Jacks renew rivalry with Cal Poly

BROOKINGS, S.D. - The South Dakota State University football team will attempt to get back on the winning track, traveling Saturday for a non-conference matchup at Cal Poly.
Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. Pacific Time (6:05 p.m. Central) at Alex G. Spanos Stadium on the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
The Jackrabbits, who are receiving votes in the Football Championship Subdivision national polls, enter the matchup 1-1 overall. SDSU defeated another Great West Conference opponent, Southern Utah, 29-28 in the season opener on Sept. 3. SDSU fell 56-3 on Sept. 10 against Football Bowl Subdivision and Big Ten Conference foe Illinois.
Cal Poly, meanwhile, is in search of its first win of the season as it prepares for its home opener. The Mustangs dropped a 49-21 decision at San Diego State (Calif.) in the season opener on Sept. 3, then faded down the stretch in a 37-23 defeat at Montana last week.

ONLINE COVERAGE: 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 are available for $11.95 per month or $99.95 for an entire year of coverage.
Video coverage will be available at GoPoly.com.
Local radio coverage Saturday begins on Jackrabbit Sports Network flagship station WNAX 570 AM at 4:30 p.m., 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 providing sideline updates.
Jackrabbit Sports 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
* KWAT 950 AM/KDLO 96.9 FM-Watertown

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the seventh meeting on the gridiron between South Dakota State and Cal Poly. The series dates back to the 2004 season, when the Jackrabbits joined the ranks of the Football Championship Subdivision and were members of the Great West Football Conference with Cal Poly. The two teams met every year through 2009, with the Mustangs holding a 4-2 series advantage.
Following are the results from the six previous matchups:
2004: Cal Poly 14, South Dakota State 7 (at San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
2005: Cal Poly 24, South Dakota State 16 (at Brookings, S.D.)
2006: South Dakota State 29, Cal Poly 28 (at San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
2007: South Dakota State 48, Cal Poly 35 (at Brookings, S.D.)
2008: Cal Poly 42, South Dakota State 28 (at Brookings, S.D.)
2009: Cal Poly 21, South Dakota State 14 (at San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
The two programs are next scheduled to play on Sept. 6, 2014, in Brookings.

LAST MEETING: Cal Poly scored two defensive touchdowns, including a fumble recovery in the end zone with 2 minutes, 9 seconds remaining in the game, to defeat South Dakota State, 21-14, in a battle of nationally ranked teams Oct. 3, 2009, in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
The 17th-ranked Mustangs evened their record at 2-2, while 15th-ranked SDSU dropped to 3-1 overall.
The Jackrabbits turned a turnover into points in posting the first score of the game. Conrad Kjerstad intercepted a long Tony Smith pass at the Jackrabbit 3-yard line and returned the ball to the SDSU 25. Facing third-and-3, SDSU quarterback Ryan Crawford hit Mike Steffen on a slant across the middle for a 60-yard gain to the Cal Poly 8. Two plays later, Kyle Minett scored from a yard out, extending his streak of games with a touchdown - rushing or receiving - to nine games.
Cal Poly knotted the game at 7-all early in the second quarter. On the first play of the quarter, Smith hooked up Eric Gardley on a 38-yard pass that set up the Mustangs first and goal from the SDSU 2. The Jackrabbit first-string defense then surrendered its first touchdown of the season as David Mahr found the end zone from two yards out.
SDSU regained the lead midway through the second half, but it proved to be a costly scoring drive. On third-and-9, Crawford was hit at his knees as he threw, but managed to complete a 35-yard pass to Glen Fox.
Thomas O'Brien came on to replace an injured Crawford, but SDSU then turned to its version of the wildcat offense. Tyrel Kool gained 20 yards on two carries and Minett again found paydirt from nine yards out to put the Jackrabbits up 14-7 after Peter Reifenrath's second extra point of the game.
The Mustangs tied the game moments later as an O'Brien pass went off the hands of Colin Cochart and into the waiting arms of Asa Jackson, who returned the ball 47 yards for a touchdown. The game remained tied at 14 at intermission.
After a scoreless third quarter, Cal Poly recorded the decisive score in the waning moments of the game. After the Mustangs downed a punt at the SDSU 8, Marty Mohamed stripped O'Brien on the first play of the drive and Carlton Gillespie fell on the ball for the touchdown.
SDSU took over at its own 36 and advanced the ball to midfield before Scottie Cordier ended the Jackrabbits' hopes of a comeback with an interception. The Mustangs proceeded to run out the clock.
O'Brien finished the game 13-of-22 passing for 98 yards with two interceptions. Crawford completed 5-of-10 attempts for 118 yards before exiting. Fox recorded five catches for 64 yards, with Cochart adding five receptions for 35 yards.
Minett led the running attack with 56 yards on 17 carries. Kool added 43 yards on five attempts.
For Cal Poly, Smith completed 13-of-24 attempts for 131 yards. David Mahr led the Mustangs with five receptions for 35 yards and Jaymes Thierry paced a balanced rushing game with 57 yards on 12 carries.
Cal Poly held a 333-305 advantage in total offense and limited the Jackrabbits to 14 first downs. The Mustangs controlled the clock, holding a nine-minute advantage in time of possession - 34:48 to 25:12 - and converted 9-of-17 third-down attempts.
SDSU, which came into the game ranked fifth in the Football Championship Subdivision in third-down conversions at 51 percent, converted only 4-of-13 attempts.
The game featured 15 punts. Jackrabbit punter Dean Priddy averaged 40.9 yards on eight attempts.
Cole Brodie recorded a career-high 12 tackles to lead the Jackrabbit defense. Kjerstad and Chris Johnson each notched nine stops.
Mohamed led the Mustangs with 13 tackles, including two for loss.

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.

SCOUTING CAL POLY: Cal Poly is in search of a return to the Football Championship Subdivision for the first time under third-year coach Tim Walsh. The Mustangs were on the cusp of a berth in the 2010 playoff field before falling 22-21 at home to in-state rival UC Davis in the final game of the season.
The Mustangs employ a ground-oriented offensive attack. Of Cal Poly's 139 offensive plays over the first two games, 110 have been rushing attempts. Jake Romanelli leads the Mustangs with 133 rushing yards (5.2 yards per carry) and a pair of touchdowns, while quarterback Andre Broadous ranks second with 110 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Broadous has completed 58 percent (15-of-26) of his passing attempts for 162 yards, but has yet to throw a touchdown or an interception this season.
Eight different players have caught passes for the Mustangs. Chris Nicholls and Mark Rodgers have each posted a team-high three receptions.
Defensively, linebackers Johnny Millard and Kennith Jackson lead the Mustangs with 18 and 16 tackles, respectively. Senior cornerback Asa Jackson, who has received recognition on preseason All-America teams, has added 12 tackles. Jackson also is a threat on special teams, averaging nearly 25 yards per kickoff return and 16.5 yards on punt returns.
Cal Poly has yet to record a quarterback sack or interception this season, and has allowed 443 yards and six touchdowns through the air through the first two games.
Also on special teams, sophomore kicker James Langford is off to a solid start. Langford made all three field goal attempts last week at Montana, including a 50-yarder. Paul Hundley is averaging 40 yards per punt return.

CAS TURNS 50: The 2011 campaign marks the 50th season of football at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Overall, SDSU has compiled a 163-99 record (.622 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 29-8 mark at CAS, including a 10-2 record in Missouri Valley Football Conference games.
Lights were installed at CAS prior to the 2001 season and SDSU has turned in a 21-6 record in home night games.
A celebration of the history of Coughlin-Alumni Stadium will be observed Oct. 22, 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.

VALLEY PREVIEW: Missouri Valley Football Conference defending champion Northern Iowa has been picked to win the MVFC crown in 2011.
The Panthers received the top spot in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors.
UNI, which has been ranked in 81 straight regular season national polls, received 316 total points and 29 of 36 first-place votes. The Panthers were one of three league teams in the FCS playoffs last year and finished the 2010 league slate with a 6-2 mark and outright MVFC crown.
The Panthers placed seven players on the MVFC Preseason Team, including Walter
Payton Award candidate Tirrell Rennie and Buck Buchanan Award nominee Ben Boothby.
North Dakota State finished second in the balloting, earning six first-place votes and 275 points. The Bison also qualified for the FCS playoffs and won two games before falling in the quarterfinals in overtime to eventual national champion Eastern Washington.
NDSU also received extensive recognition on the MVFC Preseason Team with five players making the squad. Running back D.J. McNorton, also a candidate for the Walter Payton Award, headlines the list of Bison players on the honor squad.
Southern Illinois, which finished in a six-way tie for third place last year, received the remaining first-place vote and earned 207 points to finish third in the pre-season balloting.
The next three spots in the pre-season poll were tightly contested, as four points separated South Dakota State (172), Illinois State (169) and Indiana State (168).
Jackrabbit linebacker Mike Lien was the lone SDSU player to make the MVFC Preseason Team. Offensive lineman Jon Fick received honorable mention recognition.
Rounding out the poll were Western Illinois, Youngstown State and Missouri State.
The last three pre-season favorites (North Dakota State-2008, Northern Iowa-2009, Southern Illinois-2010) did not win the league, but a pre-season favorite has claimed the league crown 13 times (in 25 previous polls).

RED-ZONE EFFICIENCY: The Jackrabbits have made the most of their trips to the red zone so far in 2011, putting points on the board every time they have traveled inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
In the Sept. 3 season opener against Southern Utah, SDSU was a perfect 5-for-5 in red zone trips. The Jackrabbits came away with four touchdowns and a field goal in the 29-28 victory.
SDSU could muster only one red-zone trip in the Sept. 10 defeat at Illinois, but ended the drive with a 33-yard field goal by Kyle Harris.

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 put together an all-around impressive performance in his first game in a Jackrabbit uniform, Sept. 3 against Southern Utah.
A redshirt freshman from Eagan, Minn., Zenner compiled 139 all-purpose yards in the Jackrabbit victory. 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 followed that performance by returning five kickoffs for 133 yards Sept. 10 at Illinois. His 47-yard kickoff return midway through the second quarter set up the Jackrabbits for their lone scoring drive of the day.
Zenner currently leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference with an average of 142.5 all-purpose yards per game.

O'BRIEN MOVES INTO TOP 10: South Dakota State University quarterback Thomas O'Brien joined the Jackrabbit career top 10 for passing yards in the Sept 3 season opener.
A junior from Winona, Minn., O'Brien has compiled exactly 4,000 yards in 24 career games, including 19 starts. He moved into ninth place on the Jackrabbit career passing charts, passing both Bill Perron (3,747 yards from 1994-96) and Noel Bouché (3,947 yards from 1996-98) in the season opener. O'Brien's 27 completions in the game against Southern Utah were a single-game career high and his 279 yards were six shy of his career high. He also tied a career high with three touchdown passes.
Last year, O'Brien's 2,236 yards were the ninth-most by a Jackrabbit in a single season.

MOSS MAKES THE TRANSITION: The Jackrabbits have gained another weapon in the passing game with the addition of Dale Moss to the receiving corps. Moss finished his four-year career on the basketball court in the spring of 2011 and joined the football team in time for spring practice. He is listed as the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart at the X-Back position.
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.
Moss has seen action in each of the first two games of the season, but has not caught a pass.

COACH STIG: John Stiegelmeier 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 89-67 record (.571 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.

STEFFEN NOMINATED FOR GOOD WORKS TEAM: South Dakota State University senior Jake Steffen is one of 132 college football players to be nominated for the 2011 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. The award, which is presented in conjunction with the American Football Coaches Association, recognizes the selfless contributions to volunteerism and community service made by college football student-athletes across the nation.
A native of Mount Vernon, S.D., Steffen has been involved with a number of community service projects in recent years as a member of the Jackrabbit football team, including:
• Installing concrete to complete the installation of a new playground in a Brookings city park;
• Working with a local church to load solar ovens for shipment to Haiti;
• Serving meals at the Harvest Table, which provides a weekly, no-cost meal to people in need;
• Sandbagging at Lake Poinsett, an area lake which has had many homes damaged or threatened by flooding the past two years;
• Volunteering for the annual Willie Mac youth basketball tournament;
• Reading at local elementary schools
In addition, Steffen has participated in a number of other community service events as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at South Dakota State University, including: collecting and transporting items for food drive, organizing and setting up the annual Halloween Penny Carnival and helping with setup for a community pancake feed.
From the nominees submitted by sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, a special voting panel consisting of former Good Works Team members and prominent college football media members will select two 11-player Good Works Teams - one comprised of players from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and another representing players from the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, Divisions II, III and the NAIA. The 22 student-athletes named to the 2011 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team will be announced in late September.

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.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS: The South Dakota State University football team continued its longstanding success in the classroom with another banner year in 2010.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Jackrabbits led their league in all-academic selections. Eleven Jackrabbit players, including three first-team selections, were honored on the 2010 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team, which was announced in late November.
In the spring, South Dakota State placed a league-high 59 players on the 2010-11 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll.
The Jackrabbits led in all categories of the recognition, placing seven of the 23 players league-wide to earn the highest academic achievement by capturing the Missouri Valley Football Conference Presidents Council Academic Award.
In addition, 23 Jackrabbit student-athletes received the Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award for posting a GPA of 3.2 or higher for the previous two semesters.
Selection to the MVFC Honor Roll is based on student-athletes recording a minimum 3.0 GPA during the fall semester, while completing at least 12 credit hours.
As a team, the Jackrabbit roster combined to post a 3.014 cumulative GPA during the 2010-11 academic year, putting SDSU in position to claim its third consecutive MVFC All-Academic Team Championship Trophy.

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 5:30 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 close out their three-game road swing next Saturday (Sept. 24) by traveling to Normal, Ill., for the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener against Illinois State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Hancock Stadium.

To read the entire release, access the document at the top of the page.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

Cole Brodie

Colin Cochart

Ryan Crawford

Tyler Duffy

Glen Fox

Kyle Harris

Chris Johnson

Conrad Kjerstad

Dirk Kool

Tyrel Kool

Mike Lien

Kyle Minett

Thomas O'Brien

Alex Parker

Dean Priddy

Peter Reifenrath

Dan Schmidt

Jake Steffen

Mike Steffen

Mason Winterboer

Zach Zenner

Upcoming Event: Football versus Mercyhurst on September 27, 2025 at 2 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football at Youngstown State on October 4, 2025 at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT

Upcoming Event: Football versus Northern Iowa on October 11, 2025 at 2 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football at Murray State on October 18, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football versus North Dakota State on October 25, 2025 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Football versus Indiana State on November 1, 2025 at 2 p.m.

Completed Event: Football versus Drake on September 13, 2025 , Win , 37, to, 21

Completed Event: Football at Montana State on September 6, 2025 , Win , 30, to, 24 , 2 OT

Completed Event: Football versus Sacramento State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 20, to, 3

Completed Event: Football at North Dakota State on December 21, 2024 , Loss , 21, to, 28

Completed Event: Football versus Incarnate Word on December 14, 2024 , Win , 55, to, 14

Completed Event: Football versus Montana on December 7, 2024 , Win , 35, to, 18

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