JACKS OPEN NEW SEASON AT COLORADO STATE

GAME 1: #3/4 South Dakota State (0-0) at Colorado State (0-0)

When	Friday, Sept. 3 \| 7 p.m. Mountain Time (8 p.m. Central)
Where	Canvas Stadium \| Fort Collins, Colo.
TV	FS1 \| FoxSports.com (subscription)
Radio	Jackrabbits All Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	SDSU \| Colorado State \| Missouri Valley Football Conference
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #LastPlay

Three and a half months after making an appearance in the Football Championship Subdivision national title game, the South Dakota State football team returns to action by opening the 2021 season with a nationally televised game at Colorado State.

Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Mountain Time (8 p.m. Central) Friday at Canvas Stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado. Television coverage will be available on FS1.

The Jackrabbits posted an 8-2 record during a 2020-21 season that was moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. SDSU won a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title and claimed the league's automatic bid to the FCS playoffs after compiling a 5-1 mark during the regular season.

SDSU also was awarded the top seed in 16-team playoff field and won three home games before falling to Sam Houston on a late touchdown, 23-21, in the FCS national championship game in Frisco, Texas. It marked the Jackrabbits' first-ever appearance in a football national championship contest.

Colorado State, meanwhile, was limited to four games last fall. The Rams turned in a 1-3 record against Mountain West Conference opponents, notching their only victory in their lone home game, a 34-24 win over rival Wyoming.

THE SERIES: Friday's game will mark the third meeting on the gridiron between South Dakota State and Colorado State, and the first in 55 years.

The two programs last met on Sept. 24, 1966, at SDSU's Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, with Colorado State pulling away for a 45-14 victory. CSU scored two early touchdowns before the Jackrabbits pulled to within 13-7 late in the first quarter on a 75-yard touchdown run by Tod Macik. The Rams countered by tallying the next 26 points, with the Jackrabbits scoring their final touchdown of the day on a 17-yard pass from Pat Durkin to Terry Sorensen.

Colorado State won the first-ever meeting between the two teams a year earlier, Nov. 6, 1965, in Fort Collins, with the Rams winning 52-20.

FOR OPENERS: Now in his 25th year as head coach, John Stiegelmeier has led SDSU to a 15-9 record in season openers. The Jackrabbits won each of their first seven season openers under Coach Stig, starting with a 17-7 victory at UC Davis in 1997.

Of SDSU's nine losses in season openers under Coach Stig, five have come against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, including a 28-21 setback at Minnesota in the 2019 opener.

PLAYING UP: South Dakota State will face a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent for the 11th time since moving to the Division I ranks. The Jackrabbits have compiled a 1-9 record against FBS foes, starting with a 44-17 setback at Iowa State in the 2008 season opener.
The Jackrabbits last played an FBS?foe in the 2019 season opener at Minnesota, falling to the Golden Gophers, 28-21.

SDSU's lone win against an FBS opponent was a 41-38 win at Kansas in the 2015 season opener.

Previous FBS games:
2008: Iowa State 44, SDSU 17
2009: Minnesota 16, SDSU 13
2010: Nebraska 17, SDSU 3
2011: Illinois 56, SDSU 3
2012: Kansas 31, SDSU 17
2013: Nebraska 59, SDSU 20
2014: Missouri 38, SDSU 18
2015: SDSU 41, Kansas 38
2016: TCU 59, SDSU 41
2019: Minnesota 28, SDSU 21
Notes: SDSU's 2018 game at Iowa State was canceled due to inclement weather and a scheduled matchup at Nebraska in 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: South Dakota State will be opening on a Friday night for the second season in a row. The Jackrabbits kicked off the 2020-21 spring season by rallying for a 24-20 victory at Northern Iowa on Feb. 19, 2021.

Prior to 2021, the last time the Jackrabbits suited up on a Friday night was in the 2018 Football Championship Subdivision semifinals, when SDSU dropped a 44-21 decision at North Dakota State.

Before this calendar year, one would had to have gone back more than 65 years, to Nov. 5, 1954, for the last time SDSU had played a regular season game on a Friday night. In that instance, the Jackrabbits dropped a 39-34 decision to Morningside at State Field.

South Dakota State played one other Friday night game during the 1954 season, blanking Mankato Teachers College, 66-0, on Oct. 1.

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

North Dakota State holds the longest active streak with 11 consecutive trips to the playoffs after the Bison earned an at-large bid to the 2020-21 16-team field.

CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team are six captains:

Logan Backhaus, Sr., linebacker, Spirit Lake, Iowa;
Wes Genant, Sr., offensive lineman, Parkston;
Michael Griffin II, Sr., safety, Cottage Grove, Minnesota;
Mason McCormick, Jr., offensive lineman, Sioux Falls;
Pierre Strong, Jr.; Sr.; running back, Little Rock, Arkansas, and
Xavier Ward, Sr., defensive tackle, Freeman.

Backhaus is in his third season as a team captain, while Genant, Griffin and Strong are in their second seasons in the leadership position. McCormick and Ward are first-time team captains.

RANKINGS STREAK: By being ranked third in the Stats Perform FCS preseason poll, SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 118 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

The third-place preseason showing matches the highest in program history (2018, 2019).

AWARD WATCH LISTS: South Dakota State running back Pierre Strong, Jr. and linebacker Logan Backhaus have been selected for the initial watch lists for two of the top awards in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Strong is under consideration for the the 2021 Stats Perform Walter Payton Award, which is given annually to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

A senior from Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong tied for eighth in the balloting for the Payton Award during an abbreviated 2020-21 season. He gained 707 yards in nine games and averaged 5.4 yards per carry with three rushing touchdowns. Strong also ranked third on the squad with 20 receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown.

Strong posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019, and enters this fall eighth on the Jackrabbits' career rushing charts with 2,841 yards.

Backhaus, meanwhile, is among the early candidates for the 2021 Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Entering his final season with the Jackrabbits, Backhaus is coming off a 2020-21 season in which he led the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and ranked second with 72 tackles in 10 games. The Spirit Lake, Iowa, native also intercepted a pass and forced a fumble in helping lead SDSU to the FCS national title game.

A multi-year starter, Backhaus' career totals include 267 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 5 sacks and 9 interceptions.

Both watch lists will be updated periodically throughout the 2021 season. A media panel will select the recipients, who will be announced prior to the FCS national championship game in January.

Backhaus (first team) and Strong (second team) were also among the four members of the South Dakota State University football team were honored recently on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team.

Also tabbed as a first-team preseason All-America was offensive lineman Garret Greenfield. A junior from Rock Valley, Iowa, was a consensus All-America pick at right tackle after helping pave the way for the Jackrabbits to rush for a Division I-era best 231.7 yards per game this past spring.

Joining Strong from the Jackrabbit backfield was Isaiah Davis, who earned third-team recognition as an all-purpose back. A sophomore from Joplin, Missouri, Davis finished the 2020-21 campaign as the team's leading rusher with 818 yards while adding a team-high 10 touchdowns. He averaged a team-best 115.3 all-purpose yards per game, adding seven receptions for 107 yards and returning seven kickoffs for 228 yards (32.6 ypr). Davis came on strong in the Jackrabbits' run to the FCS title game, tallying 663 all-purpose yards in four playoff games, including 305 in the championship tilt against Sam Houston.

JACKS PICKED TO WIN VALLEY: South Dakota State has been picked to win the 2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference title, according to a poll conducted among the league's coaches, sports information directors and a media panel that was announced in late July.

The Jackrabbits received 24 of the 43 first-place votes to finish with 454 points, edging North Dakota State with 435 points and 18 first-place votes. North Dakota (357), Southern Illinois (345) and Northern Iowa (311) rounded out the top five, with UNI claiming the final first-place vote.

It marks the first time since joining the MVFC in 2008 that the Jackrabbits, who return 10 starters on both sides of the ball, have been tabbed as the preseason favorite, after finishing second in the annual forecast six times.

The remainder of the poll included: Missouri State, sixth, 256; Illinois State, seventh, 196; South Dakota, eighth, 163; Youngstown State, ninth, 126; Indiana State, 10th, 112, and Western Illinois, 11th, 83.

SDSU shared the MVFC title with Missouri State, finishing with a 5-1 conference mark during an abbreviated 2020-21 season that was moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Jackrabbits were awarded the league's automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and later advanced to the national championship game for the first time, ending the season with an 8-2 overall record following a 23-21 loss to Sam Houston.

In addition, 12 Jackrabbit players were honored on the MVFC Preseason Team, including six first-team selections. Running back Pierre Strong, Jr., tight end Zach Heins and offensive lineman Garret Greenfield represent the Jackrabbit offense, while defensive tackle Caleb Sanders, linebacker Logan Backhaus and cornerback Don Gardner were the defensive honorees. All were first-team all-MVFC picks during the spring campaign.

Strong, a senior from Little Rock, Arkansas, rushed for 707 yards (78.6 yards per game) and three touchdowns during the 2020-21 spring season. He also ranked third on the team with 20 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown.

A junior from Sioux Falls, Heins tallied 12 receptions for 200 yards during the 2020-21 spring season.

Greenfield, a junior from Rock Valley, Iowa, helped pave the way for an offensive unit that averaged 29.2 points and 403.1 yards of total offense per game. He went on to be a consensus All-America selection at right tackle.

Sanders led the Jackrabbits with five sacks among his seven tackles for loss last season. The senior from Glenwood, Iowa, posted 26 total tackles.

Backhaus, a senior from Spirit Lake, Iowa, paced the Jackrabbits with 9.5 tackles for loss and ranked second on the squad with 72 total tackles en route to earning All-America honors from several media outlets.

Gardner, a senior from Chicago, led the team with seven pass breakups and added an interception during the spring season. He also ranked fifth on the squad with 44 tackles, including three for loss.

Four more members of the Jackrabbit offense were recognized as second-team selections to the preseason honor squad: Offensive linemen Mason McCormick and Wes Genant, wide receiver Jaxon Janke and running back Isaiah Davis. McCormick, a junior from Sioux Falls, was a second-team all-MVFC pick this past spring, while Genant, a senior from Parkston, earned honorable mention recognition.

A junior from Madison, Janke earned second-team all-MVFC honors after leading SDSU in nearly every receiving category, posting 32 receptions for 473 yards and six touchdowns.

Davis, from Joplin, Missouri, finished as the team's leading rusher with 818 yards (81.8 ypg) and 10 touchdowns as a freshman. A second-team all-league performer and a member of the MVFC All-Newcomer Team, Davis topped the 100-yard mark in rushing four times while also seeing action as a kick returner.

Also a second-team selection was senior long snapper Bradey Sorenson. The Yankton native sat out the spring season, but previously has been honored on the all-MVFC squad.

Rounding out the list of preseason award recipients for the Jackrabbits was honorable mention selection Reece Winkelman. A senior defensive end from Marshall, Minnesota, Winkelman tied for second on the team with three sacks and finished with 25 tackles last spring.

OLADOKUN UNDER CENTER: Graduate transfer Chris Oladokun is expected to take the reins of the Jackrabbit offense at quarterback in Friday's season opener at Colorado State.

Oladokun would become the fourth Jackrabbit in as many seasons to start the opener at quarterback. In 2018, Taryn Christion made his third consecutive start in the first game of a season, while J'Bore Gibbs inherited the starting role in 2019. True freshman Mark Gronowski won the starting quarterback battle for the 2020-21 opener and went on to lead the Jackrabbits to the FCS national title game before suffering an injury in that game that will sideline him for the fall campaign.

A native of Tampa, Florida, Oladokun began his collegiate career at South Florida, where he started two games in 2018 and completed 22-of-44 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns.

He then transferred to Samford and played in 19 games with nine starts over the next two seasons. Oladokun passed for 2,064 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2019, while also rushing 127 times for 493 yards and eight touchdowns. He was Samford's starter at quarterback for the 2020-21 season opener and saw action in seven games.

SECOND-QUARTER DOMINANCE: South Dakota State often carried momentum into the locker room at halftime during the 2020-21 season.

In 10 games, SDSU held a 95-37 scoring advantage in the second quarter. The Jackrabbits built up a 62-7 advantage in regular season action, and then outscored the opposition 33-30 in the second quarter during the postseason, buoyed by a 20-0 margin against Delaware in the national semifinal.

The Jackrabbits were 7-1 when taking a lead into hafltime during the 2020-21 spring season.

PICKING OFF THE COMPETITION: After having its 13-game streak with an interception come to an end in the 2020-21 season opener, the SDSU defense put together a new streak with 10 interceptions over the next five regular season games.

Linebacker Preston Tetzlaff picked off a pass in the fourth quarter at North Dakota on Feb. 27, followed by a three-interception performance by the Jackrabbits March 6 against Western Illinois and a two-INT afternoon March 13 versus Youngstown State. SDSU matched its season high with three interceptions March 20 at Southern Illinois.

With a pair of interceptions in the May 2 playoff win over Southern?Illinois, the Jackrabbits recorded 12 interceptions last season — a total that ranked third in the Football Championship Subdivision

Joshua Manchigiah, who had one of the interceptions in the playoff win over SIU, led the team with four In all, eight different Jackrabbit players tallied an interception last spring.

SDSU has picked off a pass in 25 of its last 30 games dating back to the 2018 season. As a team, the Jackrabbits tallied 18 interceptions in 2019 to rank sixth among Football Championship Subdivision programs. Linebacker Logan Backhaus and safety Michael Griffin II shared the 2019 team lead with four interceptions.

BLOCK THAT KICK: South Dakota State has consistently ranked among the FCS?leaders for blocked kicks over the past few seasons. The Jackrabbits ranked third with four blocked kicks during the 2020-21 season, starting with a blocked punt by Isaiah Stalbird in the Feb. 19 season opener at Northern Iowa.

In the March 13 home win over Youngstown State, defensive tackle Ryan Van Marel got a hand on a 43-yard field goal attempt late in the second quarter.

The Jackrabbits' third and fourth blocked kicks of the season both came in the FCS playoffs and were recorded by Reece Winkelman in games against Holy Cross and Delaware.

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 improved during the 2020-21 season was in the turnover margin department. Despite forcing 25 turnovers (18 interceptions, 7 fumbles in 2019 ), the Jackrabbits turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 24 times that season 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 lost six fumbles during the 2020-21 season and ended the year plus-7 in turnover margin, highlighted by forcing a combined seven turnovers (two fumbles, five interceptions) in its two meetings with Southern Illinois.

The Jackrabbits turned the ball over only once in their last five games.

SACK ATTACK: The Jackrabbit defense made life miserable for opposing teams' quarterbacks during its 2020-21 postseason run. Of SDSU's 23 total sacks last season, 15 came in four playoff games.

The Jackrabbits recorded five sacks April 24 versus Holy Cross and registered one sack in their come-from-behind victory against Southern Illinois on May 2. In their May 8 semifinal against Delaware, the Jackrabbits tied a program single-game playoff record with seven sacks, matching the total in a 2013 victory at Northern Arizona.

Defensive tackle Caleb Sanders led the unit with four postseason sacks, registering at least one in each of the first three playoff games.

Eight different Jackrabbit players notched at least a half-sack during postseason play.

SEEING DOUBLE: The 2021 edition of the South Dakota State football team features two sets of twin brothers.

Returning for their junior seasons are wide receivers and Madison natives Jadon and Jaxon Janke. Jaxon Janke was the team's top receiver a season ago, catching 32 passes for 473 yards and six touchdowns. He also returned punts, averaging 13.2 yards on eight attempts.

Jadon Janke was right behind in the receiving categories, hauling in 21 receptions for 425 yards and five touchdowns. His 20.2 yards per reception led the squad and four of his touchdown receptions came in postseason action.

Joining the Jackrabbits last fall were twins Aaron and Adam Kusler. The Sioux Falls tandem, who excelled at Roosevelt High School, are both redshirt 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 redshirt freshman.

CRENSHAW JOINS STAFF: South Dakota State head football coach John Stiegelmeier announced the hiring of Andre Crenshaw to the Jackrabbits' offensive coaching staff in July.

"Andre is a proven coach with running backs and special teams." Stiegelmeier said. "I look forward to seeing the impact he has, not only on the field, but off the field, as well."

Crenshaw most recently served as running backs coach at Southeast Missouri State during the 2020-21 season, helping lead the Redhawks to a 4-4 overall record.

Prior to his return to the FCS ranks, Crenshaw spent two years as the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Missouri Western. The Griffons averaged 219.5 rushing yards per game in 2018 to rank in the top 25 among Division II programs.

Other coaching stops have included Tennessee Tech (2017) and Morehead State (2015-16). He began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Dakota Wesleyan and also coached at Riggs Football Academy in Sioux Falls.

A native of Lancaster, California, Crenshaw played running back at Oregon for four seasons from 2006-09. He earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from the Oregon in 2010 and added a master's degree in educational policy and administration from Dakota Wesleyan in 2015.

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: South Dakota State University offensive lineman Wes Genant earned his third career selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Division I Football Team and linebacker Logan Backhaus also earned a spot on the honor squad as announced in July.

Genant, a senior from Parkston, was honored on the first team with a 3.89 grade-point average as a biochemistry and pre-medicine major. The Jackrabbits' starting center in all 10 games in the team's run to the Football Championship Subdivision national championship game during the 2020-21 campaign, Genant also was a first-team selection in 2018 after earning second-team recognition in 2017. He redshirted during the 2019 season while recovering from injury.

Backhaus, a senior from Spirit Lake, Iowa, holds a 3.65 grade-point average in human biology and ranked second on the team with 72 tackles during the 2020-21 spring season. He posted a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss, also contributing two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.

Genant is the fourth Jackrabbit football student-athlete to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors three times, joining Paul Kippley (1978-80), Kyle Minett (2008-10) and Zach Zenner (2012-14). SDSU has placed at least one player on the squad in 14 of the last 16 seasons, including multiple selections 12 times. Overall, SDSU football student-athletes have received Academic All-America recognition from CoSIDA 42 times since 1974.

The Academic All-America program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Candidates, who are first nominated and honored at the district level, must be at least a sophomore in
athletic and academic standing, a starter or key reserve on his team and carry at least a 3.3 GPA.

Genant and Backhaus were joined on the Academic All-District Team by cornerback DyShawn Gales, linebacker Preston Tetzlaff and defensive end Reece Winkelman.

JACKS IN THE PROS: At the conclusion of the 2020 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 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 in 2020, 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. Daniel recently signed with Carolina.

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 pandemic.

Adding to the Jackrabbits' list of pro aspirants is wide receiver Cade Johnson, who signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Johnson set a pair of single-season school records as a member of the Jackrabbits from 2017-19. As a redshirt freshman in 2017, the Papillion, Nebraska, native established a new Jackrabbit standard with 839 kickoff return yards, returning two kickoffs for touchdowns. The following season, his first as a starting receiver, he set the SDSU single-season record with 17 touchdown catches, totaling 67 receptions for 1,332 yards.

In 2019, Johnson also posted his second consecutive 1,000-yard season, tallying 1,222 yards on 72 receptions. In only three seasons, he ranked third in program history for touchdown receptions (28), fifth in receiving yards (2,872) and sixth in total receptions (162).

He was a two-time first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference honoree and was selected to multiple Football Championship Subdivision All-America squads in both 2018 and 2019.

Johnson was selected to play in the 2020 Reese's Senior Bowl after deciding to opt out of his senior season.

Recently announcing his retirement was former Jackrabbit standout Adam Vinatieri, who became the NFL career scoring leader in 2018 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Over Vinatieri's 24 seasons, his totals include NFL bests of 599-of-715 on field goal attempts, 83.8 percent, and 2,673 career points. He also ranks second in career extra points with 874. In all, Vinatieri set 15 NFL records, including 21 100-point seasons.

Several other former Jackrabbit players and coaches have had ties to the professional game, including:

Steve Heiden (player from 1995-98), tight ends coach for the Arizona Cardinals;
Reed Burckhardt (player from 2004-07), director of pro scouting for the Minnesota Vikings;
Glen Fox (player from 2006-09), pro scout with the Arizona Cardinals;
Shawn Mennenga (assistant coach from 2009-10), former special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers;
Trent Baalke (assistant coach from 1991-95), general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars and formerly the GM for the San Francisco 49ers;
Brad Seely, longtime special teams coordinator with numerous NFL?teams.

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 former Jackrabbit football player and 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.
Jacks Bash 2 is scheduled for Sept. 8 and will include a musical lineup of Zac Brown Band, Fall Out Boy and Gabby Barrett.

SDSU has gone on to post a 29-5 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its first five seasons of operation, including a 6-1 mark in Football Championship Subdivision playoff games. The Jackrabbits went undefeated at home in 2018 at 7-0.

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.

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

STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show will air Monday nights throughout the 2021 season.

The weekly, hour-long show begins at 6 p.m. Central Time and will originate in front of a live audience once again at Cubby's Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings. Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the show airs along the Jackrabbit Sports Network, including flagship station WNAX 570 AM, and can be heard through the Jackrabbit app and online at GoJacks.com.

Weekly segments include interviews with Jackrabbit head coach John Stiegelmeier, student-athletes and others associated with SDSU football. Fans can submit questions through social media platforms and fans in attendance can register for weekly prizes.

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits return to Brookings to open the home season Sept. 11 against Lindenwood. Kickoff for the Dairy Drive game is slated for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

In addition to the Dairy Drive, the home opener also has been designated as the 2020 Hall of Fame Game and as the Precision Ag Bowl. Frontline workers also will be recognized during the contest.

-GoJacks.com-

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Players Mentioned

Logan Backhaus

Isaiah Davis

DyShawn Gales

Don Gardner

Wes Genant

J'Bore Gibbs

Garret Greenfield

Michael Griffin II

Mark Gronowski

Zach Heins

Jadon Janke

Jaxon Janke

Adam Kusler

Joshua Manchigiah

Mason McCormick

Gus Miller

Chris Oladokun

Caleb Sanders

Bradey Sorenson

Isaiah Stalbird

Pierre Strong, Jr.

Preston Tetzlaff

Ryan Van Marel

Xavier Ward

Reece Winkelman

Upcoming Event: Football versus Stetson on August 29, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football at Northwestern on September 5, 2026 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football versus New Haven on September 12, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football versus Youngstown State on September 19, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football versus Eastern Illinois on September 26, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Football at Illinois State on October 3, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Completed Event: Football at Montana on December 6, 2025 , Loss , 29, to, 50

Completed Event: Football versus New Hampshire on November 29, 2025 , Win , 41, to, 3

Completed Event: Football at North Dakota on November 22, 2025 , Win , 34, to, 31 , OT

Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on November 15, 2025 , Loss , 21, to, 35

Completed Event: Football at South Dakota on November 8, 2025 , Loss , 17, to, 24

Completed Event: Football versus Indiana State on November 1, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 24

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