Upcoming Event: Football versus Mercyhurst on September 27, 2025 at 2 p.m.
/
2 p.m.
Football
vs Mercyhurst
South Dakota State University Athletics
Jacks host Bison for Dakota Marker
10/19/2011 10:38:00 AM | Football
For the second week in a row, the South Dakota State University football team hosts a highly ranked opponent, meeting No. 3/5 North Dakota State in the annual Battle for the Dakota Marker.
Kickoff is set for 2:05 p.m. Saturday at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
The Jackrabbits, who dropped a 31-14 decision to second-ranked Northern Iowa last week, enter Saturday's game 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
NDSU, meanwhile, is undefeated, posting a 6-0 overall mark and 3-0 record in MVFC games. The Bison handled Missouri State, 51-21, last week at the Fargodome.
The 50-player Coughlin-Alumni Stadium All-Time Team will be honored at halftime. Serving as honorary game captains for Saturday's game are Dana Dykhouse and Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame members Dean Krogman, Ed Maras, Doug Peterson, Pete Retzlaff.
Kickoff is set for 2:05 p.m. Saturday at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
The Jackrabbits, who dropped a 31-14 decision to second-ranked Northern Iowa last week, enter Saturday's game 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
NDSU, meanwhile, is undefeated, posting a 6-0 overall mark and 3-0 record in MVFC games. The Bison handled Missouri State, 51-21, last week at the Fargodome.
The 50-player Coughlin-Alumni Stadium All-Time Team will be honored at halftime. Serving as honorary game captains for Saturday's game are Dana Dykhouse and Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame members Dean Krogman, Ed Maras, Doug Peterson, Pete Retzlaff.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Saturday's game will be available for viewing and listening on a variety of platforms.
Midco Sports Net will provide live television coverage, starting with the pre-game show at 1:30 p.m. Tom Nieman will call the play-by-play, with former Jackrabbit Hank McCall providing color commentary.
Audio and video coverage of Saturday's game is scheduled to be available via the Jackrabbit Extra 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 contests are available for $11.95 per month or $99.95 for an entire year of coverage.
Local radio coverage Saturday begins on Jackrabbit Sports Network flagship station WNAX 570 AM at 12:30 p.m. Central Time, with an expanded pre-game show. Tyler Merriam will call the play-by-play, with former Jackrabbit player Mike Struck providing color commentary and Scotty Kwas adding sideline updates.
Coverage across the Jackrabbit Sports Network begins at 1:30 p.m. Central Time Network affiliates include:
* KJJQ 910 AM-Brookings
* KRKI 99.1 FM-Rapid City
* KGFX 1060 AM-Pierre
* KOLY 1300 AM-Mobridge
* KBFS 1450 AM-Belle Fourche
* KSDR 1480 AM-Watertown
THE SERIES: Saturday's matchup marks the 98th time South Dakota State and North Dakota State have met on the gridiron, dating back to an 85-0 Bison win in Fargo in 1903. NDSU leads the overall series by a 52-40-5 count.
The two schools were both charter members of the North Central Conference, meeting every year from 1919 through 1942 until play was interrupted by World War II. The series resumed in 1946 and the two squads have met every year since as the schools made the move to Division I competition together in 2004.
The Dakota Marker was introduced to coincide with the move to the Football Championship Subdivision ranks in 2004. SDSU won the inaugural matchup, 24-21, at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The Jackrabbits hold a 4-3 advantage in Dakota Marker games on the strength of winning three in a row from 2007-09.
NDSU ended the Jackrabbit winning streak on Nov. 13, 2010, at the Fargodome, intercepting four passes and returning two for touchdowns in a 31-24 Bison victory.
SDSU has fared well against the Bison in recent years at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Dating back to the 1997 season, the Jackrabbits have won five of the six meetings played in Brookings, including the last four. NDSU's last victory at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium was a 28-7 decision in 1999.
Dakota Marker game results:
2004: South Dakota State 24, North Dakota State 21 (at Brookings, S.D.)
2005: North Dakota State 41, South Dakota State 17 (at Fargo, N.D.)
2006: North Dakota State 41, South Dakota State 28 (at Fargo, N.D.)
2007: South Dakota State 29, North Dakota State 24 (at Brookings, S.D.)
2008: South Dakota State 25, North Dakota State 24 (at Fargo, N.D.)
2009: South Dakota State 28, North Dakota State 13 (at Brookings, S.D.)
2010: North Dakota State 31, South Dakota State 24 (at Fargo, N.D.)
THE DAKOTA MARKER: Red quartzite monuments that define the border between South Dakota and North Dakota now signify a football rivalry between the two states.
The Dakota Marker, a replica of the 7-foot by 10-inch square stone monuments planted in the early 1890s, is the name of a traveling trophy that SDSU and North Dakota State began competing for during the 2004 season.
The original idea for the trophy came from the Blue Key Honor Society at NDSU. The
student associations at both schools share dual ownership of the trophy.
The Dakota Marker stands about three feet tall with the letters "SD" on one side and "ND"on the other side, just like its 720 namesakes that dot the 366-mile border. The
trophy stands about three feet high and weighs 78 pounds. The black granite base used to display the trophy weighs another 181 pounds.
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 first six-plus seasons at the FCS level, SDSU has played 36 games against ranked FCS opponents and compiled an 11-25 overall record.
CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are four senior captains:
• Kyle Harris, kicker, Florissant, Mo.;
• Dirk Kool, linebacker, Fairfield, Iowa;
• Mike Lien, linebacker, Castaic, Calif.;
• Jake Steffen, defensive end, Mount Vernon, S.D.
Kool holds the distinction of being the third generation of his family to serve as a captain for the Jackrabbit football team. His late grandfather, Marv, was a team captain in 1951, while his father, Mark, served as a captain on the Jackrabbits' NCAA Division II playoff squad in 1979. Mark Kool later served as an assistant coach at SDSU from 1987-90.
Harris, meanwhile, suffered a season-ending injury in the Oct. 1 game versus Indiana State. He made 3-of-4 field goal attempts - with a long of 33 yards - and connected on 5-of-7 extra-point tries for a team-best 14 points prior to his injury.
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA STATE: North Dakota State will attempt to keep pace in the Missouri Valley Football Conference race and strengthen its position for a return to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs as it travels to South Dakota State.
The undefeated Bison have the top-ranked scoring defense in the FCS ranks so far this season, allowing a paltry 11.2 points per game. NDSU also leads the league in total defense, giving up 288.2 yards per contest.
Linebacker Chad Willson is the team's top tackler with 37 stops, including two sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, in six games. Fellow linebackers Brandon Jemison (28 tackles) and Preston Evans (26) rank third and fourth, respectively, on the squad.
Up front, senior defensive end Coulter Boyer has posted team highs of five sacks and seven tackles for loss so far in 2011. The other starting defensive end, Kyle Emanuel, has two of the 19 sacks recorded by the Bison this season, while interior lineman Leevon Perry has contributed a pair of sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss.
An aggressive secondary has been led by Marcus Williams, who ranks among the national leaders with four interceptions. Williams has returned two interceptions for touchdowns, while adding six pass breakups and 20 tackles.
Senior free safety Daniel Eaves anchors the Bison secondary, posting seven tackles in limited action this season.
The Bison offense has been efficient in 2011, entering today's game tied with Youngstown State for the league lead in scoring with an average of 35.8 points per game.
Quarterback Brock Jensen ranks third nationally in passing efficiency at 168.70. A sophomore, Jensen has completed 89-of-124 passes (71.8 percent) for 1,101 yards with nine touchdowns and only one interception.
Jensen's top receiving target has been senior wide receiver Warren Holloway, who has tallied 33 catches for 475 yards - 14.4 yards per catch - with five touchdowns.
Fellow wide receiver Matt Smith has added 18 catches for 232 yards, while tight end Matt Veldman has played a key role in the passing game with 15 receptions for 156 yards and three touchdowns.
Smith also is averaging 11.2 yards on punt returns and 26.8 yards on kickoff returns.
Up front, the Bison are led by senior right tackle Paul Cornick, who was honored as MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week after NDSU's victory at Minnesota. Cornick is joined on the line by upperclassmen Austin Richard at left guard and Joe Lund at center.
NDSU has employed an effective tandem at running back this season with sophomore Sam Ojuri and Walter Payton Award candidate D.J. McNorton.
Ojuri leads the team with 372 yards and is averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Ojuri broke off a 95-yard touchdown run versus Saint Francis (Pa.).
McNorton, who sat out the Saint Francis game, has notched 351 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns in five starts.
On special teams, senior kicker Ryan Jastram has had another good season, ranking second on the team with 41 points. Jastram has made 5-of-6 field-goal attempts with a long of 49, and also has converted 26-of-28 extra-point tries.
Punter Matt Voigtlander is averaging 39.5 yards per attempt. The senior has landed seven of his 28 kicks inside the opponents' 20-yard line and forced 12 fair catches.
CAS TURNS 50: The 2011 campaign marks the 50th season of football at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Overall, SDSU has compiled a 163-101 record (.620 winning percentage) on its home field.
The Jackrabbits have enjoyed even more of 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 29-10 mark at CAS, including a 10-4 record in Missouri Valley Football Conference games.
Lights were installed at CAS prior to the 2001 season and SDSU has turned in a 22-8 record in home night games.
A celebration of the history of Coughlin-Alumni Stadium will be observed Saturday, when SDSU hosts North Dakota State in the annual Dakota Marker game. Festivities that day will include halftime recognition of the 50-player Coughlin-Alumni Stadium All-Time Team.
SUMNER NAMED TO RICE LIST: South Dakota State University quarterback Austin Sumner has been added to the official watch list for the inaugural Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision.
A redshirt freshman from Brandon, Sumner moved into the starting lineup at the beginning of Missouri Valley Football Conference action in late September after incumbent signal-caller Thomas O'Brien left the team. In six games, including four starts, he has completed 109-of-176 passes - 61.9 percent - for 1,263 yards and seven touchdowns. Sumner has topped the 300-yard mark in each of the last three games, including a career-best 354-yard outing in a losing effort Oct. 15 against second-ranked Northern Iowa. He also tied an SDSU single-game record with 37 completions last week.
Ryan Berry was the last Jackrabbit quarterback to pass for 300 yards in three consecutive games during the 2008 campaign.
The Jerry Rice Award will be presented by The Sports Network on the eve of the FCS National Championship, Jan. 6, 2012, in Frisco, Texas. Sumner is one of 18 players currently being considered for the award.
DUAL THREAT: South Dakota State's Tyrel Kool made the most of his first career start at running back, racking up 107 yards on the ground and another 79 through the air in the Jackrabbits' season opener against Southern Utah on Sept. 3.
A junior from Yankton, Kool began his collegiate career as a running back, but switched to wide receiver during the 2010 season, when he led the team with 64 receptions for 808 yards. His receptions total was fifth-most in a season by a Jackrabbit player, while his receiving yards mark stands 10th in a single season.
Kool's rushing total against Southern Utah marked the 10th time in 11 games a Jackrabbit running back eclipsed the century mark. Kyle Minett ran for 100 yards in eight straight games and Tyler Duffy added a 100-yard outing to close out the 2010 season.
IMPRESSIVE START: Backup running back Zach Zenner has put together a series of impressive all-around performances to start the 2011 season.
A redshirt freshman from Eagan, Minn., Zenner compiled 139 all-purpose yards in the Jackrabbit victory Sept. 3 against Southern Utah. He returned four kickoffs for 74 yards, caught three passes for 24 yards and carried the ball five times for 41 yards. He scored the first touchdown of his career, scampering 27 yards around left end on the final play of the third quarter.
Zenner currently ranks third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with an average of 128.4 all-purpose yards per game.
MOSS CATCHING ON: South Dakota State wide receiver Dale Moss has become a primary target in the Jackrabbit passing game in recent weeks.
After going without a catch the first two weeks, Moss has hauled in 35 receptions for 433 yards over the last five games. The Brandon native recorded eight catches for 106 yards, including a career-long 37-yarder, in the Sept. 17 matchup at Cal Poly to earn Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week honors, followed by a nine-reception, 98-yard outing Sept. 24 at Illinois State. Last week, Moss gathered in seven receptions for 78 yards and scored his second touchdown of the season against Northern Iowa.
Moss, who averaged 7.6 points and 4.5 rebounds from his guard position during his senior season on the basketball court, possesses tremendous leaping ability as he led the team in blocked shots two seasons and paced the Jackrabbits in offensive rebounds as a senior.
During his senior season at Brandon Valley High School, Moss was an all-state selection after tallying 45 receptions for 573 yards and eight touchdowns.
100-YARD TANDEM: South Dakota State wide receivers Aaron Rollin and Dale Moss became the first Jackrabbit receiving duo to record 100 receiving yards in the same game since 2008, when they combined for 17 catches and 215 yards against Cal Poly. Rollin set a career high with nine catches for 109 yards, with Moss adding career highs of eight receptions and 106 yards.
The last 100-yard receiving tandem for the Jackrabbits were JaRon Harris (9-120) and Glen Fox (6-102) in a losing effort at Northern Iowa on Sept. 20, 2008.
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS: The Jackrabbit football team has received valuable contributions from brothers Winston and Dom Wright during the 2011 season.
Natives of Lee's Summit, Mo., and Blue Springs South High School, both joined the SDSU football program in the fall of 2010. A sophomore, Winston Wright has started all six games this season at cornerback and shares the team lead with two interceptions to go along with 29 tackles. He began his colllegiate career at Missouri, redshirting during the 2009 season.
Dom Wright is a redshirt freshman wide receiver who has seen most of his action as a kick returner. In six games, he has averaged 15.6 yards on 10 kickoff returns to rank second on the squad.
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 a 90-71 record (.559 winning percentage). SDSU has posted eight winning seasons in the last nine years, including six of the school's first seven campaigns at the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) level. The Jackrabbits have had a winning record in 11 of Stiegelmeier's 14 full years as head coach, including six with seven or more victories.
HOME-GROWN TALENT: SDSU has effectively used the services of home-grown talent the past few seasons.
In 2011, three Jackrabbit players hail from Brookings: junior wide receiver Dan Schmidt, sophomore offensive lineman Alex Parker and sophomore running back Mason Winterboer. In all, 28 players on the roster hail from the state of South Dakota.
IVERSON A CAMPBELL SEMIFINALIST: South Dakota State University tight end Brad Iverson has been selected as a candidate for the 2011 National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and as such, is one of 127 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy.
"This year's candidates truly embody the National Football Foundation's mission of building leaders through football," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning whose sons Peyton (1997 Campbell Trophy winner) and Eli were named NFF National Scholar-Athletes in 1997 and 2003, respectively. "They are standouts in the classroom and on the field and have become leaders in their respective communities. Each school should take great pride in being represented by such well-rounded young men who will undoubtedly go on to do great things in life."
Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards 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, be a significant contributor on his team, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
A Sioux Falls native and two-year letterwinner, Iverson is one of six semifinalists who has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, while majoring in biochemistry. Active in numerous campus and community activities and organizations, Iverson plans to enroll in medical school following graduation.
The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 recipients, who will be announced on Oct. 26. Each recipient will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship, and they will vie as finalists for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy. Each member of the 2011 National Scholar-Athlete Class will also travel to New York City and be honored Dec. 6 during the 54th NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the Waldorf=Astoria.
JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2011 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.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits return to road action by traveling to Missouri State for a Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup.
Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Plaster Field in Springfield, Mo. The game is scheduled to be televised by Mediacom and also carried on Sioux Falls-based KDLT.
For more information, access the documents at the top of the page.
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DL
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballFootball Postgame Press Conference vs Drake (09.13.2025)
Sunday, September 14
Football Highlights vs Drake (09.13.2025)
Sunday, September 14
Gameday Eve - Drake (09.12.2025)
Wednesday, September 10
Dan Jackson Weekly Press Conference (09.09.2025)
Tuesday, September 09