Jackrabbits host UNI on Hobo Day

Saturday, October 14

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Northern Iowa

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

10/10/2017 4:29:00 PM | Football

By: Jason Hove

GAME 6: Northern Iowa (2-3, 1-1 MVFC) at #7/7 South Dakota State (4-1, 1-1 MVFC)

When	Saturday, Oct. 14 \| 2 p.m. Central Time	104th Hobo Day Game
Where	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium \| Brookings, S.D.
TV	Midco Sports Network \| Jackrabbits All-Access (subscription)
Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Northern Iowa \| Missouri Valley Football Conference
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

BROOKINGS, S.D. — The South Dakota State University football team closes out a two-game homestand Saturday afternoon by hosting Northern Iowa in the 104th Hobo Day Game.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, with television coverage on Midco Sports Network.The Hobo Day game is sponsored by Coca-Cola, with AARP of South Dakota serving as associate sponsor.
The Jackrabbits, who are ranked seventh in both the STATS FCS media poll and the FCS coaches' rankings this week, enter Saturday's game with a 4-1 overall record, including a 1-1 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. SDSU bounced back from its first loss of the season, Sept. 30 at Youngstown State, by opening the league home slate Oct. 7 with a convincing 49-14 victory over Southern Illinois.
UNI, meanwhile, comes into Saturday's matchup with a 2-3 overall mark and 1-1 record in league play. The Panthers fell at home in the final seconds, 38-29, to Western Illinois last weekend at the UNI-Dome.
SDSU will be attempting to match its longest home winning streak of the Division I era as it has won eight games in a row at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The Jackrabbits have lost only one game in their new home, a 38-31 setback to Cal Poly in the second game ever played in the stadium, on Sept. 17, 2016.
The Jackrabbits put together a nine-game home winning streak between the 2011 and 2013 seasons, including a perfect 6-0 home mark at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in 2012.
Overall, SDSU has a 60-38-5 record in its homecoming game. The Jackrabbits ended a three-game Hobo Day losing streak last season with a 24-10 victory over Youngstown State.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 52nd meeting on the gridiron between South Dakota State and Northern Iowa. The two squads met regularly from the time the series started in 1935 until UNI (formerly Iowa Teachers College) left the North Central Conference in the late 1970s to join the Division I ranks.
UNI holds a 29-20-2 advantage in the series, including a 7-4 advantage since SDSU joined the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004. The road team has won each of the last three meetings, including a 10-7 victory by the Panthers in the 2015 Hobo Day game, which was the last to be played at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
In last season's meeting, Nov. 19, 2016, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Jackrabbits clinched a share of their first-ever MVFC title with a 45-24 victory. SDSU forced four turnovers, including a 65-yard interception return for touchdown by Kellen Soulek that provided the final tally in a 17-point fourth quarter.
SDSU quarterback Taryn Christion accounted for four touchdowns — throwing two touchdowns to Jake Wieneke, catching a 16-yard TD pass from Wieneke midway through the first quarter and running for a score in the third quarter.

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

RABBITS RANKED: For the fourth time in five years, the South Dakota State University football team entered a season with a top-10 national ranking. The Jackrabbits attained their highest-ever ranking in a Football Championship Subdivision poll, checking in at No. 4 in the 2017 STATS FCS Preseason Poll, which was released in early August. SDSU also was ranked sixth in the preseason FCS Coaches' Poll.
Following their win over Southern Illinois, the Jackrabbits are now ranked seventh in both polls. SDSU had spent four weeks ranked fourth in both major polls prior to their 19-7 loss at Youngstown State on Sept. 30.
Defending national champion James Madison holds the top spot in both national polls, followed by North Dakota State and Jacksonville State.
Four other MVFC squads are included in this week's top 25 of the STATS media poll: South Dakota (fourth), Youngstown State (eighth), Western Illinois (14th) and Illinois State (17th). Northern Iowa is receiving votes.
SDSU's previous highest ranking was a fifth-place showing over three weeks during the 2015 season. The Jackrabbits' previous high ranking in a preseason poll was sixth in 2013.
SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 71 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

VALLEY PREVIEW: Last year's Missouri Valley Football Conference co-champions appear to be on a collision course again in 2017. A single vote separates top pick North Dakota State from second-place South Dakota State in the MVFC pre-season poll, which was released July 25. It marks the tightest vote for a pre-season favorite in league history.
NDSU picked up 21 of 40 first-place votes and a total of 380 points, while the Jackrabbits earned the other 19 first-place votes and 379 points. Youngstown State was tabbed third with 290 points.
In nine previous seasons as a league member, SDSU has finished at or higher than its preseason selection seven times. In 2016, the Jackrabbits were picked to finish third before winning a share of their first-ever MVFC title.
Northern Iowa (255 points) and Illinois State (246) completed the upper half of the poll, which was conducted among league coaches and sports information directors, as well as select media.
Rounding out the poll were Western Illinois (188), South Dakota (182), Southern Illinois (132), Missouri State (81) and Indiana State (67).
The league is coming off a season in which four teams — NDSU, SDSU, Youngstown State and Illinois State — represented the conference in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. The MVFC has had four or more playoff teams in three straight seasons.
Additionally, 10 South Dakota State University players, including a league-best nine first-team selections, were named to the 2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference Preseason Team.
Seven of the Jackrabbits' selections came on the offensive side of the ball, highlighted by returning MVFC Offensive Player of the Year Taryn Christion. A junior quarterback from Sioux Falls, Christion set a school record with 3,714 passing yards and tied a program mark with 30 touchdown passes in 2016. He also ran for 335 yards and six scores.
Two of Christion's primary targets from a year ago and fellow first-team all-MVFC honors, senior tight end Dallas Goedert and senior wide receiver Jake Wieneke, also return. A Britton native, Goedert established a new Jackrabbit single-season record with 92 receptions, while tallying 1,293 receiving yards and 11 scores in 2016 en route to being named a unanimous All-America selection.
Wieneke earned All-America honors for the third season in a row after catching 78 passes for 1,316 yards and matching his own school record with 16 touchdowns in 2016.
Another leader from the Jackrabbits' potent offensive attack, senior running back Brady Mengarelli, also was named to the MVFC Preseason Team. Mengarelli has led the team in rushing each of the past two seasons, including 754 yards in 2016. He also contributed 34 receptions for 333 yards last season.
Completing the Jackrabbits selections on offense were fullback Kane Louscher, center Jacob Ohnesorge and tackle Charlie Harmon. Ohnesorge was a first-team all-conference selection in 2016 and later received All-America recognition from HERO Sports.
The defensive contingent for the Jackrabbits is comprised of senior defensive tackle Kellen Soulek and sophomore linebacker Christian Rozeboom. A Yankton native, Soulek led the team in 2016 with 10 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks en route to second-team all-MVFC honors.
Rozeboom, a native of Sioux Center, Iowa, was named MVFC Freshman of the Year in 2016 and finished second in the voting for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision after racking up a team-best 132 tackles and adding three sacks and a pair of interceptions.
Rounding out the Jackrabbits' preseason all-MVFC selections was junior punter Brady Hale, who earned honorable mention recognition. Hale averaged 42.6 yards per attempt on 47 punts a season ago.

NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LISTS: Four Jackrabbit football players have been included in preseason watch lists for top awards within the Football Championship Subdivision.
An unprecedented three SDSU football players who were finalists for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award last season are again included in the initial watch list for the 2017 award. Representing the Jackrabbits on the list for the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision are junior quarterback Taryn Christion, senior wide receiver Jake Wieneke and senior tight end Dallas Goedert.
Christion was the highest finisher among the Jackrabbit trio in the 2016 balloting with a seventh-place finish. Wieneke finished 10th, with Goedert placing 14th.
On the other side of the ball, linebacker Christian Rozeboom was included in the preseason watch list for the STATS?FCS?Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player in the FCS.
The watch lists for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award and STATS?FCS?Buck Buchanan Award will be updated periodically throughout the 2017 season. The awards will be presented Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas, on the eve of the FCS national title game.
All four players were also named to the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team. Goedert, Wieneke and senior center Jacob Ohnesorge were honored on the first-team offense, with Rozeboom earning first-team distinction on the defensive side of the ball.
Christion and senior fullback Kane Louscher were both third-team selections on offense.

CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are six captains:
• Taryn Christion, Jr., quarterback, Sioux Falls, S.D.;
• Dallas Goedert, Sr., tight end, Britton, S.D.;
• Brady Mengarelli, Sr., running back, Prescott, Ariz.;
• Jacob Ohnesorge, Sr., offensive lineman, Waunakee, Wis.;
• Christian Rozeboom, So., linebacker, Sioux Center, Iowa, and
• Jake Wieneke, Sr., wide receiver, Maple Grove, Minn.
Ohnesorge, who is a two-time MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week this season, is in his third season as a team captain, joining former quarterback Austin Sumner (2010-13) as the only three-time captain in program history. Mengarelli is in his second season as a captain, while the four other captains are all in their first years.

FAST STARTS: South Dakota State has dominated the first quarter of games so far this season, outscoring opponents by a 56-7 margin. Through five games, the Jackrabbits have scored on nine of their 12 first-quarter possessions, kicking one field goal and scoring eight touchdowns.
The Jackrabbits scored on all five of their offensive possessions in the first half of their Oct. 7 game versus Southern Illinois in building a 35-0 halftime lead.

THIRD-DOWN SUCCESS: Through five games, the South Dakota State offense leads the Football Championship Subdivision in third-down conversion percentage. The Jackrabbits have converted 36-of-58 third-down attempts for a success rate of 62.1 percent so far this season, including 11-of-15 attempts versus Southern Illinois last week.
SDSU also is a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth-down attempts in 2017.

PENALTY-FREE ZONE: The Jackrabbits committed only one penalty for 15 yards in their Sept. 30 matchup at Youngstown State. It marked the fifth time in the Division I era (since 2004) that SDSU committed only one penalty in a game.
For the season, the Jackrabbits rank 12th among FCS?teams in fewest penalties committed with 23 and stand 11th in fewest penalty yards with 203.

JACKRABBITS HONORED: SDSU picked up a pair of Missouri Valley Football Conference awards following the Jackrabbits' 49-14 win over Southern Illinois last week as tight end Skyler Cavanaugh was named Newcomer of the Week and Jacob Ohnesorge earned Offensive Lineman of the Week recognition.
A true freshman from Vail, Arizona, Cavanaugh caught a season-high four passes for 53 yards and his first career touchdown. Cavanaugh's touchdown in the first quarter covered 16 yards and he added a season-long 20-yard reception later in the game.
A senior center from Waunakee, Wisconsin, Ohnesorge graded at 97 percent with 12 knockdown blocks. He did not allow a sack or a hit on the quarterback in a penalty-free game.
Ohnesorge anchored a Jackrabbit offensive unit that racked up 584 yards of total offense, including a season-high 368 rushing yards. Ohnesorge also received the weekly offensive lineman award for his efforts against Drake on Sept. 16.

CHRISTION MOVING ON UP: Junior quarterback Taryn Christion moved into the top three of a three different career categories when the Jackrabbits defeated Southern Illinois last week. Christion moved into the No. 2 spot for career passing yards at SDSU with 6,065, overtaking both Ted Wahl (6,016 yards from 1985-88) and Ryan Berry (6,023 yards from 2005-08) with a 216-yard performance against the Salukis. Austin Sumner holds the SDSU career passing record with 9,458 yards from 2011-14.
Christion also moved into third place in career total offense with 6,957 yards, moving past 2017 Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame inductee Josh Ranek (6,745 yards from 1997-2001).
In addition, Christion took over the No. 3 spot in career touchdown passes with 49 after a four-touchdown performance against Southern Utah. He passed Brad Nelson (47 touchdowns from 2001-04).

WIENEKE SCORES 50th TD: Jackrabbit wide receiver Jake Wieneke reached another career milestone with his 50th touchdown reception in the Jackrabbits' Oct. 7 win over Southern Illinois. A senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke moved into a four-way tie for fourth place in FCS history with Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State, 1981-84), John Matthews (San Diego, 2005-08) and Ramses Barden (Cal Poly, 2005-08). His 50 career touchdown receptions are both SDSU and MVFC career marks.
A three-time All-American, Wieneke has caught a touchdown pass in 30 of 44 career games, including four of five this season. He has recorded two or more scores in a game 14 times.
Coupled with a three-reception, 27-yard outing versus Southern Illinois, Wieneke now ranks fifth in FCS history with a school- and league-record 4,453 receiving yards. He established a new Jackrabbit career mark for receptions in the season opener and enters Saturday's game with 245.

MENGARELLI MAKES TOP-10 RUN: Following a career-high 220 yards rushing in SDSU's win over Southern Illinois last week, senior running back Brady Mengarelli is poised to move into the Jackrabbit career top 10 in Saturday's game.
The team's leading rusher each of the past two seasons, Mengarelli enters today's game with 2,163 career rushing yards and needs only five to pass Gary Maffett (2,167 yards from 1977-79) for 10th place.
A native of Prescott, Arizona, Mengarelli again leads SDSU in rushing this season with 335 yards, while averaging 7.1 yards per carry.

LOWERING THE BOOM: South Dakota State linebacker Christian Rozeboom turned in the ninth double-digit tackling performance of his career in a losing effort Sept. 30 at Youngstown State. Rozeboom's game-high 14 tackles marked the second-highest single-game total in his two-year career.
Rozeboom currently leads the Jackrabbits in tackles this season with 35.

BLOCK THAT KICK: The Jackrabbits have excelled on special teams throughout the 2017 season and currently rank second in the Football Championship Subdivision with four blocked kicks. SDSU recorded a blocked kick — two extra points and a punt — in each of its first three games, than ran its total to four with a blocked punt by Alex Romenesko on the opening possession of the game last week against Southern Illinois.
SDSU blocked a total of three kicks in 2016.

ROLE REVERSAL: South Dakota State flipped the script from its conference-opening loss at Youngstown State with a convincing win over Southern Illinois on Oct. 7. Against YSU, the Jackrabbits were limited to 37 offensive plays and held the ball for only 14 minutes and 46 seconds in a 19-7 defeat.
Against Southern Illinois, however, the SDSU offense was in full gear as the Jacks ran 86 offensive plays (compared to 42 by SIU), held a 584-263 advantage in total offense and controlled the clock by a better than 2-to-1 margin (41:30 to 18:30).

MOVE THOSE CHAINS: The Jackrabbits established a Division I-era record with 35 first downs in their Oct. 7 game against Southern Illinois. SDSU ran for 17 first downs, while 13 of Taryn Christion's 16 completions went for first downs in the passing game. SDSU also picked up five first downs on SIU penalties.
Previously, the most Jackrabbit first downs in a game since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision was 31 in a losing effort last season at Illinois State.
The single-game school record for first downs is 37, a mark first set in 1984 in a game at Wyoming, and matched a year later versus North Dakota.

INTERCEPTIONS STREAK: South Dakota State has recorded at least one interception in all five games this season and six games in a row dating back to the 2016 campaign. Last week, Jordan Brown and Larenzo Williams each picked off a pass in a win over Southern Illinois.
For Williams, it was the second game in a row the sophomore safety recorded an interception. He and redshirt freshman linebacker Logan Backhaus currently lead the team with two interceptions.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Eight different true freshmen saw action for the Jackrabbits in the Aug. 31 season opener against Duquesne. Most of the newcomers to make their collegiate debuts were linemen as Jack Domandle, Eagan Lickiss and Edward Miller played on the offensive line and Xavier Ward and Daniel Callender played on the defensive line. Linebackers Noah Urbanek and Seven Wilson also made their collegiate debuts, as did tight end Skyler Cavanaugh.
In addition, redshirt freshmen Austin Barrett (defensive tackle) and Logan Backhaus (linebacker) drew starting assignments in their first action as Jackrabbits.

JACKRABBIT BLOODLINES: Several South Dakota State football players have extensive Jackrabbit bloodlines.
Brothers Mason and Tristan Leiseth are both second-generation defensive ends from nearby Hayti. Their father, David, lettered in football for SDSU from 1989-91 and also was a three-time All-American in the shot put.
Three other members of the Jackrabbit freshman class also have strong 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.
Sophomore kicker Chase Vinatieri is the nephew of former Jackrabbit and current Indianapolis Colts standout kicker Adam Vinatieri.
Two other sets of brothers are on the 2017 Jackrabbit roster: Jake and Clark Wieneke, along with Jacob and Jordan Brown.
In addition, Jacob and Pete Menage are first cousins. Jacob's late father, Jeff, served as offensive coordinator for the Jackrabbits during Coach Stiegelmeier's first two seasons as head coach (1997-98).

ACADEMIC HONORS: For the ninth season in a row, South Dakota State has claimed the Missouri Valley Football Conference Team Academic Award. The Jackrabbits have received the award every year they have been a member of the MVFC. Commissioner Patty Viverito presented the Jackrabbits with their latest academic award during the Oct. 7 game versus Southern Illinois.

WIENEKE NAMED TO GOOD WORKS TEAM: South Dakota State University wide receiver Jake Wieneke is one of 22 college football players named to the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team®. The award, which was announced in late September, shines a spotlight on the selflessness and community service displayed by these student-athletes and honors their dedication to volunteerism and enriching the lives of others.
A senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke has continually worked with several community service initiatives since arriving at SDSU in the fall of 2013. He is in his fifth year as serving as a mentor to a student through the Brookings County Youth Mentoring Program and has worked with ESL students at a local elementary school He also has served as a youth group leader at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Brookings and has been active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes by serving as a flag football coach and sports/youth camp counselor.
In addition, Wieneke has taken his devotion to service both regionally and abroad. He has participated in two mission trips to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and also has been a part of a mission trip to Kenya in which he taught in schools, as well as four mission trips to Jamaica — three times to build houses and one to serve people with disabilities who have been abandoned.
The 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® will be invited to New Orleans to participate in a special community service project ahead of the 2018 Allstate® Sugar Bowl®, where the entire team will also be recognized on the field at halftime.
Fans are encouraged to visit ESPN.com/Allstate to vote for the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® Captain now through Nov. 23. The Team Captain will be honored at this season's The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN. Throughout the season, fans can also follow along and join in on the conversation by searching and using #GoodWorksTeam on their social media channels.
The 22-member squad, along with an honorary coach, was pared from a list of 146 nominees across all four-year divisions of college football. The team is divided into 11 members from Football Bowl Subdivision schools, with the other half from the Football Championship Subdivision, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA programs. Wieneke was the lone FCS student-athlete honored on this year's team.
Wieneke is the third Jackrabbit football player to be selected to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team in the last five years, joining Winston Wright (2013) and Zach Zenner (2014).

STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show airs each Monday throughout the 2017 football season.
The show is scheduled to air at 6 p.m. on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, originating with flagship station 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.

DANA J. DYKHOUSE STADIUM: Jackrabbit football moved into a new home in September of 2016 with the completion of Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
The stadium, which was constructed in phases on the site of SDSU's previous home field, Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, seats 19,340 spectators and cost $65 million to build. The stadium is being funded through private gifts and long-term revenue streams, including concessions and suite, loge box and ticket sales. Bonds are financing nearly two-thirds of the project's construction, with the remaining dollars coming from private support. Lead gifts totaling $12.5 million from Sioux Falls banker Dana Dykhouse and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford were announced in October 2013.
The stadium officially opened Sept. 8, 2016, featuring a concert by country music superstars Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and Lee Brice as part of the Jacks Bash opening weekend. The first football game was two days later, on Sept. 10, when the Jackrabbits defeated Drake, 56-28. SDSU went on to post a 6-1 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during the 2016 season and has won eight consecutive home games entering Hobo Day.
Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium was designed by Kansas City-based Crawford Architects, with the construction firm JE Dunn serving as the project manager at risk and Henry Carlson Company of Sioux Falls serving as general contractor. The stadium recently won the 2017 Alliant Build America Award from the Associated General Contractors of America South Dakota Building Chapter. As a result of winning the state award, the stadium advances to a national competition, which will announce the winners in 2018.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits will go on the road for MVFC games at Missouri State (Oct. 21) and Western Illinois (Oct. 28). Next home action for SDSU is Nov. 4, when the Jackrabbits take on North Dakota State for the Dakota Marker.

-GoJacks.com-