Jackrabbits prepare for Nebraska

BROOKINGS, S.D. — The South Dakota State University football team will take on one of the elite programs in all of college football, traveling to Nebraska for a matchup against the nationally ranked Cornhuskers Saturday night.
Kickoff is set for 6:08 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb. The game is scheduled to be televised on FOX Sports Net pay-per-view; check with cable and satellite providers for availability. Suggested retail price is $39.95.
The Jackrabbits enter their lone matchup of the season against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent with an 0-2 overall record. SDSU dropped its home and Missouri Valley Football Conference opener Sept. 18, falling 24-14 to Illinois State in the 15th Annual Cereal Bowl.
Nebraska is off to a 3-0 start, outscoring its opponents by more than 31 points per game. After home victories over Western Kentucky and Idaho to start the season, the Cornhuskers posted a 56-21 road win at Washington last weekend. Nebraska is ranked sixth in this week's Associated Press poll and seventh in the USA Today coaches' poll. The Cornhuskers picked up one first-place vote in the coaches' poll.

THE SERIES: The Jackrabbits and Nebraska have met one other time on the gridiron, with the Cornhuskers recording a 58-7 victory on Sept. 21, 1963, in Lincoln.
In that contest, SDSU was held to five first downs and only 31 yards of total offense, including a minus-17 rushing total.
Rudy Johnson and Kent McCloughan each scored two first-half rushing touchdowns for Nebraska, which led 37-0 at halftime. In all, the Cornhuskers rolled up 352 yards on the ground and were forced to punt only once.
SDSU avoided a shutout on a fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Ron Meyer to Ed Maras that covered 23 yards.

MEDIA COVERAGE: Audio 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

FBS GAMES: Saturday's game at Nebraska marks the third consecutive season the Jackrabbits have played a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.
The Jackrabbits are 0-2 against FBS opponents, falling 44-17 at Iowa State in the 2008 season opener and dropping a 16-13 decision at Minnesota in 2009.
SDSU has three future dates against regional FBS opponents under contract: at Illinois in 2011, the 2012 season opener at Kansas and a 2015 return date at Minnesota.

CORNHUSKER CONNECTION: South Dakota State will have a true Cornhusker connection on its sideline Saturday in co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Clint Brown.
A native of Arlington, Neb., Brown earned two varsity letters at Nebraska and was a member of the Cornhuskers' 1994 national championship team. While completing his bachelor's degrees in secondary education biology and history, Brown began his collegiate coaching career as a student assistant for the Cornhuskers during the spring of 1995. He moved on later that year to coach the outside linebackers at Nebraska Wesleyan, then spent the 1996 season as a graduate assistant at Nebraska-Omaha.
Brown also served as an assistant coach at New Mexico State, Bethel College (Kan.) and Wayne State (Neb.) before joining the Jackrabbit coaching staff in 2009.
In addition, co-defensive coordinator Jay Bubak is originally from Imperial, Neb., and played at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, wide receivers coach Josh Davis in an Omaha native and tight ends coach Shannon Moore grew up on the western side of Nebraska in Gordon. Twelve Jackrabbit players also hail from the state of Nebraska: Jorge Dunklau (Wayne); Brandon Hubert (Gretna); Josh Kage (Omaha); Matthew Korus (Humphrey); Nick Krings (Humphrey); Travis Lindstrom (Oakland); Jacob Ludemann (Norfolk); Skyler Luxa (Blair); Andy Mink (Ashland); Matt Peitz (Crofton); Taylor Suess (Columbus) and Justin Taylor (Hallam).

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 have fallen 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 FCS programs since moving up from Division I at the start of the 2004 season.
In its first six seasons at the FCS level, SDSU has played 30 games against ranked opponents and compiled a 9-21 overall record.

SCOUTING NEBRASKA: Nebraska has been dominant on both sides of the ball in starting the season with a perfect 3-0 mark.
On offense, the Cornhuskers are averaging 513.3 yards of total offense, including 344 yards per game rushing. As a team, Nebraska is averaging 8.1 yards per carry, with its top rushers Taylor Martinez and Roy Helu Jr., posting averages of better than 10 yards per carry. Martinez leads the squad with 421 yards and eight touchdowns, while Helu has tallied 246 yards and four TDs. Rex Burkhead has added 238 yards and a pair of TDs, while averaging 8.8 yards per attempt.
Martinez is a dual threat at quarterback as he has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 392 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Kinnie leads the receivers with 14 catches for 181 yards, with Niles Paul adding 10 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown.
An aggressive Cornhusker defense has forced 10 turnovers in three games, sacked opposing quarterbacks nine times and is limiting the opposition to 3.5 yards per rushing attempt. Of the eight interceptions the team has recorded in 2010, three have been returned for touchdowns. Alfonzo Dennard and P.J. Smith each have two interceptions.
Levonte David leads the defensive unit with 25 tackles, followed by DeJon Gomes. All-America candidate Jared Crick has made 16 tackles, including four for loss, and Baker Steinkuler leads the team with 3.5 sacks.

LAST WEEK: For the second consecutive week, the South Dakota State University football team dug itself an early hole and couldn't recover, falling 24-14 to Illinois State in the home and Missouri Valley Football Conference opener Sept. 18 before a Cereal Bowl crowd of 12,425 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
The 20th-ranked Jackrabbits fell to 0-2 overall, while Illinois State improved to 2-1 on the season, including a 1-0 mark in league play.
SDSU missed out on a couple scoring chances in the first quarter. On the opening drive, the Jackrabbits moved the ball into Illinois State territory only to have a dropped pass on a third-and-7 play stall the drive.
The Redbirds broke into the scoring column with a methodical 17-play, 82-yard drive that chewed up more than seven minutes. Sophomore quarterback Matt Brown was
5-for-6 passing on the drive for 53 yards and running back Ashton Leggett added 26 yards on the ground, including the final two yards for the first touchdown of the game with 3 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Jackrabbits took over at the Redbird 47 after a 41-yard kickoff return by Cole Brodie and gained one first down before Kyle Harris' 51-yard field goal attempt missed wide right. SDSU converted only one of its first 11 third-down attempts in the game before finishing 3-of-13.
Illinois State took advantage of a turnover early in the second quarter to build the lead to 10-0. Austin Davis' diving interception on a bobbled pass gave the Redbirds at the SDSU 27. Steven Fetzer later connected on a 36-yard field goal.
After SDSU missed a 35-yard field goal, the Redbirds extended their lead to 17-0 with another long drive in the closing minutes of the first half. Brown capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a 23-yard scoring strike to Tyrone Walker.
The Jackrabbits put together their best drive of the season to open the second half, but again came up empty as Harris missed his third field goal of the night, a 34-yard attempt that was blocked by the Redbirds' Nick Broome. Kyle Minett had put the Jackrabbits into the red zone with a 46-yard run.
The Redbirds put the game out of reach late in the third as Brown hit Marvon Sanders for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
After being held without a touchdown for the first seven quarters of the season, SDSU finally reached paydirt in the opening minute of the fourth quarter as Tyler Duffy found the end zone from three yards out. Thomas O'Brien then hit Minett for the two-point conversion.
The Jackrabbit comeback attempt continued as O'Brien completed 6-of-7 passes, including a 5-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Hubert to wrap up an eight-play, 51-yard drive.
But it would be too little, too late as the Jackrabbits turned the ball over — an interception and a fumble — on their next two possessions.
The Jackrabbits' late offensive spurt gave them a 374-364 advantage in total offense. Minett, a Walter Payton Award candidate, gained 120 yards on 18 carries. O'Brien completed 24-of-42 passes for 245 yards, with Aaron Rollin catching six passes for 74 yards and Hubert adding six receptions for 54 yards.
Illinois State was led by Leggett with 100 yards on 20 carries. Brown connected on 20-of-29 passes for 172 yards, with Sanders his primary target by collecting 10 receptions for 82 yards.
Derek Domino paced the Jackrabbit defense with 11 tackles, followed by Corey Jeske with nine. Davis and Josh Howe each made 10 stops to led Illinois State.
SDSU returns to action with a Sept. 25 matchup at Nebraska. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Illinois State hosts Missouri State in an MVFC matchup.

MINETT ON PAYTON LIST: South Dakota State University running back Kyle Minett is one of 20 players named to the preseason watch list for the 2010 Walter Payton Award, which is awarded to the top offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
A native of Ruthton, Minn., Minett entered his senior season third among returning FCS backs and fourth on the SDSU career charts with 3,069 career rushing yards, a total that climbed to 3,211 yards after an 18-carry, 120-yard performance in the conference opener against Illinois. 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 84 career receptions for 752 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 be updated on Oct. 4 and 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.

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.).
Priddy punted five times in the Illinois State game, landing two inside the Redbirds; 20-yard line. He is averaging 45.4 yards for the season.

KOOL CATCHING ON: Sophomore Tyrel Kool made a seamless transition to wide receiver as a 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. Against Illinois State, Kool contributed three receptions for 35 yards.
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 CALLS IT QUITS: South Dakota State will play the 2010 season without one of its captains as senior strong safety Conrad Kjerstad has opted not to play due to a neck injury.
“I'm confident it's the right decision, but it isn't an easy one,” said the Wall native who shared the team lead with five interceptions and ranked third in tackles with 81 in earning second-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference recognition during the Jackrabbits' playoff-qualifying season in 2009. He was a preseason all-MVFC pick this season.
Kjerstad was diagnosed with a degenerative spinal condition that worsened in recent months. He sat out most of fall camp, briefly participating in non-contact drills before informing the team of his decision last week. He will remain associated with the team as a student coach.
“Obviously we will miss his play-making ability; we will miss his leadership on the field,” head coach John Stiegelmeier said. “We're disappointed for him because he's worked so hard and accomplished so much.”
For his career, Kjerstad tallied 158 tackles and 10 interceptions. He also has excelled in the classroom, earning second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America recognition and being selected to the FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.

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 83-62 record (.572 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.

THE JACKRABBIT JOURNEY: Former South Dakota State University football player Casey Hillman successfully completed “The Jackrabbit Journey,” a walk across South Dakota to raise money and awareness for the Jackrabbit Athletic Endowment.
A Sioux Falls resident, Hillman began his journey through the Rushmore State in Deadwood on Sept. 4. During his journey logged more than 400 miles on foot before ending his journey Sept. 18 by walking into Coughlin-Alumni Stadium and presenting the game ball for the opening kickoff of the Jackrabbit football team's home opener against Illinois State.
Hillman lettered as a cornerback for the Jackrabbits from 1998-2001. He was a second-team all-North Central Conference selection in 1999, when he led the team with six interceptions.
Donations are still being accepted online through the SDSU Foundation, or by calling (605) 688-6942. Funds should be designated for Athletics/Jackrabbit Club with “The Jackrabbit Journey” included in the comments section.

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 return to Missouri Valley Football Conference action by traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa, for a matchup against nationally ranked Northern Iowa. Kickoff is slated for 4:05 p.m. at the UNI-Dome.

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