Jacks face first road test at Montana State

Saturday, September 9

Bozeman, Mont.

6 p.m. MT

South Dakota State University

Montana State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

9/6/2017 10:16:00 AM | Football

GAME 2: #4/4 South Dakota State (1-0) at Montana State (0-1)

When	Saturday, Sept. 9 \| 6 p.m. Mountain Time (7 p.m. Central)	MVFC/Big Sky Challenge Series
Where	Bobcat Stadium \| Bozeman, Montana
TV	SWX Montana \| MidcoSN \| DishNetwork [Channel 440] \| MSUBobcats.com (subscription)
Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State \| Montana State \| Missouri Valley Football Conference
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

The fourth-ranked South Dakota State University football team will face its first road test of the season, traveling Saturday for a non-conference matchup against Montana State.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Mountain Time (7 p.m. Central) at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana.
The Jackrabbits won their season opener in impressive fashion Aug. 31, defeating Duquesne, 51-13, behind four touchdowns from All-America wide receiver Jake Wieneke at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
Montana State, meanwhile, opened its 2017 campaign two days later, on Sept. 2, and dropped a 31-0 decision at Washington State, which was ranked 24th in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 14th meeting on the gridiron between South Dakota State and Montana State, a series that dates back to a 33-14 Bobcat victory in 1956.
Montana State holds a 10-3 series advantage, with 11 of the 13 meetings taking place between 1956 and 1966. The Jackrabbits snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a 47-40 victory in cold and snowy Bozeman in the opening round of the 2014 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
In that most recent matchup, Jackrabbit running back Zach Zenner accounted for 324 all-purpose yards and scored a career-high five touchdowns. Four of Zenner's scores came on long plays, including a 45-yard run and 69-yard reception for scores in the first eight minutes of the game.
Zenner added a 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, a 60-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter and put the game out of reach with a 69-yard scoring run with 3 minutes and 10 seconds remaining. The current Detroit Lion finished the day with 23 carries for 252 yards and added a pair of receptions for 72 yards.
The two squads combined for 1,018 yards of total offense – 526 for the Jackrabbits and 492 for Montana State, which received five rushing touchdowns from Chad Newell.
The Jackrabbits and Bobcats are slated to complete their home-and-home series with a matchup on Sept. 8, 2018, at SDSU's Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

CHALLENGE SERIES: Saturday's contest is one of five head-to-head matchups that day for the inaugural Big Sky Conference/Missouri Valley Football Conference Challenge Series. A total of eight regular season matchups between schools from the two premier Football Championship Subdivision conferences are scheduled in 2017.
Saturday's other head-to-head matchups include:
• North Dakota State at Eastern Washington, 3 p.m. Central
• Cal Poly at Northern Iowa, 4 p.m. Central
• Missouri State at North Dakota, 4 p.m. Central
• Western Illinois at Northern Arizona, 6 p.m. Central

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:
• North Dakota State
• New Hampshire
• 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.
After the first full week of play, the Jackrabbits remained fourth in the STATS media poll and moved up two spots to fourth in the FCS coaches' poll.
Defending national champion James Madison holds the top spot in both naitonal polls, followed by North Dakota State and Sam Houston State.
Four other MVFC squads are included in this week's top 25 of the STATS media poll: Youngstown State (8th), Northern Iowa (21st), 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.
SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 66 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 MOVES TO THE TOP: All-America wide receiver Jake Wieneke further etched his name into the Jackrabbit record book during the Aug. 31 season-opening win against Duquesne. A senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, Wieneke set one record and tied another in the Jackrabbits' 51-13 victory.
Wieneke established a new SDSU career receptions record, ending the night with 229 catches, surpassing the previous record of 225 set by Josh Davis from 2002-05. Wieneke 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.
In addition, Wieneke became the third Jackrabbit to catch four touchdown passes in a game in the season opener. He matched the mark first set by Don Bartlett in 1949 and tied by teammate Dallas Goedert last season.
Wieneke already holds school and Missouri Valley Football Conference career records with 4,267 receiving yards and 47 touchdown catches in 40 career games. The MVFC career record for receptions is 273, which was set by Lance Lenoir of Western Illinois from 2013-16.
Wieneke's 4,267 receiving yards rank sixth in Football Championship Subdivision history as he vaulted five spots in the season opener. He also ranks seventh in the FCS annals with his 47 touchdown receptions.

MENGARELLI MOVES TOWARD TOP 10: Running back Brady Mengarelli is poised to move into the Jackrabbit top 10 for career rushing in the coming weeks.
A senior from Prescott, Arizona, Mengarelli has tallied 1,889 rushing yards, putting him 282 yards away from tying Paul Klinger (2,161 yards from 1990-94) for 10th place in program history. Mengarelli rushed nine times for 61 yards and a touchdown in SDSU's season-opening win over Duquesne on Aug. 31. He ran for the final 44 yards of a six-play, 60-yard drive, capping the march with a 3-yard touchdown run.
Mengarelli was the Jackrabbits' leading rusher each of the past two seasons, gaining 742 yards in 2015 and 754 yards in 2016. He is averaging 5.7 yards per carry for his career.

CHRISTION NAMED CFPA WINNER: Jackrabbit quarterback Taryn Christion received honorable mention recognition as a College Football Performance Awards FCS National Performer of the Week during the opening week of play.
A junior from Sioux Falls, Christion completed 17-of-26 passes for 254 yards and threw a career-high five touchdown passes for the third time in his career. Christion also led the Jackrabbits with 96 yards on three carries, including a career-long 90-yard run that set up SDSU's second touchdown of the game.

BALANCED ATTACK: South Dakota State achieved nearly a perfect 50-50 balance between rushing and passing in the season opener versus Duquesne. The Jackrabbits rolled up 609 yards of total offense — 308 through the air and 301 on the ground. Five different players recorded carries in the contest and 10 different Jackrabbits caught at least one pass.

YOUTH MOVEMENT: Seven 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.
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 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.

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.
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 return home Sept. 16 for their final non-conference game of the season, hosting Drake in the 51st Annual Beef Bowl. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

-GoJacks.com-