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South Dakota State University Athletics
Jacks take to road at Missouri State
10/26/2011 6:10:00 PM | Football
The South Dakota State University football team will be in search of its second consecutive road win, traveling Saturday for a matinee at Missouri State.
Kickoff is set for 2:05 p.m. Saturday at Plaster Field in Springfield, Mo.
The Jackrabbits, who dropped home games in successive weeks to No. 2 Northern Iowa and No. 3 North Dakota State, enter the week 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. SDSU recorded a 35-28 win at Youngstown State on Oct. 8.
SDSU will finish with back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the 1989 and 1990 campaigns.
Missouri State, meanwhile, is coming off its first win of the season. The Bears posted a 31-17 victory at Western Illinois on Oct. 22. Overall, Missouri State is 1-7, and also has a 1-4 mark in league play.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Saturday's game will be available for viewing and listening on a variety of platforms.
Mediacom and Sioux Falls-based KDLT-TV will provide live television coverage, starting at 2 p.m. Don West will call the play-by-play, with Mike McClure providing color commentary. Video also will be available through a subscription service at MissouriStateBears.com
Audio 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 only the fourth time South Dakota State and Missouri State have met on the gridiron, dating back to when the Jackrabbits joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference at the start of the 2008 season.
SDSU has won all three previous matchups — two at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings and the 2009 meeting in Springfield, Mo. The 2009 matchup went down to the wire, ending when General Parnell picked off a Cody Kirby pass in the end zone with 38 seconds remaining in the game.
Series Results:
2008: South Dakota State 43, Missouri State 13 (at Brookings, S.D.)
2009: South Dakota State 24, Missouri State 17 (at Springfield, Mo.)
2010: South Dakota State 31, Missouri State 10 (at Brookings, S.D.)
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.
LAST MEETING: The South Dakota State University football team kept its hopes for a ninth consecutive winning season alive with a convincing 31-10 victory over Missouri State on Nov. 6, 2010, at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
The Jackrabbits improved to 4-5 overall and 4-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Missouri State dropped to 4-5 overall and 3-3 in league play.
After holding SDSU to a three-and-out on the opening drive of the game, the Bears scored on their first possession. Stephen Johnston ran for a pair of first downs before the drive stalled and Austin Witmer connected on a 42-yard field goal.
The Jackrabbits found the end zone midway through the first quarter. Cole Brodie set SDSU up at midfield with a 20-yard punt return. Quarterback Thomas O'Brien completed a pair of third-down passes — one to Brandon Hubert for 25 yards and another to backup running back Tyler Duffy, who made an acrobatic catch on the sideline to give SDSU first and goal. Duffy capped the nine play drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. A bobbled snap on the extra-point attempt kept the score at 6-3.
SDSU extended its lead to 13-3 early in the second quarter on a 4-yard touchdown run by Kyle Minett, who scored for the fifth consecutive game. The nine-play, 65-yard drive featured a 25-yard reception by Minett that moved the ball into Missouri State territory.
MSU took advantage of a Jackrabbit turnover in the red zone, marching 87 yards on 10 plays to pull to within 13-10 late in the half. Chris Douglas finished off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.
O'Brien led the Jackrabbits on another scoring drive late in the first half. The sophomore quarterback completed all four passes he attempted for 35 yards on the drive that ended with a career-long 47-yard field goal by Peter Reifenrath with 1:31 remaining.
The Bears appeared on the verge of scoring in the final seconds of the half, but Cody Kirby's pass was tipped by Derek Domino and intercepted at the Jackrabbit 10 by linebacker Mike Lien.
The Jackrabbit defense stood firm in the second half, shutting out a Missouri State offense that came into the game averaging 38.4 points and 459 yards of offense per game. The Bears converted only 4-of-15 third-down attempts and were 0-for-4 on fourth down.
SDSU put the game out of reach midway through the third quarter as O'Brien hooked up with Trevor Tiefenthaler on a 4-yard touchdown pass and then found tight end Alex Beyer for the two-point conversion to make the score 24-10.
Brodie closed out the scoring with a 55-yard interception return for touchdown late in the fourth quarter. It was Brodie's pick-six of the season and team-leading fourth interception.
O'Brien finished the game 20-of-30 passing for 204 yards. Tyrel Kool led the receiving corps with six catches for 64 yards, while Minett added five receptions for 32 yards. A Walter Payton Award candidate as the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision, Minett churned out his eighth consecutive 100-yard game with 111 yards on 29 carries. Duffy gained 39 yards on 14 carries.
SDSU held a 347-318 advantage in total offense.
For Missouri State, Kirby ended the day 15-of-37 passing for 167 yards and two interceptions. Cadarrius Dotson was the top receiver with four catches for 63 yards. Johnston led the ground game with 65 yards on 13 carries, with Douglas adding 54 yards on eight carries.
Dirk Kool led the Jackrabbit defense with nine tackles, followed by Lien with eight stops and Brian Fischer with seven. Adam Beauchamp posted a game-high 18 tackles for Missouri State, with Antoine Wilkinson adding 12.
SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE: After facing a daunting schedule to open the season, Missouri State is in search of a strong finish in 2011.
The Bears, who picked up their first win of the season last weekend at Western Illinois to end a seven-game losing streak, have faced five opponents who have been ranked either in the Football Championship Subdivision or Football Bowl Subdivision. Missouri State opened the season with a 51-7 loss at then-No. 15 Arkansas, followed by a 56-7 defeat at then-No. 12 Oregon two weeks later.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference portion of the Bears' schedule was front-loaded with the likes of Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa and North Dakota State.
Reigning MVFC Offensive Player of the Week Trevor Wooden leads Missouri State, accounting for more than 1,600 yards of total offense. A sophomore, Wooden played wide receiver a year ago, but has shifted back to quarterback, where he has completed 63.1 percent (89-of-141) of his passes for 1,298 yards with nine touchdowns and only five interceptions. Wooden also is a threat to run as he ranks second on the team with 313 rushing yards, while leading the squad with four touchdowns.
Chris Douglas leads the team with 339 yards and has added a pair of touchdowns.
Jermaine Saffold has been the top receiving target, hauling in 28 receptions for 680 yards — an average of 24.3 yards per catch — with seven touchdowns. Matt Thayer ranks second on the squad with 15 receptions, including a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, Jerry Rice Award candidate Mike Crutcher leads the Bears with 65 tackles from his safety position. Crutcher also has one of the Bears' three interceptions on the season.
Linebacker Andrew Beisel ranks second with 60 tackles, including a team-best 4.5 tackles for loss. Defensive end Mikel Ruder has posted 38 stops, including a team-high three sacks. Eight different players have recorded at least a half-sack for the Bears.
Jimmie Strong has intercepted two passes, while tallying 14 tackles in eight games.
LAST WEEK: Third-ranked North Dakota State remained undefeated and retained the Dakota Marker with a 38-14 victory over South Dakota State Oct. 22 before a crowd of 14,823 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
The Bison improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. SDSU dropped its third consecutive home game to a ranked opponent, falling to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the MVFC.
The Jackrabbits squandered a pair of scoring opportunities in the first half, missing a pair of field goals. SDSU took the opening kickoff and marched down the field, converting twice on third-and-3 to extend the drive. The Jackrabbits faced first-and-goal from the Bison 1-yard line after Dale Moss won a battle for the ball with an NDSU defender on a 34-yard pass from Austin Sumner. However, the Jackrabbits threw two incomplete passes and a rushing attempt was stuffed at the 1. The 15-play drive ended without any points as Justin Syrovatka's 18-yard field goal attempt from the right hash sailed right.
NDSU opened the scoring on its second possession of the game, moving 58 yards in four plays. Each of the first three plays covered at least 10 yards before Walter Payton Award candidate D.J. McNorton scored from a yard out.
After a 32-yard field goal by Ryan Jastram at the 8:39 mark of the second quarter gave NDSU a 10-0 lead, the Jackrabbits again moved the ball deep into Bison territory late in the half. Moss caught a tipped pass and turned it into a 38-yard gain on third-and-15, and the Jackrabbit rushing attack got in gear out of the Flash formation - SDSU's version of the Wildcat offense. The Jackrabbits advanced the ball to the NDSU 8 before their 12-play drive ended with a missed 28-yard field goal.
The Bison extended their lead to 17-0 on the opening drive of the second half as quarterback Brock Jensen scored from a yard out to cap a nine play, 70-yard drive.
SDSU finally broke into the scoring column on the ensuing possession, with Zach Zenner scoring from a yard out with 6:37 to play in the third quarter. The Jackrabbit drive covered 72 yards on nine plays.
The Jackrabbits were again on the move late in the quarter, moving the ball to their own 48 before the drive stalled after a pair of penalties, including a personal foul.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Bison, who put the game out of reach with a big play on special teams. Ryan Smith started right after fielding the punt at the Jackrabbit 41, then reversed field and turned the left corner en route to the end zone.
With SDSU forced to go for it on fourth down for the remainder of the game, the Bison took advantage of a short field to score a pair of late touchdowns. Jensen tallied his second 1-yard TD run of the game and reserve running back Derrick Lang added a 1-yard plunge to put the Bison up 38-7.
Jackrabbit backup quarterback Jordan Thomas led SDSU on a scoring drive in the final 90 seconds. In his first action in a Jackrabbit uniform, Thomas completed 7-of-11 passes for 80 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jason Schneider with four seconds remaining to provide the final margin.
With the final drive proving to be the difference, SDSU held a 349-327 advantage in total offense. Sumner finished the game 18-of-31 passing for 206 yards, but was sacked four times. Moss ended the day with seven catches for a career-high 111 yards. Jason Schneider and Vince Benedetto each caught five passes. Tyrel Kool led the run game for SDSU with 38 yards on 11 carries. Zenner carried seven times for 34 yards.
For NDSU, Jensen was an efficient 20-of-25 passing for 178 yards. Warren Holloway tallied seven catches for 66 yards, while Smith added six receptions for 56 yards. The Bison rushing attack was led by Sam Ojuri with 52 yards on eight carries, while McNorton carried 13 times for 51 yards.
Travis Beck led all players with 10 tackles for North Dakota State. Colten Heagle contributed nine tackles, including 1.5 sacks. R.C. Kilgore, Jake Steffen and Dirk Kool each posted seven stops to lead the Jackrabbits.
CAS TURNS 50: The 2011 campaign marks the 50th season of football at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Overall, SDSU has compiled a 163-102 record (.615 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 29-11 mark at CAS, including a 10-5 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 was observed Oct. 22, when SDSU hosted North Dakota State in the annual Dakota Marker game. Festivities that day included 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 seven games, including five starts, he has completed 127-of-207 passes — 61.4 percent — for 1,469 yards and seven touchdowns. Sumner topped the 300-yard mark in three consecutive games to open October, 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 versus UNI.
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 during 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 123.9 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 42 receptions for 544 yards over the last six games to take over the team lead in receiving yards. 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 a career-best 111 yards in a losing effort versus North Dakota State.
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.
Since then, the duo have been neck and neck for the team lead in the receiving categories.
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 eight games this season at cornerback and shares the team lead with two interceptions to go along with 37 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 90-72 record (.556 winning percentage). SDSU has posted eight winning seasons in the last 10 years, including six of the school's first eight campaigns at the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) level. The Jackrabbits have had a winning record in 11 of Stiegelmeier's 15 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.
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 Coughlin-Alumni Stadium to close out the home portion of their home schedule, facing Southern Illinois Nov. 5 in the 98th Hobo Day game.
Kickoff is set for 2:05 p.m., with television coverage on Midco Sports Net.
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