Jackrabbits kick off home slate Saturday

Saturday, September 7

Brookings, S.D.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Long Island University

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Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

9/4/2019 2:34:00 PM | Football

GAME 2: Long Island University (0-0) at #3/3 South Dakota State (0-1)

When	Saturday, Sept. 7 \| 6 p.m. Central	Dairy Drive \| Order Tickets
Where	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	Midco Sports Network \| ESPN 3.com \| Jackrabbits All-Access
Radio	J ackrabbits All-Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	SDSU \| L ong Island \| Missouri Valley Football Conference \| Long Island Scouting Report
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

The South Dakota State University football team kicks off the 2019 home season and a four-game homestand Saturday night by hosting Long Island University in the Sixth Annual Dairy Drive.

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

The Jackrabbits enter the matchup ranked third this week in both the STATS FCS media and AFCA Coaches' polls despite a 28-21 setback at Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Minnesota in the season opener Aug. 29 in Minneapolis.

Long Island University, meanwhile, will be playing its first-ever game as a Football Championship Subdivision program Saturday. LIU has merged its Post and Brooklyn campuses into one athletics department and has taken on the nickname of Sharks.

LIU Post went undefeated during the regular year in its final season as an NCAA Division II program, winning the Northeast-10 Conference title. LIU Post finished with a 10-1 overall record after dropping a 20-14 decision to Slippery Rock in the opening round of the Division II playoffs.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game marks the first-ever meeting between South Dakota State and Long Island University on the gridiron.

Since SDSU made the move to Division I and the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, the Jackrabbits have faced only one other current member of the Northeast Conference — Duquesne — and has recorded a pair of victories.

The first win was a 51-13 victory in the 2017 season opener, while the second was a 51-6 triumph in the second round of the 2018 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Both games were played at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

HOME OPENERS: South Dakota State has fared well in home openers under head coach John Stiegelmeier, who is in his 23rd season at the helm of the Jackrabbit football program. In 22 previous home openers, SDSU has compiled an 18-4 record and has won eight in a row.

DAIRY DRIVE: Now in its sixth year, the Dairy Drive recognizes the importance of the dairy industry to the South Dakota economy and promotes the ties to SDSU as the state's Land-Grant institution.

The Jackrabbits have come out victorious in all five previous Dairy Drive games. Each game has drawn a crowd surpassing 10,000 fans.

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.

After the first full week of action, the Jackrabbits maintained their No. 3 ranking in the STATS FCS media poll, while moving up one spot to third in the coaches' poll.

SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 94 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only two Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last seven seasons. North Dakota State holds the longest active streak with nine consecutive 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 116-68 overall record (.630 winning percentage).

SDSU has turned in a winning record in 13 of 15 full seasons and has compiled a 61-27 mark (.688 winning percentage) in Missouri Valley Football Conference games.

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.

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. The Jackrabbits have qualified for the FCS?playoffs each of the last seven seasons.

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 recognition. 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 MVFC Freshman of the Year last season.

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 entering their senior seasons.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: A Football Championship Subdivision-best five players from South Dakota State 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 Sept. 8 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 the season to finish with team bests of 1,116 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He averaged 9.5 yards per, 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 in 2018.

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.

GIBBS MAKES FIRST CAREER START: Redshirt freshman J'Bore Gibbs made his collegiate debut in the Aug. 29 season opener at Minnesota, becoming the first Jackrabbit other than Taryn Christion to start a game at quarterback since 2015.

Gibbs completed 13-of-26 passes for 193 yards and added 16 rushing yards on seven carries. He led SDSU on back-to-back scoring drives in the third quarter for a 21-20 lead, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Heins.

Christion started 41 consecutive games at quarterback at SDSU, a streak that began in the Jackrabbits' 2015 playoff game at Montana.

JOHNSON NEARS RECEIVING TOP 10: Junior wide receiver Cade Johnson is poised to move into the SDSU top 10 for career receiving yards early in the 2019 season. Johnson enters Saturday's game with 1,740 career receiving yards, 93 away from passing Glen Fox (1,832 yards from 2006-09) for 10th place in program history.

Johnson already ranks in a tie with Jason Schneider (2011-14) for sixth place in career touchdown receptions with 20. Johnson set a new Jackrabbit single-season record with 17 touchdown receptions in 2018.

VINATIERI APPROACHES SCORING RECORD: Senior Chase Vinatieri has moved to within 25 points from setting a new Jackrabbit career standard for most points via kicking. Vinatieri enters the weekend with 297 kicking points, trailing the record of 321 set by Parker Douglass from 2004-07. Vinatieri has made 38 field goals and has tallied 183 extra-points in his four-year career.

Vinatieri's career scoring total is actually 309 points as he has scored a pair of rushing touchdowns on fake field goal attempts. He put together consecutive 100-point seasons as a sophomore and junior 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 195 points from 1991-94. Adam Vinatieri has since gone on to set the NFL career scoring record with 2,600 points while playing for the New England Patriots (1996-2005) and Indianapolis Colts (2006-present).

ARON JOHNSON HONORED: South Dakota State University offensive lineman Aron Johnson was honored Tuesday as Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts in the Jackrabbits' season opener at Minnesota.

A sophomore right tackle from Chisago City, Minnesota, Johnson graded out at 93 percent and was credited with six finish blocks as SDSU out-gained the Golden Gophers, 367-308. He did not give up a sack and allowed only one quarterback pressure despite being matched up against all-Big Ten defensive end Carter Coughlin much of the night. As a team, the Jackrabbits averaged 5.1 yards per rushing attempt.

BLOCK THAT KICK: The Jackrabbits were strong on special teams throughout the 2018 season, ranking third in the Football Championship Subdivision 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.

JACKRABBIT BLOODLINES: Several South Dakota State football players have 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), and enters the 2019 season with 38 career field goals. He also 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: Heading into the start of the 2019 football season, two former South Dakota State standouts are 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 582-of-690 on field goal attempts, 84.3 percent, and 2,600 career points. He also holds the career field goals record and ranks second in career extra points with 852.

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. 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 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.

Five other former Jackrabbits were in training camps this summer with NFL teams, but were later released. Notable in that group were two veterans, running back Zach Zenner and offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann.

During a highly decoarated 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.

A standout for the Jackrabbits from 2010-13, Witzmann was most recently a member of the Cleveland Browns after playing 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. Brown's selection marked the first time the Jackrabbits had players drafted in back-to-back seasons since 1975-76.

Other recent Jackrabbits who signed rookie free agent contracts shortly before the start of training camp included quarterback Taryn Christion (Dallas Cowboys) and offensive lineman Tiano Pupungatoa (Minnesota Vikings).

In addition, offensive Jacob Ohnesorge played in the short-lived Alliance of American Football for the Arizona Hotshots, while wide receiver Jake Wieneke is a member of the Montreal Allouettes in the Canadian Football League.

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 20-2 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its first three 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 has won 11 games in a row at DJDS.

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.

BIG SKY-MVFC CHALLENGE: For the third year in a row, the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Big Sky Conference have engaged in a challenge series between the two leagues.

The MVFC has captured each of the first two Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Series by a 5-3 margin. The home team won all eight games last year, and seven of the eight games in 2018 featured at least one ranked team (in two of the games, both teams were ranked.) Two playoff matchups last year did not count toward the series.

Ten MVFC-Big Sky matchups are on the slate this year, including one this week. The Big Sky leads this year's series (2-0).

Aug. 29 - Northern Arizona 37, Missouri State 23
Aug. 31 - #25 Montana 31, South Dakota 17
Sept. 7 - Southern Utah at Northern Iowa
Sept. 14 - Montana State at Western Illinois
Sept. 21 - Idaho State at Northern Iowa
Sept. 21 - Northern Arizona at Illinois State
Sept. 21 - South Dakota at Northern Colorado
Sept. 21 - UC Davis at North Dakota State
Sept. 21 - Southern Utah at South Dakota State
Sept. 28 - Northern Iowa at Weber State

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 continue their homestand by facing Drake in a Sept. 14 matinee at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

-GoJacks.com-