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South Dakota State University Athletics
Jacks head west to take on Cal Poly
9/29/2009 5:00:00 PM | Football
The South Dakota State University will attempt to build on its best start as a Division I Football Championship Subdivision program when it takes its undefeated record to Cal Poly Saturday night.
The matchup between nationally ranked teams is scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. Pacific Time (8:05 p.m. Central) kickoff at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in San Luis Obispo, Calif. SDSU enters the game undefeated at 3-0 — the Jackrabbits' best start to a season since 2000, when SDSU started the year 5-0 while playing at the NCAA Division II level. The Jackrabbits are ranked 15th in this week's FCS Coaches' Poll and 16th by the Sports Network.
Cal Poly is off to a 1-2 start, with both of the Mustangs' losses coming to Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. The Mustangs lost 28-10 at Ohio on Sept. 19, then were turned back by San Jose State (Calif.), 19-9, last week. Cal Poly is 17th in this week's coaches' poll and 19th in the Sports Network poll.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the sixth meeting between South Dakota State and Cal Poly in football, with the Mustangs holding a 3-2 advantage.
The series dates back to 2004, when the Jackrabbits joined the FCS ranks and helped form the Great West Football Conference with Cal Poly and four other schools (North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah and UC Davis).
Cal Poly won each of the first two meetings before SDSU won back-to-back games in 2006 and 2007, including a 29-28 come-from-behind victory in the Jackrabbits' last visit to San Luis Obispo, in 2006. Cal Poly led 28-7 before the Jackrabbits scored 22 points in the final eight minutes, with Andy Kardoes and JaRon Harris connecting on three touchdowns in the final eight minutes and Kardoes scoring the go-ahead two-point conversion with 1:05 to play.
The Mustangs regained the edge in the series with a 42-28 victory on Oct. 18, 2008, at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
ONLINE COVERAGE: Audio coverage of Saturday's game is scheduled to be available via subscription service at GoJacks.com, the official website of SDSU athletics. Monthly subscriptions for the Jackrabbit Extra, which includes live audio and video streaming are available for $9.95 per month or $99.95 for an entire year of coverage. An audio-only subscription also is available for $4.95 per month, with programming consisting only of live radio broadcasts.
A league-wide package is available for purchase at www.valley-football.org.
Radio coverage Saturday begins on WNAX 570 AM at 5:30 p.m., with an expanded pre-game show. Steve Imming returns to call the play-by-play, with Tyler Merriam providing color commentary.
Video streaming is scheduled to be available via Cal Poly's website at GoPoly.com.
JACKRABBIT INSIDER: Throughout the 2009 football season, head coach John Stiegelmeier will be a guest on the “Jackrabbit Insider,” a weekly behind-the-scenes look at South Dakota State University athletics.
The half-hour television show which features interviews with Jackrabbit coaches and student-athletes, airs Sundays at 10:35 p.m., following KSFY ActionNews. The show also can be viewed online at GoJacks.com.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS: Playing a ranked opponent is nothing new for the Jackrabbit football team, which has taken on some of the nation's elite FCS programs since moving up from Division I at the start of the 2004 season.
In its first five seasons at the FCS level, SDSU played 25 games against ranked opponents and compiled an 8-17 overall record.
Cal Poly is the first ranked opponent for the Jackrabbits this season.
HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE: The South Dakota State University football team has enjoyed a home-field advantage at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium since making the move to the Football Championship Subdivision level.
Since joining the FCS ranks at the start of the 2004 season, the Jackrabbits have posted a 23-6 mark at CAS. Lights were installed at CAS prior to the 2001 season and SDSU has turned in an 19-5 record in home night games.
ATTENDANCE UP: The Jackrabbits have drawn an average of 13,150 fans through their first two home games, with three more games remaining at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium this season.
SDSU is on pace to break the single-season average attendance record of 11,218 set in 2007, when the Jackrabbits won the Great West Football Conference championship.
Nine of the last 14 games played at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium have drawn crowds of more than 10,000 fans, including all seven games played in September over the last three seasons.
CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team on the field and in the locker room are five senior captains:
• Danny Batten, defensive end, Gilbert, Ariz.;
• Glen Fox, wide receiver, Fairfax, Iowa;
• Chris Johnson, linebacker, Council Bluffs, Iowa;
• Nate Koskovich, offensive lineman, Kingsley, Iowa; and
• Jimmy Rogers, linebacker, Chandler, Ariz.
RABBITS RANKED: For the third year in a row, South Dakota State appeared in the preseason national rankings for the Football Championship Subdivision.
The Jackrabbits began the season ranked 22nd in the Sports Network poll and 23rd in the preseason poll conducted by the Football Championship Subdivision coaches. This week, the Jackrabbits continued their climb in the rankings, moving up one spot to 16th in the Sports Network poll and again gaining three spots to No. 15 in the coaches' poll. SDSU has gained 10 spots in the coaches' poll over the last three weeks.
Last season, SDSU was 19th in the Sports Network preseason poll and 20th in the coaches' poll. The Jackrabbits climbed to their highest FCS ranking — 12th — before falling to Northern Iowa in late September.
SCOUTING CAL POLY: Cal Poly is a team in transition under first-year coach Tim Walsh.
The Mustangs face the task of replacing 13 starters, including seven on offense, from a 2008 team that qualified for the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.
On offense, the Mustangs continue to run the triple option, which has rolled up 676 yards over the first three games. Fullback Jordan Yocum leads the team with 183 yards, while slotback Jono Grayson is averaging 7.7 yards per carry and has tallied 154 yards. Grayson also has handled all the kickoff return duties, averaging 16.7 yards on 14 returns.
The passing game has been somewhat inconsistent in the early going as junior Tony Smith has completed only 41.8 percent (23-of-55) of his passes for 365 yards. He has thrown three touchdowns and been intercepted three times.
Dominique Johnson, a transfer from UCLA, is the team's leading receiver with 11 catches for 166 yards. No other player on the roster has more than two receptions.
Defensively, the Mustangs have upheld their tradition of being stingy on defense, holding opponents to 22 points per game. Linebacker Marty Mohamed leads the team with 24 tackles, followed by Kenny Jackson with 18.
Cal Poly has intercepted five passes so far this season, led by Scottie Cordier's two pickoffs.
LAST MEETING: Third-ranked Cal Poly recorded 10 sacks and racked up nearly 300 yards rushing en route to a 42-28 victory over 21st-ranked South Dakota State in non-conference action Oct. 18, 2008, at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.
SDSU, which lost consecutive home games for the first time since 2000, dropped to 3-4.
Cal Poly never trailed in the game, drawing first blood on its first offensive possession. Jono Grayson capped a 10-play, 68-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
The Jackrabbits came right back to tie the game with a nine-play, 76-yard touchdown drive. After extending the drive with a first down on third-and-26, Ryan Berry hooked up Glen Fox on the next play for a 35-yard touchdown with 4 minutes, 44 seconds remaining in the first half.
Cal Poly tacked on field goals of 36 and 20 yards from Andrew Gardner on its next two possessions, then built the lead to 20-7 with 2:33 remaining in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jonathan Dally and ensuing Gardner PAT.
SDSU failed to capitalized on a golden opportunity late in the first half. After Cal Poly was held to a three-and-out deep in its own territory, the Jackrabbits took over at the Mustang 18 with 29 seconds left after a 14-yard punt. Berry's next three passes all fell incomplete and kicker Peter Reifenrath missed a 35-yard field goal attempt wide left.
The teams traded touchdowns in third quarter. The Mustangs upped the lead to 27-7 early in the third quarter as Dally found Ramses Barden behind the SDSU defense for a 34-yard touchdown. SDSU then responded with an 11-play, 73-yard drive, finished off by a 6-yard pass from Berry to JaRon Harris.
Cal Poly ended an hopes of a Jackrabbit comeback on its first play of the fourth quarter as Grayson bounced off a tackle and sprinted 81 yards for a touchdown to make the score 35-14.
SDSU again answered with a 3-yard touchdown run by Tyler Duffy with 11:29 remaining, but the Jackrabbits had a punt blocked on their next possession that led directly to Cal Poly's final score of the night, a 1-yard run by Ryan Mole.
Harris scored his second touchdown and the final Jackrabbit touchdown of the night on SDSU's next possession, getting a foot down in the corner of the end zone from five yards out with 4:28 to play.
The Jackrabbits recovered the onside kick to take over at their own 43, but Berry was sacked on three consecutive plays by a Mustang defense that entered the game ranked second in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision for sacks.
Ryan Shotwell recorded three sacks, while Carlton Gillespie and James Chen each were credited with 2.5 sacks. Greg Francis led the Mustangs with seven tackles and intercepted a pair of passes.
Grayson, playing in place of an injured James Noble, led the Cal Poly ground game with 124 yards on eight carries. Mole added 81 yards on 10 carries as the Mustangs out-gained SDSU 287-38 in net rushing yards.
Dally ended the night 11-of-18 passing for 132 yards, but threw his first interception of the season in the fourth quarter, when he was picked off by Jimmy Rogers. Tredale Tolver led Cal Poly's receivers with seven catches for 59 yards.
Berry completed 19-of-33 passes for 252 yards for the Jackrabbits. Fox tallied eight receptions for 113 yards, with Harris adding eight catches for 95 yards.
Kyle Minett led SDSU on the ground with 13 carries for 76 yards.
Defensively, the Jackrabbits were led by Chris Johnson's 12 tackles. Danny Batten added 11 stops, including two tackles for loss.
LAST WEEK: The 17th-ranked South Dakota State University football team continued its best start as a Football Championship Subdivision member, improving to 3-0 with a 38-17 victory over Illinois State in Missouri Valley Football Conference action Sept. 26 in Normal, Ill.
Kyle Minett rushed 21 times for 146 yards and the SDSU defense did not surrender a touchdown until the final 10 seconds in upping its record to 2-0 in league play.
The Jackrabbits took advantage of good field position to score on their opening possession. Saunders Montague capped a six-play, 43-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Crawford with 10:43 remaining in the first quarter.
Second-quarter mistakes by SDSU gave the Redbirds the lead. After the Jackrabbits were flagged for 12 men on the field on an Illinois State punt, Kutch put the Redbirds on the board with a 42-yard field goal.
On the ensuing possession, Crawford's pass was tipped at the line and Redbird cornerback Chris Garrett won the battle for the ball with Jackrabbit receiver Glen Fox and returned the interception 30 yards for the touchdown and a 10-7 advantage.
The Jackrabbits came right back to regain the lead, converting two long third downs as part of an eight-play, 68-yard scoring drive. Crawford ran for 18 yards on third-and-eight, then kept the drive alive with a 21-yard pass to Mike Steffen on third-and-nine. Minett finished off the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run at the 7:03 mark.
The momentum shifted firmly in the Jackrabbits' favor late in the first half. With Illinois State in Jackrabbit territory, Matt Brown's pass was intercepted by Jake Steffen, who returned the ball 24 yards to the Redbird 47. A Jackrabbit penalty on the initial snap pushed SDSU back to the Illinois State 38, but Crawford connected with Fox across the middle for a 62-yard scoring strike with 53 seconds left in the half to put SDSU ahead 21-10 at intermission.
Cole Brodie's 51-yard kickoff return to open the second half set up Peter Reifenrath's 23-yard field goal.
SDSU's strong defensive effort continued in the second half. Derek Domino's interception at the Illinois State 31 led to another Jackrabbit touchdown. Crawford completed the drive by scrambling seven yards for a touchdown.
Minett capped the Jackrabbit scoring on the first drive of the fourth quarter as SDSU again came up big on third down. Facing third-and-13, Minett broke through the line for a 64-yard touchdown run.
Illinois State backup quarterback Matt Lancaster led the Redbirds on the final scoring drive of the night, completing all six of his pass attempts before scrambling for a 7-yard touchdown run with 10 seconds left in the game. It was the first touchdown scored against the Jackrabbit defense this season.
Minett finished the game with 146 yards on 21 carries, while Crawford was 17-of-28 passing for 197 yards. Mike Steffen led the receiving corps with seven catches for 90 yards.
Defensively, the Jackrabbits were led by Conrad Kjerstad with 11 tackles. Jake Steffen added 10 stops, including 3.5 for loss. Buck Buchanan Award nominee Danny Batten was credited with two sacks among his six tackles.
Overall, SDSU held a 373-279 advantage in total offense, including 176-58 on the ground.
Brown was 17-of-32 passing for 184 yards with Eyad Salem catching six passes for 66 yards for the Redbirds. Geno Blow tallied 58 yards on 17 carries.
Kelyvn Hemphill led Illinois State with 10 tackles.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: For the second time this season, the South Dakota State University football team has had two players honored at Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week after a Jackrabbit victory.
Earning the offensive award was junior running back Kyle Minett, who rushed 21 times for a season-high 146 yards and scored two touchdowns in SDSU's 38-17 win at Illinois State on Sept. 26. The Ruthton, Minn., native scored from 11 yards out in the second quarter, then broke off a career-long 64-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. In posting his ninth career 100-yard game, Minett moved into 10th place on the Jackrabbit career rushing chart with 2,134 yards.
On defense, sophomore defensive end Jake Steffen was honored after recording 10 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, and adding an interception. The Mount Vernon native's interception and subsequent 24-yard return late in the second quarter shifted the momentum firmly in the Jackrabbits' favor and set up a touchdown that put SDSU ahead 21-10 at halftime.
After the Jackrabbits' season-opening win over Georgia Southern on Sept. 12, Derek Domino was named MVFC Defensive Player of the Week and Kyle Harris earned special teams recognition.
NATIONAL LEADERS: South Dakota State enters Saturday's game at Cal Poly leading the Football Championship Subdivision in three defensive categories and ranking second in another.
The Jackrabbits sit atop the NCAA scoring defense standings having allowed an average of 7.67 points per game. The starting defense has yet to allow a touchdown, and the Jackrabbits did not allow an offensive play inside their 20-yard line for the first 10 quarters this season. SDSU also leads the nation in rushing defense, allowing 31.33 yards per game, and sacks with 13 for an average of 4.33 per game.
The Jackrabbits also rank second in total defense by giving up 204 yards per game, and are third in pass efficiency defense at 84.24.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Jackrabbits hold two top-10 rankings: third in scoring offense (41.0 points per game) and sixth in passing efficiency (161.81).
Individually, four Jackrabbits rank in the top 10 in the nation:
• Danny Batten is tied for fourth with an average of 1.17 sacks per game;
• Kyle Harris is tied for eighth with an average of 1.67 made field goals per game;
• Kyle Minett is fourth in scoring with an average of 12 points per game and ranks sixth in rushing with 123.0 yards per game; and
• Ryan Crawford ranks ninth in passing efficiency at 158.61.
THIRD-DOWN EFFICIENCY: A key to the Jackrabbits' success on offense this season has been the team's ability to convert on third down.
Through three games, SDSU has converted 51.28 percent (20-of-39) of its third-down attempts, ranking fifth in the Football Championship Subdivision. Three of the five touchdowns the Jackrabbits scored at Illinois State came on third-down plays, including Kyle Minett's 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter on a third-and-13 play. Minett's first touchdown of the game, an 11-yard run in the second quarter, was set up by SDSU converting on third-and-8 and third-and-9 earlier in the drive.
Overall, the Jackrabbits converted 7-of-13 third-down attempts at Illinois State.
BATTEN ON BUCHANAN LIST: South Dakota State University defensive end Danny Batten has been named to the initial watch list for the Division I Football Championship Subdivision's top defensive player.
A senior from Gilbert, Ariz., Batten is one of 20 players to be considered on the preseason watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented by the Sports Network. The watch list will be revised in October and again in November before the final ballot is announced.
Voting from a panel of FCS sports information directors, writers, broadcasters and other football experts will be conducted after the regular season ends. Three finalists will be announced on Nov. 30 and will be invited to the 23rd annual Sports Network Awards banquet on Dec. 17 in Chattanooga, Tenn., the night before the NCAA Division I championship game. The Walter Payton Award and the Eddie Robinson Award will also be presented that evening.
Batten stepped into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2006 and has started 36 of the 37 games he has play. He earned honorable mention All-America recognition each of the past two seasons while earning first-team all-Great West Football Conference honors in 2007 and first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference accolades in 2008. Batten ranked fourth on the team with 75 total tackles in 2008 and led the team with eight sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.
Besides being named to the preseason Buchanan watch list, Batten has been chosen as a second-team preseason All-American by both the Sports Network and College Sporting News.
MINETT LEADS RUNNING GAME: Junior Kyle Minett is again handling the bulk of the duties at running back for South Dakota State this season.
Last season, Minett earned second-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors after ranking second in the league with 1,289 yards rushing — an average of 107.4 yards per game. His rushing total was the sixth highest in school history and the most by a Jackrabbit at the FCS level.
After tallying 369 yards in the first two games of the 2009 season, Minett enters this weekend with 2,134 career rushing yards. He cracked the Jackrabbit top 10 for career rushing last week at Illinois State, passing Pete Retzlaff (2,024 yards from 1951-52), and stands 23 yards from passing Joe Thorne (2,046 yards from 1959-61) for ninth place.
Minett has posted nine career 100-yard games, including six in 2008.
In addition, Minett posted the third-highest point total in school history with 112, scoring 18 touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions in 2008. Four of his touchdowns came through the air as he ranked third on the team with 44 receptions for 415 yards. He has scored 31 career touchdowns — 24 rushing and seven receiving — and has a streak of eight consecutive games in which he has scored a touchdown.
The Ruthton, Minn., native led the team with an average of 6.2 yards per carry in 2007, and ranked second in yards gained with 476. He was named the Outstanding Player of the Beef Bowl as he racked up 134 yards on 11 carries and added a 40-yard touchdown reception in a 38-3 victory over Texas State.
FOX TOPS CENTURY MARK: Senior wide receiver Glen Fox reached a career milestone in the Sept. 19 game against Indiana State as he recorded the 100th reception of his career. After recording a team-best 18 receptions through the first three games, Fox enters Saturday's game at Cal Poly with 108 career catches. He stands five receptions away from joining the Jackrabbit career top 10 chart.
Fox played in the Jackrabbit secondary and on special teams during his freshman season in 2006.
STEFFENS STEP UP: The Jackrabbits have received solid contributions in the first quarter of the season from brothers and Mount Vernon natives Mike and Jake Steffen.
Mike Steffen posted career highs with 98 receiving yards — on four receptions — and two touchdowns from his wide receiver position in the season opener against Georgia Southern. Both of his touchdowns came in the third quarter, covering four and 62 yards. The 62-yard scoring play was the longest reception of his career. He added five receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown Sept. 19 versus Indiana State, then posted seven catches for 90 yards at Illinois State last week.
Jake Steffen made his first career start against Georgia Southern and contributed four tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack. He also was credited with two quarterback hurries. He is tied for the for the team lead with four quarterback hurries and 5.5 tackles for loss.
CRAWFORD AT THE HELM: Senior Ryan Crawford made a successful first career start in the Sept. 12 season opener against Georgia Southern, completing 15-of-21 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. Crawford's totals for completions and attempts matched his career totals entering the season.
The Outstanding Player of the 43rd Annual Beef Bowl, Crawford completed 21-of-27 passes for a career-high 239 yards and two touchdowns in the Sept. 19 game versus Indiana State. He went 70 pass attempts before throwing his first collegiate interception, which came on his first attempt of the fourth quarter against the Sycamores.
Crawford currently has a passing efficiency rating of 158.61 to rank ninth in the Football Championship Subdivision this season. He has completed 69.7 percent of his passes this season and 70.1 percent for his career.
A senior from Oro Valley, Ariz., Crawford entered fall camp as the quarterback with the most experience in a Jackrabbit uniform. During the 2008 season, Crawford played in six games and completed 14-of-20 passes — 70 percent — for 106 yards and one touchdown. His most extensive playing time came in the season finale at North Dakota State as he stepped in for an injured Ryan Berry and completed 10-of-13 passes for 50 yards and a score.
Junior transfer Lee Mondol, redshirt freshman Thomas O'Brien and freshman Mike Whittier also were in competition for the starting nod in fall camp.
TOP TACKLERS RETURN: An experienced Jackrabbit defense returns its top eight tacklers from a year ago. The top three tacklers are the team's projected starters at linebacker: Jimmy Rogers (93 tackles), Chris Johnson (82 tackles) and Derek Domino (80 tackles).
Also returning are defensive end Danny Batten (75 tackles), linebacker Isaiah Jackson (63), safety Conrad Kjerstad (51) and cornerbacks Cole Brodie (47) and General Parnell (45).
KJERSTAD LEADS SECONDARY: Junior strong safety Conrad Kjerstad recorded the sixth interception of his career in the season opener against Georgia Southern, returning the ball 40 yards late in the second quarter to set up a Jackrabbit field goal. The Wall native also registered six tackles in the game, and was credited with a career-high 11 stops Sept. 26 at Illinois State to move into a tie for second place on the team's season charts with 19 tackles.
Kjerstad's six career interceptions are the most by any current Jackrabbit player. He led the team with four during the 2008 campaign.
REIFENRATH RETURNS: Preseason all-Missouri Valley Football Conference kicker Peter Reifenrath returned to the Jackrabbit lineup in the Sept. 19 league opener against Indiana State.
Reifenrath was forced to sit out the Sept. 12 season opener as he awaited a waiver request to the NCAA regarding his eligibility in conjunction with progress-toward-degree requirements.
NCAA officials granted Reifenrath's waiver request late last week and he was inserted into the lineup in the fourth quarter against Indiana State to kick two extra points. He converted all five extra-point tries the next week at Illinois State and added a 23-yard field goal.
In 2008, Reifenrath earned second-team all-MVFC honors after making 16-of-22 field goal attempts and 36-of-38 extra-point tries for 84 points.
COACH STIG: John Stiegelmeier has built the South Dakota State University football team into a consistent winner and a program on the rise in the ranks of the Football Championship Subdivision.
Overall, Coach Stig has led the Jackrabbits to a 78-56 record (.582 winning percentage). SDSU has posted seven consecutive winning seasons, including the school's first five campaigns at the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) level. The Jackrabbits have had a winning record in 10 of his 12 years as head coach, including five with seven or more victories.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS: For the fourth consecutive season, the South Dakota State University football team led its conference in all-academic selections during the 2008 campaign.
The Jackrabbits placed eight players, including a league-best four first-team selections, on the 2008 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team.
SDSU's academic prowess extended to the entire team as the Jackrabbits raised the bar in their inaugural eason in the Missouri Valley Football Conference by leading the nine-team league with a 2.941 team grade-point average — the highest mark ever recorded by the league.
All four of SDSU's first-team selections came from the offensive side of the ball, led by seniors Ryan Berry and Kevin Robling.
Berry, a quarterback from Watertown, received first-team honors after compiling a 3.89 grade-point average in biology/pre-medicine. Earlier in the fall of 2008, Berry was selected as a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete and one of 15 finalists for the Draddy Trophy, earning a $15,000 postgraduate scholarship. He also named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII First Team, received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and was the recipient of a third postgraduate scholarship as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.
A center, Robling was a second-team selection on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America squad with a 3.82 GPA in wildlife and fisheries.
Also honored on the first team were running backs Kyle Minett and Tyler Duffy. Minett also was honored on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team with a 3.50 grade-point average while majoring in economics, while Duffy turned in a perfect 4.0 GPA in electrical engineering.
The Jackrabbits' lone second-team selection to MVFC All-Academic Team was sophomore defensive Conrad Kjerstad. The Wall native posted a 3.90 GPA in agricultural business, earning first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District recognition last fall.
Three other SDSU players received honorable mention accolades: senior offensive lineman Nick Flesner, linebacker Chris Johnson and punter Dean Priddy.
South Dakota State led the Great West Football Conference in the number of academic all-conference selections from 2005 through 2007.
HOMETOWN CONNECTION: SDSU has used the services of home-grown talent the past few seasons.
In 2009, five Jackrabbit players hail from Brookings: senior running back Jordan Paula, junior running back Tyler Duffy, redshirt freshman wide receiver Dan Schmidt, freshman offensive lineman Alex Parker and freshman running back Mason Winterboer.
A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits are scheduled to conclude a three-game road swing by returning to Missouri Valley Football Conference action Oct. 10 at Missouri State.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. at Plaster Field in Springfield, Mo.
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