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South Dakota State University Athletics
Jackrabbits begin playoff run at Montana
11/24/2015 10:49:00 PM | Football
The South Dakota State University football team will make its fourth consecutive Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearance, traveling Saturday to face the University of Montana in first-round action.
Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. Mountain Time (2 p.m. Central) at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula. The game will be available for viewing on ESPN3.com.
The Jackrabbits, ranked in a tie for 10th in the STATS media poll and 12th in the FCS coaches' poll, have compiled an 8-3 overall record during the 2015 season. SDSU will be making its fifth overall appearance in the FCS playoffs, qualifying for the first time in 2009.
Montana, meanwhile, has posted a 7-4 overall record during the 2015 season under first-year head coach Bob Stitt. The Grizzlies, ranked 16th by the media and 17th by the FCS coaches, won four of their last five games to earn an at-large berth in the playoffs.
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to play third-seeded North Dakota State on Dec. 5 in Fargo, N.D.
THE SERIES: Saturday's matchup will mark the eighth meeting on the gridiron between SDSU and Montana and six years to the day since their last meeting.
The Grizzlies have won all seven previous meetings, starting with a 58-0 shutout of the Jackrabbits in Missoula during the 1969 season. Six of the seven meetings have taken place at Montana, including a 52-48 come-from-behind victory for the Grizzlies in 1993 that served as a springboard for their run of success.
Since moving to the Division I FCS level, the Jackrabbits and Montana have met three times — all in Missoula.
The last meeting between the two squads came in the first round of the 2009 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Top-seeded Montana scored the final 40 points of the game, including five touchdowns in the fourth quarter, to post a wild 61-48 victory over the Jackrabbits.
SDSU led 14-0 after the first quarter and 34-14 at halftime. The Jackrabbit lead grew to 41-14 early in the third quarter as Ross Shafrath blocked a punt and Corey Jeske fell on the ball for a touchdown.
The momentum shifted in Montana's favor late in the third quarter as Marc Mariani returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Mariani caught two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and Chase Reynolds added a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs to further the Grizzly comeback.
Servin Campbell sealed the Montana victory by returning an interception 32 yards for a touchdown in the final minute.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: South Dakota State is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and fifth in seven years. The Jackrabbits will be meeting a Big Sky Conference opponent in the first round for the third consecutive year.
Overall in FCS playoff games, the Jackrabbits hold a 3-4 record after winning three consecutive first-round matchups from 2012 through 2014. SDSU has received an at-large bid in all five of its playoff appearances, starting in 2009.
Following are the Jackrabbits' FCS playoff results:
2009: Montana 61, South Dakota State 48 (Nov. 28, 2009, at Missoula, Mont.)
2012: South Dakota State 58, Eastern Illinois 10 (Nov. 24, 2012, at Brookings, S.D.)
2012: North Dakota State 28, South Dakota State 3 (Dec. 1, 2012, at Fargo, N.D.)
2013: South Dakota State 26, Northern Arizona 7 (Nov. 30, 2013, at Flagstaff, Ariz.)
2013: Eastern Washington 41, South Dakota State 17 (Dec. 7, 2013, at Cheney, Wash.)
2014: South Dakota State 47, Montana State 40 (Nov. 29, 2014, at Bozeman, Mont.)
2014: North Dakota State 27, South Dakota State 24 (Dec. 6, 2014, at Fargo, N.D.)
In addition, South Dakota State qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1979, falling 50-7 at Youngstown State in opening-round action.
ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only five Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs four consecutive years.
The four other programs to play in the postseason each year since 2012 include:
• Coastal Carolina (S.C.)
• New Hampshire
• North Dakota State
• Sam Houston State (Texas)
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.
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 climbed to as high as fifth in both the STATS media poll (three weeks) and the FCS coaches' rankings (two weeks) this season, marking the highest SDSU has been ranked since joining the FCS ranks in 2004.
SDSU has been ranked in both FCS polls every week since Oct. 29, 2012.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: South Dakota State will be facing a ranked FCS opponent for the sixth time this season when it travels Saturday to Montana.
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 59 games against ranked FCS opponents, going 23-36.
The Jackrabbits are 3-2 against ranked opponents this season.
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 401 career stops, putting him behind Drake (Iowa) linebacker John Hugunin with 418 tackles, followed by Donald Payne of Stetston (Fla.) with 412 and Donelle Williams of Presbyterian (S.C.) with 403 stops.
Lally, who has started all 52 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 401 tackles are the most by a Jackrabbit in the Division I era and second most in program history, trailing Greg Osmundson (1986-89) with 435. Lally passed J.D. Alexander (393 tackles from 1971-74) for second place in last week's regular season finale at Western Illinois.
BOBBIT LEADING DEFENSE: Linebacker Jesse Bobbit leads the Jackrabbit defense with 94 tackles this season on the strength of five 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 24 games in a row.
BUTLER SETS PUNT RETURN MARK: Jackrabbit punt returner Je Ryan Butler has set one career punt return record and could set another SDSU career standard this season. A senior from Tempe, Arizona, Butler has totaled 76 career punt returns, surpassing the previous mark of 63 set by Paul Aanonson from 2004-07.
In addition, Butler has totaled 711 career punt return yards and enters Saturday's game against Western Illinois 88 yards away from breaking Aanonson record of 798 yards.
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 10 career interceptions, adding to his total Nov. 21 at Western Illinois. His 10 pickoffs rank in a tie for 10th among active FCS players.
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 games against Indiana State (Oct. 10) and Youngstown State (Oct. 17) before returning to the starting lineup Oct. 24 against Northern Iowa, although he played only two offensive series.
In the Nov. 15 game at South Dakota, Lujan came off the bench to spark a Jackrabbit rally. He entered the game late in the third quarter and completed 6-of-8 passes for 128 yards, including strikes of 34 and 38 yards to Jake Wieneke to set up touchdowns as SDSU erupted for 20 fourth-quarter points in a 30-23 victory.
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.
He enters Saturday's FCS playoff game with 3,804 career passing yards, needing 144 yards to move into the Jackrabbits' career top 10.
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 MOVING UP CHARTS: South Dakota State University wide receiver Jake Wieneke ranks among the FCS leaders with 66 receptions for 1,344 yards and 11 touchdowns through 11 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. Wieneke 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 in 2014, ending the year with 73 receptions for 1,404 yards and a school-record 16 touchdowns. He earned All-America honors from The Associated Press and Sports Network.
Only 25 games into his collegiate career, Wieneke is rapidly moving up the Jackrabbit career receiving charts. He enters Saturday's game with 139 career receptions for 2,748 yards — a total that stands fifth among active FCS players. His career average of 109.9 receiving yards per game ranks second among active FCS players.
Wieneke has caught 27 touchdown passes for his career, including two in four games this season, to pass current Jackrabbit receivers coach Josh Davis (2002-05) for second place on the SDSU charts. Wieneke has caught a touchdown pass in 18 of 25 career games, including 12 of 16 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 45 receptions so far this season for an average of 16.0 yards per catch.
Sophomore Dallas Goedert ranks second on the squad with 24 receptions and 441 receiving yards, averaging 18.4 yards per catch with two touchdowns, including the team's longest scoring play of the season at 77 yards in the Sept. 12 win over Southern Utah.
Senior Cam Jones has tallied 277 receiving yards on 21 receptions for an average of 13.2 yards per catch.
CHRISTION ON NATIONAL RADAR: South Dakota State quarterback Taryn Christion is one of 20 players under consideration for College Football Performance Awards Freshman Performer of the Year.
A true freshman from Sioux Falls, Christion has started two games and played in a total of six games for the Jackrabbits since having his redshirt pulled in the Oct. 10 game against Indiana State. Christion helped lead the nationally ranked Jackrabbits to back-to-back wins over ranked opponents, earning Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week honors both weeks.
Christion also was named STATS National Freshman of the Week for his performance in his collegiate debut. He accounted for 320 yards of total offense in SDSU's 24-7 home victory over Indiana State, then improved to 2-0 as the Jackrabbits' starting quarterback by throwing for 122 yards and a touchdown, and gaining 75 yards on the ground — with a 70-yard touchdown run — the next week at Youngstown State.
Christion came off the bench to spark the Jackrabbits' 25-20 victory over second-ranked Illinois State on Nov. 7, accounting for 372 yards of total offense. He completed 15-of-30 passes for a career-high 307 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran nine times for 65 yards and a score.
For the season, Christion has completed 60.2 percent (71-of-18) of his passes for 1,056 yards and six touchdowns. He also is third on the team with 293 rushing yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry.
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.
THREE-HEADED MONSTER: Kyle Paris became the third different Jackrabbit running back to rush for 100 yards in a game this season, when he tallied a career-high 128 yards on 27 carries in South Dakota State's 38-8 victory at Youngstown State on Oct. 17. Paris joined Isaac Wallace (118 yards Sept. 5 at Kansas) and Brady Mengarelli (three times) in the 2015 Jackrabbit 100-yard club.
Mengarelli crossed the 100-yard mark for a team-best third time this season in the regular season finale at Western Illinois on Nov. 21, rushing for a career-high 187 yards on 20 carries. Mengarelli also gained 143 yards Sept. 12 against Southern Utah and tallied 129 yards on 14 carries at Missouri State on Oct. 31.
ACADEMIC HONORS: Three Jackrabbit football players, led by repeat selection Nick Mears, were named Nov. 5 to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 Team.
A junior safety from Milbank, Mears was named to the squad for the second year in a row after compiling a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in economics. A two-year starter, Mears has totaled 48 tackles, two forced fumblesand three pass breakups in eight games this season.
Joining Mears on the academic honor team were junior defensive tackle Shayne Gottlob and sophomore wide receiver Jake Wieneke.
A Salem native, Gottlob has accumulated a 3.96 GPA as an economics major. On the field, he has played in all 11 games, including two starts, and has registered 28 tackles so far this season.
Wieneke, a record-breaking wide receiver from Maple Grove, Minnesota, earned a spot on the academic team with a 3.67 GPA as a physical education/teacher education major. An All-America honoree as a freshman, Wieneke again ranks among the leaders in the Football Championship Subdivision this season with 66 receptions for 1,344 yards and 11 touchdowns.
All three Jackrabbit student-athletes will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration later this month. Selections to the Academic All-District 6 Team were based upon a vote of sports information directors in Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Candidates must be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing, a starter or key reserve on his team and carry at least a 3.3 GPA. Team members are selected by position with a total of 24 players named to the honor squad.
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.
FAREWELL TO COUGHLIN: The South Dakota State football program closed a chapter on its long history by playing its last game at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium on Nov. 7, a 25-20 victory over second-ranked Illinois State.
The home of Jackrabbit football for 54 seasons, SDSU hosted 289 games against 65 different opponents at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, with SDSU holding a 181-108 record (.626 winning percentage) on its home field. The stadium opened Sept. 22, 1962, when the Jackrabbits dropped a 9-7 decision to Arkansas State.
Since moving to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, the Jackrabbits posted a 50-16 mark (.758 win percentage) at CAS, including a 22-10 record at home against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents.
The largest crowd ever to see a football game of any kind in South Dakota came through the turnstiles earlier this season, on Oct. 3, 2015, when 17,348 fans watched as the Jackrabbits hosted top-ranked North Dakota State in a battle between two teams ranked in the FCS top 10.
SDSU played its first game under the lights at CAS on Sept. 1, 2001, defeating Ferris State (Mich.), 34-24. The Jackrabbits compiled a 30-10 record in night games at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
The stadium project was started after Charles Coughlin, a 1909 graduate and former student-athlete, donated $50,000 towards the building of a new stadium to replace State Field. The remaining $250,000 of the original $300,000 cost was raised from alumni, students and friends of SDSU.
WORKING OVERTIME: South Dakota State ended the 2015 regular season on a sour note as the Jackrabbits dropped a 30-24, double-overtime decision at Western Illinois on Nov. 21.
Overall, SDSU is 3-5 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)
2015: Western Illinois 30, SDSU 24 (2 OT — at Macomb, Ill.)
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 weekly throughout the 2015 football season.
The show airs at 6 p.m. Monday along 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: Should the Jackrabbits win Saturday at Montana, they will move on to face third-seeded North Dakota State on Dec. 5 in Fargo, N.D.
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