Jackrabbits prepare for semifinals

Saturday, December 16

Harrisonburg, Va.

3:30 p.m.

South Dakota State University

James Madison

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

12/13/2017 3:27:00 PM | Football

By: Jason Hove

GAME 14: #6/6 South Dakota State (11-2) at #1/1 James Madison (13-0)

When	Saturday, Dec. 16 \| 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (3:30 Central)	FCS Playoffs – Semifinals
Where	Bridgeforth Stadium \| Harrisonburg, Virginia
TV	ESPNU \| ESPN3.com
Radio	J ackrabbits All-Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	NCAA.com
Game Notes	SDSU \| James Madison \| Missouri Valley Football Conference \| Colonial Athletic Association
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

BROOKINGS, S.D. — The South Dakota State University football team continues its march through the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs Saturday afternoon, traveling to top-seeded and defending national champion James Madison.
Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m. Eastern (3:30 Central) at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The game will be televised on ESPNU and also available for viewing on ESPN3.com and through the WatchESPN app.
SDSU enters the matchup on a seven-game winning streak that has propelled the Jackrabbits to a school-record 11 wins against only two losses. Fifth-seeded SDSU has outscored its two playoff opponents by a 93-36 margin, defeating Northern Iowa, 37-22, in second-round play on Dec. 2, and New Hampshire, 56-14, in quarterfinal action on Dec. 9.
James Madison has sat atop the FCS rankings throughout the 2017 season and brings a 13-0 record this season and 25-game winning streak dating back to the 2016 campaign into Saturday's contest. The Dukes defeated Stony Brook, 26-7, in their first playoff game, then defeated Weber State, 31-28, on a last-second field goal in the quarterfinal round Dec. 8.
SDSU's playoff run is presented by First Bank & Trust.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between South Dakota State and James Madison.
In the Jackrabbits' Division I era (since 2004), SDSU has faced three other Colonial Athletic Association members, starting by dropping a 26-3 decision at Delaware in the 2010 season opener.
The two most recent matchups against CAA opponents have taken place at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. SDSU downed Villanova, 10-7, last season in the second round of the FCS playoffs, then routed New Hampshire, 56-14, in last week's quarterfinals.
The victory against Villanova, on Dec. 3, 2016, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, was decided on a 40-yard field goal by Chase Vinatieri with 1 minute and 21 seconds remaining in the game.

PLAYOFF HISTORY: South Dakota State is making its sixth consecutive appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and seventh overall since 2009. The Jackrabbits have compiled a 6-6 playoff record, winning one contest in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. The current 2017 playoff run marks the first time SDSU has won more than one playoff game in a season.
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).

ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only four Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last six seasons.
The three other programs to play in the postseason each year since 2012 are New Hampshire, North Dakota State and Sam Houston State. NDSU and Sam Houston State are scheduled to square off in the other FCS semifinal Friday night in Fargo, N.D.

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, the Jackrabbits have posted a 33-39 overall record against ranked FCS opponents. SDSU is 6-1 against ranked FCS opponents so far during the 2017 season, dropping a 19-7 decision at Youngstown State on Sept. 30 before posting six consecutive wins over Western Illinois (52-24), North Dakota State (33-21), Illinois State (27-24), South Dakota (31-28), Northern Iowa (37-22) and New Hampshire (56-14) to close out the regular season and begin postseason play.
Of the 72 previous matchups against a ranked opponent, 37 have been in a regular season Missouri Valley Football Conference game. The Jackrabbits have compiled a 21-16 record in those matchups.

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.
On the strength of their five-game winning streak to end the regular season, the Jackrabbits earned a sixth-place ranked in both the FCS Coaches' and STATS FCS media polls.
Defending national champion James Madison holds the top spot in both national polls, followed by Jacksonville State and Central Arkansas.
Five other MVFC squads were included in the top 25 of the final regular season STATS media poll: North Dakota State (fourth), Western Illinois (ninth), South Dakota (16th), Northern Iowa (20th) and Illinois State (23rd). Youngstown State received votes.
SDSU had spent four weeks ranked fourth in both major polls prior to their 19-7 loss at Youngstown State on Sept. 30. The Jackrabbits' previous highest ranking was a fifth-place showing over three weeks during the 2015 season. SDSU's previous high ranking in a preseason poll was sixth in 2013.
SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 77 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

FCS WIN NO. 100: South Dakota State recorded its 100th win as a Football Championship Subdivision program with a 62-30 victory at Missouri State on Oct. 21. Since moving to the FCS ranks at the start of the 2004 season, the Jackrabbits have posted a 106-63 overall record (.627 winning percentage).
SDSU has now turned in a winning record in 12 of 14 full seasons and has compiled a 55-25 mark (.688 winning percentage) in Missouri Valley Football Conference games.

ALL-AMERICANS: Three South Dakota State University players, highlighted by first-team selections Dallas Goedert and Jacob Ohnesorge, were named Tuesday to the 2017 Associated Press FCS All-America Team.
Goedert, a senior tight end from Britton, was a repeat honoree on the first team. He has posted his second consecutive 1,000-yard season, recording team highs of 67 receptions and 1,068 receiving yards through 13 games. He also has caught six touchdowns and tallied 100 or more yards in a game six times.
Goedert holds the Missouri Valley Football Conference record for most career receiving yards with 2,945.
Ohnesorge, a senior center from Waunakee, Wisconsin, also earned a spot on the first team while anchoring a Jackrabbit offensive line that has paved the way for SDSU to average 38.8 points and 444.2 yards of total offense per game. A two-time first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, Ohnesorge has started all 52 games of his Jackrabbit career.
Completing SDSU's All-America selections was third-team honoree Christian Rozeboom at linebacker. A sophomore from Sioux Center, Iowa, Rozeboom is the team's leading tackler for the second year in a row, registering 118 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and a sack, in 13 games. He also has recovered two fumbles, intercepted a pass and broken up two more passes.
The Jackrabbits have had at least one player honored on the Associated Press All-America Team each season since 2012. The AP All-America Team was selected by a panel of 10 media members who regularly cover the Football Championship Subdivision.

RIMINGTON AWARD HONOREE: South Dakota State University center Jacob Ohnesorge has been named the winner of the 2017 Rimington Award for the Football Championship Subdivision.
A senior from Waunakee, Wisconsin, Ohnesorge is a three-time all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection, earning first-team honors during both his junior and senior seasons. He is expected to make his 53rd consecutive start Saturday, when the Jackrabbits travel to James Madison for an FCS playoff semifinal — a number that would match the most starts by a player in program history.
With Ohnesorge anchoring the offensive line, the Jackrabbits have scored a school-record 505 points this season — an average of 38.8 points per game — and are averaging 444.2 yards of total offense per game.
Earlier this week, Ohnesorge was named to the 2017 Associated Press FCS All-America First Team. He also recently received an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game Jan. 20 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Ohnesorge completed his degree in mechanical engineering last year and is currently enrolled in graduate school at SDSU. He has been honored on the MVFC Academic Honor Roll three times.
The award winners are selected by Jason Dannelly, coordinator of the Rimington Award and longtime writer of college football in non-FBS divisions, as part of the continued tradition of one of College Football's most prestigious awards.
The 2017 Rimington Trophy presentation banquet will be held January 13, 2018, at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in all divisions of College Football. Billy Price of Ohio State University was this year's winner of the Rimington Trophy.

OTHER AWARD FINALISTS: Three Jackrabbit football players were named finalists for top awards within the Football Championship Subdivision.
The duo of junior quarterback Taryn Christion and senior tight end Dallas Goedert were among 25 finalists for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the subdivision's top offensive player. Both were finalists for the award in 2016, with Christion posting a seventh-place finish and Goedert 14th.
Senior wide receiver Jake Wieneke was on the Payton Award Watch List throughout the 2017 season, but did not make the final cut. Wieneke was 10th in the 2016 Payton Award balloting.
On the other side of the ball, linebacker Christian Rozeboom in included in the list of finalists for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award for the top defensive player in the FCS. Rozeboom finished as runner-up for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award as the subdivision's top freshman in 2016.
The awards will be presented Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas, on the eve of the FCS national title game.

NOVEMBERS TO REMEMBER: South Dakota State solidified its playoff berth by continuing a tradition 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 23-6 record against league foes in the month of November, including a 2-0 mark in 2011 and 3-0 records in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

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: The Jackrabbits have gotten out of the gates quickly in each of their first two FCS playoff games by outscoring the opposition 54-7 in the first half, including 31-0 in the first quarter.
In the two games combined against Northern Iowa and New Hampshire, SDSU scored on its first eight first-half possessions. The Jackrabbits scored on all five of their first-half drives against Northern Iowa (three touchdowns, two field goals) and their first three drives versus New Hampshire (three touchdowns).
For the season, SDSU has scored on its opening drive of the game nine times in 13 contests (eight touchdowns, one field goal) and holds a 131-58 scoring advantage in the opening stanza.

RED-ZONE OFFENSE: During its current seven-game winning streak, the South Dakota State offense has made the most of its opportunities deep in opposing territory. Over the last seven games, the Jackrabbits have made 31 trips into the red zone and come away with points 30 times, scoring 26 touchdowns and four field goals. SDSU had scored on 26 consecutive trips into the red zone before having a 15-play, 79-yard drive in the third quarter of the Dec. 2 game versus Northern Iowa end on an interception.
Sophomore running back Mikey Daniel has been a big part of the red-zone offense, scoring eight rushing touchdowns over the last seven games. Daniel had his streak of a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games snapped in the Nov. 11 win over Illinois State. He leads the squad with 11 rushing touchdowns.

POINTS RECORD: For the second year in a row, the South Dakota State University football team has set a school record for most points in a season. The 2017 edition of the Jackrabbits have scored 505 points through 13 games, surpassing the 431 points in the same number of games last season. SDSU has topped the 50-point mark in five games this season, including a 56-point effort last week against New Hampshire.
The Jackrabbits' current scoring average of 38.8 points per game is on pace to surpass the school record of 38.1 points per game in 1950 (381 points in 10 games).

WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE: The Jackrabbits will attempt to establish the longest winning streak of their Division I history when they take to the field Saturday at James Madison. The only other time SDSU won seven games in a row as an FCS program came in 2006. After losing the first three games of the season, the Jackrabbits reeled off seven wins in a row before ending the season with a loss at North Dakota State.

ELUSIVE 10^TH WIN: South Dakota State recorded 10 wins in a season for the first time program history with its 37-22 victory over Northern Iowa on Dec. 2.
The Jackrabbits had previously reached the nine-win plateau in a season eight times. In each of the last five nine-win seasons, SDSU's bid for a 10th victory came up short in postseason play.

THIRD-DOWN EFFICIENCY: After leading the Football Championship Subdivision for the two weeks entering November, South Dakota State currently ranks fourth by converting on 49.1 percent (78-of-159) of its third-down attempts.
The Jackrabbits also have been efficient on third downs on the defensive side of the ball after the first month of the season, limiting the opposition to a success rate of 34.5 percent (38-of-110) over the last 10 games. SDSU limited Illinois State to 2-of-11 on third-down plays in their Nov. 11 meeting.
SDSU also is 12-for-18 (66.7 percent) on fourth-down attempts in 2017, including a 3-for-3 effort in their second-round playoff matchup against Northern Iowa. The Jackrabbits scored touchdowns — a 2-yard catch by Cade Johnson and 21-yard run by Taryn Chrisiton – on their first two fourth-down tries.

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, SDSU ranks 16th among FCS?teams in fewest penalty yards per game at 44.23, while standing 23rd in fewest penalties per game at 5.31.

TURNOVER MARK TIED: The Jackrabbit defense came up with five turnovers — three interceptions and two fumbles — in its 33-21 victory over North Dakota State on Nov. 4, tying the program mark for most takeaways against a Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent. SDSU previously forced five turnovers in a league game against Missouri State on Sept. 29, 2012, recording four interceptions and a fumble recovery in a 17-7 home win.
SDSU has forced at least one turnover in every game in 2017 and is plus-6 (22-16) in turnover margin for the season.

IRONMAN STREAK: All-America center Jacob Ohnesorge is expected to make his 53rd consecutive start in Saturday's game, a mark that would tie the school record first set by linebacker T.J. Lally from 2012-15.
Two-time All-America tackle Bryan Witzmann, who is currently a starter for the Kansas City Chiefs, first set the SDSU?record for starts by an offensive lineman with 49 from 2010-13.

CHRISTION SETS NEW MARKS: Junior quarterback Taryn Christion has rewritten the Jackrabbit record book the past two weeks during SDSU's playoff run.
In the Dec. 2 matchup with Northern Iowa, the Sioux Falls native established new records for both single-season and career touchdown passes. His 33 touchdown passes so far in 2017 broke the mark of 30 he previously set last season and shared with Ryan Berry (2008). With his three-touchdown performance Dec. 2 versus Northern Iowa, broke Sumner's mark of 65 career touchdown passes and enters Saturday's FCS semifinal at James Madison with 70 career touchdown passes. He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 12 of 13 games this season.
Last week versus New Hampshire, Christion took over the career lead in total offense at SDSU with 9,478 yards, breaking Sumner's previous record of 9,284 yards from 2011-14. Christion has passed for 8,281 yards and run for another 1,197 in his three seasons at SDSU. This season, he has passed and rushed for touchdowns in the same game seven times, including both FCS playoff games.
Christion, who now holds 13 Jackrabbit records, has posted the top-two single-season passing totals in program history. He threw for an SDSU-record 3,714 yards in 2016 and has tallied 3,281 yards so far this season.

MENGARELLI MAKES TOP-10 RUN: Senior running back Brady Mengarelli moved into the Jackrabbit career top 10 for rushing in the Oct. 14 game against Northern Iowa. A native of Prescott, Arizona, Mengarelli has since moved into eighth place with 2,611 rushing yards in his career, overtaking the late Darwin Gonnerman (2,598 yards from 1966-68) in the Dec. 9 matchup against New Hampshire.
Mengarelli moved into position for his top-10 ranking with a career-high 220 yards in a win over Southern Illinois on Oct. 7. He led the Jackrabbits in rushing during both the 2015 and 2016 seasons and again leads the team this year with 783 yards, while averaging 5.7 yards per carry.

GOEDERT SETS TIGHT END MARK: All-America tight end Dallas Goedert became the top receiving tight end in Missouri Valley Football Conference history during SDSU's victory over North Dakota State on Nov. 4.
A senior from Britton, Goedert upped his career receiving total to 2,945 yards with one catch for 19 yards last week against New Hampshire. Goedert surpassed the previous mark of 2,601 yards compiled by Southern Illinois' MyCole Pruitt from 2011-14.
Goedert currently leads all Division I — FCS and FBS — tight ends with 1,068 receiving yards this season. In becoming only the third player in SDSU history with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for receiving, he has topped the 100-yard mark six times in 2017.

ALL-STAR GAME SELECTIONS: Three South Dakota State football players have received invitations to play in college all-star games following the conclusion of the 2017 season.
Both Jacob Ohnesorge and Jake Wieneke recently were selected to compete in the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Florida.
A native of Waunakee, Wisconsin, Ohnesorge brings a string of 51 consecutive starts at center into the Jackrabbits' Football Championship quarterfinal playoff contest Saturday against New Hampshire. Ohnesorge has been a first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection each of the past two seasons and was an All-America selection by HERO Sports in 2016.
Wieneke, a wide receiver from Maple Grove, Minnesota, has rewritten the SDSU and MVFC record books during a standout career in which he has earned first-team all-conference recognition all four seasons and All-America honors three times. His 58 receiving touchdowns are tied for second in FCS history, while 5,052 receiving yards rank third.
The East-West Shrine Game is scheduled for Jan. 20 at Tropicana Field. The game will be televised on NFL Network, starting at 2 p.m. Central.
Ohnesorge and Wieneke join teammate Dallas Goedert as Jackrabbits selected to play in college football all-star games following the 2017 season. Goedert earlier was announced as a member of the Reese's Senior Bowl squad.
A Britton native, Goedert is a three-time all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection and was a unanimous Football Championship Subdivision All-America honoree in 2016. He caught a school record 92 passes for 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns last season en route to being named a finalist for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award. He again leads the team in receptions this season with 67 for 1,066 yards and five scores.
Goedert's 2,945 career receiving yards rank fourth in school history. He also is third in program history with 193 receptions.
The Senior Bowl is scheduled to be played Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game also is scheduled to be televised on NFL Network, with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m.

WIENEKE REACHES MORE MILESTONES: Jackrabbit wide receiver Jake Wieneke has moved to the head of the class in a number of receiving categories within both the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Football Championship Subdivision during his senior season.
With season highs of nine catches and 140 receiving yards in last week's win over New Hampshire, Wieneke became the MVFC's career leader in receptions with 281, breaking the previous mark of 273 set by Lance Lenoir of Western Illinois from 2013-16. He also increased his league-record totals for receiving touchdowns to 58 and receiving yards to 5,042.
Wieneke's 58 receiving touchdowns are tied for second in FCS history with former New Hampshire standout David Ball (1995-98), while his receiving yardage total is third in the FCS annals.
A three-time All-American, Wieneke has caught a touchdown pass in 34 of 52 career games, including eight of 13 this season. His 15 receiving touchdowns this season are the second most in the FCS.
The Maple Grove, Minnesota, also enters Saturday's playoff game at James Madison tied for the FCS record with a reception in 52 consecutive games. He currently shares that record with former Eastern Washington standout Cooper Kupp (2013-16).

LOWERING THE BOOM: South Dakota State linebacker Christian Rozeboom turned in the 14th double-digit tackling performance of his career — and seventh this season — with a 14-tackle outing Nov. 18 at South Dakota.
A sophomore, Rozeboom currently leads the Jackrabbits in tackles this season with 113, after posting a team-high 132 tackles in 2016.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Redshirt freshman Cade Johnson is on the verge of setting a new Jackrabbit single-season standard for kickoff return yardage. A native of Papillion, Nebraska, Johnson has tallied 807 yards on 28 returns for an average of 28.8 yards per attempt.
The current SDSU record of 824 kickoff returns in a season was set by All-American Rick Wegher in 1984. Wegher's 824 yards came on 36 returns (22.9 avg.).
Johnson recorded his second kickoff return for touchdown of the season with a 99-yarder in the third quarter of the Dec. 9 playoff game against New Hampshire. The last Jackrabbit with two kickoff return touchdowns in a season was Reed Sanderson in 1964.

HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS: During its current seven-game winning streak, South Dakota State has dominated the third quarter by outscoring its opponents by a 66-21 margin. In 23 defensive possessions, the Jackrabbits have forced four turnovers (three fumbles, one interception) in the third quarter of those games, while forcing three turnovers on downs and 13 punts.

BLOCK THAT KICK: The Jackrabbits have been strong on special teams throughout the 2017 season and currently rank 10th in the Football Championship Subdivision with five blocked kicks. SDSU recorded a blocked kick — two extra points and a punt — in each of its first three games, then ran its total to five with a blocked punt by Lance Eide on the first possession of the second half Nov. 18 at South Dakota.
SDSU blocked three kicks during the 2016 season.

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.
Two more sets of brothers are on the 2017 Jackrabbit roster: Jake and Clark Wieneke, along with Jacob and Jordan Brown.
Four 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.
In addition, linebacker Dalton Cox's father, Doug, wrestled for the Jackrabbits in the 1980s, while his younger brother, Colton, is a freshman on the SDSU baseball team.
Sophomore kicker Chase Vinatieri is the nephew of former Jackrabbit and current Indianapolis Colts standout kicker Adam Vinatieri. Chase Vinatieri has made 12-of-13 field goal attempts this season to lead the nation in field goal percentage (.923), and has made each of his last nine attempts. In the Jackrabbits' Dec. 2 victory over Northern Iowa, Vinatieri made a career-best three field goals, including a career-long 55-yarder in the second quarter.
Finally, 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).

TEAM ACADEMIC PROWESS: 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 members of the MVFC. Commissioner Patty Viverito presented the Jackrabbits with their latest academic award during the Oct. 7 game versus Southern Illinois.

ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: Led by repeat selections Jake Wieneke and Brady Mengarelli, South Dakota State placed five players on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 Football Team, which was announced Nov. 16. The Jackrabbits' five selections were the most within the district and will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
Wieneke, a senior wide receiver from Maple Grove, Minnesota, has compiled a 3.62 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in physical education/teacher education. A three-time academic all-district selection, Wieneke was a first-team Academic All-America selection in 2016, after earning second-team recognition in 2015.
A senior running back from Prescott, Arizona, Mengarelli earned academic all-district honors for the second year in a row, posting a 3.60 GPA in exercise science. Mengarelli was the Jackrabbits' leading rusher each of the previous two seasons and again leads the team with 734 rushing yards through 12 games in 2017.
First-time selections to the Academic All-District 6 Team from SDSU were linebacker Dalton Cox, safety Nick Farina and offensive lineman Wes Genant.
Cox, a junior from Aberdeen, has turned in a perfect 4.0 GPA as an economics/entrepreneurial studies major. He has started six games this season at the outside linebacker positions and ranks fifth on the squad with 51 tackles.
Farina earned a spot on the team with a 3.62 GPA while majoring in exercise science. The senior from Phoenix has started all 11 of the games in which he has played, recording 52 tackles and two fumble recoveries. He ranks fourth on the team in tackles.
A sophomore from Parkston, Genant has started all 12 games at right guard for a Jackrabbit offense that is averaging 37.4 points and 443.3 yards of total offense per game. Genant was honored with a 3.97 GPA as a biochemistry major.

WIENEKE AWARDS TOUR: South Dakota State University wide receiver Jake Wieneke will continue to be on the college football awards circuit in the coming weeks.
On Dec. 5, Wieneke was honored in New York City as one of 13 finalists for 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy®, presented by Fidelity Investments®. The trophy recognizes the top football scholar-athlete in the nation.
By being named a Campbell Trophy finalist, Wieneke receives an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the National Football Foundation's National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists were selected from a pool of 181 nominees across all divisions of college football.
On New Year's Day, Wieneke will be in New Orleans to be recognized at halftime of the 2018 Allstate® Sugar Bowl® as a member of 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 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.
Earlier this week, Wieneke was announced as the recipient of the 2017 STATS?FCS? Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.
In its third year and named after the wife of legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson, the award is presented to an FCS student-athlete who excels not only in the classroom, but in the community and beyond. A senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke will be honored at the STATS FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation on Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas — on the eve of the national championship game.

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.

A LOOK AHEAD: The winner of Saturday's game advances to the FCS national championship game, which will be played Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas.
Kickoff for the championship game is slated for 11 a.m. at Toyota Stadium.

-GoJacks.com-