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South Dakota State University Athletics
Jackrabbits host Robert Morris in Beef Bowl
9/22/2015 10:16:00 AM | Football
Following its lone bye week of the season, the nationally ranked South Dakota State University football team returns to action Saturday by closing out non-conference action against Robert Morris (Pa.) in the 49th Annual Beef Bowl.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. A pre-game barbecue will run from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the hospitality tents directly south of the stadium. Cost for the barbecue (beef sandwich, beans, chips, drink and SDSU ice cream) is $8 per person with the proceeds benefitting scholarships in the SDSU Animal Science Department. Barbecue tickets can be purchased on-site or in advance through the SDSU Animal Science Department by calling 605-688-5165.
The Jackrabbits, ranked sixth in the STATS media poll and seventh by the FCS coaches, enter the week with a 2-0 record. SDSU has been paced by a prolific offense that is averaging 48 points and 521 yards of total offense per game.
SDSU's sixth-place ranking ties its highest showing in a Football Championship Subdivision poll. The Jackrabbits were ranked sixth in either the media or coaches' poll for the first five weeks of the 2013 season.
Robert Morris, meanwhile, picked up its first win of the season last weekend, defeating NCAA Division II opponent Notre Dame (Ohio), 35-24. The Colonials are 1-2 overall, with one of their defeats a 21-14 overtime setback at Youngstown State on Sept. 12.
The Colonials first fielded a football program in 1994 and won their first NEC title in 1996, starting a streak of five consecutive league championships. The Colonials also won the NEC title in 2010 and made their lone appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs that same season.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between South Dakota State and Robert Morris on the gridiron. It also will be the first time the Jackrabbits have faced a Northeast Conference opponent.
Robert Morris first fielded a football program in 1994 and won its first NEC title in 1996, starting a streak of five consecutive league championships. The Colonials also won the NEC title in 2010 and made their lone appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs that same season.
BEEF BOWL HISTORY: South Dakota State University is home to the original Beef Bowl and celebrates its 49th anniversary during the 2015 season.
The Beef Bowl was started as SDSU's way of recognizing those individuals and firms involved in the beef industry in South Dakota. Proceeds from a live steer auction at halftime benefits the Jackrabbit Athletic Department.
Outside of Hobo Day, SDSU's annual homecoming celebration, the Beef Bowl has often ranked second for home single-game attendance. More than 10,000 people have attended each of the last 10 Beef Bowls and 12 times overall. SDSU has a 28-20 record in Beef Bowl games and has won three in a row and eight of the last nine.
COACH TO CURE MD: South Dakota State University coaches will join college football coaches across the country in raising awareness for Duchenne muscular dystrophy by wearing arm patches during Saturday's game.
Football fans can donate to Duchenne muscular dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word CURE to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill).
Since the Coach to Cure MD efforts began in 2008, more than $1 million has been raised for research.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood and primarily affects boys across all races and cultures. Boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy develop progressive muscle weakness that eventually causes loss of mobility, wheelchair dependency and a decline in respiratory and cardiac function. Currently, there is no cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and limited therapeutic options exist.
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 10 spots to sixth in the STATS media poll and gained eight spots in the FCS coaches' poll to seventh.
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.
QUICK-STRIKE OFFENSE: Through two games, SDSU has six touchdown drives of three plays or less during the 2015 season. The Jackrabbits took advantage of two short fields after turnovers to score on a pair of two-play drives in the season opener at Kansas, then tallied four quick-scoring drives Sept. 12 against Southern Utah.
Three of the drives against SUU ended on big plays — a 66-yard touchdown reception by Jake Wieneke (second play), a 37-yard run by Brady Mengarelli (second play) and a 77-yard catch by tight end Dallas Goedert (first play).
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.
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 17 times (in 29 previous polls). North Dakota State was picked to win the league last season.
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.
LALLY LEADS IN TACKLES: Senior linebacker T.J. Lally leads all active Football Championship Subdivision players in career tackles, heading into play on Saturday.
A native of Chicago, Lally has tallied 327 career stops — four more than Drake (Iowa) linebacker John Hugunin. Lally, who has started all 43 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.
LUJAN UNDER CENTER: Junior quarterback Zach Lujan has turned in a pair of stong performances to open the 2015 season. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Lujan completied 17-of-33 passes for 293 yards and tied a career high with three touchdown passes in the season-opening win at Kansas on Sept. 5. 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 ON RECORD PACE: Only 16 games into his collegiate career, sophomore wide receiver Jake Wieneke is radiply moving up the Jackrabbit career receiving charts.
A native of Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke enters Saturday's game with 92 career receptions for 1,769 yards. He has caught 19 passes for 365 yards so far this season and needs only 47 receiving yards to move into the Jackrabbit career top 10. He became the first Jackrabbit player in 19 seasons to top 200 receiving yards in a game, establishing career highs with 11 catches and 205 yards Sept. 12 against Southern Utah.
A sophomore from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke caught eight passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns in SDSU's 41-38 win at Kansas on Sept. 5, sharing the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week award and being named a National All-Star by College Sporting News. Wieneke's touchdowns covered 29 and 16 yards as the Jackrabbits scored on their first five offensive possessions. Wieneke tallied 109 receiving yards in the first quarter alone.
Wieneke has caught 20 touchdown passes for his career, including two in each of the Jackrabbits' first two games this season, to tie him with Jason Schneider (20 TD receptions from 2011-14) for fourth place on the SDSU charts. He has caught a touchdown pass in 13 of 16 career games, including 11 of the last 12.
BUTLER NEARS 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 640 career punt return yards and enters Saturday's game against Robert Morris (Pa.) 159 yards away from breaking the school record of 798 set by Paul Aanonson from 2004-07. Butler's 53 career punt returns are 10 behind 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 eight career interceptions.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Four 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.
JACKRABBIT BLOODLINES: Junior defensive tackle Cole Langer leads a group of South Dakota State football players with Jackrabbit bloodlines.
Langer, a native of Dell Rapids, South Dakota, is a third-generation Jackrabbit student-athlete. His grandfather, Jim Langer, is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a standout career with the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings. The starting center for the undefeated Dolphins team in 1972, Jim Langer earned all-conference honors in football at South Dakota State as a linebacker in 1969 and was an All-America selection in baseball as an outfielder that same year.
In addition, Cole Langer's father, Tracy, was an all-conference catcher in baseball for the Jackrabbits from 1989-92. Tracy's brothers, Craig and Russ, also played baseball at South Dakota State.
Several other Jackrabbits have extensive Jackrabbit bloodlines, including senior offensive lineman Taylor Bloom and junior offensive lineman Seth Lansman, both of whom have both parents as former SDSU student-athletes.
Bloom's father, Tom, lettered in football from 1987-90 and was a team captain during his senior season. His mother, Angie (Jensen), played softball at SDSU.
Lansman's father, Howard, lettered in football from 1984-85, while his mother, Tara (Tessier) was a standout women's basketball player from 1985-88. Tara Lansman was inducted into the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame in the fall of 2014.
Another returning Jackrabbit with family ties to Jackrabbit Athletics is sophomore defensive end Mason Leiseth, whose father, David, lettered in football for SDSU from 1989-91 and also was a three-time All-American in the shot put.
Several members of the Jackrabbit freshman class also have family ties to South Dakota State Athletics. Quarterback Taryn Christion's mother, Heather, played volleyball at SDSU and fullback Turner Blasius' father, Justin, was an NCAA Division II national wrestling champion.
In addition, Sam Zenner and Clark Wieneke have had siblings compete for the Jackrabbits. Zenner's older brother, Zach, completed a standout career at SDSU in 2014 and is now a member of the Detroit Lions. His older sister, Abby, is a school-record holder in the 50-yard freestyle for the Jackrabbit women's swimming and diving team.
Clark Wieneke's older brother, Jake, set numerous school and conference freshman receiving records in 2014.
Finally, freshman kicker Chase Vinatieri is the nephew of former Jackrabbit and current Indianapolis Colts standout kicker Adam Vinatieri.
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.
EIDSNESS PROMOTED: Longtime assistant Eric Eidsness has been promoted to associate head coach, South Dakota State University head football coach John Stiegelmeier announced prior to the start of the 2015 season.
Eidsness, who will continue to serve as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, has been an assistant under Stiegelmeier on three different occasions. His first stint was as a graduate assistant during the 1996 and 1997 seasons, coaching the team's receivers. After a season at Ferris State (Mich.), he returned to SDSU as offensive coordinator in 1999 and directed the team's offense to an average of 27.6 points per game over five seasons.
A Sioux Falls native, Eidsness left SDSU after the 2003 season to become head coach at Southwest Minnesota State University, where he compiled a 26-40 overall record. His 2008 squad posted a 6-5 record for only the eighth winning season in program history.
Eidsness rejoined the Jackrabbit coaching staff in 2010 as quarterbacks coach and was elevated to offensive coordinator following the 2011 season. The Jackrabbits have posted prolific numbers in both the running and passing games en route to three consecutive playoff berths (2012-14), including tallying school-record totals of 3,612 passing yards and 6,092 yards of total offense over a 14-game schedule last season.
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 180-105 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 47-14 mark 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, is slated to be completed in time for the 2015 home opener against Southern Utah 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 open Missouri Valley Football Conference action by hosting four-time defending national champion North Dakota State on Oct. 3.
Kickoff for the Dakota Marker Game is slated for 6 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
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