensive playerin the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
A native of Ruthton, Minn., Minett is currently ranked third among active FCS backs with 3,470 career rushing yards — a total that also ranks third on the SDSU career charts.
A two-time second-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, he has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, rushing for 1,289 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2008 and 1,304 yards and 16 TDs last season. In addition, Minett has 95 career receptions for 807 yards and seven scores.
Minett, who was named to the Associated Press All-America Third Team in 2009, is the first SDSU football player to be nominated for the Walter Payton Award, which is sponsored by Fathead.com and presented by The Sports Network. The Walter Payton Award watch list will again be updated on Oct. 25, with ballots sent to a panel of approximately 200 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries after the regular season on Nov. 22. Three finalists will be announced on Dec. 1 and invited to The Sports Network/Fathead FCS Awards Presentation Jan. 6 — the night before the FCS national championship game — in Frisco, Texas.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Three seniors on the South Dakota State University football team have been named to preseason All-America teams.
Center Ryan McKnight was named to the first team of preseason All-America squads selected by The Sports Network and College Sporting News. The 6-foot-1, 295-pound senior from Sioux Falls, was a first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection in 2009 after starting all 12 games for the Jackrabbits' playoff-qualifying squad and was an integral part of an offense that averaged 27.8 points and 341.2 yards of total offense per game.
Linebacker Derek Domino earned second-team recognition on the CSN squad. A native of Spring Lake Park, Minn., Domino also earned first-team all-MVFC recognition in 2009 after leading the squad with 100 tackles and sharing the team lead with five interceptions. Domino returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns.
Running back Kyle Minett was tabbed as a third-team selection by both The Sports Network and College Sporting News. In 2009, Minett was named to the Associated Press All-America Third Team.

O-LINE SHAKEUP: The Jackrabbits shifted a couple players around on the offensive line in the Sept. 25 game against Nebraska — a move that produced some positive results.
Starting center Ryan McKnight moved to left guard in place of Jacob Ludemann and sophomore Will Castle made his first career start as he took over the center duties. The changes contributed to the Jackrabbits rushing for a season-high 141 yards, a total that was surpassed with 155 yards the following week at Northern Iowa.
SDSU also did not allow a sack in the games at Nebraska and UNI in a combined 65 pass attempts.

OH, DOMINO: Senior linebacker Derek Domino has picked up where he left off a season ago, when he emerged as the team's top tackler.
A native of Spring Lake Park, Minn., Domino has tallied a team-high 49 tackles so far this season, including a career-high 16 stops Sept. 25 at Nebraska. Dating back to the 2009 season, when he led the team with 100 tackles, Domino has posted double digits for tackles in five consecutive games and eight times overall. Domino's previous high was 12 tackles, a mark he established three times, including SDSU's 2009 playoff game at Montana.
In addition, Domino upped his career interception total to nine in the game at Nebraska. In 2009, Domino shared the team lead with five interceptions, including one he returned for a 22-yard touchdown at Minnesota. He also picked off two passes Oct. 17 against North Dakota State, returning his first interception of the game 16 yards for a touchdown.
During the 2008 campaign, Domino returned an interception 82 yards for a touchdown in the Hobo Day game against McNeese State (La.).

PRIDDY PUNTING: Jackrabbit punter Dean Priddy put together a strong performance in the opening game of the season at Delaware. A senior from Eden Prairie, Minn., Priddy punted four times for an average of 55 yards, with a net punting average of 53.2 yards. His punts traveled 44, 72, 53 and 51 yards, with the 72-yarder a career long that pinned Delaware inside its own 5-yard line late in the first half.
For his efforts, Priddy received co-Punter of the Week recognition from College Football Performance Awards, sharing the honor with Mike Hammonds of Chattanooga (Tenn.).
In 20 attempts this season, Priddy is averaging 42.5 yards per punt and has landed six attempts inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Combined with outstanding coverage downfield, Priddy's punting has shut down the opposing return game as his net punting average is 37.9 yards, with the opponents tallying a mere 31 yards on nine returns.

KOOL CATCHING ON: Sophomore Tyrel Kool made a seamless transition to wide receiver as he was a standout performer on offense for the Jackrabbits in their season opener at Delaware.
A converted running back, Kool caught a game-high nine passes for 107 yards in a
losing effort, including a leaping 44-yard reception in the fourth quarter. He became the first Jackrabbit receiver this season to total double figures in receptions, hauling in 10 for 113 yards with his first career touchdown Oct. 2 at Northern Iowa.
Kool continues to lead the team with 24 receptions and 289 receiving yards, heading into Saturday's game.
The Yankton native third on the team in rushing in 2009 with 96 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He also caught one pass for seven yards during his freshman season.

KJERSTAD NOMINATED FOR CAMPBELL TROPHY: South Dakota State University defensive back Conrad Kjerstad has been selected as a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to a top football scholar-athlete by the National Football Foundation.
Nominated by their schools, semifinalists must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The trophy — formerly the Draddy Trophy — was renamed last fall in honor of Bill Campbell, the chairman of Intuit, former player and head coach at Columbia University and the 2004 recipient of the NFF's Gold Medal.
A senior from Wall, Kjerstad was selected as a team captain this fall but has been sidelined for the entire 2010 season due to a degenerative neck condition that worsened over the summer. In his first three seasons in a Jackrabbit uniform, Kjerstad tallied 158 career tackles and 10 career interceptions. In 2009, he shared the team lead with five interceptions and ranked third on the squad with 81 tackles in helping lead the Jackrabbits to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time.
Off the field, Kjerstad has compiled a 3.93 grade-point average while majoring in agricultural business. He was honored on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team and the FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team in 2009. In addition, Kjerstad has been a part of numerous community service projects with his teammates, including hospital visits, reading in schools and helping conduct youth football clinics.
The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 15 finalists from the list of 121 semifinalists and announce the results via national press release on Thursday, Oct. 28. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2010 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Campbell Trophy winner, who will have his scholarship increased to $25,000 and receive a 25-pound bronze trophy, will be announced live at the NFF's Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7 at the prestigious Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. A total distribution of $277,000 in scholarships will be awarded that evening, bringing the NFF's all-time scholarship distribution to $9.5 million.

COACH STIG: John Stiegelmeier has built the South Dakota State University football team into a consistent winner and a program on the rise in the ranks of the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Overall, Coach Stig has led the Jackrabbits to an 83-64 record (.565 winning percentage). SDSU has posted eight consecutive winning seasons, including the school's first six campaigns at the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) level. The Jackrabbits have had a winning record in 11 of Stiegelmeier's 13 years as head coach, including six with seven or more victories.
The 2009 season proved to be a memorable one as Stiegelmeier led the Jackrabbits to their first FCS playoff appearance and the program's first postseason appearance in 30 years. The Jackrabbits finished as runner-up in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with a 7-1 record and finished the season 8-4 overall. SDSU led for much of its playoff game at top-seeded Montana, before falling 61-48 to the eventual national runner-up Grizzlies. Nationally ranked for the entire season, including appearing in the top 10 for two weeks, the Jackrabbits finished the 2009 campaign ranked 11th in both the FCS Coaches' and Sports Network media polls.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS: The SDSU football team continued to gain conference and national recognition for its academic pursuits during the 2009 season.
Headlining the individual award winners were juniors Kyle Minett and Conrad Kjerstad, who received recognition on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team within the University Division.
A running back from Ruthton, Minn., Minett was honored on the first team for the second consecutive year with a 3.60 grade-point average while majoring in economics.
Kjerstad, a safety from Wall, earned second-team honors with a 3.93 GPA in agricultural business. He later was named to the 12th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.
Minett and Kjerstad were joined on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team by senior offensive lineman Casey Knips and punter Dean Priddy.
After leading the Missouri Valley Football Conference in team grade-point average during the 2008 season, the Jackrabbits posted a league-best 10 selections, including three first-team honorees, on the 2009 MVFC All-Academic Team, which was announced in December. It marked the fifth consecutive season SDSU led its football conference in all-academic picks.
The league also recognized 52 Jackrabbit players following the conclusion of the 2009-10 academic year on the MVFC Honor Roll for posting a GPA of 3.0 or better while being enrolled in at least 12 hours during the fall. Of those 52 players, 25 qualified for the Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award, which requires a minimum 3.2 GPA for each of the previous two semesters.
In addition, Tyler Duffy, Knips and Priddy received the Presidents Council Academic Award, which requires a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA and within 18 hours of graduation.

NEXT WEEK: The Jackrabbits take on another Missouri Valley Football Conference team from the state of Illinois, traveling to Southern Illinois.
Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at the new Saluki Stadium in Carbondale, Ill.

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