JACKRABBITS, MONTANA STATE MEET AGAIN

Saturday, September 9

Brookings, S.D.

6 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Montana State

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia Sports Media

9/6/2023 4:00:00 PM | Football

GAME 2: #3 Montana State (1-0) at #1 South Dakota State (1-0)

When	Saturday, Sept. 9 \| 6 p.m. Central Time \| 56th Beef Bowl // Jacks in Black
Where	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium \| Brookings, S.D. (Game is SOLD OUT)
TV	Midco Sports \| ESPN+ (subscriptions required)
Radio	Jackrabbits All Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	SDSU \| Montana State \| Missouri Valley Football Conference \| FCS Insider
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #GoJacks

A budding rivalry within the Football Championship Subdivision is scheduled to be renewed Saturday, when South Dakota State hosts Montana State in the 56th Beef Bowl game.

Kickoff before an expected sellout crowd is set for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The pre-game barbecue north of the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex runs from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

After meeting in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs each of the past two seasons, tonight's regular season contest could go a long way toward determining supremacy in the polls and playoff aspirations, including seeding.

Both squads are coming off convincing home victories in their opening games of the season. Top-ranked South Dakota State posted a 45-7 victory over Western Oregon Aug. 31, while third-ranked Montana State cruised to a 63-20 win against Utah Tech on Sept. 2.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 18th all-time matchup between South Dakota State and Montana State on the gridiron, with three of the previous matchups taking place in the postseason.

The series dates back to 1956, when Montana State won a 33-14 decision in a game played in Great Falls, Montana. Overall, the Bobcats hold an 11-6 series edge, although SDSU has won four of the last five contests.

Montana State's last victory in the series came in the 2021 FCS semifinals, winning a 31-17 decision on its home field in Bozeman. Bobcat quarterback Tommy Mellott tossed a pair of touchdown passes and ran for two scores, including the go-ahead touchdown on the final play of the third quarter.

The Jackrabbits returned the favor last season by notching a 39-18 semifinal victory at a frigid Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on Dec. 17, 2022.

SDSU scored on its first five offensive possessions in earning its second trip to an FCS?national championship game. Tucker Kraft opened the scoring with a 36-yard touchdown reception from Mark Gronowski, with Gronowski adding a 1-yard TD?run later in the opening stanza.

Isaiah Davis (41 yards) and Amar Johnson (38 yards) ran for touchdowns in the second quarter to build the Jackrabbits' halftime lead to 28-9. Johnson added a 5-yard TD?reception in the third quarter.

BEEF BOWL: South Dakota State University is home to the original Beef Bowl, and the event celebrated its Golden Anniversary during the 2016 season. The event returned in the fall of 2021 after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Beef Bowl was started as SDSU's way of recognizing those individuals and firms involved in the beef industry in South Dakota.

Festivities have included a pre-game barbecue with proceeds going toward scholarships in the Animal and Range Sciences Department, as well as presentation of the SDSU Friends of the Beef Industry Award. Proceeds from a live steer auction at halftime benefits the Jackrabbit Athletic Department.

The Jackrabbits have compiled a 34-21 record in the previous 55 Beef Bowl games. SDSU has won the last five Beef Bowl games and nine of the last 10.

YEAR 20 IN FCS: The 2023 season marks the 20th season South Dakota State has competed in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Since joining the Division I ranks in 2004, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 157-79 record (.665 winning percentage) and have qualified for postseason play 12 times, including 11 consecutive appearances.

FOR OPENERS: Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 10-10 record in season-opening games, with six of the losses against Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

SEASON 16 IN THE MVFC: The 2023 season marks South Dakota State's 16th as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Since joining the league in 2008, SDSU is the only program in that span to not have a losing season in conference play.

The Jackrabbits hold an 84-34 record in MVFC games and have won six or more league games seven times. SDSU previously earned a share of league titles in 2016 and during the 2020-21 spring season before running the table with an 8-0 record in conference play en route to the 2022 national championship.

ELITE COMPANY: South Dakota State is one of only two Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last 11 seasons, including advancing to the national semifinals or championship game in four of the last five seasons. The Jackrabbits secured the Missouri Valley Football Conference's automatic bid to the 2022 playoffs, assuring SDSU of its 11th consecutive postseason appearance and 12th overall at the FCS level.

MVFC rival North Dakota State holds the longest active streak with 13 consecutive trips to the playoffs.

RANKINGS STREAK: By being ranked first in the Stats Perform FCS preseason poll and again in the first poll of the 2023 regular season, SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 147 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012. The Jackrabbits held the top spot in the poll for the final seven surveys of the 2022 season and were a unanimous No. 1 selection to start the 2023 season to hold the top ranking in a preseason poll for the first time in program history.

CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team are six captains:

Adam Bock, Sr., linebacker, Solon, Iowa;
Isaiah Davis, Sr., running back, Jopline, Missouri;
DyShawn Gales, Sr., cornerback, North Chicago, Illinois;
Garret Greenfield, Sr., offensive lineman, Rock Valley, Iowa;
Mark Gronowski, Jr., quarterback, Naperville, Illinois;
Mason McCormick, Sr., offensive lineman, Sioux Falls.

McCormick is in his third season as a team captain, while Bock, Greenfield and Gronowski are in their second seasons in the role. Davis and Gales are first-time captains.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: Eight players from defending national champion South Dakota State headline the 2023 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team, presented by FedEx Ground.

The Jackrabbits placed four players on the first team, with three of those selections coming from the offensive side of the ball as Garret Greenfield at tackle and Mason McCormick at guard were joined by running back Isaiah Davis. The senior offensive line duo helped clear the way for SDSU to post averages of 34.2 points and 384.6 yards of total offense per game in 2022.

Greenfield twice has been named to the postseason All-America first team selected by Stats Perform, earning the distinction following the 2020-21 spring season and again in 2022. The Rock Rapids, Iowa, native is one of 11 returning players from last year's first-team honor squad.

Davis, a senior from Joplin, Missouri, averaged 5.8 yards per carry in 2022 en route to 1,451 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also factored in the passing game with 21 receptions for 173 yards.

Leading the Jackrabbit contingent on defense was linebacker Adam Bock. A senior from Solon, Iowa, Bock was limited to 11 games last season, but still finished second on the squad with 76 total tackles, including 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.

Second-team recognition on defense went to senior cornerback DyShawn Gales. A senior from North Chicago, Illinois, Gales led the Jackrabbits in 2022 with four interceptions, while adding added six pass breakups to go along with 31 tackles (23 solo).

SDSU's three other honorees were all second-team selections involved in the Jackrabbit passing game: Quarterback Mark Gronowski, wide receiver Jaxon Janke and tight end Zach Heins.

Gronowski accounted for 38 touchdowns last season — 26 through the air and 12 on the ground. The junior from Naperville, Illinois, completed 65 percent of his passes (232-of-356) for 2,967 yards and gained another 408 yards rushing. He has led the Jackrabbits to a 22-3 record and a pair of appearances in the national championship game in his two seasons as the team's starting quarterback.

Janke, a senior from Madison, led the squad in all three major receiving categories last season with 60 receptions for 857 yards and nine touchdowns.

Heins, a senior from Sioux Falls, ranked third on the team in both receptions (29) and receiving touchdowns (4), while ranking fourth in receiving yards (347).

A total of 107 student-athletes were honored across first, second and third teams. All 15 FCS conferences and 52 schools were represented on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team.

In addition, Davis, Gronowski and Janke were all included on the initial watch list for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented annually to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Bock was included on the defensive side for the Buck Buchanan Award.

DEPTH ON DEFENSE: Whether based on philosophy or necessity, South Dakota State has built its standing as one of the top defenses in the Football Championship Subdivision by relying on its depth. Over the course of its 15-game schedule in 2022 22 different players earned a starting assignment on defense for the Jackrabbits.

Only nose tackle Ryan Van Marel and defensive end Cade Terveer started every game last season on the defensive side of the ball for the Jackrabbits last season and both return to the lineup in 2023.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: South Dakota State raced out to a 28-0 lead a minute into the second quarter of its Aug. 31 season opener against Western Oregon thanks to a pair of long interception returns for touchdowns by its starting safeties.

First, Colby Huerter hauled in an interception off a deflection by DyShawn Gales for a 54-yard return for touchdown. On the first play of the second quarter, Tucker Large picked off a pass deep over the middle and weaved his way through traffic for a 64-yard score.

It marked the fifth time in the Division I era of Jackrabbit football (since 2004) that SDSU returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game. The others:

Sept. 29, 2007 vs. Stephen F. Austin – Jimmy Rogers (32 yards, Q2), Conrad Kjerstad (82 yards, Q4);
Nov. 10, 2007 vs. Southern Utah — Tyler Koch (45 and 99 yards in Q4);
Oct. 1, 2016 vs. Western Illinois – Christian Rozeboom (37 yards, Q3), Dallas Brown (19 yards, Q3);
Nov. 27, 2021 vs. UC?Davis — Adam Bock (39 yards, Q3), Dalys Beanum (59 yards, Q4).

PICKING OFF THE COMPETITION: The Jackrabbit defense has continually taken the ball away from the opposition in recent seasons, including leading the Football Championship Subdivision in interceptions each of the last two seasons.

After leading the subdivision with 21 interceptions in 2021, SDSU tallied an FCS-best 18 interceptions last season, including two in the national championship game against North Dakota State. Jackrabbit defenders recorded at least one interception in each of their 11 regular season games, continuing that streak with an interception by DyShawn Gales in the Nov. 12 regular season finale against Illinois State. Gales finished with a team-high four interceptions en route to all-MVFC honors.

The Jackrabbits also ranked sixth in turnover margin with an average of plus-1.07 turnovers per game after forcing 26 total turnovers compared to losing 10. SDSU also held a 115-16 advantage in points off turnovers last season.

Dating back to the start of the 2018 season, the Jackrabbits have intercepted at least one pass in 55 of their last 67 games for a total of 88 pickoffs. SDSU tallied three interceptions in their 2023 season opener against Western Oregon.

In all, 10 different Jackrabbits recorded at least one interception a season ago and SDSU picked off at least one pass in 13 of 15 games.

SNAP. SPOT. KICK. REPEAT.: Four South Dakota State kickers have combined to make 138 consecutive extra-point tries over the last two-plus seasons.

The streak dates back to the second quarter of SDSU's Football Championship Subdivision semifinal playoff game against Delaware during the 2020-21 spring season, when Cole Frahm connected on a PAT after missing one earlier in the stanza. Frahm would close the spring with three more PATs in the national championship game, then was successful on all 65 of his attempts last fall to set the school record with 69 consecutive made PATs.

Hunter Dustman made all 59 of his attempts during the 2022 season after making his lone attempt in 2021, and enters the weekend with a steak of 66 consecutive made PATs. Corben Mahaffy added an extra point in 2021 to complete a perfect 67-for-67 performance for the team, and Jack Green was 2-for-2 on PATs last season as SDSU made all 61 tries in 2022.

DOUBLE-DUTY DUSTMAN: Junior Hunter Dustman figured prominently in the Jackrabbits' special teams efforts throughout the 2022 season.

Dustman handled all of the kicking duties in the Sept. 3 season opener at Iowa, punting 11 times for an average of 41.5 yards (long of 52) and scoring the Jackrabbits' only points on a 44-yard field goal in the second quarter. Dustman's 11 punts mark the most by an SDSU player in the Division I era (since 2004).

For the season, Dustman averaged 42.6 yards per punt and was 18-for-25 on field goals. He made 13 of his last 14 field goal attempts en route to 113 points.

A WINNING COMBINATION: Jackrabbit running back Isaiah Davis recorded his ninth 100-yard game of the 2022 season and the 16th of his career when he gained 103 yards on 22 carries in the national championship game against North Dakota State.

SDSU improved to 15-1 in games in which Davis has topped the century mark, with the lone loss coming in the 2020-21 national championship game versus Sam Houston.

Davis enters Saturday's game needing only 11 yards to become the eighth player in Jackrabbit history to reach the 3,000-yard mark for his career. With 2,989 yards, Davis currently stands ninth on the SDSU career rushing charts. Cory Koenig (2004-07) is eighth with 2,990 yards, followed by Les Tuma (1970-73) with 3,018 yards.

Davis also has scored a rushing touchdown in 11 consecutive games dating back to last season. He extended his streak with a 4-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of the Jackrabbits' Aug. 31 season-opening win over Western Oregon to up his career total to 33. That figure ranks sixth in program history.

TWIN TOUCHDOWNS: Twin brothers Jadon and Jaxon Janke each caught a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the Jackrabbits' playoff victory over Holy Cross on Dec. 10, 2021. It marked the third time during the 2022 season and seventh time in their careers the dynamic duo from Madison accomplished the feat. However, that was the first time they tallied their scores in the same quarter.

Coincidentally, the first the Jankes recorded touchdown catches in the same game was in another playoff win against Holy Cross — in the opening round of the 2020-21 postseason played in the spring.

Following are the games in which both Jankes have caught touchdown passes:

April 24, 2021, vs. Holy Cross — Jadon (13, 45 yards in Q2/3), Jaxon (11 yards in Q1);
Sept. 25, 2021, at Indiana State — Jadon (33 yards in Q1), Jaxon (42 yards in Q2);
Oct. 16, 2021, at Western Illinois — Jadon (8 yards in Q1, Jaxon (21 yards in Q3);
Nov. 20, 2021, vs. North Dakota — Jadon (17 yards in Q2), Jaxon (21 yards in Q3);
Sept. 17, 2022, vs. Butler — Jadon (17 yards in Q2), Jaxon (7 yards in Q1);
Sept. 24, 2022, at Missouri State — Jadon (3/40 yards in Q1/4), Jaxon (13 yards in Q3);
Dec. 10, 2022, vs. Holy Cross — Jadon (21 yards in Q4), Jaxon (18 yards in Q4).

SEEING DOUBLE: The 2023 edition of the South Dakota State football team features two sets of twin brothers.

Returning for their senior seasons are wide receivers and Madison natives Jadon and Jaxon Janke. Jaxon Janke has been the team's leading receiver each of the past three seasons to move into SDSU career top 10s for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, while Jadon Janke also begins the 2023 season in the Jackrabbit top 10 for receiving touchdowns.

Another pair of twins with South Dakota roots are junior linebackers Aaron and Adam Kusler. Aaron played in nine games last season, while Adam has contributed mostly on special teams and saw action in 14 of the team's 15 games in 2022.

JAXON NEARS TWO MILESTONES: Jackrabbit wide receiver Jaxon Janke stands four catches away from 200 for his career. He currently ranks fourth in career receptions at SDSU and would be the third to reach the 200 mark, trailing Dallas Goedert (198 receptions from 2014-17) for third place.

Janke also is nearing the 3,000-yard mark for career receiving, entering play this week with 2,889 yards. He moved into fifth place on the SDSU career receiving yards chart in last week's season opener against Western Oregon, overtaking Cade Johnson (2,872 yards from 2017-19).

WILDE IMPRESSES IN DEBUT: True freshman Griffin Wilde (pronunounced WILL-dee) finished as the Jackrabbits' leading receiver in their Aug. 31 season opener versus Western Oregon. He opened the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown reception from Mark Gronowski and ended his collegiate debut with team bests of four catches and 79 receiving yards. A Sioux Falls native, Wilde added a second 31-yard reception in the second half to set up a Jackrabbit field goal.

EMPTYING THE BENCH: The Jackrabbits dipped deep into their list of reserves during the Aug. 31 season opener versus Western Oregon as a total of 76 players saw action in the contest. Offensively, eight Jackrabbits recorded a rushing attempt and eight players caught a pass. On the defensive side of the ball, 23 different players were credited with at least one tackle.

STAFF SHAKEUP: Besides a change at the top, several new assistant coaches donned the headsets for the first time as Jackrabbits during the Aug. 31 season opener against Western Oregon.

New coaches on the offensive side of the ball include Jake Menage (wide receivers) and Robbie Rouse (running backs). Additions to the defensive staff include Mike Banks (cornerbacks), Jalon Bibbs (defensive line) and Pete Menage (safeties). Pat Cashmore also is a recent addition to the coaching staff and will direct the special teams units.

Returning for his second season as offensive coordinator is Zach Lujan, with Ryan Olson (run game coordinator/offensive line) and Chris Meyers (tight ends) providing further coaching continuity on the offensive side of the ball.

On defense, Jesse Bobbit is the lone coaching holdover as he moves into the coordinator's role and also will coach the linebackers after mentoring the safeties in 2022.

Including Jimmy Rogers, five former Jackrabbit football players are full-time coaches at SDSU this season. The others are Bobbit, Lujan and both Menages, who are cousins.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS: The South Dakota State University football program has maintained its tradition of excellence both on the field and in the classroom during its Division I history.

The Jackrabbits were recognized with the Missouri Valley Football Conference Team Academic Award each of its first nine years in the league.

Last season, several Jackrabbit football players were honored individually for their work in the classroom, highlighted by Reece Winkelman's repeat selection to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America First Team, which is made up of student-athletes from both NCAA Division I football classifications.

Winkelman, from Marshall, Minnesota, was selected with a 3.92 GPA as a graduate student in business economics. On the field, he was a first-team all-MVFC selection who racked up eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in 2022.

SDSU has placed at least one player on the Academic All-America squad in 16 of the last 18 seasons, including multiple selections 13 times. Overall, SDSU football student-athletes have received Academic All-America recognition from the College Sports Communicators 45 times since 1974.

During the 2021 season, Wes Genant became the only Jackrabbit football student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors four times. Three-time selections include: Paul Kippley (1978-80), Kyle Minett (2008-10) and Zach Zenner (2012-14). Zenner was also honored as the 2014 Academic All-America Team Member of the Year.

The Academic All-America program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Candidates must be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing, a starter or key reserve on his team and carry at least a 3.5 GPA.

Earlier during the 2022 season, Winkelman was one of eight SDSU football student-athletes to earn recognition on the CSC Academic All-District squad. The others included:

Adam Bock, linebacker, Solon, Iowa;
DyShawn Gales, cornerback, North Chicago, Illinois;
Mark Gronowski, quarterback, Naperville, Illinois
Jaxon Janke, wide receiver, Madison;
Mason McCormick, offensive lineman, Sioux Falls;
Cale Reeder, safety, Yorkville, Illinois;, and
Ryan Van Marel, defensive tackle, Sheldon, Iowa.

Bock and Winkelman also were repeat first-team selections to the 2022 MVFC Scholar-Athlete Team.

Also earning a spot on the first team was Gronowski, while Janke and fellow wide receiver Canyon Bauer were second-team honorees.

Closing out the team's academic awards during the 2022 season were a total of 74 Jackrabbits receiving recognition on the MVFC Honor Roll for posting a GPA?of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester.

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 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.

SDSU has gone on to post a 45-7 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its seven seasons of operation, including an 11-1 mark in FCS playoff games. The Jackrabbits' current home winning streak is 13 games, with their last home loss a 26-17 setback to Northern Iowa on Oct. 23, 2021.

The Jackrabbits have gone undefeated at home three times while playing at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium: 2018 (7-0), 2020-21 spring season (5-0) and 2022 (9-0).

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.

ROGERS SHOW: The Jimmy Rogers Radio Show airs throughout the 2023 season.

The weekly, hour-long show begins at 6 p.m. Central Time and originates 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 coaches, 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 are slated to travel to Minneapolis for a Sept. 16 matchup against Drake at Target Field. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.

The game against Drake will close out the nonconference portion of SDSU's slate. Following a bye week, the Jackrabbits will open Missouri Valley Football Conference action by hosting nationally ranked North Dakota on Sept. 30.

-GoJacks.com-