HOME SLATE BEGINS WITH WESTERN ILLINOIS

Saturday, March 6

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Western Illinois

Tickets

Photo by: Inertia Sports Media/Dave Eggen

3/2/2021 10:03:00 PM | Football

GAME 3: Western Illinois (0-1, 0-1 MVFC) at #8 South Dakota State (1-1, 1-1 MVFC)

When	Saturday, March 6 \| 2 p.m.
Where	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium \| Brookings, S.D. \| ORDER TICKETS
TV	MidcoSN2 \| ESPN+ (subscription) \| Jackrabbits All-Access (subscription)
Radio	J ackrabbits All-Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	SDSU \| Western Illinois \| Missouri Valley Football Conference
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

After facing two ranked, dome-dwelling opponents in the first two weeks of the season, the South Dakota State University football team will make its home debut of the 2020-21 spring season and a return to the great outdoors Saturday, hosting Western Illinois in Missouri Valley Football Conference action.

Kickoff for the Dairy Drive game is slated for 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The game will be televised on MidcoSN2 and ESPN+, with additional coverage through the Jackrabbits All-Access media portal (subscription) at GoJacks.com.

Although SDSU has implemented attendance restrictions for the spring season, a limited number of tickets remain available for purchase at JackrabbitTickets.com.

SDSU, ranked eighth in this week's Stats Perform FCS Top 25, split its first two games, winning 21-17 at No. 3 Northern Iowa on Feb. 19 before falling 28-17 Feb. 27 at 14th-ranked North Dakota.The Jackrabbits dropped five spots in this week's poll.

Western Illinois, 0-1 overall and in the MVFC, had its scheduled opener at South Dakota postponed due to COVID concerns, then dropped a 30-24 home decision to Missouri State on Feb. 27.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 16th meeting on the gridiron between the Jackrabbits and Western Illinois, but the first matchup between the two programs since 2017. The series dates back to a 28-21 Fighting Leatherneck victory at SDSU's Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in 1976.

Overall, SDSU leads the all-time series by a 10-5 count on the strength of winning nine of the last 10 matchups, including a seven-game winning streak from 2008-14.

Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision, SDSU holds a 9-2 series advantage. Both of Western Illinois' victories since 2007 have been in overtime games on its home field. The Leathernecks claimed a 29-26, four-overtime victory in the 2007 season opener, adding a 30-24 double-overtime win in the 2015 regular season finale.

In the last meeting, Oct. 28, 2017, at Hanson Field in Macomb, Illinois, Jackrabbit quarterback Taryn Christion accounted for six touchdowns, including three scoring strikes to Jake Wieneke, as eighth-ranked SDSU pulled away in the second half for a 52-24 victory over the 12th-ranked Fighting Leathernecks.

HOME OPENERS: South Dakota State has fared well in home openers under head coach John Stiegelmeier, who is in his 24th season at the helm of the Jackrabbit football program. In 23 previous home openers, SDSU has compiled a 19-4 record and has won nine in a row.

DAIRY DRIVE: Now in its seventh 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 six previous Dairy Drive games, with five of those contests also serving as the home opener.

ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only two Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last eight seasons, including making consecutive national semifinal appearances in 2017 and 2018.

North Dakota State holds the longest active streak with 10 consecutive trips to the playoffs.

RANKINGS STREAK: With its eighth-place showing in this week's STATS Perform FCS Poll, SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 108 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

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

Logan Backhaus, Sr., linebacker, Spirit Lake, Iowa;
Wes Genant, Sr., offensive lineman, Parkston, South Dakota.;
Michael Griffin II, Sr., safety, Cottage Grove, Minnesota;
Pierre Strong, Jr.; Jr.; running back, Little Rock, Arkansas, and
Preston Tetzlaff, Sr., linebacker, Brookings, South Dakota.

Backhaus is in his second season as a team captain. All four other captains are in their first seasons in the role.

SEEKING ANOTHER MILESTONE WIN: South Dakota State's season-opening win at Northern Iowa marked the program's 99th victory since joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference at the start of the 2008 season. Overall, the Jackrabbits have posted a 99-55 record (.643 winning record) in that span, including a 67-31 mark in league games.

SDSU has not finished below .500 in league play in any of its 12 full seasons as an MVFC member, making it the only current member (outside of newcomer North Dakota) since 2008 to be able to make that claim.

Since moving to the FCS ranks at the start of the 2004 season, the Jackrabbits have posted a 125-73 overall record (.631 winning percentage). SDSU spent its first four years at the FCS level as a member of the Great West Football Conference.

SDSU has turned in a winning record in 14 of 16 full seasons as an FCS member.

VALLEY PREVIEW: South Dakota State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll, which was announced earlier this month.

The Jackrabbits, who finished the 2019 season with an 8-5 overall record and 5-3 mark in the MVFC, tallied 91 points in the balloting among league coaches, sports information directors and a media panel. The Jackrabbits extended their streak of Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances to eight seasons in 2019.

Defending conference and FCS national champion North Dakota State again led the preseason poll with 101 points, followed by Northern Iowa with 92 points. Rounding out the top five were Illinois State (80) and Southern Illinois (68).

In the bottom half of the poll, South Dakota was sixth with 52 points, followed by league newcomer North Dakota with 39 points. Youngstown State held the eighth spot with 36 points, with Missouri State and Western Illinois tying for ninth with 23 points. Indiana State has opted out of the spring season.

MVFC squads are playing an eight-game league schedule, with games beginning the weekend of Feb. 19-21. Ten of the league's 11 teams will play a spring season after Indiana State opted out in January.

In addition, nine Jackrabbits were honored on the MVFC Preseason Team. Three of SDSU's four first-team selections came on the defensive side of the ball, with defensive end Reece Winkelman, linebacker Logan Backhaus and cornerback Don Gardner honored.

Winkelman, a junior from Marshall, Minnesota, tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks in 2019. He totaled 36 tackles, including nine tackles for loss, and forced a fumble in his first season as a starter.

A senior from Spirit Lake, Iowa, Backhaus is the team's top returning tackler after registering 79 tackles in 2019 to rank third on the squad. An honorable mention all-MVFC selection in 2019, he shared the team lead with four interceptions and three forced fumbles.

Gardner put together an all-conference season in 2019, earning second-team honors after registering 45 tackles, six tackles for loss and a team-high six pass breakups. The senior from Chicago also scored two defensive touchdowns — one on his lone interception of the 2019 season and the other on a fumble recovery.

The lone first-team offensive selection for the Jackrabbits was running back Pierre Strong, Jr. A junior from Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong has posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, rushing for 1,116 yards as a freshman in 2018 and 1,018 yards in 11 games as a sophomore. He also rushed for eight touchdowns in 2019 en route to All-America recognition from the Associated Press and HERO Sports.

Receiving honorable mention recognition on offense were sophomore quarterback J'Bore Gibbs and senior offensive lineman Wes Genant. Gibbs started the first six games in 2019 before suffering a season-ending injury. He completed 59 percent of his passes (73-of-124) for 1,058 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding four scores on the ground.

Genant, a Parkston native, has played all along the offensive line during his Jackrabbit career. He returns to a starting role at center during the 2020-21 season after redshirting in 2019.

Honorable mention selections on defense for the Jackrabbits included seniors Xavier Ward and Michael Griffin II.

A defensive tackle from Freeman, Ward saw his streak of starting 26 games in a row for the Jackrabbits come to an end as he missed the Feb. 19 season opener due to injury. He contributed 21 total tackles in 2019, including seven tackles for loss with four sacks.

Griffin earned a spot on the MVFC All-Newcomer Team in 2019. A safety from Cottage Grove, Minnesota, he shared the team lead with four interceptions, while also tallying 40 tackles and a pair of fumble recoveries.

Also earning preseason recognition was sophomore Jaxon Janke as a return specialist. The Madison native averaged 10.7 yards per punt return — with one touchdown — in 2019 and added 29 receptions for 353 yards and four touchdowns as a wide receiver in being named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team.

STRONG EARNS PRESEASON PRAISE: Jackrabbit running back Pierre Strong, Jr., was named last month to the preseason All-America team selected by HERO Sports.

A junior from Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong received first-team accolades after topping the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first two seasons. He rushed for 1,116 yards as a freshman in 2018 and gained 1,018 yards with eight touchdowns in 11 games as a sophomore. Over two seasons, Strong averaged 8.2 yards per carry, and needed only 100 carries to reach the 1,000-yard mark during the 2018 season.

Strong moved into the SDSU career top 10 for rushing in last week's game at North Dakota and enters Saturday's game with 2,320 career yards.

He was selected as the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week after tallying 142 all-purpose yards, including 91 rushing yards, and scoring the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard pass play with 19 seconds remaining in South Dakota State's 24-20 victory at Northern Iowa on Feb. 19.

In 2019, Strong became only the seventh player in SDSU history to top the 1,000-yard mark in consecutive seasons. He will attempt to become the third to post three straight 1,000-yard campaigns.

Following is the complete list of Jackrabbits with 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)
Pierre Strong, Jr., 2018 (1,116), 2019 (1,018)

FAST STARTS: SDSU has scored on its opening drive in each of its games this year. Cole Frahm kicked a field goal to open the scoring Feb. 19 at Northern Iowa, while Jaxon Janke caught an 18-yard touchdown on the first drive last week at North Dakota.

GRONOWSKI UNDER CENTER: True freshman Mark Gronowski has taken the reins of the Jackrabbit offense after winning a three-way battle for the starting quarterback position in spring camp.

A native of Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski turned in an impressive collegiate debut by accounting for all three South Dakota State touchdowns as the Jackrabbits prevailed in a matchup between top-five teams in the Feb. 19 season opener at Northern Iowa. He completed 19-of-29 passes for 194 yards and touchdown passes of 6 yards to Jaxon Janke in the second quarter and a 1-yard game-winning toss with 19 seconds left to Pierre Strong, Jr. He also rushed for 24 yards on 10 carries, including a 5-yard touchdown late in the first half.

For his efforts, Gronowski was selected as both the Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week and the Stats Perform FCS National Freshman Player of the Week.

In his next start, Gronowski completed 16-of-32 passes for 309 yards and two first-quarter touchdowns Feb. 27 at North Dakota.

Gronowski is the fourth different quarterback to start a game for the Jackrabbits since the end of the 2018 season, when All-American Taryn Christion wrapped up his career with 41 consecutive starts. J'Bore Gibbs started six games as a redshirt freshman in 2019, including the season opener. Kanin Nelson started the second and third games of the season, while Keaton Heide started the final five games after Gibbs was lost for the season due to injury.

GETTING DEFENSIVE: South Dakota State held Northern Iowa to a meager 28 net yards rushing in the Feb. 19 season opener, a total that ranks as the third-lowest allowed by the Jackrabbits against a Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent since joining the league in 2008. The Panthers' 28 yards came on 25 attempts — an average of 1.1 yards per carry.

The fewest rushing yards allowed by a Jackrabbit team in an MVFC game is 22 yards (on 22 carries) by South Dakota on Nov. 17, 2012. SDSU surrendered only 25 yards (on 24 attempts) versus Indiana State on Sept. 19, 2009.

INTERCEPTION STREAK ENDS: South Dakota State's defensive streak of consecutive games with an interception came to an end at 13 games in the 2020-21 season opener at Northern Iowa.

SDSU recorded at least one interception in all 13 games during the 2019 season, highlighted by a three-pick performance in the regular season matchup against UNI.

As a team, the Jackrabbits tallied 18 interceptions to rank sixth among Football Championship Subdivision programs. Linebacker Logan Backhaus and safety Michael Griffin II shared the team lead with four interceptions. In all, 10 different Jackrabbit players recorded at least one interception in 2019.

Dating back to the 2018 season, SDSU has intercepted a pass in 20 of its last 22 games as linebacker Preston Tetzlaff started a new streak at North Dakota with a fourth-quarter pickoff.

SACK ATTACK: The South Dakota State defense nearly doubled its sack total from the previous year in 2019, tallying 37 sacks to rank 16th among FCS programs with an average of 2.85 per game. That compared to 20 sacks in 2018.

Despite the loss of team co-leader Ryan Earith, the Jackrabbits do return four of their top five sack artists from the 2019 squad. Junior defensive end Reece Winkelman shared the team lead with Earith with 6.5 sacks, while pass rush specialist Quinton Hicks tallied five sacks during an impressive freshman campaign in 2019.Also returning are defensive tackle Xavier Ward (four sacks) and defensive end Tolu Ogunrinde (2.5).

SDSU notched two sacks in the Feb. 19 season opener at Northern Iowa, with Adam Bock and Tolu Ogunrinde credited with solo sacks. The Jacks did not register a sack Feb. 27 at North Dakota.

LIMITED RETURNS: South Dakota State all but eliminated the punt return game during the 2019 season. Opponents netted a total of four yards on seven punt returns (in 48 punts) last season.

That allowed the Jackrabbits to lead all FCS programs for punt return defense with an average of .57 yards per return for the entire season. Thus far during the 2020-21 season, the Jackrabbits have allowed 18 yards on three punt returns.

The longest punt return allowed by SDSU in 2019 was eight yards in the Aug. 29 season opener at Minnesota. The Jackrabbits also ranked 11th among FCS teams in net punting at 39.5 yards per attempt, with punter Ben Dinkel ranking 31st individually with an average of 41.6 yards per attempt.

SDSU also ranked eighth in kickoff return defense with an average of 13.5 yards allowed per attempt during the 2019 season.

BLOCK THAT KICK: South Dakota State continued to pick up where it left off with strong special teams play in the Feb. 19 season opener, including blocking a punt. Isaiah Stalbird's blocked punt late in the first half at Northern Iowa led to a touchdown that pushed the Jackrabbits' halftime lead to 17-7.

SDSU has consistently ranked among the FCS leaders for blocked kicks over the past few seasons. The Jackrabbits ranked ninth with five blocked kicks in 2019, after ranking third in 2018 with eight blocked kicks.

BALL SECURITY: One area the Jackrabbits will look to improve during the 2020-21 season is in the turnover margin department. Despite forcing 25 turnovers (18 interceptions, 7 fumbles), the Jackrabbits turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 24 times in 2019 to finish plus-1 in turnover margin.

Of the 24 turnovers, 17 were lost fumbles — the most by an SDSU squad in the Division I era (since 2004). By comparison, the Jackrabbits lost a total of 18 fumbles in the three previous seasons combined.

SDSU has lost three fumbles so far during the 2020-21 season and enters the weekend minus-4 in turnover margin.

TWIN CENTURY MARKS: South Dakota State's twin-brother receiving duo of Jaxon and Jadon Janke each topped the 100-yard mark for receiving Feb. 27 at North Dakota.

Jaxon Janke established new career highs of seven receptions for 161 yards, while tying a career best with two touchdowns (18, 76 yards). Jadon Janke added career highs of five catches and 109 receiving yards.

The Janke brothers became the first SDSU tandem with 100 receiving yards in a game since Cade Johnson (5-162) and Adam Anderson (4-128) against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 15, 2018.

SEEING DOUBLE: The 2020-21 South Dakota State football team features two sets of twin brothers.

Returning for their sophomore seasons are wide receivers and Madison natives Jadon and Jaxon Janke. Jadon Janke has primarily contributed on special teams during his Jackrabbit career, while Jaxon Janke is the team's top returning receiver after catching 29 passes for 353 yards and four touchdowns in 2019. A member of the MVFC?All-Newcomer Team that season, Jaxon Janke also handled the team's punt return duties, averaging 10.7 yards per attempt that included a 77-yard touchdown in the 2019 home opener against Long Island.

Joining the Jackrabbits this fall were twins Aaron and Adam Kusler. The Sioux Falls tandem, who excelled at Roosevelt High School, are both freshman linebackers on this year's squad.

SDSU has another set of brothers on the team in Brookings natives and offensive linemen Eddie and Gus Miller. Eddie is a senior on this year's team, while Gus is an incoming freshman.

JACKS IN THE PROS: At the conclusion of the 2020 football season, four former South Dakota State standouts were members of National Football League teams, continuing the Jackrabbits' long tradition of developing players into pro prospects.

Headlining the list is tight end Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles. After being drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Goedert has gone on to record 137 receptions for 1,465 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first three seasons.

Veteran offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann returned to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, an organization for which he earned a starting role in 2017. He played in one game this past season, but was assigned to the team's practice squad for much of the year, including the postseason.

Witzmann has been with eight different teams since excelling for the Jackrabbits from 2010-13, He began the 2019 season with the Cleveland Browns and later played in two games for Carolina. He also has spent time with Houston, New Orleans, Dallas, Minnesota and Chicago.

Also on NFL rosters in 2020 as practice squad members were cornerback Jordan Brown (Washington) and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (Los Angeles Rams). Brown was a seventh-round choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 and also spent time on the practice squad for Jacksonville during his rookie campaign before entering 2020 training camp with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Rozeboom finished his Jackrabbit career as the program's all-time leading tackler and then signed as a free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. Teammates Mikey Daniel (Atlanta Falcons) and Luke Sellers (Detroit Lions) also signed free agent agreements from the 2019 SDSU senior class.

In addition, wide receiver Jake Wieneke caught on with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 2019 and finished the year with 41 catches for 569 yards with eight touchdowns. The CFL did not compete in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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 25-5 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its first four seasons of operation, including a 4-1 mark in Football Championship Subdivision playoff games. The Jackrabbits went undefeated at home in 2018 with a 7-0 mark.

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.

Year-By-Year Records at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
2016: 6-1
2017: 7-1
2018: 7-0
2019: 5-3
Totals: 25-5

WORKING OVERTIME: South Dakota State has split its 10 overtime games since overtime rules were implemented in the mid-1990s. The Jackrabbits have won four of their five overtime contests in Missouri Valley Football Conference games, including a 37-34, double-overtime victory over Northern Iowa at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium on Oct. 26, 2013.

Following is a list of the Jackrabbits' overtime results:
SDSU 30, Nebraska-Omaha 27 [2 OT] • Oct. 17, 1998 — at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium
Augustana 39, SDSU 33 [3 OT] • Oct. 19, 2002 — at Sioux Falls
Southern Utah 23, SDSU 17 [2 OT] • Nov. 13, 2004 — at Cedar City, Utah
Western Illinois 29, SDSU 26 [4 OT] • Aug. 30, 2007 — at Macomb, Ill.
McNeese State 46, SDSU 44 [3 OT] • Oct. 4, 2008 — at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium
SDSU 43, Missouri State 36 [2 OT] • Oct. 29, 2011 — at Springfield, Mo.
SDSU 37, Northern Iowa 34 [2 OT] • Oct. 26, 2013 — at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium
Western Illinois 30, SDSU 24 [2 OT] • Nov. 21, 2015 — at Macomb, Ill.
SDSU 27, Illinois State 24 [OT] • Nov. 11, 2017 — at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
SDSU 54, Indiana State 51 [OT] • Oct. 6, 2018 — at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
Overall, SDSU is 5-5 in overtime games

NEW COACHES: South Dakota State has some fresh faces on the sidelines and in the coaching booth this season.

Taking over the role of special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach is Rob Erickson, who served as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for NCAA Division III powerhouse Wisconsin-Whitewater. During his tenure, UWW went a combined 56-9 en route to three national semifinal appearances, including a berth in the championship game in 2019.

Another new Jackrabbit coach with Wisconsin-Whitewater connections is tight ends coach Ryan Olson. An addition to the staff in January, Olson has coached at the collegiate level for nearly a decade, most recently serving as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Bemidji State from 2017-19.

As an offensive tackle as a player for Wisconsin-Whitewater, Olson was a member of national championship teams in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and played on squads that compiled a 58-2 record in his four seasons, including posting a 45-game winning streak.

To make room for Olson, passing game coordinator Luke Schleusner moves from coaching the tight ends to coaching the wide receivers.

Rejoining the SDSU coaching staff as running backs coach is John Johnson. He previously held the same position with the Jackrabbits from 2016-17.

STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show airs each Monday throughout the 2020-21 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, hosted by Tyler Merriam, also will be streamed online free of charge at GoJacks.com.

Please note there will not be a show March 8 due to expected coverage of the Summit League Basketball Championships.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits continue home action by hosting Youngstown State on March 13. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

-GoJacks.com-