Jackrabbits host Illinois State

Saturday, November 9

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Illinois State

Tickets

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

11/6/2019 10:21:00 AM | Football

GAME 10: #11/12 Illinois State (6-3, 3-2 MVFC) at #4/4 South Dakota State (7-2, 4-1)

When	Saturday, Nov. 9 \| 2 p.m. \| Hall of Fame Game \| Miltary Appreciation Day
Where	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium \| Brookings, S.D. \| ORDER TICKETS
TV	Midco Sports Network \| ESPN+ (subscription) \| Jackrabbits All-Access (subscription)
Radio	J ackrabbits All-Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	SDSU \| Illinois State \| Missouri Valley Football Conference \| Illinois State Scouting Report
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

South Dakota State continues a stretch of home games against nationally ranked Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents Saturday by hosting Illinois State on Military Appreciation Day at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. Veterans and active duty military personnel can claim two free tickets to the game at the southwest stadium entrance by presenting valid military identification. Stadium gates open at 12:30 p.m.

Saturday's game also has been designated as the annual Hall of Fame Game. The six-member Hall of Fame class will be inducted at a morning ceremony and recognized at halftime of Saturday's football game.

The Jackrabbits, ranked fourth in both the STATS FCS media poll and by the Football Championship Subdivision coaches, have posted a 7-2 overall record with a 4-1 mark in league play. After a home loss to top-ranked North Dakota State on Oct. 26, SDSU rebounded with a 35-14 win at Missouri State last Saturday.

Illinois State, which is ranked 11th by the media and 12th by the FCS coaches, is 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the MVFC. The Redbirds suffered a 27-10 home setback to Northern Iowa last week in a battle between teams that entered the matchup in the top 10.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game marks the 10th meeting between SDSU and Illinois State, a series that began when the Jackrabbits joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008.

On the strength of winning the last two matchups, including a 27-24 overtime victory the last time the two teams met in Brookings, SDSU leads the overall series by a 5-4 count.

In last season's meeting, a 21-point outburst by the Jackrabbits in the second quarter paced a 38-28 SDSU victory at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois. It marked the first time in six series meetings that the road team came out victorious.

Defensive tackle Xavier Ward turned the game in the Jackrabbits' favor in the waning minutes of the first half, stripping the ball loose from an ISU player and recovering the fumble at the Redbird 5-yard line. One play later, Mikey Daniel scored to give SDSU the lead for good.

SDSU recovered another fumble deep in ISU territory on the ensuing drive and cashed in on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Taryn Christion to Jacob Brown.

After a punt less than a minute later, Cade Johnson capped the spurt with an 81-yard catch and run to the end zone from Christion.

SECOND-HALF SURGES: SDSU has a long history of peaking in the second half of the league season since joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008. Over the last 11-plus seasons, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 36-9 record in the second half of the league schedule, running the table with four wins in 2013, 2017 and 2018 en route to Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths.

SDSU has posted a 3-1 record in the second half seven other times, with its worst showing a 2-2 mark in 2010.

ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only two Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last seven seasons, including making back-to-back national semifinal appearances in 2017 and 2018. North Dakota State holds the longest active streak with nine straight trips to the playoffs.

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 123-69 overall record (.641 winning percentage).

SDSU has turned in a winning record in 13 of 15 full seasons and has compiled a 65-28 mark (.699 winning percentage) in Missouri Valley Football Conference games.

RABBITS RANKED: The South Dakota State University football team matched its highest-ever ranking in a preseason poll by checking in at No. 3 in the initial STATS FCS media poll of the 2019 season.

The Jackrabbits also were ranked fourth in the preseason coaches' poll conducted by the American Football Coaches Association.

The Jackrabbits maintained a No. 3 ranking in both polls for eight weeks in a row until their Oct. 26 loss to North Dakota State, but have remained in the top five.

SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 102 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

SCORING STREAK: SDSU had its streak of scoring in 17 consecutive quarters end when it was shut out in the second quarter of the Oct. 12 game at Youngstown State. The Jackrabbits have scored in 31 of 36 quarters thus far this season.

Dating back to the start of the 2018 season, the Jacks have scored in all four quarters in 15 of their last 17 victories and have averaged 38.7 points per game. In their five losses over that span, SDSU has been blanked in two quarters of a loss four times.

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

Adam Anderson, Sr., wide receiver, Orlando, Fla.;
Logan Backhaus, Jr., linebacker, Spirit Lake, Iowa;
Ryan Earith, Sr., defensive end, Papillion, Neb.;
Evan Greeneway, Sr., offensive lineman, Yankton, S.D.;
Christian Rozeboom, Sr., linebacker, Sioux Center, Iowa, and
Luke Sellers, Sr., fullback, Papillion, Neb.

Rozeboom is in his third season as a captain, joining Austin Sumner (2012-14) and Jacob Ohnesorge (2015-17) as the only other three-time captains in program history. All five other captains are in their first seasons in the role.

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE: South Dakota State had its 15-game home winning streak snapped in a 23-16 loss to top-ranked North Dakota State on Oct. 26. The streak began Nov. 4, 2017, with a 33-21 victory over NDSU and included three Football Championship Subdivision playoff games.

Since Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium opened in 2016, the Jackrabbits have gone on to compile a 24-3 record (.889 winning percentage) on their home field. This year's Dakota Marker Game crowd set a stadium attendance record of 19,371.

VALLEY PREVIEW: For the third 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 league and Football Championship Subdivision champion North Dakota State, which garnered 32 of 40 first-place votes from a panel that included head coaches, sports information and media members who regularly cover the 10-team league. The Bison tallied 392 points, followed by SDSU with 348 points and four first-place votes. Illinois State (3) and Indiana State also received first-place votes to finish third and fourth in the preseason poll with respective point totals of 289 and 279 points.

Rounding out the top five was Northern Iowa with 266 points.

NDSU has now been tabbed as the preseason favorite eight consecutive seasons and has won eight straight league titles — sharing the title four times, including with the Jackrabbits in 2016. A pre-season favorite has claimed the league crown 21 times (in 33 previous polls). Valley Football is celebrating its 35th season in 2019.

SDSU has met or exceeded expectations from the preseason poll nine of its first 11 seasons as a member of the MVFC, including recording runner-up finishes each of the last two years.

In 2018, three MVFC teams earned selection to the NCAA Division I Championship, SDSU and North Dakota State advanced to the playoff semifinals, and NDSU won its seventh national championship in eight years.

Counting last year, an MVFC member has reached the FCS semifinals 23 times in the past 23 seasons (and 26 times overall), and the MVFC has had two semifinal teams in four of the past five seasons.

In addition, eight Jackrabbit players, including five first-team selections, were named to the 2019 MVFC Preseason Team.

Senior linebacker Christian Rozeboom led the SDSU honorees. A three-time first-team all-MVFC pick from Sioux Center, Iowa, Rozeboom registered team highs of 105 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss in 2018. He also forced three fumbles and intercepted a pair of passes.

Joining Rozeboom on the defensive unit was defensive end Ryan Earith. A senior from Papillion, Nebraska, Earith posted a team-best 5.5 sacks and added nine tackles for loss en route to receiving second-team all-MVFC accolades in 2018.

On the offensive end, sophomore running back Pierre Strong, Jr. and junior wide receiver Cade Johnson received first-team preseason honors. Strong gained a team-best 1,116 rushing yards on only 117 carries — an average of 9.5 yards per attempt — and scored 11 touchdowns in being named 2018 MVFC Freshman of the Year.

Johnson led the league with 1,332 receiving yards — on 67 receptions — and share the lead among Football Championship Subdivision players with a school-record 17 touchdown catches in 2018. He also has excelled on special teams, leading the team each of the past two seasons in kickoff return yards, including an average of 27.2 yards per attempt in 2018.

The special teams unit was represented by junior long snapper Bradey Sorenson.

Also honored on the MVFC Preseason Team were honorable mention selections Evan Greeneway at offensive tackle, Luke Sellers at fullback and Chase Vinatieri at kicker. All three are seniors.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: A Football Championship Subdivision-best five players from SDSU were honored on the STATS FCS Preseason All-America Team.

Leading the Jackrabbit contingent was junior long snapper Bradey Sorenson as a first-team honoree. A Yankton native, Sorenson was perfect on all 149 of his snaps (56 punts, 21 field goal attempts and 72 extra-point tries) during the 2018 season, allowing SDSU to rank in the top 10 nationally for punt return defense and net punting.

Also from the special teams unit, senior kicker Chase Vinatieri was a third-team selection. Vinatieri led the team in 2018 with 114 points, including making 14-of-21 field goal attempts that was highlighted by a school-record-tying 57-yarder. The Sioux Falls native broke his own single-season school record with 66 extra points (in 71 attempts).

Two of SDSU's top offensive playmakers — wide receiver Cade Johnson and running back Pierre Strong, Jr. — were second-team honorees. A junior from Papillion, Nebraska, Johnson established a Jackrabbit single-season record with 17 touchdown catches as part of a 67-reception, 1,332-yard season in 2018. His four touchdown receptions in the 2018 season opener against Montana State tied a single-game school record.

Johnson also appears on the initial watch list for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the top offensive player in the FCS ranks.

A sophomore from Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong emerged in the second half of 2018 to finish with team bests of 1,116 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He averaged 9.5 yards per carry, hitting the 1,000-yard mark on his 100th attempt of the season. Strong was honored as the Missouri Valley Football Conference Freshman of the Year.

The lone defensive honoree for the Jackrabbits was senior linebacker Christian Rozeboom, who also earned second-team recognition. The Sioux Center, Iowa, native tallied a team-best 105 tackles during the 2018 season, including 10.5 tackles for loss, while adding two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Rozeboom reached double figures in tackles five times.

In addition, Rozeboom has been named to the initial watch list for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award, which is awarded annually to the subdivision's top defender.

JOHNSON MOVES INTO TOP 10s: Junior wide receiver Cade Johnson has moved up the career charts in a pair of receiving categories in recent weeks, and is on the verge of joining the top 10 in another receiving category.

With a season-high 164 yards on only five catches Nov. 2 at Missouri State, the junior from Papillion, Nebraska, moved into fifth place on the SDSU career receiving yards chart. He enters the week with 2,490 receiving yards.

Johnson's 89-yard touchdown catch and run in the fourth quarter of last week's game was the 27th of his career, which broke a tie with Josh Davis (2002-05) for sole possession of third place in SDSU history. Johnson has caught a touchdown pass in six of the last seven games.

Johnson's 89-yard touchdown last week on a forward pitch from running back Pierre Strong, Jr., was the longest pass play by the Jackrabbits since Austin Sumner connected with Jake Wieneke on a 91-yard touchdown on Nov. 8, 2014, at Indiana State.

With 130 career receptions, Johnson is seven catches away from reaching the top 10 in that receiving category.

DANIEL FINDS PAYDIRT: Senior running back Mikey Daniel scored a rushing touchdown in the first four games of the 2019 season, vaulting the Brookings native into the Jackrabbit career top 10 in the category.

After scoring in last week's victory at Missouri State, Daniel enters Saturday's game with 27 career rushing touchdowns — good for sole possession of eighth place on the SDSU career charts after breaking a tie with with Darwin Gonnerman (26 touchdowns from 1966-68) and Taryn Christion (26 from 2015-18).

Daniel led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns in 2017 and ranked second on the squad a year ago with 10.

VINATIERI SETS SCORING RECORD: Senior Chase Vinatieri established a new Jackrabbit career standard for most points via kicking in South Dakota State's Oct. 5 Hobo Day victory over Southern Illinois. With four points in the game, Vinatieri upped his career total to 322 kicking points, passing both Justin Syrovatka (319 points from 2011-14) and Parker Douglass (321 points from 2004-07) in the contest.

Vinatieri has made 45 field goals and has tallied a school-record 212 extra points in his four-year career to now stand at 347 career kicking points. His career scoring total is actually 369 points as he has scored a pair of rushing touchdowns on fake field goal attempts — at Montana State in 2017 and versus Indiana State in a 2018 game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Vinatieri put together consecutive 100-point seasons in 2017 and 2018 with respective totals of 103 and 114 points.

Prior to Douglass setting the career kick scoring record, Chase Vinatieri's uncle, Adam, held the record with 185 points from 1991-94. Adam Vinatieri has since gone on to set the NFL career scoring record with 2,646 points while playing for the New England Patriots (1996-2005) and Indianapolis Colts (2006-present).

ROZEBOOM NEARS TACKLE MARK: Jackrabbit linebacker Christian Rozeboom is poised to take over the top spot in career tackles at SDSU this weekend. A senior from Sioux Center, Iowa, Rozeboom has tallied 432 career tackles, putting him four away from passing Greg Osmundson (435 tackles from 1986-89) for the top spot in the Jackrabbit record book.

Rozeboom matched a season high with 13 tackles Oct. 26 against North Dakota State and has registered double figures in tackles in 22 of 49 career games.

TWO TOP 100: South Dakota State produced a pair of 100-yard rushers in the same game for the first time in three seasons in its 38-10 victory over Drake on Sept. 14. Pierre Strong, Jr. led the way for the Jackrabbits with 129 yards on 11 carries, while C.J. Wilson added 117 yards on 10 attempts. Both sophomores, Strong reached the century mark for the sixth time in his career, with Wilson hitting the milestone for the second time.

The Jackrabbits last had two 100-yard rushers in the same game on Nov. 12, 2016, in a home win over South Dakota as Brady Mengarelli (161 yards) and Isaac Wallace (102 yards) accomplished the feat.

STRONG RUNNING: South Dakota State running back Pierre Strong, Jr. is closing in on his second consecutive 1,000-yard season. The sophomore from Little Rock, Arkansas, enters Saturday's game versus Illinois State with 975 rushing yards for a Missouri Valley Football Conference-leading average of 108.3 yards per game.

Strong has topped the 100-yard mark four times this season, including back-to-back games against Indiana State (144 yards) and North Dakota State (120 yards), and nine times during his career.

After gaining 1,116 yards en route to being named MVFC Freshman of the Year in 2018, Strong would become only the seventh player in SDSU history to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. The last to do it was Zach Zenner, who hit the 2,000-yard mark in three consecutive years (2012-14).

Following is the complete list of Jackrabbit running backs to post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons:

Pete Retzlaff, 1951 (1,016 yards) and 1952 (1,008)
Darwin Gonnerman, 1967 (1,023) and 1968 (1,023)
Les Tuma, 1972 (1,061) and 1973 (1,052)
Josh Ranek, 1998 (1,881) and 1999 (2,055)
Kyle Minett, 2008 (1,289), 2009 (1,304) and 2010 (1,208)
Zach Zenner, 2012 (2,044), 2013 (2,015) and 2014 (2,019)

GETTING DEFENSIVE: South Dakota State limited Long Island University to 123 yards of total offense and only eight first downs in a 38-3 victory on Sept. 7. That was the lowest yardage total surrendered by the Jackrabbits since giving up a mere 90 yards to Indiana State on Sept. 19, 2009. The eight LIU first downs were the fewest by an opponent since the 2018 home opener, when Montana State managed only six first downs against the SDSU defense.

The Jackrabbits currently rank sixth among FCS teams in scoring defense (16.2 points per game allowed) and seventh in total defense (298.2 yards per game allowed).

PICK-SIX: Junior cornerback Don Gardner turned his first career interception into a 42-yard return for touchdown to spark the Jackrabbits' comeback victory at Youngstown State on Oct. 12. Gardner's interception return for touchdown was the second by an SDSU player this season.

Senior linebacker Christian Rozeboom recorded SDSU's first pick-six this season in the Jackrabbits' 43-7 victory over Southern Utah on Sept. 21. His touchdown was part of a 15-point third quarter by the Jackrabbits and covered 27 yards.

The interception return for touchdown by Rozeboom versus SUU was the second of his career. His first career interception return for touchdown came against Western Illinois in the 2016 conference opener and covered 37 yards.

Rozeboom leads active Jackrabbit players with eight interceptions. As a team, the Jackrabbits have tallied at least one interception in all nine games this season and 15 of 16 games dating back to the 2018 campaign.

WINNING THIRD DOWN: South Dakota State limited Southern Illinois to 1-of-14 on third-down attempts in their Oct. 5 matchup at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. It marked the first time the Jackrabbits held an opponent to one third-down conversion in a game since a 1-for-13 effort against Northern Arizona in a 2013 playoff game.

SDSU nearly duplicated the feat last week at Missouri State, holding the Bears to 2-for-13 on third-down attempts.

For the season, the Jackrabbits have limited their opponents to a 33.1 percent (43-of-130) success rate on third-down attempts.

Offensively, SDSU is converting 40.6 percent of its third-down attempts, 41-of-101. The Jackrabbits were successful on their final six third-down attempts in the Oct. 12 road win at Youngstown State.

SACK ATTACK: South Dakota State ranks 11th among FCS programs with 27 sacks through nine games — an average of three per game. The Jackrabbits notched a season-high eight sacks Oct. 19 at Indiana State, which was the most in a game by an SDSU squad since tallying nine in the 2009 season opener against Georgia Southern.

A dozen different Jackrabbit players have recorded at least a half-sack this season. Defensive ends Ryan Earith and Reece Winkelman share the team lead with four sacks each.

BLOCK THAT KICK: The Jackrabbits recorded their first blocked kick of the 2019 season as Tyler DeMartra blocked a Drake punt in the third quarter of their Sept. 14 game. SDSU went on to block three more kicks — one punt and two field goals — a week later versus Southern Utah.The punt, which was blocked by Jadon Janke, resulted in a safety. Xavier Ward and Logan Backhaus were credited with the blocked field goals.

After blocking a North Dakota State field goal attempt on Oct. 26, SDSU enters this week ranked third for the most blocked kicks by a Football Championship Subdivision team this season with five.

SDSU has been strong on special teams in recent years, including ranking third in the Football Championship Subdivision during the 2018 season with eight blocked kicks.

Seven Wilson led the way with three blocked kicks, including a pair of blocked punts in the FCS?playoff opener against Duquesne. Krockett Krolikowski was credited with a pair of blocked kicks.

HEIDE PASSES FIRST TEST: True freshman Keaton Heide became the third different quarterback to start a game for the Jackrabbits this season as he took over the signal-caller duties Nov. 2 at Missouri State.

A native of Wayzata, Minnesota, Heide completed 11-of-19 passes for 173 yards. His first career touchdown pass, a 10-yarder to Adam Anderson, opened the scoring in SDSU's 35-14 victory.

Heide finished the Oct. 26 game against North Dakota State, leading the Jackrabbits on a game-tying touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter.

Redshirt freshman J'Bore Gibbs started six games for the Jackrabbits before being sidelined by injury in the Oct. 26 game against North Dakota State. Junior Kanin Nelson started two games in September, helping lead SDSU to wins over Long Island and Drake.

Prior to the 2019 season, Taryn Christion started 41 consecutive games for the Jackrabbits at quarterback. Christion began his streak in a 2015 playoff game at Montana and helped lead the Jackrabbits to a combined 30-10 record over the next three seasons.

CLIMBING THE LADDER: South Dakota State head coach John Stiegelmeier is steadily moving up the Missouri Valley Football Conference's career victories list.

With the Jackrabbits' 35-14 victory at Missouri State last week, Stiegelmeier tied former MSU and Northern Iowa mentor Terry Allen for second place in career league wins with 65. Stiegelmeier has led the Jackrabbits to a 65-28 record (.699 winning percentage) in MVFC games.

Stiegelmeier's next win will give him 98 victories over the 12 seasons SDSU has been a member of the MVFC, starting in 2008.That would tie him for third place among league coaches for all-time wins as a league member with Randy Ball, who coached both Western Illinois (1990-98) and Missouri State (1999-2005).

Northern Iowa's Mark Farley leads both categories with 153 overall wins and 97 league victories in 19 seasons, starting in 2001. Allen is second in overall wins with 112.

JACKRABBIT BLOODLINES: Several South Dakota State football players have strong family ties to South Dakota State Athletics.

• Fullback Turner Blasius' father, Justin, was an NCAA Division II national wrestling champion in 1994.
• Senior kicker Chase Vinatieri is the nephew of former Jackrabbit and NFL career scoring leader Adam Vinatieri, currently of the Indianapolis Colts. Chase Vinatieri made 13-of-14 field goal attempts during the 2017 season to lead the nation in field goal percentage (.929). He shares the SDSU record for longest field goal at 57 yards, a feat he accomplished in a game last season at Northern Iowa.
• Senior wide receiver Jacob Brown is the younger brother of Jordan Brown, who was an All-America selection in 2018 and who was selected in the seventh round of the 2019 National Football League draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
• Identical twins Jadon and Jaxon Janke are redshirt freshman wide receivers for the Jackrabbits this season.

JACKS IN THE PROS: At the start of the 2019 football season, two former South Dakota State standouts were on the opening day rosters of National Football League teams, continuing the Jackrabbits' long tradition of developing players into pro prospects.

Headlining the list is Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts. Vinatieri became the NFL career scoring leader during the 2018 season — his 23rd in the league. His career totals include 594-of-707 on field goal attempts, 84 percent, and 2,650 career points. He holds the career field goals record and ranks second in career extra points with 868.

Currently the oldest player in the NFL at age 46, Vinatieri now holds the all-time NFL record with 21 100-point seasons. In all, he holds 15 NFL records.

Vinatieri has earned a reputation as one the most consistent and clutch kickers in the NFL. 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.

Where Vinatieri has truly excelled is in the postseason. He holds the distinction of being the only kicker in NFL history to play in five different Super Bowl games, and made a field goal in four of those contests. He kicked last-second game-winning field goals in Super Bowl XXXVI against St. Louis and Super Bowl XXXVIII versus Carolina, as well as a game-tying 45-yard field goal in a snowstorm versus Oakland in the 2001 AFC Playoffs. In 32 postseason games, Vinatieri's totals include 56-of-69 on field goals, and he shares the NFL?single-game postseason record with five field goals — a feat he has accomplished twice. Vinatieri's field goal totals also are NFL postseason records, as are his 238 points.

In his second year with the Philadelphia Eagles is tight end Dallas Goedert, who became the first Jackrabbit selected in the NFL Draft in eight years as he was a second-round pick by the defending Super Bowl champions in 2018.

Goedert played in all 16 games for the Eagles in his rookie season, collecting 33 receptions for 334 yards with four touchdowns. So far this season, Goedert has 21 receptions for 221 yards and has scored three touchdowns.

After being released at the end of training camp by the Detroit Lions, running back Zach Zenner has had stints with the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals in recent weeks.

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. He signed a free agent contract with the Detroit Lions following the 2015 NFL Draft and played in 36 games over four seasons.

Zenner finished the 2016 season with a team-best four rushing touchdowns and ranked second on the squad with 334 rushing yards. In 2018, Zenner rejoined the team in November after being released earlier in the season and tallied 265 yards with three touchdowns, posting a career-best 4.8 yards per carry.

Former Jackrabbit quarterback Taryn Christion recently spent a week on the practice squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers after competing in training camp with the Dallas Cowboys this summer after signing as an undrafted rookie free agent. Christion has since been drafted by the upstart XFL's Los Angeles Wildcats, while defensive tackle Kellen Soulek was claimed by the league's St. Louis BattleHawks.

Three other former Jackrabbits were in training camps this summer with NFL teams, but were later released, including offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann. A standout for the Jackrabbits from 2010-13, Witzmann was with Cleveland in training camp and has since been signed by the Carolina Panthers. He played the second half of the 2018 season for the Chicago Bears. Previously with Kansas City, Witzmann earned a starting role with the Chiefs in 2017 — his second year with the team. He also has spent time with Houston, New Orleans, Dallas and Minnesota.

Making his professional debut in 2019 was cornerback Jordan Brown, who was recently released despite being a seventh-round draft choice by the Cincinnati Bengals. He has since been signed to the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Brown's selection marked the first time the Jackrabbits had players drafted in back-to-back seasons since 1975-76.

Also signing a rookie free agent contract shortly before the start of training camp was offensive lineman Tiano Pupungatoa with the Minnesota Vikings.

In addition, offensive lineman Jacob Ohnesorge played in the short-lived Alliance of American Football for the Arizona Hotshots and later earned a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals, while wide receiver Jake Wieneke leads the Montreal Allouettes of the Canadian Football League in touchdown receptions this season with eight.

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.

Dana J. Dykhouse 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 24-3 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its first four seasons of operation, including a 4-0 mark in Football Championship Subdivision playoff games. The Jackrabbits went undefeated at home in 2018 with a 7-0 mark and won 15 games in a row at DJDS before being downed by North Dakota State, 23-16, on Oct. 26, 2019. The stadium attendance record of 19,371 was set that day.

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium was designed by Kansas City-based Crawford Architects, with the construction firm JE Dunn serving as the project manager at risk and Henry Carlson Company of Sioux Falls serving as general contractor. The stadium 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 2019 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 the home portion of the regular season Nov. 16 by hosting Northern Iowa in the Precision Agriculture Bowl. SDSU's senior class will be honored in ceremonies prior to the 2 p.m. kickoff at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

-GoJacks.com-