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South Dakota State University Athletics
No. 6 Jackrabbits host UNI on Hobo Day
10/21/2015 11:22:00 AM | Football
Another week, another ranked opponent for the South Dakota State University football team.
For the fourth week in a row, the Jackrabbits will be meeting a team ranked in the top 25 of both major Football Championship Subdivision polls when it hosts Northern Iowa in the 102nd Hobo Day game.
Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
SDSU, ranked sixth in both the STATS media poll and FCS coaches' poll, enters Saturday's game with a 5-1 overall record and 2-1 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Jackrabbits have won their last two games against ranked opponents, defeating Indiana State, 24-7, on Oct. 10 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium and knocking off Youngstown State, 38-8 on Oct. 17. SDSU began its string of games against ranked opponents with a 28-7 home setback against North Dakota State on Oct. 3.
Northern Iowa, meanwhile, is still in search of its first league win, but has remained in the polls despite a 2-4 overall record. The Panthers' three league losses to Illinois State, North Dakota State and Western Illinois have been by a combined 16 points.
UNI fell to No. 22 in the media poll and 25th in the coaches' rankings following its 21-16 home loss to Western Illinois last Saturday.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 50th meeting on the gridiron between South Dakota State and Northern Iowa. The two squads met regularly from the time the series started in 1935 until UNI (formerly Iowa Teachers College) left the North Central Conference in the late 1970s to join the Division I ranks.
UNI holds a 28-19-2 advantage in the series, including a 6-3 advantage since SDSU joined the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004. The Jackrabbits have won the last two meetings, starting with a 37-34 double-overtime victory on Oct. 26, 2013, at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
In last season's meeting, Oct. 18, 2014, at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Jackrabbits recovered after squandering a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to post a 31-28 road victory. Justin Syrovatka connected on a 44-yard field goal with 1 minute, 42 seconds remaining to provide the winning margin.
Syrovatka's game-winning field goal was set up by a 40-yard juggling catch and run by Jason Schneider. Melvin Taveras sealed the victory with an interception at the SDSU 4-yard line in the closing seconds.
Trailing 14-7 at halftime, the Jackrabbits scored three consecutive touchdowns — two on 1-yard runs by Zach Zenner and the other on a 30-yard interception return for touchdown by Dallas Brown.
UNI tied the game at 28-all as Ray Mitchell returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown with under four minutes to play.
ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only six Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last three seasons.
The five other programs to play in the postseason each year since 2012 include:
• North Dakota State
• Eastern Washington
• Coastal Carolina (S.C.)
• Sam Houston State (Texas)
• New Hampshire
RABBITS RANKED: The South Dakota State University football team vaulted into the top 10 of both major Football Championships Subdivision polls following its season-opening Sept. 5 at Kansas. The Jackrabbits have since climbed since the preseason rankings to sixth in both the STATS media poll FCS coaches' poll entering play this weekend.
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 and FCS coaches preseason polls and rose to as high as ninth.
SDSU has been ranked in both FCS polls every week since Oct. 29, 2012.
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 12 seasons at the FCS level, SDSU has played 57 games against ranked FCS opponents, going 22-35. The Jackrabbits are 3-5 against a ranked Northern Iowa team, including posting home wins over UNI during the 2009 and 2013 seasons.
JACKS PICKED FIFTH IN VALLEY: The South Dakota State University football team has been picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference during the 2015 season, according to a preseason poll released on July 27.
Four-time defending national champion North Dakota State again was tabbed as the conference favorite in the poll, which was conducted among the league's coaches, sports information directors and select media representatives. The Bison earned 32 of a possible 40 first-place votes and 389 total points.
Last season's co-champion and national runner-up. Illinois State, received the other eight first-place votes and ranked second in the poll with 366 points. The Redbirds lost the FCS title game, 29-27, to NDSU last year, marking the only time in FCS history two teams from the same league played one another for the crown.
Completing the upper half of the 10-team poll were UNI, Youngstown State and SDSU.
A pre-season favorite has claimed the league crown 16 times (in 28 previous polls). North Dakota State was picked to win the league last season. Indiana State, which joined UNI and SDSU in the FCS playoffs last season to give the MVFC a record five selections, was tabbed sixth.
In addition, five Jackrabbit players were named to the MVFC Preseason Team. Leading the SDSU contingent was senior linebacker T.J. Lally, who has been a two-time second-team all-league selection (2012, 2014). Lally led the team with 117 tackles last season, including 9.5 tackles for loss.
Joining Lally on the defensive side was junior defensive tackle Cole Langer. A second-team all-MFVC honoree in 2014, Langer totaled 49 tackles and blocked two kicks.
Two Jackrabbit sophomores highlight the squad's offensive selections to the MVFC Preseason Team. Wide receiver Jake Wieneke was named conference Freshman of the Year and was a first-team all-MVFC selection after recording 73 receptions for 1,404 yards and a school-record 16 touchdowns.
Center Jacob Ohnesorge filled one of five spots on the offensive line. Ohnesorge started all 14 games in 2014 and was an honorable mention all-league selection.
Rounding out the Jackrabbits' selections was Je Ryan Butler as return specialist. A senior, Butler averaged 13.2 yards on punt returns and 18.1 yards in limited kick return duties in 2014.
CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are six captains:
• Jimmie Forsythe, Sr., defensive back, Omaha, Neb.
• Cam Jones, Sr., tight end, Eagan, Minn.;
• T.J. Lally, Sr., linebacker, Chicago, Ill.;
• Zach Lujan, Jr., quarterback, Anchorage, Alaska;
• Jacob Ohnesorge, So., offensive lineman, Waunakee, Wis.;
• J.R. Plote, Sr., defensive end, Phoenix, Ariz.
Lally has been selected as a team captain for the second year in a row.
DEFENDING THE PASS: The Jackrabbit defense has yet to allow an FCS opponent to throw for more than 200 yards in a game this season. The most passing yards allowed by SDSU over the last five games was 198 by Indiana State on Oct. 10. The Jackrabbits limited Youngstown State to 153 yards on 41 attempts last week and have held FCS opponents to four passing touchdowns. SDSU enters the week ranked 11th in scoring defense and 17th in passing yards allowed among FCS teams.
SACK ATTACK: South Dakota State entered its Oct. 10 game against Indiana State with only three sacks as a team, but the Jackrabbits racked up six sacks against the Sycamores in a 24-7 victory. Senior defensive end J.R. Plote led the way with two sacks, with reserve defensive ends Chase Kern and Jared Blum each tallying one.
SDSU's sack total was the most in a game since recording seven in a 2013 playoff victory at Northern Arizona.
TURNOVER MARGIN: The Jackrabbits rank in a tie for seventh place in the Football Championship Subdivision for turnover margin entering play this week. Through six games, SDSU is plus-eight in turnover margin, forcing 10 takeaways (five interceptions and five fumbles) and turning the ball over only twice. The Jackrabbits have gone without turning the ball over in five of their six games.
LALLY NEAR THE TOP IN TACKLES: Senior linebacker T.J. Lally currently ranks fourth among active Football Championship Subdivision players in career tackles.
A native of Chicago, Lally has tallied 354 career stops, trailing Donald Payne of Stetson (Fla.) with 363, Donelle Williams of Presbyterian (S.C.) with 362, and Drake (Iowa) linebacker John Hugunin with 359. Lally, who has started all 47 games of his Jackrabbit career, has finished either first or second on the team in tackles each of his first three seasons and has posted a pair of 100-tackle campaigns.
Lally registered 107 tackles during his redshirt freshman season in 2012 to rank second on the team, and added a team-best 117 tackles during the 2014 season.
Lally's 354 tackles are the most by a Jackrabbit in the Division I era and third most in program history, trailing Greg Osmundson (1986-89) with 435 and J.D. Alexander (1971-74) with 393.
BOBBIT LEADING DEFENSE: Linebacker Jesse Bobbit leads the Jackrabbit defense with 46 tackles this season on the strength of three double-digit performances. A junior from Palatine, Illinois, Bobbit recorded 10 tackles in the Sept. 5 season-opening win at Kansas. He later tallied double figures in tackles in back-to-back weeks, notching 11 in a win over Robert Morris (Pa.) and tying a career high with 13 tackles Oct. 3 against North Dakota State. He also forced a fumble against the Bison.
Bobbit ranked third on the team with 90 tackles in 2014 and has started 20 games in a row.
BUTLER CLOSES IN ON PUNT RETURN MARKS: Jackrabbit punt returner Je Ryan Butler is poised to set a pair of school punt return records this season. A senior from Tempe, Arizona, Butler has totaled 685 career punt return yards and enters Saturday's game against Youngstown State 114 yards away from breaking the school record of 798 set by Paul Aanonson from 2004-07. Butler's 63 career punt returns have tied Aanonson's career mark of 63. A preseason all-MVFC pick as a return specialist, Butler averaged 13.2 yards on 28 punt returns a season ago. He took over the Jackrabbits' punt return duties midway through the 2013 season.
Butler, who also is a starting cornerback, leads active Jackrabbit players with nine career interceptions, adding to his total Oct. 17 at Youngstown State.
LUJAN UNDER CENTER: Junior quarterback Zach Lujan became the fastest Jackrabbit to throw for 1,000 yards in a season, reaching the mark in the third game of the 2015 season.
A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Lujan named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for a career-high 395 yards in a 34-10 home victory over Robert Morris (Pa.) on Sept. 26. Lujan's yardage total tied for the second most in a game in program history and upped his season yardage total to 1,002 yards in only three games. He sat out the last two weeks due to injury, but may return to action this Saturday.
Lujan began the season by completing 17-of-33 passes for 293 yards and tied a career high with three touchdown passes in a Sept. 5 win at Kansas. Two of Lujan's completions came on fourth-down attempts, including a 23-yard strike to tight end Dallas Goedert on fourth-and-5 from the KU 29 that set up SDSU's final touchdown with 6:18 to play in the game. His other fourth-down completion came in the third quarter, extending a drive that led to a field goal.
Lujan threw two more touchdown passes — both to Jake Wieneke — in a 55-10 home win over Southern Utah the following week. He ended the night 19-of-27 passing for 314 yards, marking his third career 300-yard game.
The junior signal-caller played a key role in the Jackrabbits reaching the FCS playoffs a season ago. Lujan stepped in for an injured Austin Sumner and led the Jackrabbits to a 5-2 record as the starter. He took over early in the 2014 season opener at Missouri after career passing leader Austin Sumner was injured, leading SDSU on two scoring drives. He held lead a touchdown drive to open the second half and pull SDSU to within 21-18. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, who played the 2013 season at Chabot College (Calif.), Lujan completed 21-of-28 passes for 239 yards with one interception at Mizzou.
A member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team, Lujan led the team with 1,943 passing yards and completed 61 percent (147-of-241) of his pass attempts. 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 went on to establish a new season-high in yards in three of four Missouri Valley Football Conference games, including a 329-yard performance on 28-of-42 passing with two touchdowns in his last 2014 start, Oct. 25 against Youngstown State.
WIENEKE ADDED TO WATCH LIST: South Dakota State University wide receiver Jake Wieneke has been added to the official watch list for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year award.
A sophomore from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke ranks among the FCS leaders with 36 receptions for 696 yards and seven touchdowns through six games. He caught two touchdown passes in each of the Jackrabbits' first three games, which included an 11-reception, 205-yard performance against Southern Utah on Sept. 12. He became the first SDSU player in 19 seasons to top 200 receiving yards in a game.
Wieneke was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS' top freshman during the 2014 season, ending the year with 73 receptions for 1,404 yards and a school-record 16 touchdowns. He also earned All-America honors from The Associated Press and Sports Network.
Currently, 25 players appear on the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year Watch List. The list will be revised periodically throughout the remainder of the 2015 season, with voting for the award taking place at the end of the regular season.
Only 19 games into his collegiate career, Wieneke is radiply moving up the Jackrabbit career receiving charts. He enters Saturday's game with 109 career receptions for 2,100 yards, moving into fifth place in career receiving yards during the Oct. 3 game against North Dakota State.
Wieneke has caught 23 touchdown passes for his career, including two in each of the Jackrabbits' first three games this season, to break a tie with Jason Schneider (20 TD receptions from 2011-14) for fourth place on the SDSU charts. He has caught a touchdown pass in 15 of 20 career games, including nine of 11 games against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents.
TIGHT ENDS CATCHING ON: After combining for 16 catches all of last season, South Dakota State tight ends have tallied 26 receptions so far this season for an average of 17.4 yards per catch.
Sophomore Dallas Goedert ranks second on the team with 249 receiving yards and two touchdowns among his 13 catches, while senior Cam Jones has added 13 receptions for 203 yards.
CHRISTION REPEATS AS TOP NEWCOMER: For the second week in a row, true freshman quarterback Taryn Christion was honored as the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week.
Christion improved to 2-0 as the Jackrabbits' starting quarterback, helping lead SDSU to its second consecutive win over a ranked opponent with a 38-8 win at Youngstown State on Oct. 17. Christion completed 8-of-14 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown, and also gained 75 yards on the ground. He scored on a 70-yard run early in the fourth quarter for the middle of three second-half touchdowns for the Jackrabbits.
Christion received both national and conference awards for his efforts in helping lead the Jackrabbits to victory over Indiana State in his collegiate debut on Oct. 10.
A Sioux Falls native, Christion was named STATS National Freshman of the Week on Oct. 12, a day after being named MVFC Newcomer of the Week. Starting in place of an injured Zach Lujan, he accounted for 320 yards of total offense in the Jackrabbits' 24-7 home victory. Christion opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, then threw his first career touchdown pass – a 34-yarder to Jake Wieneke – later in the quarter. For the game, Christion completed 15-of-24 passes for 221 yards and carried the ball 16 times for 99 yards.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Four other true freshmen made their collegiate playing debuts in the Jackrabbits' 41-38 win at Kansas on Sept. 5.
On the offensive side of the ball, guard Matt Clark played most of the fourth quarter and helped lead SDSU on a decisive scoring drive. Defensive tackle Blake Whitsell and cornerback Shakial Taylor also saw playing time in the victory. On special teams, Brady Hale handled the punting duties, averaging 41.6 yards on five attempts, including a 56-yarder on his first collegiate punt.
Two more true freshmen made their initial appearances in a Jackrabbit uniform during the Sept. 12 matchup with Southern Utah. Fullback Luke Sellers and wide receiver Alex Wilde saw action but did not factor into any statistics.
WALLACE SHINES IN DEBUT: Redshirt freshman running back Isaac Wallace turned in an impressive collegiate debut by rushing 24 times for 118 yards and adding two receptions for eight yards, as well as two kick returns for 42 yards in the Jackrabbits' win at Kansas on Sept. 5. The Omaha native was especially effective in the fourth quarter, when he spurred the decisive scoring drive by gaining 44 yards — 38 rushing and six receiving — including the final three yards on his first collegiate rushing touchdown.
ACADEMIC HONORS: For the seventh season in a row, South Dakota State claimed the Missouri Valley Football Conference Team Academic Award, compiling a 2.99 team grade-point average during the 2014 season. The Jackrabbits have received the award every year they have been a member of the MVFC.
Also during the 2014 season, six Jackrabbit football student-athletes, highlighted by repeat selections Jason Schneider and Zach Zenner, were named to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 Team. The Jackrabbits recorded the most selections among all University Division members across seven districts.
Zenner went on to earn Academic All-America Team Member of the Year honors for Division I football and was joined on the first team by Schneider and offensive lineman Nick Purcell.
Three other Jackrabbits — Cole Langer, Nick Mears and Ethan Sawyer — were honored on the academic all-district team for the first time in 2014.
FAREWELL TO COUGHLIN: The 2015 campaign marks the 54th — and final — season of Jackrabbit football at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Since opening on Sept. 22, 1962, SDSU has compiled a 182-106 record (.632 winning percentage) on its home field.
Since moving to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, the Jackrabbits have posted a 49-15 mark (.766 winning percentage) at CAS.
NEW FACILITIES: The South Dakota State University football program is expected to benefit greatly from the addition of two new facilities.
The Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex, which opened last fall, serves as the indoor practice facility for the Jackrabbit football team and a number of other Jackrabbit squads. The complex, which features 100 yards of soy-based AstroTurf, also houses a 300-meter competition indoor track and expanded areas for strength and conditioning, sports medicine and coaches' offices.
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 more than 19,000, will replace Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, which has served as the home of Jackrabbit football since 1962. The new stadium is being built on the current Coughlin-Alumni Stadium site, with completion scheduled for the summer of 2016. The first phase of the stadium project, which includes new seating on the east side and south end zone, along with installation of the largest scoreboard in the Football Championship Subdivision, was completed in time for the 2015 home opener on Sept. 12.
The estimated $65 million project was approved by the South Dakota Legislature this past winter and signed into law by Gov. Dennis Daugaard. Construction of a new west grandstand that will include premium seating — club seats, loge boxes and suites — will be 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. Bonds are being secured to finance up to two-thirds of the project's construction, 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 2015 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 on demand at GoJacks.com.
STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show airs each Monday throughout the 2015 football season.
The show is scheduled to air at 6 p.m. on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, originating with WNAX 570 AM in Yankton. In addition, the weekly show also will be streamed online free of charge at GoJacks.com.
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 resume Missouri Valley Football Conference action next Saturday (Oct. 31), traveling to Missouri State. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m., with the game available for viewing on ESPN3.com.
SDSU returns home Nov. 7 to face Illinois State in the Coughlin-Alumni Stadium Farewell Game. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
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