Jackrabbits open with Duquesne

GAME 1: Duquesne (0-0) at #4/6 South Dakota State (0-0)

When	Thursday, Aug. 31 \| 7 p.m. Central Time	Fourth Annual Dairy Drive
Where	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium I Brookings, S.D.
TV	MidcoSN I Jackrabbits All-Access (subscription)
Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Duquesne \| Missouri Valley Football Conference
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

The nationally ranked South Dakota State University football team kicks off the 2017 season Thursday night by hosting Duquesne in non-conference action at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
Start time for the Fourth Annual Dairy Drive is 7 p.m.
Both squads earned a share of their respective league titles last season. Duquesne, which is receiving votes in the STATS FCS media poll, shared the 2016 Northeast Conference title with a 5-1 mark in league play, with its lone loss coming to playoff automatic qualifier Saint Francis (Pa.). Overall, the Dukes completed the 2016 season with an 8-3 record.
SDSU, meanwhile, claimed a share of its first-ever Missouri Valley Football Conference title with 7-1 league record in 2016. The Jackrabbits compiled a 9-4 overall record in making their fifth straight appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

THE SERIES: Thursday's game will mark the second meeting between SDSU and Duquesne on the gridiron, but the first in 85 years.
In the lone previous matchup, Duquesne scored a 34-12 victory over the Jackrabbits on Nov. 11, 1932, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Dukes were coached by Elmer Layden, who had gained fame as a member of Notre Dame's famed Four Horsemen backfield and later returned to his alma mater as coach from 1934-40.
Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, SDSU has faced one other Northeast Conference opponent. The Jackrabbits hosted and defeated Robert Morris (Pa.) in the 2015 Beef Bowl, 34-10.

FOR OPENERS: Now in his 21st year as head coach, John Stiegelmeier has led SDSU to a 12-8 record in season openers. The Jackrabbits won each of their first seven season openers under Coach Stig, starting with a 17-7 victory at UC Davis in 1997.
SDSU is 9-1 when opening the season at home, with the last home-season combination opener being played exactly four years ago to the day, when the Jackrabbits scored a 55-14 victory over Butler at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
Of SDSU's eight losses in season openers under Coach Stig, four have come against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, including a 59-41 defeat at TCU in 2016.

THURSDAY-NIGHT SPECIAL: For the first time in program history, the Jackrabbit football team will open the season with a Thursday-night home game.
SDSU has opened the season with a Thursday-night game on three other occasions, posting a 1-2 record. The Jackrabbits first opened with a Thursday game in 1999, winning a 35-20 decision over Grand Valley State in a game played in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Jackrabbits have lost their two Thursday games in the Division I era, dropping a 29-26, four-overtime decision in the 2007 season opener at Western Illinois, followed by a 44-17 setback at Iowa State in 2008.

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 four 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 enters a season with a top-10 national ranking. The Jackrabbits have 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.
The defending Missouri Valley Football Conference co-champion Jackrabbits received two first-place votes in the STATS FCS poll, which was conducted among a national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries.
Defending national champion James Madison received 134 of 163 first-place votes to take the top spot with 4,034 points. Conference rival North Dakota State was second with 19 first-place votes and 3,874 points, with Sam Houston State third with seven first-place votes and 3,610 points. The Jackrabbits tallied 3,385 points, with Eastern Washington completing the top five with 3,270 points.
Four other MVFC squads were included in the top 25: Youngstown State (ninth), Northern Iowa (18th), Illinois State (20th) and Western Illinois (25th).
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.
In addition, SDSU has appeared in the top 25 of 65 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 touchdowns.
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 championship 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 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 in the leadership role.

WIENEKE NEARS ANOTHER RECORD: All-America wide receiver Jake Wieneke is poised to add his name to another SDSU receiving record during Thursday's game.
A senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke enters the season opener with 223
career receptions — three away from passing Josh Davis (225 receptions from 2002-05) for the Jackrabbit all-time lead. Wieneke has recorded 72 or more receptions in each of his first three seasons, including a career-best 78 in 2016, to rank in a tie for second on the SDSU single-season charts.
Wieneke already holds school and Missouri Valley Football Conference career records with 4,192 receiving yards and 43 touchdown catches in 39 career games. The MVFC career record for receptions is 273, which was set by Lance Lenoir of Western Illinois from 2013-16.
Wieneke's 4,192 receiving yards also rank 11th in Football Championship Subdivision history, and he stands only 137 yards from moving into the top five. He also ranks in a tie for 11th for career touchdown receptions in the FCS annals.

TOP SOPHOMORES: The top-two vote-getters in the race for the 2016 STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman in the Football Championship Subdivision a year ago will be on opposite sidelines in Thursday's game.
Duquesne running back A.J. Hines won the balloting by a single vote over Jackrabbit linebacker Christian Rozeboom. Hines rushed for 1,291 yards and 13 touchdowns, and added 15 catches for 200 yards and a score.
Rozeboom paced the Jackrabbit defense with 132 tackles and contributed two interceptions.

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 will present the Jackrabbits with their latest academic award during the Oct. 7 game versus Southern Illinois.
Also during the 2016 season, Jackrabbit football student-athletes Nick Mears and Jake Wieneke were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team. Mears was a repeat selection to the first team, while Wieneke moved up from the second team in 2015.

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.)

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 Jackrabbits will face their first road test of the season, traveling Sept. 9 to Montana State. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Mountain Time (7 p.m. Central) at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana.
The game is part of the inaugural Big Sky Conference/Missouri Valley Football Conference Challenge Series, which features eight regular season matchups in 2017. The SDSU-Montana State game is one of five head-to-head matchups on Sept. 9 between schools from the two premier Football Championship Subdivision Conference.
The other head-to-head matchups Sept. 9 include:
• North Dakota State at Eastern Washington, 3 p.m. Central
• Cal Poly at Northern Iowa, 4 p.m. Central
• Western Illinois at Northern Arizona, TBA
• Missouri State at North Dakota, 4 p.m. Central

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Turner Blasius

Jordan Brown

Taryn Christion

Dallas Goedert

Brady Hale

Charlie Harmon

Kane Louscher

Nick Mears

Pete Menage

Brady Mengarelli

Jacob Ohnesorge

Christian Rozeboom

Kellen Soulek

Chase Vinatieri

Clark Wieneke

Jake Wieneke

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