Playoff opener set for Saturday

Saturday, December 3

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Villanova

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Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

11/29/2016 9:20:00 PM | Football

SDSU FOOTBALL NOTES, 11-29-16 SDSU Football Notes, 11-29-16

The South Dakota State University football team will make its 2016 postseason debut Saturday afternoon, hosting Villanova in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. Central Time at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The game will air on ESPN3.com.
The Jackrabbits, seeded eighth, enter the matchup with an 8-3 overall record. SDSU, which earned a first-round bye, earned the automatic berth from the Missouri Valley Football Conference after posting a 7-1 mark in league play.
Villanova, meanwhile, improved to 9-3 overall with a 31-21 home victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) in the opening round of the FCS playoffs on Nov. 26. The Wildcats, who are in the FCS playoffs for the 12th time under head coach Andy Talley, tied for second place in the Colonial Athletic Association regular season with a 6-2 record.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between South Dakota State and Villanova on the gridiron.
Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, SDSU has faced only one other Colonial Athletic Association member, dropping a 26-3 decision at Delaware in the 2010 season opener.

PLAYOFF HISTORY: South Dakota State is making its fifth consecutive appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and sixth overall. The Jackrabbits made their first playoff appearance in 2009 and has been in the tournament field every year since 2012, winning first-round playoff games in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Overall, SDSU has a 3-5 record in the FCS playoffs, with seven of the eight previous matchups taking place against either Big Sky or Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents. The 2016 season marks the first time the Jackrabbits have received a first-round bye.
Saturday's game will mark only the second time SDSU?has hosted a playoff game. The Jackrabbits routed Eastern Illinois, 58-10, in opening-round action in 2012 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
Prior to moving to Division I and the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, SDSU made only one appearance in the NCAA?Division II playoffs (1979).

TITLE RUN: South Dakota State earned a share of its first-ever Missouri Valley Football Conference title with a 45-24 road win at Northern Iowa in the regular season finale on Nov. 19. The Jackrabbits also matched their best record in league play of 7-1, which was first accomplished in 2009. By virtue of their regular season win over co-champion North Dakota State on Oct. 15, the Jackrabbits were awarded the MVFC's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs.
SDSU's last conference title in football came in 2007, when it won the Great West Football Conference championship.

ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of four Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last four seasons.
The three other programs to play in the postseason each year since 2012 include:
• New Hampshire
• North Dakota State
• Sam Houston State (Texas)

NOVEMBERS TO REMEMBER: South Dakota State has a history of finishing the league schedule strong since becoming a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Since joining the MVFC in 2008, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 20-6 record against league foes in the month of November, including a 2-0 mark in 2011 and 3-0 records in 2013 and 2016.

CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are six captains:
• Jesse Bobbit, Sr., linebacker, Palatine, Ill.;
• Shayne Gottlob, Sr., defensive tackle, Salem, S.D.;
• Zach Lujan, Sr., quarterback, Anchorage, Alaska;
• Nick Mears, Sr., safety, Milbank, S.D.;
• Brady Mengarelli, Jr., running back, Prescott, Ariz.;
• Jacob Ohnesorge, Jr., offensive lineman, Waunakee, Wis.
Lujan and Ohnesorge have each been selected as a team captain for the second season. Ohnesorge has started all 37 games at center over the past three seasons.

RABBITS RANKED: For the third time in four years, the South Dakota State University football team entered a season with a top-10 national ranking.
The Jackrabbits checked in at No. 8 in the preseason STATS FCS Poll. SDSU, which posted an 8-4 overall record in 2015 and made its fourth consecutive appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, returns 15 starters. SDSU also was recognized in the FCS Coaches' Preseason Poll with a 14th-place showing.
In the latest national rankings, released Nov. 21, the Jackrabbits moved up in all three major FCS polls, gaining one spot to seventh in both the STATS?and HERO Sports media polls, while moving up three spots to seventh in the FCS coaches' rankings.

THREE ON PAYTON LIST: An unprecedented three Jackrabbits were included in the list of finalists for the 2016 STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Junior tight end Dallas Goedert was added to the official watch list in early November, joining junior wide receiver Jake Wieneke and sophomore quarterback Taryn Christion.
A national panel of over 150 sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries will select the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award following the regular season. Also this season, STATS will present the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS defensive player of the year), the Jerry Rice Award (FCS freshman player of the year), the Eddie Robinson Award (FCS coach of the year) and the Doris Robinson FCS Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The awards will be presented in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 6, 2017, on the eve of the FCS national championship game.

ROZEBOOM AMONG TOP FCS FRESHMEN: South Dakota State middle linebacker Christian Rozeboom has been named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award for the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision.
Rozeboom was honored twice this season as the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week, earning the award for the first time after registering 10 stops and returning an interception 37 yards for a touchdown Oct. 1 against Western Illinois. He was honored again for his efforts in SDSU's Oct. 15 win at top-ranked North Dakota State, where he recorded a team-high 12 tackles, including a key sack.
Rozeboom is the lone MVFC?player named as a STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award finalist.

CHRISTION RACKING UP YARDS: SDSU quarterback Taryn Christion completed a memorable month of October with three games of 400-plus yards of total offense. A sophomore from Sioux Falls, Christion set a new Jackrabbit now holds the top three single-game total offense outputs in program history — all of which have come in road games. Those performances include:
• 475 yards (school-record 466 passing, 9 rushing) at Southern Illinois, 10-8-16
• 456 yards (430 passing, 26 rushing) at Illinois State, 10-29-16
• 444 yards (303 passing, career-high 141 rushing) at North Dakota State, 10-15-16
Christion set a new Jackrabbit single-season record for total offense in the Nov. 5 game against Missouri State and has now tallied 3,754 yards (3,369 passing, 385 rushing). With 29 touchdown passes thus far in 2016, Christion also is poised to surpass Ryan Berry's single-season school record of 30 set in 2008.
In the latest NCAA?statistics, Christion ranks in the top 10 in eight different offensive categories, Both his 29 passing touchdowns and average of 341.3 yards of total offense per game rank fourth among FCS quarterbacks.

TWO FOR 1,000: The Jackrabbit receiving duo of Dallas Goedert and Jake Wieneke each reached the 1,000-yard mark for receiving in the Jackrabbits' victory over Missouri State on Nov. 5, becoming the first pair of teammates to reach the plateau in the same season in program history.
Goedert and Wieneke each recorded 100-plus yards receiving in the same game for the sixth time this season in the Nov. 5 win over Missouri State.

ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Junior tight end Dallas Goedert tied a 67-year-old single-game school record with his four touchdown receptions Oct. 1 against Western Illinois. Don Bartlett had held the record all by himself since catching four touchdown passes against North Dakota State in 1949.
Goedert had his streak of seven consecutive games with a touchdown reception dating back to a 2015 FCS playoff game at Montana end in the Oct. 22 game against Youngstown State. He ranks 17th in the FCS with 10 touchdown receptions so far this season and added his first career rushing touchdown in the Oct. 8 win at Southern Illinois.
In addition, Goedert currently leads all Division I tight ends in receiving yards in 2016, with 1,146 yards on 78 catches.

CHRISTION'S STRING ENDS: South Dakota State quarterback Taryn Christion had his streak of consecutive passes thrown without an interception end on his final attempt of the Jackrabbits' game against Cal Poly on Sept. 17. Christion did not throw an interception in his first 90 attempts of the 2016 season and had his streak grow to 133 attempts dating back to the 2015 campaign.
The longest streak on record for consecutive attempts without an interception by a Jackrabbit quarterback is 155 by Brad Nelson between the 2003 (last 143 passes) and 2004 (first 12 passes) seasons.

SOULEK RACKS UP SACKS: Junior defensive tackle Kellen Soulek recorded the third two-sack game of the season Nov. 12 against South Dakota. The Yankton native upped his team-leading sack total to seven — all of which have come against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents.
Soulek also notched two sacks in wins at Southern Illinois and against Youngstown State.

GROUND GAME COMES ALIVE: Since the calendar flipped to November, the South Dakota State offense has been powered by a strong running game. Twelve of the 17 touchdowns the Jackrabbits have scored over the last three games have been rushing touchdowns, including three each by Isaac Wallace, Taryn Christion and Kyle Paris.
SDSU tallied a combined 762 rushing yards (254 yards per game) in wins over Missouri State, South Dakota and Northern Iowa, including a season-best 415 yards against its in-state rivals. That rushing output was the most by a Jackrabbit team since racking up 434 yards against Eastern Illinois in a Football Championship Subdivision playoff game in 2012. The 2012 playoff game also marked the last time before the Nov. 12 game that the Jackrabbits had two backs go over 100 yards in the same game as Brady Mengarelli (161 yards) and Wallace (102) accomplished the feat against South Dakota.
The Jackrabbits recorded 12 rushes of 10 yards or more against USD, including seven that went for 20-plus yards.

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS: South Dakota State has dominated the third quarter of games this season, outscoring the opposition by a 122-56 margin through 11 games. The Jackrabbits have scored a touchdown in the third quarter of every game this season, while blanking their opponents six times, including a 24-0 advantage Oct. 1 against Western Illinois and a 21-0 spread Nov. 5 versus Missouri State.

TURNOVER MARGIN: Since the start of the 2015 season, South Dakota State has been one of the top teams in the Football Championship Subdivision when it comes to hanging on to the football. The Jackrabbits ranked second in the FCS with only 11 turnovers last season (9 interceptions, 2 fumbles) and are tied for eighth in the FCS for the fewest in the subdivision so far in 2016 with 12 turnovers (8 INTs, 4 fumbles).
Conversely, SDSU forced 16 turnovers last season (10 interceptions and 6 fumbles) and has 22 takeaways (15 interceptions, 7 fumble recoveries) so far this season.
The Jackrabbits forced a season-high four turnovers — three interceptions and one fumble recovery — in their last action, Nov. 19 at Northern Iowa.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: South Dakota State scored in all three phases of the game in its 56-28 victory over Drake on Sept. 10. The Jackrabbit defense posted a touchdown late in the third quarter as defensive end Jared Blum intercepted a screen pass at the Drake 3-yard line and scored.
In the fourth quarter, reserve linebacker Cody Hazelett blocked a punt, which Jake Harms picked up at the Drake 2-yard line and ran in for a touchdown. It was the first time SDSU scored on a blocked punt in any game since 2009, and in a home game for the first time since 1993.
The Jackrabbits' three interceptions marked their most in a game since picking off three passes in a 31-28 win at Northern Iowa on Oct. 18, 2014.

PICK-SIX TIMES FOUR: South Dakota State defenders have returned four interceptions for touchdowns during the 2016 season. Two of those pick-six returns came in a 52-14 victory over Western Illinois on Oct. 1, marking the first time the Jackrabbits returned two interceptions for scores in the same game since a Nov. 10, 2007, contest against Southern Utah. Both of the interception returns came in the third quarter — 37 yards by Christian Rozeboom and 19 yards by Dallas Brown.
Jared Blum (3 yards versus Drake) and Kellen Soulek (65 yards against Northern Iowa) have the two other interception returns for touchdowns.
The Jackrabbits' 14 interceptions as a team so far this season have come from nine different players. Senior linebacker Dallas Brown leads the team with three interceptions.

FAMILY TRADITION: Redshirt freshman kicker Chase Vinatieri turned in an impressive collegiate debut against TCU on Sept. 3 to lead the Jackrabbits' special teams unit.
The nephew of former Jackrabbit and current Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, Chase Vinatieri connected on field goals of 25 and 37 yards, and made all five of his extra-point tries, for 11 points.
For the season, Chase Vinatieri has made 9-of-15 field goal tries and all 54 extra-point attempts to rank second on the team with 81 points. Vinatieri's 54 PATs (in 54 atteampts) has set a new single-season school record, eclipsing the previous mark of 50 PATs (in 50 attempts) by All-American Justin Syrovatka during the 2014 season
During his career at SDSU from 1991-94, Adam Vinatieri made a then-school-record 27 field goals and was a NCAA Division II All-American as a punter his senior season.

JACKRABBIT BLOODLINES: Senior 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 Seth Lansman, whose parents are both former SDSU student-athletes. 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 are brothers Mason and Tristan Leiseth, whose father, David, lettered in football for SDSU from 1989-91 and also was a three-time All-American in the shot put.
Two other sets of brothers are on the 2016 Jackrabbit roster: Jake and Clark Wieneke, along with Jacob and Jordan Brown.
Two other 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.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Repeat selections Nick Mears and Jake Wieneke, along with running back Brady Mengarelli, were named Nov. 3 as South Dakota State's representatives on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 Football Team.
All three players will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration later this month. SDSU and North Dakota State led the district with three selections each.
A senior from Milbank, Mears earned a spot on the honor squad for the third consecutive year with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in economics. In 2015, Mears was also selected a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team.
Wieneke, a junior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, was voted to the team for the second year in a row with a 3.60 GPA as a physical education/teacher education major. He was a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team in 2015.
A junior from Prescott, Arizona, Mengarelli received his first selection to the academic all-district squad with a 3.52 GPA while majoring in exercise science. He led the team with 742 rushing yards a season ago and again leads the squad with 479 yards in 2016.
Selections to the Academic All-District 6 Football 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 25 players from 15 different institutions named to the honor squad.

TEAM?ACADEMIC?HONORS: For the eighth season in a row, South Dakota State claimed the Missouri Valley Football Conference Team Academic Award, compiling a 3.084 team grade-point average during the 2015 season. The Jackrabbits have received the award every year they have been a member of the MVFC.
Also during the 2015 season, three Jackrabbit football student-athletes were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team. Nick Mears was a first-team selection, while Shayne Gottlob and Jake Wieneke were second-team honorees.
The Jacks were presented the Team Academic Award by MVFC Commissioner Patty Viverito during the Sept. 17 game against Cal Poly.

FAREWELL TO COUGHLIN: The 2015 campaign marked the 54th — and final — season of Jackrabbit football at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. Since opening on Sept. 22, 1962, SDSU compiled a 181-108 record (.626 winning percentage) on its home field.
Since moving to the NCAA?Division I Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, the Jackrabbits posted a 50-16 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 in the fall of 2014, 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.
Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 19,340 replaces Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, which served as the home of Jackrabbit football since 1962. The new stadium was built in phases on the current Coughlin-Alumni Stadium site, with completion scheduled in time for the Sept. 10 season opener against Drake.
The first phase of the stadium project, which included 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 September 2015.
The $65 million project was approved by the South Dakota Legislature in March 2014 and signed into law by Gov. Dennis Daugaard. The new west tower includes premium seating — club seats, loge boxes and suites — as well as a spacious press box and other amenities.
The stadium is being funded through private gifts and long-term revenue streams, including concessions and suite, loge box and ticket sales. Bonds are being secured to finance nearly half of the project's construction, with the remaining amount coming from private support.

JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2016 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 2016 football season.
The show airs at 6 p.m. (Central Time) 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 also features 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, they will face the winner between San Diego and top-seeded North Dakota State in quarterfinal action either Dec. 9 or 10.

-GoJacks.com-