No. 9 Jackrabbits open at Delaware

The South Dakota State University football team opens the 2010 season Saturday afternoon at Delaware, in a battle between two nationally ranked programs.
Kickoff is slated for 1:06 p.m. Eastern Time (12:06 p.m. Central) at Delaware Stadium in Newark, Del.
SDSU, 8-4 last season en route to its first-ever berth in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, is ranked ninth in both the Sports Network/Fathead.com and FCS Coaches' polls this week.
The Fighting Blue Hens enter the week ranked 16th in the Sports Network poll and 17th by the FCS Coaches. Delaware opened the season Sept. 2 with a 31-0 home victory over NCAA Division II opponent West Chester (Pa.).

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between South Dakota State and Delaware in football. It also will be the Jackrabbits' first-ever game against a Colonial Athletic Association member.

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 10:30 a.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:
• 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 or KDLO 96.9 FM
Free video will be available through the University of Delaware. To access the video stream, access the following link: http://www.ums.udel.edu/udlive/

FOR OPENERS: The Jackrabbits will attempt to win a season opener for the second year in a row. SDSU opened last season with a convincing 44-6 home victory over Georgia Southern on Sept. 12, 2009.
In John Stiegelmeier's 13 previous seasons as head coach, SDSU is 9-4 in season
openers. The Jackrabbits won each of their first seven season openers under Coach Stig, but are only 2-4 in openers since moving to the FCS level in 2004.
In home openers, the Jackrabbits are 10-3 during Stiegelmeier's tenure. SDSU opens the 2010 home slate Sept. 18 against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent Illinois State in the 15th Annual Cereal Bowl game at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

VALLEY PREVIEW: South Dakota State has been 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.
The Jackrabbits 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 includes 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. A second-team all-league selection in 2009, the Wall native enters his senior season with 10 interceptions - four away from tying the SDSU career mark.
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.

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.
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 29 games against ranked opponents and compiled a 9-20 overall record.
Following is a year-by-year look at games against ranked opponents:
2004 (0-3)
• at #13 Cal Poly (L, 7-14), at #24 Montana State (L, 24-27), at #1 Georgia Southern (L, 7-63)
2005 (0-5)
at #3 Montana (L, 0-7), #12 Cal Poly (L, 16-24), at #16 Texas State (L,12-42), #19 Georgia Southern (L, 42-55), at #20 North Dakota State (L, 17-41)
2006 (3-3)
• at #6 Montana (L, 7-36), at #12 Northern Iowa (L, 17-27), at #16 McNeese State (W, 20-17), at #4 Cal Poly (W, 29-28), #16 UC Davis (W, 22-21),
at #4 North Dakota State (L, 28-41)
2007 (2-2)
• at #6 Youngstown State (L, 17-23), #5 Northern Iowa (L, 17-31), #19 Cal Poly (W, 48-35), #1 North Dakota State (W, 29-24)
2008 (3-4)
• #14 Youngstown State (W, 40-7), #15 Western Illinois (W, 24-22), #8 Northern Iowa (L, 20-34), #4 McNeese State (L, 44-46 - 3OT), #3 Cal Poly (L, 28-42), at #9 Southern Illinois (L, 35-38), at #24 North Dakota State (W, 25-24)
2009 (1-3)
• at #17 Cal Poly (L, 14-21), vs. #6 Northern Iowa (W, 24-14), vs. #3 Southern Illinois (L, 15-34), at #1 Montana (L, 48-61)

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.

TEAM PREVIEW: After posting its most successful season in 30 years, the South Dakota State University football team isn't about to become complacent as it prepares for the 2010 campaign.
"We've been more crystal-clear than ever about our goals," said Jackrabbit head coach John Stiegelmeier. "As a coaching staff we've been more aggressive about getting guys to make every play matter."
SDSU finished the 2009 season with an 8-4 overall record, including a second-place mark of 7-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The season culminated with the Jackrabbits falling 61-48 to top-seeded Montana in the program's inaugural appearance in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Offense
The Jackrabbits face the task of replacing three starting offensive linemen, as well as their top three wide receivers from a season ago.
With a number of players missing reps during fall camp, the offensive line has remained a work in progress.
First-team all-conference center and preseason All-American Ryan McKnight returns to anchor the offensive line. The other returning starter is offensive tackle Jon Fick, who earned a spot on the MVFC All-Newcomer Team after starting 11 games at right tackle in 2009.
Sophomores Will Castle, Tyler Luethje and Alex Olinger, along with junior Zach Buchner, have been in the program for two or more seasons, but are still inexperienced in game competition. Redshirt freshmen Josh Kage and Bryan Witzman also return, as does Brookings native Alex Parker, who sat out the spring due to injury.
The line will be further bolstered with the return of Jacob Ludemann, who was granted a sixth season of eligibility after battling through non-football-related injuries early in his career.
Aaron Rollin is the lone returning Jackrabbit wide receiver who caught a pass last season, recording 11 catches for 113 yards.
Junior Brandon Gant is back on track to fill a starting role opposite of Rollin. Gant finished sixth on the team in 2008 with 13 receptions.
Other candidates to fill the void at receiver include seniors Matt Hylland and Justin Mitchell, junior Brad Iverson and redshirt freshmen Brandon Hubert and Trevor Tiefenthaler.
In the spring, Jackrabbit coaches made the decision to move Julian Wagner from defensive back and shift Tyrel Kool from his running back spot to provide more options at wide receiver. Kool also was a top kick returner last season with an average of 26.1 yards per return.
At quarterback, sophomore Thomas O'Brien returns after starting six games in 2009,
including the playoff game at Montana. O'Brien completed 57 percent of his passes (126-of-220) for 1,448 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Junior college transfer Jordan Thomas, who went through spring practice, is slated for the backup role, with true freshman Austin Sumner listed third on the depth chart.
The Jackrabbit quarterbacks will work under the guidance of Eric Eidsness, who returned to SDSU this spring after serving as head coach at Southwest Minnesota State for six seasons. The receiving corps will be mentored by Josh Davis.
Two positions where the Jackrabbits don't have to look to fill holes are at running back and tight end. Kyle Minett, a third-team All-America selection by the Associated Press last season and a member of the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS ranks, has posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. In 2009, Minett rushed for 1,304 yards with 16 touchdowns to rank among the national leaders in both categories.
Backup Tyler Duffy, who gained 265 yards and scored two touchdowns in 2009, also returns.
At tight end, Colin Cochart is the team's top returning pass-catcher after tallying 26 receptions, including a team-best five touchdowns. Alex Beyer (five receptions) and Kyle Sheehan (four receptions) also return, with further support expected from sophomore Seth Daughters and redshirt freshman Vince Benedetto.
Defense
Overall, the SDSU defense returns seven starters to a unit that ranked among the FCS leaders in scoring defense throughout 2009.
The biggest hole is at defensive end, which was filled the past four seasons by Buck Buchanan Award finalist Danny Batten. Junior Jake Steffen recorded three sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss opposite Batten in 2009, while senior Antonio Thompson (3.5 sacks), junior Eric Wood (one sack) and junior college transfer Zacharia Bowers are among the options to hold down the other defensive end spot.
On the interior of the line, senior Ross Basham is back after tallying 21 tackles and a forced fumble in 2009, along with 2008 starter Brian Fischer (19 tackles, three sacks).
Despite losing three-year starters Chris Johnson and Jimmy Rogers, the Jackrabbit
defense appears to be stocked at linebacker for years to come. First-team all-MVFC performer Derek Domino returns for his third season as a starter after leading the team with 100 tackles and sharing the team lead with five interceptions in 2009.
Junior Mike Lien, who has played mostly on special teams his first two seasons at SDSU, is the likely candidate to fill the middle linebacker spot, with Dirk Kool penciled in as the starter at Will linebacker. Junior Erich Feller, along with sophomores Chris Tracy and Ross Shafrath, round out the two-deep at linebacker.
In addition, redshirt freshmen Doug Peete, and R.C. Kilgore will be in contention for playing time.
The secondary remains largely intact, led by second-team all-MVFC strong safety Conrad Kjerstad, who shared the team lead with five interceptions and added 81 tackles. Kjerstad, who has been sidelined by injury most of the fall, will be replaced in the lineup by sophomore Skyler Luxa (12 tackles).
Flanking at free safety are Anthony Wise (52 tackles) and Corey Jeske (28 tackles, one interception).
Football Bowl Subdivision transfers Winston Wright (Missouri) and Alex Kling (Southern Methodist) also will provide depth at safety.
At cornerback, seniors Cole Brodie and General Parnell return. Brodie ranked fifth on the team with 71 stops and added an interception.
Parnell recorded four interceptions and 23 tackles before missing the final third of the
season due to an injury which could delay his return until after the start of the 2010 campaign.
Junior Rodkem Matthews, who filled in for Parnell last season, is tabbed as the other
opening day starter at cornerback.
Special Teams
The Jackrabbit kicking game was once again solid in 2009. Both Peter Reifenrath (9-of-12) and Kyle Harris (9-of-15) return after combining to go 18-for-27 on field goal attempts last season. In the platoon system, Harris primarily handled the longer field goal attempts and kickoff duties.
Punter Dean Priddy is back for his senior season after posted a career-best 41.2-yard average last season.
One emphasis Stiegelmeier and staff placed on the spring season was to identify a long snapper to replace Jordan Miranda, who handled those duties the past four seasons. Dirk Kool and Daughters are among the candidates to handle the long snaps, while Sheehan and McKnight could handle snaps for field goals and PATs.

SCOUTING DELAWARE: The Blue Hens used a balanced offensive attack and stout defense to record a 31-0 shutout victory over West Chester (Pa.) in their season opener Sept. 2.
The Delaware offense was led by Andrew Pierce, who gained 119 yards on only 13 carries and scored on a 22-yard run early in the second quarter. Walter Payton Award candidate Pat Devlin completed 14-fo-23 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns. Rob White led the receiving corps with four catches for 48 yards.
Defensively, the Blue Hens limited West Chester to 115 yards of total offense, gaining 39 on the ground and 76 through the air. Anthony Walters intercepted a pair of passes and added seven tackles, including two for loss, while Andrew Harrison led all players with eight stops.
When Delaware was forced to punt, Ed Wagner averaged 43.6 yards on five attempts, including a 58-yarder. Mike Perry connected on his only field goal attempt of the night, a 43-yarder in the third quarter.

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 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 1,289 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2008 and 1,304 yards and 16 TDs last season. In addition, Minett has 79 career receptions for 720 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.

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 83-60 record (.580 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 South Dakota State University 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 and at least a sophomore in academic standing.
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.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will open the home slate by hosting Missouri Valley Football Conference rival Illinois State on Sept. 18.
Kickoff for the 15th Annual Cereal Bowl is slated for 6 p.m. A pre-game pork barbecue is scheduled to run from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. directly south of Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Barbecue tickets will be available at the barbecue site and are $7 per person, with proceeds directed toward scholarships in the Plant Science Department at SDSU.

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Completed Event: Football at Montana on December 6, 2025 , Loss , 29, to, 50

Completed Event: Football versus New Hampshire on November 29, 2025 , Win , 41, to, 3

Completed Event: Football at North Dakota on November 22, 2025 , Win , 34, to, 31 , OT

Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on November 15, 2025 , Loss , 21, to, 35

Completed Event: Football at South Dakota on November 8, 2025 , Loss , 17, to, 24

Completed Event: Football versus Indiana State on November 1, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 24

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