Jacks open MVFC home slate Saturday

Saturday, October 6

Brookings, S.D.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Indiana State

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Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

10/2/2018 3:08:00 PM | Football

GAME 4: Indiana State (2-2, 0-1 MVFC) at #3/4 South Dakota State (2-1, 0-1 MVFC)

When	Saturday, Oct. 6 \| 6 p.m.	Hall of Fame Game/Precision Agriculture Bowl
Where	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	Midco Sports Network \| ESPN+ (subscription) \| Jackrabbits All-Access
Radio	J ackrabbits All-Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	SDSU \| Indiana State \| Missouri Valley Football Conference \| Indiana State Scouting Report
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

The South Dakota State University football team will be in search of a bounce-back victory Saturday as it hosts Indiana State in the Jackrabbits' Missouri Valley Football Conference home opener.

Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Both teams are in search of their first league victories of the season. SDSU dropped a 21-17 decision at top-ranked North Dakota State on Sept. 29 to fall to 2-1 overall.

Indiana State, meanwhile, dropped to 2-2 overall after being shut out, 33-0, at home against nationally ranked Northern Iowa in its league opener on Sept. 27.

Saturday's game has been designated not only as the annual Hall of Fame Game, but as the inaugural Precision Agriculture Bowl. A groundbreaking ceremony for the new on-campus Raven Precision Agriculture Center is scheduled for Saturday morning.

The 2018 Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame class of Tiffini (Schuebel) Kramer, Ann (Westby) Lamer, Chad Lamer and Jason Sempsrott, along with Ralph Ginn Award honoree Mike Kesler, will be recognized at halftime of Saturday's game.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the ninth meeting between South Dakota State and Indiana State on the gridiron, a series that dates back to when SDSU joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference at the start of the 2008 campaign.

SDSU leads the all-time series, 6-2, but the two teams haven't met since the 2015 season. The Jackrabbits have won the last four meetings between the two squads, starting with a 24-10 victory on the Sycamores' home field in 2012.

In the last meeting, Oct. 10, 2015, at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, South Dakota State quarterback Taryn Christion made his collegiate debut and accounted for 320 yards of total offense in a 24-7 Jackrabbit victory.

Christion accounted for two touchdowns, opening the scoring with a 10-yard run early in the second quarter before throwing his first career touchdown pass, a 34-yard strike to Jake Wieneke later in the stanza.

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.

RABBITS RANKED: South Dakota State entered the 2018 season with its highest-ever rankings in a Football Championship Subdivision poll, checking in at No. 3 in both the STATS FCS media poll and AFCA FCS Coaches' Poll. It marked the fifth time in six years the Jackrabbits have entered a season with a top-10 national ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision, surpassing their No. 4 ranking in the 2017 STATS FCS Preseason Poll.

Defending national champion North Dakota State holds the top spot in both national polls, while 2017 runner-up James Madison is second in each of the two major polls.

Despite suffering its first loss of the season Sept. 29 at top-ranked North Dakota State, SDSU maintained its No. 3 ranking in the STATS FCS media poll and slipped into a tie for fourth place with Eastern Washington in the poll conducted by the American Football Coaches Association.

SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 84 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are four captains:

Jordan Brown, Sr., cornerback, Scottsdale, Arizona;
Taryn Christion, Sr., quarterback, Sioux Falls;
Dalton Cox, Sr., linebacker, Aberdeen, and
Christian Rozeboom, Jr., linebacker, Sioux Center, Iowa.

Christion and Rozeboom are each in their second seasons as captains.

TOP OF THE CHARTS: The Jackrabbits enter the week leading the Football Championship Subdivision in four different offensive categories:

Scoring offense, 50.7 points per game;
Passing offense, 359.3 yards per game;
Total offense, 598.3 yards per game, and
Team passing efficiency, 241.08.

In addition, SDSU ranks second in completion percentage at 74.7 percent (59-of-79).

TAKEAWAY STREAK: The SDSU defense has forced seven turnovers — two fumble recoveries and five interceptions — through its first three games. That has extended the team's streak of recording at least one takeaway to 18 consecutive games, dating back to late in the 2016 season.

In those 18 games, the Jackrabbits have come out on the plus side of turnover margin eight times and have been even with their opponent on five other occasions. The most turnovers the Jackrabbits have forced during its current streak is five, which came in their 33-21 victory over North Dakota State last season.

SDSU has turned the ball over only once this season in 184 offensive plays.

TOUGH AGAINST THE PASS: The Jackrabbit defense has held the opposition to less than 50 percent passing through the first three games of the season. SDSU's three opponents have combined to complete only 31-of-67 passes (46.2 percent) for 477 yards.

Of the 36 incomplete passes thrown by the opposition, 17 have resulted in passes defensed by the Jackrabbits — five interceptions and 12 pass breakups.

Cornerbacks Jordan Brown and Zy Mosley share the team lead with two interceptions.

STIG FOR 150: South Dakota State head coach John Stiegelmeier reached another coaching milestone when he recorded career win No. 150 in the Jackrabbits' 90-6 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 15.

Already the career wins leader at SDSU, Stiegelmeier has guided the Jackrabbits to a 150-98 career mark (.605 winning percentage) in 22 seasons. The Jackrabbits have turned in a winning record in 17 of his 21 full seasons and made seven Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK: With its 90-point outburst Sept. 15 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, South Dakota State broke a 96-year-old scoring record. The previous mark of 85 points was set against Columbus College in 1922.

The Jackrabbits also set new team standards for total offense (926 yards), passing yards (557) and passing touchdowns (8). Individually, Chase Vinatieri set a school record by kicking 11 extra points.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Six different Jackrabbits scored their first collegiate touchdowns in the Sept. 15 rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Freshman tight end Blake Kunz opened the scoring with an 8-yard touchdown reception on SDSU's first drive of the game, while Adam Anderson followed with a 31-yard touchdown reception later in the first quarter for his first collegiate score.

In the second half, running backs Pierre Strong Jr. (66 yards) and C.J. Wilson (37 yards) found paydirt on screen passes, with Blair Mulholland (14-yard run) and Michael Wandmaker (76-yard reception) closing out the scoring.

BIG-PLAY ISAAC: Isaac Wallace has continued to break off big runs, scoring on a 61-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the Jackrabbits' Sept. 29 game at North Dakota State.

For the season, Wallace is averaging 14.4 yards per carry, gaining 332 yards on only 23 carries. His three touchdowns this season have covered 58, 79 and 61 yards.

Although he ranks 15th in the Football Championship Subdivision with an average of 110.7 rushing yards per game, Wallace does not have enough attempts to qualify for the FCS lead in rushing yards per carry (minimum of 10 carries per game is needed). He has gained 302 yards on only 14 carries — 21.6 ypc — over the last two contests.

TOP RECEIVING TANDEM: The duo of Cade Johnson and Adam Anderson have emerged as the top receiving tandem in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in the first third of the 2018 season.

Each has recorded consecutive 100-yard games this season, with Johnson also catching at least one touchdown pass in all three games en route to leading the Football Championship Subdivision in scoring at 14.0 points per game with seven touchdowns. A sophomore, Johnson also leads the MVFC with an average of 121.0 receiving yards per game.

Anderson, a junior who ranks second in the league with an average of 105.3 yards per game, hauled in a career-high eight catches in last week's game at North Dakota State.

The only other NCAA football team with more than one receiver averaging 100-plus yards per game is Division III Puget Sound, which has three.

BACK INTO DOUBLE DIGITS: Linebacker Christian Rozeboom recorded double figures in tackles for the first time this season, when he registered a game-high 12 tackles in the Sept. 29 game at North Dakota State.

A junior from Sioux Center, Iowa, Rozeboom has tallied 10 or more tackles in a game in 15 of 30 career contests. He currently ranks third among active FCS players for career tackles with 279.

JOHNSON TIES RECORD: South Dakota State wide receiver Cade Johnson became the latest Jackrabbit to tie the SDSU single-game record for touchdown receptions when he scored four times Sept. 8 against Montana State.

Don Bartlett originally set the record with four touchdown receptions against North Dakota State in 1949. That mark went unmatched for 67 years until Dallas Goedert caught four TDs against Western Illinois in 2016 and Jake Wieneke scored on four pass plays in the 2017 season opener against Duquesne.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: South Dakota State's Cade Johnson and Brady Hale were honored as Missouri Valley Football Conference Players of the Week for their standout performances in the Jackrabbits' season-opening 45-14 victory over Montana State on Sept. 8.

Johnson, a sophomore wide receiver from Papillion, Nebraska, earned Co-Offensive Player of the Week recognition after tying a Jackrabbit single-game school record with four touchdown receptions, while also setting career bests of nine receptions and 138 receiving yards. Johnson scored each of SDSU's first three touchdowns from 2, 24 and 19 yards, respectively, in the first half as the Jackrabbits led 24-0 at intermission. He tied the mark with a 7-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter. Johnson also recorded a 23-yard kickoff return, giving him 161 all-purpose yards in the contest.

He shared the offensive award with South Dakota quarterback Austin Simmons. Johnson also was selected as an honorable mention FCS Performer of the Week by College Football Performance Awards.

A senior punter from Yankton, Hale received Special Teams Player of the Week honors after punting four times for an average of 48.0 yards. Three of Hale's punts landed inside the Bobcats' 20-yard line and two of his punts traveled 50-plus yards.

In addition, sophomore guard Edward Miller was named MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week after the Jackrabbits' record-setting performance Sept. 15 versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

VALLEY PREVIEW: For the second year in a row, South Dakota State has been picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference race.

The Jackrabbits finished second behind defending league and Football Championship Subdivision champion North Dakota State, which garnered all 39 first-place votes from a panel that included head coaches, sports information and media. The Bison tallied 390 points, followed by SDSU with 340 and Northern Iowa with 270. Youngstown State (258) and Illinois State (248) rounded the top half of the 10-team field.

NDSU has been tabbed as the preseason favorite seven consecutive seasons and has won seven consecutive league titles — sharing the title with another team four times, including with the Jackrabbits in 2016. The Bison won the 2017 league title with a 7-1 MVFC record, with their only loss coming at SDSU. The Jackrabbits and Northern Iowa tied for second in the 2017 league race with respective 6-2 marks in MVFC games, while SDSU went on to a school-record 11 overall wins and reached the FCS playoffs for the first time in program history.

The MVFC has had four or more teams qualify for the FCS playoffs each of the last four seasons, including a record-tying five programs in 2017. NDSU, SDSU, South Dakota and UNI each won at least one playoff game last season, while Western Illinois fell in first-round action.

In addition, the Jackrabbits were well-represented on the preseason all-MVFC team.

On offense, quarterback Taryn Christion and kicker Chase Vinatieri were selected to the first team.

A senior from Sioux Falls, Christion posted his second consecutive season with 4,000 yards of total offense in 2017, passing for 3,515 yards and gaining another 500 yards on the ground as SDSU reached the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals for the first time in program history. Christion accounted for 44 touchdowns by passing for a school-record 35 touchdowns and scoring nine more times on the ground.

Christion was named MVFC Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 and was a second-team all-MVFC honoree last season. He already ranks seventh all-time in the league record book with 8,515 career passing yards, and is tied for fourth all-time with 72 touchdown passes. In addition, Christion ranks third all-time in MVFC history with 9,697 career yards of total offense.

A junior from Sioux Falls and a fellow Roosevelt High School graduate, Vinatieri connected on 13-of-14 field-goal attempts and 58-of-62 point-after tries during the 2017 campaign. He added a rushing touchdown on a fake field goal to finish with 103 points.

Vinatieri was a member of the all-MVFC Second Team a year ago.

Sophomore Cade Johnson led the Jackrabbit contingent on the second team by being honored as both a wide receiver and return specialist. A native of Papillion, Nebraska, Johnson ranked third on the squad last season with 23 receptions, tallying 318 yards and three touchdowns. He also set an Jackrabbit single-season record for kickoff return yardage with 839 yards, averaging 28 yards on 30 attempts, and became the first SDSU player in more than 50 years to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same season.

Also honored on the preseason second team were junior fullback Luke Sellers and sophomore long snapper Bradey Sorenson.

BLOCK THAT KICK: Defensive tackle Xavier Ward picked up where the Jackrabbits left off in the special teams department, blocking a Montana State extra-point attempt in the 2018 season opener.

In 2017, SDSU ranked sixth in the Football Championship Subdivision with six blocked kicks.

CHRISTION EYES ANOTHER RECORD: South Dakota State quarterback Taryn Christion is poised to add to his list of school records Saturday night as he is within striking distance of the Jackrabbits' career passing yardage mark.

A senior from Sioux Falls, Christion enters the week with 9,368 career passing yards, putting him 91 yards away from overtaking Austin Sumner (9,458 passing yards from 2011-14) for the Jackrabbits' career lead.

Christion already holds SDSU career records for total offense (10,578 yards) and passing touchdowns (82). His touchdowns mark also stands as a Missouri Valley Football Conference record, while his total offense mark is second behind Illinois State's Matt Brown, who tallied 10,952 yards of total offense from 2009-12.

By passing Sumner, Christion also would move into second place on the MVFC career passing yardage charts, again trailing Brown's 10,591 yards.

In addition, Christion holds seven SDSU single-season records and five single-game marks.

After passing for four touchdowns and running for another in the 2018 season opener versus Montana State, it marked the 16th time in Christion's career he accounted for scores both through the air and on the ground in the same game. Last season, he passed and rushed for touchdowns in the same game seven times.

Christion once again appears on the initial watch list for the 2018 STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, which is presented to the subdivision's top offensive player. He has been a two-time finalist for the award, placing seventh in the balloting in 2016 and sixth last year.

CHRISTION A CAMPBELL SEMIFINALIST: Jackrabbit quarterback Taryn Christion was recently named a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top collegiate football scholar-athlete.

The list of 179 semifinalists will be pared to a list of 12-14 finalists on Oct. 31, and each of them will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 60th National Football Foundation's National Scholar-Athlete Class. The finalists will travel to New York City for the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports. Live during the event, one member of the class will be declared as the winner of the 29th William V. Campbell Trophy® and have his postgraduate scholarship increased to $25,000.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a grade-point of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is made up of a prominent group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

SDSU?has had three football student-athletes honored as members of the National Scholar-Athlete Class in the past decade: Ryan Berry (2008), Zach Zenner (2014) and Jake Wieneke (2017).

100 FCS WINS: South Dakota State recorded its 100th win as a Football Championship Subdivision program with a 62-30 victory at Missouri State on Oct. 21, 2017. Since moving to the FCS ranks at the start of the 2004 season, the Jackrabbits have posted a 108-65 overall record (.624 winning percentage).

SDSU has turned in a winning record in 12 of 14 full seasons and has compiled a 55-26 mark (.679 winning percentage) in Missouri Valley Football Conference games.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: South Dakota State University linebacker Christian Rozeboom and cornerback Jordan Brown were tabbed as members of the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team. Both players also received preseason first-team all-MVFC recognition.

A junior from Sioux Center, Iowa, Rozeboom was selected to the first team after posting his second consecutive 100-tackle season for the Jackrabbits in 2017. Rozeboom registered a team-high 127 tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss, notching 10 or more tackles in seven of the team's 14 games. Also on the initial watch list for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award for the subdivision's top defensive player, Rozeboom added three fumble recoveries and a pair of interceptions to earn a spot on multiple postseason All-America teams a year ago.

Brown, a senior from Scottsdale, Arizona, earned third-team recognition on the preseason All-America squad. In earning first-team all-MVFC honors last season, he tallied team bests of nine pass breakups and three forced fumbles, while ranking second in both tackles (72) and interceptions (3).

JACKRABBIT BLOODLINES: Several South Dakota State football players 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 1994.

In addition, linebacker Dalton Cox's father, Doug, wrestled for the Jackrabbits in the 1980s, while his younger brother, Colton, is a redshirt 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 made 13-of-14 field goal attempts last season to lead the nation in field goal percentage (.929), and entered the 2018 season with a string of nine consecutive made field-goal attempts. In the Jackrabbits' playoff victory over Northern Iowa last season, Vinatieri made a career-best three field goals, including a career-long 55-yarder in the second quarter.

Newcomer Logan Busch's father, Mike, played quarterback at SDSU from 1984-85 and ranks in the Jackrabbits' all-time top 10 for passing yards and touchdown passes. His older brother, Landon, was a pitcher on the Jackrabbit baseball team in 2015 and 2016.

Three sets of brothers are on the 2018 Jackrabbit roster: Jordan and Jacob Brown, Brandon and Jaden Snyder, and identical twins Jadon and Jaxon Janke.

Brandon Snyder joined the SDSU football program at the start of fall camp as a graduate transfer from Iowa.

JACKS IN THE PROS: With the regular season under way, three former South Dakota State University football standouts are currently featured on National Football League rosters, continuing the Jackrabbits' long tradition of developing players into pro prospects.

Headlining the list is Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts, who established a new NFL career record for field goals at 567 with a two-field goal performance Sept. 30 against Houston. Currently the oldest player in the NFL at age 45, Vinatieri holds 13 other NFL records, including 20 100-point seasons.

Considered one of the most clutch kickers in NFL history, Vinatieri's career totals include 567-of-672 on field goal attempts, 84.4 percent, and 2,517 career points. He ranks second in career scoring — 27 points behind leader Morten Andersen (2,544 points from 1982-2007) — and fourth in career extra points (816).

After two Pro Bowl selections (2002, 2004), he left New England following the 2005 season as the team's career scoring leader with 1,058 points. In 2015, he became the first player in NFL?to score 1,000 points for two different teams.

Also continuing his NFL career is offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann. A member of the Jackrabbits from 2010-13, Witzmann earned a starting role with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. However, he released by the Chiefs at the end of training camp and has since been signed by the Minnesota Vikings. Witzmann previously spent time with Houston, New Orleans and Dallas.

Making his professional debut recently was tight end Dallas Goedert. A two-time All-American, Goedert became the first Jackrabbit selected in the NFL?Draft in eight years as he was a second-round pick by the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Britton native caught one pass for four yards in a season-opening win over Atlanta on Sept. 6, then scored his first NFL touchdown Sept. 23 as part of a seven-catch, 73-yard performance against Indianapolis. For the season, he has caught 10 passes for 90 yards with the one score.

Former Jackrabbit running back Zach Zenner began the 2018 season with Detroit, but has since been released after playing in 28 games over three full seasons with the Lions.

During a highly decorated career at SDSU from 2011-14, Zenner became the first player in the history of Division I football to rush for 2,000 yards in three consecutive seasons.

Also in their first training camps this summer were 2017 All-American Jake Wieneke (Minnesota Vikings) and Jacob Ohnesorge (Dallas Cowboys). Neither made the final roster for their respective teams and is awaiting other professional opportunities.

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 has gone on to post a 15-2 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its first three seasons of operation, including a 3-0 mark in FCS playoff games.

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 won the 2017 Alliant Build America Award from the Associated General Contractors of America South Dakota Building Chapter.

STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show airs each Monday throughout the 2018 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 close out their two-game homestand next Saturday (Oct. 13) by hosting Youngstown State in the 105th Hobo Day game.

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. The Hobo Day parade is slated to begin at 9:30 a.m., starting by the Coughlin Campanile on Medary Avenue.

-GoJacks.com-