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South Dakota State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media
Jacks to open new stadium Saturday
9/8/2016 10:45:00 AM | Football
South Dakota State University will usher in a new era of Jackrabbit football Saturday night with the inaugural game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
Kickoff between South Dakota State and Drake is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be televised on Midco Sports Network.
Both teams are in search of their first victories of the season after dropping their season openers on Sept. 3. The Jackrabbits hung with nationally ranked TCU for much of their game in Fort Worth, Texas, last Saturday before falling 59-41. Drake, meanwhile, fell 38-35 at home to NCAA?Division II opponent Quincy.
Saturday's game kicks off a six-game home slate for the Jackrabbits. SDSU is 50-16 at home during the Division I era, which began in 2004.
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THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 11th meeting on the gridiron between SDSU and Drake, but the first meeting in exactly 33 years.
Drake leads the overall series, which dates back to 1945, by an 8-2 count. The Bulldogs won each of the first four matchups, including the first three by shutout, before SDSU broke into the win column in 1958 with a 12-6 victory.
The Jackrabbits won the last matchup between the two squads, however, posting a 20-3 win on Sept. 10, 1983, in Des Moines, Iowa. Quarterback Mike Law completed 16-of-26 passes for 225 yards, with running back Rick Wegher adding 45 yards rushing, 44 receiving yards and recording a 30-yard kickoff return.
Defensively, Dave Fremark led the Jackrabbits with 13 total tackles, including two for loss and a sack. He also broke up a pass.
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HOME OPENERS: South Dakota State has compiled a 15-4 record in previous home openers under head coach John Stiegelmeier.
The Jackrabbits have won five consecutive home openers, starting with a 29-28Â victory over Southern Utah in 2011. The last SDSU loss in a home-opening game was a 24-14 setback at the hands of Illinois State in 2010.
SDSU's current streak of home-opening wins reached five with a 55-10 drubbing of Southern Utah last season, which was highlighted by a three-touchdown performance by Brady Mengarelli and an 11-catch, 205-yard, two-touchdown outing from Jake Wieneke.
The Jackrabbits reeled off eight consecutive wins in home openers between 1998 and 2005.
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VERSUS THE PFL: South Dakota State will be taking on a Pioneer Football League opponent for the third time since moving to the Division I ranks at the start of the 2004 season.
The Jackrabbits have had their offense clicking on all cylinders in each of their first two matchups against a Pioneer opponent, combining to score 124 points. SDSU hosted and defeated Valparaiso, 69-6, in 2005, then recorded a 55-14 win over Butler in the 2013 season opener.
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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.
Despite a 59-41, season-opening loss to nationally ranked TCU of the Football Championship Subdivision, the Jackrabbits showed little movement in this week's polls. SDSU dropped one spot to ninth in the STATS poll and moved up two spots to 12th in the coaches' poll.
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ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only five Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last four seasons.
The four other programs to play in the postseason each year since 2012 include:
• North Dakota State                       Â
• New Hampshire
• Coastal Carolina (S.C.)                              Â
• Sam Houston State (Texas)
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JACKS PICKED THIRD IN VALLEY: The South Dakota State University football team has been picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference during the 2016 season, according to a preseason poll released on Aug. 2.
Five-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 37 of a possible 39 first-place votes and 388 total points.
Northern Iowa received the other two first-place votes to finish second in the preseason poll with 343 points.
Completing the upper half of the 10-team poll were South Dakota State, Illinois State and Youngstown State. North Dakota State, UNI, SDSU, Illinois State and Western Illinois all reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs last season.
Western Illinois checked in at a distant sixth spot in the preseason poll, followed by South Dakota and Southern Illinois. Indiana State and Missouri State completed the rankings.
In addition, five SDSU players were named to the MVFC Preseason Team. Leading the Jackrabbit contingent was junior wide receiver Jake Wieneke, who has been a two-time first-team all-league pick (2014, 2015). Wieneke set a single-season league record in 2015 with 1,472 receiving yards. He ended the year with 72 receptions and 11 touchdowns en route to earning All-America honors for the second year in a row.
Fellow 2015 first-team all-MVFC performer Dallas Goedert joined Wieneke on the preseason honor squad at the tight end spot. A junior from Britton, Goedert hauled in 26 receptions for 484 yards and three touchdowns last season to rank second on the team in all receiving categories.
Completing the Jackrabbit offense's preseason honorees was junior center Jacob Ohnesorge. The native of Waunakee, Wisconsin, has started all 26 games over the past two seasons and was a second-team all-MVFC selection a year ago.
On defense, senior defensive tackle Cole Langer received preseason accolades. The Dell Rapids native tallied 43 total tackles, including team bests of 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks to earn second-team all-league honors.
Rounding out the Jackrabbit preseason individual honorees was senior linebacker Jesse Bobbit, who was an honorable mention selection. Bobbit ranked second on the team last season with 97 tackles.
North Dakota State had the most preseason all-MVFC selections with eight, followed by SDSU, Illinois State and Northern Iowa with five each.
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PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: The Jackrabbits' top two receivers from a season ago, wide receiver Jake Wieneke and tight end Dallas Goedert, were both been recognized on preseason All-America teams leading into the 2016 season.
Jake Wieneke, a junior wide receiver from Maple Grove, Minnesota, earned first-team preseason accolades from both STATS?and HERO?Sports after a 2015 season in which he caught 72 passes for a Missouri Valley Football Conference-record 1,472 yards with 11 touchdowns. He also is being considered for FCS?Offensive Player of the Year awards by both STATS?and College Football Performance Awards on preseason watch lists.
Wieneke has been selected to All-America teams each of his first two seasons with the Jackrabbits, including first-team recognition from STATS and the Associated Press last year.
 A junior tight end from Britton, Goedert was a second-team selection to the STATS?squad after earning all-MVFC honors in 2015. He ranked second on the squad with 26 receptions, 484 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season.
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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 27 games at center over the past three seasons.
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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.
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.
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OFF TO THE RACES: Sophomore running back Isaac Wallace scored on an 87-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter of the Jackrabbits' Sept. 3 season opener at TCU.
It marked the first time since Nov. 8, 2014, when Jake Wieneke scored on a 91-yard pass and Zach Zenner posted a 94-yard touchdown run that the Jackrabbits had a
scoring play from scrimmage longer than 80 yards.
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NEW STARTERS LEAD DEFENSE: Two new starters on the Jackrabbit defense were among the leading tacklers for the unit in the Sept. 3 season opener at TCU.
Cornerback Anthony Washington, a junior college transfer, led the squad with 11Â tackles, while redshirt freshman linebacker Christian Rozeboom was one of three Jackrabbits to tally eight tackles in the contest.
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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.
Three 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.
Finally, freshman kicker Chase Vinatieri is the nephew of former Jackrabbit and current Indianapolis Colts standout kicker Adam Vinatieri.
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ACADEMIC?HONORS: For the eighth season in a row, South Dakota State claimed the Missouri Valley Football Conference Team Academic Award, compiling a 2.97 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 Jackrabbits will be presented the Team Academic Award during the Sept. 17 game against Cal Poly.
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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.
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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.
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 nearly half of the project's construction, with the remaining amount coming from private support.
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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. It marked the Jackrabbits' first overtime loss in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game after previously winning double-overtime decisions at Missouri State in 2011 and versus Northern Iowa in 2013.
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.)
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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.
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STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show airs each Monday throughout the 2016 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.
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A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue their three-game homestand Sept. 17 by hosting Cal Poly in the 50th Annual Beef Bowl. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, which will be preceded by a beef barbecue south of the stadium.
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Kickoff between South Dakota State and Drake is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will be televised on Midco Sports Network.
Both teams are in search of their first victories of the season after dropping their season openers on Sept. 3. The Jackrabbits hung with nationally ranked TCU for much of their game in Fort Worth, Texas, last Saturday before falling 59-41. Drake, meanwhile, fell 38-35 at home to NCAA?Division II opponent Quincy.
Saturday's game kicks off a six-game home slate for the Jackrabbits. SDSU is 50-16 at home during the Division I era, which began in 2004.
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THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 11th meeting on the gridiron between SDSU and Drake, but the first meeting in exactly 33 years.
Drake leads the overall series, which dates back to 1945, by an 8-2 count. The Bulldogs won each of the first four matchups, including the first three by shutout, before SDSU broke into the win column in 1958 with a 12-6 victory.
The Jackrabbits won the last matchup between the two squads, however, posting a 20-3 win on Sept. 10, 1983, in Des Moines, Iowa. Quarterback Mike Law completed 16-of-26 passes for 225 yards, with running back Rick Wegher adding 45 yards rushing, 44 receiving yards and recording a 30-yard kickoff return.
Defensively, Dave Fremark led the Jackrabbits with 13 total tackles, including two for loss and a sack. He also broke up a pass.
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HOME OPENERS: South Dakota State has compiled a 15-4 record in previous home openers under head coach John Stiegelmeier.
The Jackrabbits have won five consecutive home openers, starting with a 29-28Â victory over Southern Utah in 2011. The last SDSU loss in a home-opening game was a 24-14 setback at the hands of Illinois State in 2010.
SDSU's current streak of home-opening wins reached five with a 55-10 drubbing of Southern Utah last season, which was highlighted by a three-touchdown performance by Brady Mengarelli and an 11-catch, 205-yard, two-touchdown outing from Jake Wieneke.
The Jackrabbits reeled off eight consecutive wins in home openers between 1998 and 2005.
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VERSUS THE PFL: South Dakota State will be taking on a Pioneer Football League opponent for the third time since moving to the Division I ranks at the start of the 2004 season.
The Jackrabbits have had their offense clicking on all cylinders in each of their first two matchups against a Pioneer opponent, combining to score 124 points. SDSU hosted and defeated Valparaiso, 69-6, in 2005, then recorded a 55-14 win over Butler in the 2013 season opener.
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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.
Despite a 59-41, season-opening loss to nationally ranked TCU of the Football Championship Subdivision, the Jackrabbits showed little movement in this week's polls. SDSU dropped one spot to ninth in the STATS poll and moved up two spots to 12th in the coaches' poll.
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ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only five Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last four seasons.
The four other programs to play in the postseason each year since 2012 include:
• North Dakota State                       Â
• New Hampshire
• Coastal Carolina (S.C.)                              Â
• Sam Houston State (Texas)
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JACKS PICKED THIRD IN VALLEY: The South Dakota State University football team has been picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference during the 2016 season, according to a preseason poll released on Aug. 2.
Five-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 37 of a possible 39 first-place votes and 388 total points.
Northern Iowa received the other two first-place votes to finish second in the preseason poll with 343 points.
Completing the upper half of the 10-team poll were South Dakota State, Illinois State and Youngstown State. North Dakota State, UNI, SDSU, Illinois State and Western Illinois all reached the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs last season.
Western Illinois checked in at a distant sixth spot in the preseason poll, followed by South Dakota and Southern Illinois. Indiana State and Missouri State completed the rankings.
In addition, five SDSU players were named to the MVFC Preseason Team. Leading the Jackrabbit contingent was junior wide receiver Jake Wieneke, who has been a two-time first-team all-league pick (2014, 2015). Wieneke set a single-season league record in 2015 with 1,472 receiving yards. He ended the year with 72 receptions and 11 touchdowns en route to earning All-America honors for the second year in a row.
Fellow 2015 first-team all-MVFC performer Dallas Goedert joined Wieneke on the preseason honor squad at the tight end spot. A junior from Britton, Goedert hauled in 26 receptions for 484 yards and three touchdowns last season to rank second on the team in all receiving categories.
Completing the Jackrabbit offense's preseason honorees was junior center Jacob Ohnesorge. The native of Waunakee, Wisconsin, has started all 26 games over the past two seasons and was a second-team all-MVFC selection a year ago.
On defense, senior defensive tackle Cole Langer received preseason accolades. The Dell Rapids native tallied 43 total tackles, including team bests of 10 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks to earn second-team all-league honors.
Rounding out the Jackrabbit preseason individual honorees was senior linebacker Jesse Bobbit, who was an honorable mention selection. Bobbit ranked second on the team last season with 97 tackles.
North Dakota State had the most preseason all-MVFC selections with eight, followed by SDSU, Illinois State and Northern Iowa with five each.
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PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: The Jackrabbits' top two receivers from a season ago, wide receiver Jake Wieneke and tight end Dallas Goedert, were both been recognized on preseason All-America teams leading into the 2016 season.
Jake Wieneke, a junior wide receiver from Maple Grove, Minnesota, earned first-team preseason accolades from both STATS?and HERO?Sports after a 2015 season in which he caught 72 passes for a Missouri Valley Football Conference-record 1,472 yards with 11 touchdowns. He also is being considered for FCS?Offensive Player of the Year awards by both STATS?and College Football Performance Awards on preseason watch lists.
Wieneke has been selected to All-America teams each of his first two seasons with the Jackrabbits, including first-team recognition from STATS and the Associated Press last year.
 A junior tight end from Britton, Goedert was a second-team selection to the STATS?squad after earning all-MVFC honors in 2015. He ranked second on the squad with 26 receptions, 484 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season.
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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 27 games at center over the past three seasons.
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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.
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.
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OFF TO THE RACES: Sophomore running back Isaac Wallace scored on an 87-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter of the Jackrabbits' Sept. 3 season opener at TCU.
It marked the first time since Nov. 8, 2014, when Jake Wieneke scored on a 91-yard pass and Zach Zenner posted a 94-yard touchdown run that the Jackrabbits had a
scoring play from scrimmage longer than 80 yards.
Â
NEW STARTERS LEAD DEFENSE: Two new starters on the Jackrabbit defense were among the leading tacklers for the unit in the Sept. 3 season opener at TCU.
Cornerback Anthony Washington, a junior college transfer, led the squad with 11Â tackles, while redshirt freshman linebacker Christian Rozeboom was one of three Jackrabbits to tally eight tackles in the contest.
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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.
Three 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.
Finally, freshman kicker Chase Vinatieri is the nephew of former Jackrabbit and current Indianapolis Colts standout kicker Adam Vinatieri.
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ACADEMIC?HONORS: For the eighth season in a row, South Dakota State claimed the Missouri Valley Football Conference Team Academic Award, compiling a 2.97 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 Jackrabbits will be presented the Team Academic Award during the Sept. 17 game against Cal Poly.
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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.
Â
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.
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 nearly half of the project's construction, with the remaining amount coming from private support.
Â
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. It marked the Jackrabbits' first overtime loss in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game after previously winning double-overtime decisions at Missouri State in 2011 and versus Northern Iowa in 2013.
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.)
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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.
Â
STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show airs each Monday throughout the 2016 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.
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A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue their three-game homestand Sept. 17 by hosting Cal Poly in the 50th Annual Beef Bowl. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, which will be preceded by a beef barbecue south of the stadium.
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-GoJacks.com-
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