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South Dakota State University Athletics
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10/8/2014 4:05:00 PM | Football
Two teams in search of their first Missouri Valley Football Conference win of the season square off Saturday night as South Dakota State plays host to Missouri State in the annual Hall of Fame Game.
Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The game will be televised live on Midco Sports Network, starting at 6 p.m.
Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame inductees Jerry Smith (wrestling), Craig Cassen (cross country/track and field), Tara Tessier (basketball) and Rod DeHaven (cross country/track and field) will be honored at halftime.
Both squads enter play with 3-2 overall records and 0-1 marks in the MVFC. Missouri State opened league play Oct. 4 with a 14-7 home loss to Youngstown State, while the Jackrabbits were handed a 45-10 setback the same day at Illinois State.
SDSU and Missouri State each have been nationally ranked so far this season. The Jackrabbits fell from ninth in both of the major Football Championship Subdivision polls to 19th after their loss to Illinois State. Missouri State dropped out of the FCS Coaches rankings after entering last week at No. 23.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game marks the seventh meeting between Missouri State and South Dakota State, a series that began when the Jackrabbits joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference at the start of the 2008 season. The Jackrabbits hold a 5-1 series advantage although Missouri State won the last meeting, a 35-21 Bear victory on Oct. 19, 2013, in Springfield, Mo.
SDSU has won all three previous meetings at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, including a 17-7 Jackrabbit victory on Sept. 29, 2012. Zach Zenner opened the scoring for SDSU with an 88-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, en route to 182 yards in the contest.
CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are five captains:
• T.J. Lally, Jr., linebacker, Chicago, Ill.;
• Jason Schneider, Sr., wide receiver, Andover, Minn.;
• Jack Sherlock, Sr., defensive back, Chicago, Ill.;
• Austin Sumner, Sr., quarterback, Brandon, S.D.;
• Zach Zenner, Sr., running back, Eagan, Minn.
Sumner has been selected as a team captain for the third season and Zenner is in his second year as a captain.
JACKS PICKED SECOND IN MVFC: The South Dakota State University football team has been picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference during the 2014 season, according to a preseason poll released in late July.
Three-time defending national champion North Dakota State again was tabbed as the conference favorite in the poll, which was conducted by the league's coaches, sports information directors and select media representatives. NDSU has won 28 consecutive games entering the weekend.
The Bison earned 24 of a possible 39 first-place votes and 370 total points. South Dakota State was picked second in the poll after tying for second place and representing the league in the FCS playoffs a year ago. The Jackrabbits received eight first-place votes.
Perennial FCS power Northern Iowa was selected third in the poll after going 7-5 last year, with Youngstown State and Southern Illinois completing the upper-half of the poll.
Illinois State and Missouri State were picked sixth and seventh, respectively, with South Dakota, Western Illinois and Indiana State completing the 10-team poll.
A preseason favorite has claimed the league crown 16 times (in 28 previous polls). North Dakota State was picked to win the league last season.
In addition, six Jackrabbit players were named to the MVFC Preseason Team. Leading the SDSU contingent was senior running back Zach Zenner, who already holds the league record for career all-purpose yards and rushing yards. Zenner has rushed for 2,000-plus yards in back-to-back seasons.
Fellow senior Austin Sumner was tabbed as the quarterback on the preseason team. An honorable mention all-MVFC honoree in 2013, Sumner threw for 2,999 yards en route to setting SDSU career records for completions, yards and attempts.
Sumner's primary target a season ago, Jason Schneider, also was honored on the preseason team. Schneider set a Jackrabbit single-season record with 78 receptions for 1,088 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2013 to earn first-team all-MVFC honors.
Completing the Jackrabbits' selections on the offensive side of the ball was offensive lineman Trevor Greger. A senior, Greger started 33 consecutive games at right tackle since his redshirt freshman season in 2011.
Sophomore Cole Langer, a member of the MVFC Newcomer Team in 2013, was selected to the preseason team after a freshman season in which he recorded 35 tackles.
Honorable mention selection T.J. Lally rounded out the Jackrabbit preseason honorees. A junior linebacker, Lally finished second on the team in tackles each of his first two seasons, including 89 stops in 2013.
North Dakota State led the league with eight selections to the preseason team, followed by SDSU and UNI with six.
RABBITS RANKED: The South Dakota State University football team dropped 10 spots to 19th in both major Football Championship Subdivision polls following its 45-10 defeat at Illinois State. The Jackrabbits' ninth-place rankings leading up to last week marked their high-water mark of the 2014 season.
The Jackrabbits entered the 2014 campaign with their second-consecutive preseason top-10 national ranking as an FCS member. SDSU was ranked 10th in both the Sports Network FCS coaches preseason polls. The Jackrabbits have been ranked in both polls every week since Oct. 29, 2012
Three-time defending national champion and Missouri Valley Football Conference rival North Dakota State again holds the top spot in both polls.
CARR COMES UP BIG: South Dakota State backup cornerback Trey Carr has turned in a pair of impressive performances in the Jackrabbits' last two road contests.
A true freshman from Omaha, Nebraska, Carr was credited with two solo tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up two more passes in a 26-6 victory at Southern Utah on Sept. 13. He also picked off a pass on a two-point conversion attempt and returned it the length of the field for a defensive extra point. It was the second defensive extra point in program history and first since 1997.
Carr also came up with both Jackrabbit takeaways in a losing effort at Illinois State on Oct. 4. In his first Missouri Valley Football Conference action, Carr intercepted a pass at the SDSU 1-yard line in the third quarter and recovered a fumble on the next Redbird possession. He also returned broke up two passes, notched two tackles and returned a pair of kickoffs for a total of 54 yards.
OFF TO THE RACES — AGAIN: Jackrabbit running back Zach Zenner scored on a 75-yard touchdown run on his first carry of the season, Aug. 30 at Missouri. It marked the third season in a row that Zenner scored on one of his first two carries of the season. In 2012, he scored on a school-record 99-yard run on his second carry at Kansas, followed by a 36-yard run on his second attempt in the 2013 season opener versus Butler.
Zenner finished the game at Missouri with 103 yards on 17 carries, topping the 100-yard mark for the 22nd time in his career. He has 10 career touchdown runs of at least 50 yards.
SUMNER OUT, LUJAN IN: South Dakota State starting quarterback Austin Sumner left the Aug. 30 game at Missouri late in the first quarter with a foot injury that is expected to sideline him for two to four more weeks.
Sophomore Zach Lujan stepped in as Sumner's replacement and led the Jackrabbits on two scoring drives, including a touchdown drive to open the second half and pull SDSU to within 21-18. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, who played last season at Chabot College (Calif.), Lujan completed 21-of-28 passes for 239 yards with one interception at Mizzou.
Lujan has started each of the past four games for the Jackrabbits, helping lead the team to victories over Cal Poly, Southern Utah and Wisconsin-Oshkosh. In his first career start, Sept. 6 against Cal Poly, Lujan finished the night 12-of-20 passing for 236 yards and three touchdowns.
Lujan threw for a season-high 294 yards in a losing effort last week at Illinois State.
WIENEKE ON RICE WATCH LIST: Jackrabbit wide receiver Jake Wieneke was named Wednesday to the initial watch list for the Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision.
A redshirt freshman from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke has recorded two 100-yard receiving games. He opened his collegiate career by catching six passes for 107 yards, including a 45-yarder in the third quarter, in the Jackrabbits' season opener at nationally ranked Missouri. Wieneke became the first Jackrabbit freshman in the Division I era to top the 100-yard receiving mark in a game, and the first since current receivers coach Josh Davis accomplished the feat three times during the 2002 season.
Wieneke followed his debut with two catches for 37 yards and his first collegiate touchdown — an 11-yard reception in the third quarter against Cal Poly. He also gained 52 yards on a lateral. Wieneke's second 100-yard outing came in a losing effort at Illinois State as he caught seven passes for 116 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown.
For the season, Wieneke is averaging 19.5 yards every time he touches the ball as he has tallied a team-best 338 receiving yards on 19 receptions (17.8 ypr) and added a 52-yard rush in the Sept. 6 win over Cal Poly. Wieneke ranks second on the team with his 19 receptions and shares the team lead with three touchdown catches.
Wieneke is the third Jackrabbit in the four seasons the Jerry Rice Award has been presented to be under consideration for the award, joining Austin Sumner (2011) and T.J. Lally (2012).
STEADY SYROVATKA: South Dakota State kicker Justin Syrovatka will attempt to build off some record-setting performances during his first three seasons.
A senior from Sioux Falls, Syrovatka holds the Jackrabbit record for consecutive field goals made with 15. Syrovatka's streak began on Oct. 11, 2012, in a victory over Western Illinois. He made his last 12 field goal attempts of the 2012 season and first three attempts of the 2013 campaign, going 7-for-7 from 20-29 yards, 3-for-3 on field goals of 30-39 yards and 5-for-5 from 40-plus yards. His streak ended when he missed a 29-yard attempt at Nebraska on Sept. 21, 2013.
The previous Jackrabbit record for consecutive made field goal attempts was 13, which was set by Parker Douglass between the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Syrovatka also put together a streak of 47 consecutively made PATs, which ended Nov. 9, 2013, against Indiana State. His 33 consecutive PATs to start the season were a Jackrabbit record, surpassing the 29 by Douglass in 2004. For his career, Syrovatka is 119-of-121 on PATs.
In addition, Syrovatka has moved into second place on the Jackrabbit career field goals chart with 42, connecting on at least one field in all five games this season and seven in a row dating back to the 2013 campaign. Douglass is the all-time leader with 62 field goals from 2004-07.
GREGER STREAK ENDS: Right tackle Trevor Greger had his consecutive games started streak end at 33 when he sat out the Sept. 20 game against Wisconsin-Oshkosh due to injury.
A senior from Wagner, Greger started the final three games of the 2011 season at right tackle, and extended his streak by starting all 13 games of the 2012 season and all 14 contests in 2013. His streak reached 33 as he drew a starting assignment in the Jackrabbits' first three games of the 2014 campaign.
Greger, who was tabbed as a 2014 preseason all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, returned to the lineup Oct. 4 at Illinois State.
ZENNER ON PAYTON WATCH LIST: South Dakota State University running back Zach Zenner is one of 20 players currently under consideration for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision by The Sports Network.
A 6-foot, 220-pound senior, Zenner is the only two-time finalist in the initial pool of players being considered for the award. A native of Eagan, Minnesota, Zenner placed seventh in the balloting in 2012 and sixth in 2013. The watch list will be updated periodically during the 2014 season, with the Walter Payton Award to be presented for the 28th time on Dec. 15. The award is selected by a panel of more than 150 sport information directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries.
During the 2013 season, Zenner became only the second player in FCS history to rush for 2,000 yards in two separate seasons, gaining 2,015 yards and scoring 25 touchdows — 23 rushing, two receiving — as the Jackrabbits made a return trip to the postseason. He burst onto the FCS scene in 2012 by leading the nation in rushing with 2,044 yards — an average of 157.2 yards per game.
In addition, Zenner moved into a pair of Football Championship Subdivision career top 20s during South Dakota State's victory over Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Sept. 20. The active career leader in both categories, Zenner moved into 18th place for FCS career rushing with 5,174 yards and also upped his career all-purpose yardage total to 6,547 yards to rank 17th all-time. Both of his yardage totals are Missouri Valley Football Conference records.
Zenner has crossed the 100-yard mark 26 times in the team's 32 games over the past two-plus seasons, including seven performances of 200-plus yards. He currently ranks third among FCS backs with an average of 161.2 yards per game, despite not recording a carry in the fourth quarter of either of the team's last two games. In four games this season, Zenner has only 11 fourth-quarter carries for 73 yards.
For updates throughout the 2014 season, follow via Twitter by using the hashtag #ZennerForPayton.
MORE AWARDS FOR ZENNER: Jackrabbit running back Zach Zenner added to his list of accolades last week by being named to the 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
A senior from Eagan, Minnesota, Zenner was presented his award during an event Sept. 23 at Hillcrest Elementary School in Brookings. Zenner has served a key role in numerous community service events as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, including Summit League Food Fight (yearly competition among league schools for donations to local food pantry), Project Joy (holiday toy drive) and campus cleanup. He also has worked the past three years with the State-a-Thon event to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network and has devoted countless hours to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, including coaching children on fundamental football skills, leading devotionals at FCA Power Camp and speaking to area youth groups at other FCA events.
This past winter, Zenner served as a student-athlete ambassador, testifying before state House and Senate Appropriations committees as the state Legislature debated passage of a bill to authorize construction of a new on-campus football stadium.
Zenner's lengthy community service résumé extends beyond the campus and local community as he was one of 25 SDSU student-athletes who traveled to Harmons, Jamaica, in March 2014 on a mission trip to help build two homes and interact with members of the village through the Won by One organization.
Zenner is the second Jackrabbit student-athlete in as many years to be named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, joining 2013 honoree Winston Wright.
Allstate and the AFCA are looking to the fans to help determine this year's 2014 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain. By visiting ESPN.com/Allstate, fans can learn more about this year's team members and vote for the player who they feel best embodies the spirit of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. The team captain and his fellow award recipients will also be invited to New Orleans to take part in a community project leading up to the 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl in January.
To close the week, Zenner was named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top scholar-athlete in college football. Finalists for the Campbell Trophy will be announced in late October.
CLOCK MANAGEMENT: The Jackrabbit offense has displayed a ball-control attack this season that has led to the unit ranking fifth among FCS squads for time of possession with an average of 33 minutes and 43seconds per game.
SDSU has held an edge in time of possession in all fivegames of the 2014 season, including three games with at least an eight-minute advantage. The biggest disparity came in the Sept. 13 matchup at Southern Utah, where the Jackrabbits held the ball 13 minutes and 42 seconds (36:42 to 23:18) longer than SUU.
The Jackrabbit defense has been doing its part, as well, by forcing a three-and-out 12 times so far this season, along with recording seven takeaways.
COACH STIG HONORED: South Dakota State University head football coach John Stiegelmeier has been named the 2014 recipient of the Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence and will be honored in conjunction with Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on Saturday.
Stiegelmeier, who is in his 18th season as Jackrabbit head coach, has compiled a 114-83 career record, passing Ginn atop the SDSU career victories chart earlier this season. Stiegelmeier has led the Jackrabbits to a winning record in 13 of 17 full seasons, including eight of 10 at the Division I level.
The Selby native was named North Central Conference Coach of the Year in 1999 and Great West Football Conference Coach of the Year in 2007 after leading SDSU to its first conference title at the Division I level and their first league championship in 44 years.
Coach Stig also was named a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award during the 2007 and 2009 seasons, the latter marking the Jackrabbits' first appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. SDSU also made consecutive FCS playoff appearances in 2012 and 2013, winning an opening-round game each season.
Since moving to Division I at the start of the 2004 season, Stiegelmeier has led the Jackrabbits to a 70-49 record in the FCS era.
Prior to becoming head coach, Stiegelmeier served as an assistant coach for the Jackrabbit football team from 1988-96. He joined Wayne Haensel's coaching staff as secondary coach and recruiting coordinator before being elevated to defensive coordinator under new head coach Mike Daly in 1991. In six seasons as defensive coordinator, Stiegelmeier helped guide the Jackrabbits to a 41-23 overall record. SDSU turned in a winning record all six seasons, including five seven-win campaigns. That track record of success helped Stiegelmeier secure his first collegiate head coaching position in December 1996, when he was named Daly's successor.
A 1979 graduate of South Dakota State with degrees in mathematics and physical education, Stiegelmeier served as a student assistant for the Jackrabbit team that made its lone appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs. He furthered his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Northern Iowa before coaching at the prep level at Eau Claire (Wis.) North High School from 1981-84. He returned to collegiate coaching as defensive coordinator, secondary coach and recruiting coordinator at Northern State from 1984-87 and later served a stint at the University of Wisconsin while working on his doctorate.
The Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence was first awarded in 1972. Recipients of the award must be graduates of SDSU and have distinguished themselves in the fields of coaching and education. Ginn coached Jackrabbit football teams to a 113-89-9 record and won nine North Central Conference titles in 22 seasons from 1947-68.
NEW FACILITIES: The South Dakota State University football program is expected to benefit greatly from the addition of two new facilities that are either nearing completion or beginning construction.
The Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex, which is scheduled to open later this month, will serve as the indoor practice facility for the Jackrabbit football team and a number of ther Jackrabbit squads. The complex, which features 100 yards of soy-based AstroTurf, also will house a 300-meter indoor track and expanded areas for strength and conditioning, sports medicine and coaches' offices.
A dedication ceremony for the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday.
In October 2013, SDSU officials announced lead gifts totaling $12.5 million from Sioux Falls banker Dana Dykhouse and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford toward the construction of a new football stadium. The announcement was made in conjunction with the 100th Hobo Day game at SDSU.
The Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, which will have a seating capacity of 18,500 to 20,000, will replace Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, which has served as the home of Jackrabbit football since 1962. The new stadium will be built on the current Coughlin-Alumni Stadium site, with completion scheduled for the summer of 2016.
The estimated $65 million project was approved by the South Dakota Legislature this past winter and signed into law by Gov. Dennis Daugaard. Construction will be done in phases, with the east and south sides of the stadium scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2015 and the west side finished in 2016.
Plans call for the stadium to be funded through private gifts and long-term revenue streams, including concessions and suite, loge box and ticket sales. The intention is to secure bonds to finance up to two-thirds of the project's construction with bonds, with the remaining third coming from private support.
WORKING OVERTIME: SDSU's 37-34 double-overtime victory over Northern Iowa on Oct. 26, 2013, upped the Jackrabbits' record in overtime games to 2-0 against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents. SDSU also defeated Missouri State in a double-overtime game, 43-36, in 2011.
Overall, SDSU is 3-4 in games decided in overtime since the format was adopted in the mid-1990s. The Jackrabbits won their inaugural overtime game, 30-27 in two overtimes against Nebraska-Omaha in the 1998 Hobo Day game.
Following is a complete list of SDSU's overtime games:
1998: SDSU 30, Nebraska-Omaha 27 (2 OT — at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium)
2002: Augustana 39, SDSU 33 (3 OT — at Sioux Falls)
2004: Southern Utah 23, SDSU 17 (2 OT — at Cedar City, Utah)
2007: Western Illinois 29, SDSU 26 (4 OT — at Macomb, Ill.)
2008: McNeese State 46, SDSU 44 (3 OT — at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium)
2011: SDSU 43, Missouri State 36 (2 OT — at Springfield, Mo.)
2013: SDSU 37, Northern Iowa 34 (2 OT — at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium)
JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2014 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 p.m. on Sioux Falls-based MyUTV. The show is also broadcast on KELO-TV at 11 p.m. Central Sunday and at 10 p.m. Mountain Time Sunday on KDLO-TV. Online, the show can be viewed at GoJacks.com.
STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show airs each Monday throughout the 2014 football season.
The show is scheduled to air at 6 p.m. on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, originating with flagship station WNAX 570 AM in Yankton. In addition, the weekly show also will be streamed online at GoJacks.com as part of the Jackrabbit Extra package.
Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the John Stiegelmeier Radio Show will also feature interviews with Jackrabbit student-athletes and assistant coaches. Jackrabbit fans are encouraged to attend the show in person at Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill, 307 Main Ave., in downtown Brookings.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue league play with an Oct. 18 matchup at nationally ranked Northern Iowa. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Radio coverage begins at 3 p.m. on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, with video streaming of the game also available through the Jackrabbit Extra subscription service at GoJacks.com.
SDSU's next home game is Oct. 25, when the Jackrabbits host Youngstown State on Hobo Day. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
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