JACKRABBITS HOST NDSU FOR DAKOTA MARKER

Saturday, November 6

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

North Dakota State

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

11/3/2021 3:33:00 PM | Football

GAME 9: #2/2 North Dakota State (8-0, 5-0 MVFC) at #9/12 South Dakota State (6-2, 3-2 MVFC)

When	Saturday, Nov. 6 \| 2 p.m. Central \| ORDER TICKETS
Where	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium \| Brookings, South Dakota
TV	Midco Sports \| Jackrabbits All Access \| ESPN+
Radio	Jackrabbits All Access (free audio) \| Jackrabbit Sports Network
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	SDSU \| North Dakota State \| Missouri Valley Football Conference
Social Media	Twitter \| Facebook \| #GoJacks

The two programs with the longest playoff streaks in the Football Championship Subdivision square off Saturday afternoon with the Dakota Marker and more postseason football aspirations on the line as North Dakota State and South Dakota State renew their longstanding rivalry.

Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium with television coverage available through Midco Sports and ESPN+. Pre-game ceremonies are scheduled to include an F-16 flyover by the 114th Fighter Wing of the South Dakota Air National Guard.

NDSU comes into the matchup undefeated at 8-0 overall and in sole possession of the lead in the Missouri Valley Football Conference race with a 5-0 mark in league play. The Bison, ranked No. 2 in both the Stats Perform media poll and FCS Coaches' rankings, recorded a 44-2 home win over Indiana State last week.

The Jackrabbits, meanwhile, rebounded from their second home loss in a row with a dominant performance of their own, crushing Youngstown State, 47-16, in road action Oct. 30. South Dakota State enters Saturday's contest 6-2 overall and 3-2 in league play while holding rankings of ninth in the Stats Perform poll and 12th by the coaches.

North Dakota State has made 11 consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs, followed by nine by SDSU.

THE SERIES: Saturday's game marks the 112th meeting on the gridiron between SDSU and North Dakota State. NDSU leads the overall series by a 63-43-5 count, including a 10-7 advantage in Dakota Marker games since the two programs moved to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004.

The rivalry began in 1903 with an 85-0 NDSU victory, and the two schools were both charter members of the North Central Conference, meeting every year from 1919 through 1942 until play was interrupted by World War II. The series resumed in 1946 and the two squads have met every year since.

This year's edition of the rivalry will be the 14th consecutive game (playoffs included) in the series that both teams have been nationally ranked, and the ninth in that span in which both teams have been ranked in the top 10 of at least one of the two major FCS polls.

South Dakota State ended a three-game losing skid in the series earlier this calendar year by posting a 27-17 victory at the Fargodome on April 17 during the pandemic-altered spring season. The victory propelled the Jackrabbits into the top seed in the FCS playoffs.

SECOND-HALF SURGES: With a 2-2 record at the halfway mark of the Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule, the South Dakota State football team has history on its side as the Jackrabbits enter the stretch run.

In the 12 previous seasons the Jackrabbits played a full eight-game league slate, SDSU posted a 37-11 record in the second halves of those campaigns. In addition, the Jackrabbits went 3-0 in the second half of an abbreviated, six-game league schedule during the 2020-21 season.

The Jackrabbits have run the table in the second half three times (2013, 2017, 2018) en route to Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths. SDSU has gone 3-1 in the second half seven times and 2-2 on two occasions.

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.

SEASON 14 IN THE MVFC: The 2021 season marks South Dakota State's 14th 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 a 74-33 record in MVFC games and have won six or more league games six times. SDSU earned a share of league titles in 2016 and during the 2020-21 spring season.

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.

RANKINGS STREAK: By being ranked ninth in this week's Stats Perform FCS poll, SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 127 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

The Jackrabbits' third-place preseason showing matched the highest in program history (2018, 2019). SDSU then spent five weeks in the No. 2 spot following a season- opening win over Colorado State before dropping its first game of the year Oct. 9 against Southern Illinois.

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 a candidate 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 has topped the century mark in six of eight games this season, including rushing for a season-high 163 yards on 19 carries with touchdown runs of 5 and 35 yards Oct. 30 at Youngstown State.

Strong currently ranks second in the FCS?with averages of 123.2 yards per game on 7.76 yards per carry, while also leading the team with a career-best 12 touchdowns. His 3,287 career rushing yards currently rank second among FCS players and he needs only 14 yards for his third 1,000-yard season with the Jackrabbits.

Backhaus, meanwhile, was 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.

In 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 289 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks and 9 interceptions. He posted a season-high eight tackles Sept. 25 at Indiana State, and returned to the lineup last week at Youngstown State after suffering an injury early in the Oct. 9 game versus Southern Illinois.

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 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.

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 was 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 marked 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 in the spring.

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 has taken the reins of the Jackrabbit offense at quarterback and has responded with a number of impressive performances this season.

Named the co-Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week following the Jackrabbits' 42-23 season-opening win at Colorado State, Oladokun accounted for three touchdowns – two passing and one rushing — in his Jackrabbit debut. He completed 18-of-28 passes for 224 yards and also rushed two times for 19 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown that capped the scoring for SDSU. Both of Oladokun's touchdown passes went to Jadon Janke, covering 10 and 17 yards.

In the Jackrabbits' Sept. 11 home opener against Lindenwood, Oladokun led SDSU on touchdown-scoring drives on each of the team's first five possessions, which was highlighted by him throwing four touchdown passes. Oladokun, who exited the game midway through the second quarter with the Jackrabbits leading 35-0, completed 12-of-13 passes for 171 yards and the four scores — two each to tight ends Zach Heins and Tucker Kraft.

For the season, Oladokun has completed 130-of-211 passes (61.6 percent) for 1,834 yards and 16 touchdowns against three interceptions. He threw for a season-high 358 yards Oct. 9 against Southern Illinois and has tossed a touchdown pass in all eight games so far this season.

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.

Oladokun became 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.

Big-play jacks: Through its eight games this season, the South Dakota State offense has averaged 7.3 yards per play. The Jackrabbits averaged at least 7.5 yards per play in each of their first three games, highlighted by an average of 9.3 yards per play in their Sept. 11 home opener against Lindenwood.

The Jackrabbits have 52 plays of 20 or more yards from scrimmage through eight games, the longest of which was an 85-yard touchdown run by Pierre Strong, Jr. Oct. 9 versus Southern Illinois.

Conversely, SDSU is limiting the opposition to 4.5 yards per play, including 2.6 yards per rushing attempt.

LONGEST OF THE LONG: Malik Lofton's 97-yard fumble return for touchdown in the third quarter of the Jackrabbits' Oct. 9 game against Southern Illinois is the longest such return on record in program history.

SDSU's Pierre Strong, Jr., also scored on an 85-yard run in the fourth quarter for the longest run of his career.

It marked the first time since a 2014 game at Indiana State that SDSU had two scoring plays of 85 or more yards in the same contest. That previous feat was accomplished in a 2014 game at Indiana State, when Jake Wieneke scored on a 91-yard pass from Austin Sumner in the third quarter and Zach Zenner tallied a 94-yard touchdown run later in the second half.

CONTROLLING THE CLOCK: South Dakota State held a 15-minute advantage in time of possession in its Oct. 30 victory at Youngstown State.

The Jackrabbits held the ball for 37 minutes and 33 seconds in the 47-16 road victory, compared to 22:27 by YSU. That marked the highest time of possession in a game by an SDSU squad since racking up 37:42 against Montana State in 2018.

SDSU has posted a 5-0 record in games this season in which it has led in possession time.

THIRD-DOWN EFFICIENCY: The Jackrabbits converted a season-best 10-of-12 on third-down attempts in its win at Youngstown State on Oct. 30, a game in which SDSU never punted. Both of the failed attempts came in the second quarter and resulted in a fumble and sack — after the latter of which Cole Frahm kicked a 52-yard field goal to end the first half.

That performance came on the heels of some recent third-down struggles. SDSU had gone a combined 11-for-41 (26.8 percent) on third down in the previous three games.

TIGHT ENDS CATCHING ON: South Dakota State's stable of tight ends has played a key role in the passing game for the Jackrabbits this season. Combined, the trio of Tucker Kraft (4), Zach Heins (4) and Mike Morgan (2) have combined for 10 of the Jackrabbits' 20 touchdown catches so far this season.

Each of the three has a two-todown game this season, with Morgan recording the first two scores of his career on plays of 11 and 55 yards Oct. 2 against Dixie State.

Kraft also leads the team in total receptions with 40.

JANKES SCORE IN TANDEM: Twin brothers Jaxon and Jadon Janke have each tallied receiving touchdowns in the same game twice this season, marking the second and third times in their careers the wide receivers from Madison, South Dakota, have scored in the same game.

The Jankes first accomplished the feat during the 2021 season in a Sept. 25 Jackrabbit victory at Indiana State. Jadon's touchdown reception covered 33 yards in the first quarter, while Jaxon scored from 42 yards out in the second stanza. They
followed the same script Oct. 16 at Western Illinois, with Jadon catching an 8-yard pass to open the scoring in the first quarter and Jaxon adding a 21-yard score to cap a 21-point third quarter.

The first time the tandem scored in the same game was against Holy Cross in the opening round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs this past spring. In that April 24 contest, Jadon scored twice on pass plays of 13 and 45 yards, while Jaxon opened the scoring with an 11-yard TD reception.

Jaxon Janke is nearing a couple of career milestones, entering the week with 91 receptions and 1,376 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns. He has caught a pass in 29 of 31 games over the past three seasons.

STRONG GOES FOR 4,000: Senior Pierre Strong, Jr., became the seventh running back in South Dakota State history to reach the 3,000-yard mark for his career, reaching the milestone Sept. 11 versus Lindenwood.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong enters the week with 3,827 career rushing yards, after passing Anthony Watson (3,712 yards from 2003-06) for fourth place on the all-time Jackrabbit charts last week at Youngstown State. He also ranks in a tie with Jerry Welch (1951-54) for fourth place on the all-time Jackrabbit list for rushing touchdowns with 34 after posting his fifth two-touchdown game of the season last week.

A senior from Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong stands 14 yards away from becoming the fourth Jackrabbit running back to post three separate 1,000-yard seasons, joining Josh Ranek (1998-99, 2001), Kyle Minett (2008-10) and Zach Zenner (2012-14). Strong rushed for 1,116 yards in 2018 and 1,018 yards the following season.

TWO RECEIVERS TOP 100: For the first time this season, two South Dakota State receivers top the 100-yard mark in the same game. In the Oct. 9 contest against Southern Illinois, sophomore tight end Tucker Kraft set career highs with 10 catches and 124 yards, while junior wide receiver Jadon Janke added 117 receiving yards. Janke's yardage total came on only three catches as he logged receptions of 52, 46 and 19 yards — all in the first half.

Jadon Janke also had a part in the last time the Jackrabbits had a pair of receivers top the century mark, teaming with his twin brother, Jaxon, in the second game of the 2020-21 spring season — also in a losing effort — at North Dakota. In that contest, Jaxon caught seven passes for 161 yards, while Jadon hauled in five receptions for 109 yards.

40 AND COUNTING: South Dakota State scored 40-plus points in each of its six games this season, marking the longest such streak in program history. Previously, SDSU put together a four-game streak of 40-point games late in the 2018 season,
covering the final three regular season games (Missouri State (59), Southern Illinois (57), South Dakota (49) and a playoff victory over Duquesne (51).

The Jackrabbits enter the week ranked third in the Football Championship Subdivision with an average of 42.4 points per game after again reaching the 40-point mark in a 47-16 victory Oct. 30 at Youngstown State

NOTES ON A SHUTOUT: South Dakota State recorded its first shutout since the 2015 season when it blanked Indiana State, 44-0, on Sept. 25. The Jacks' previous shutout also came on the road against a league opponent as SDSU downed Missouri State, 39-0, in a game played on Oct. 31, 2015, in Springfield, Missouri.

The shutout also was the ninth by a Jackrabbit squad under head coach John Stiegelmeier.

SDSU had its bid for back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1962 come to an end with six seconds remaining in its Oct. 2 Beef Bowl game against Dixie State, when the Trailblazers scored on a 16-yard pass play.

SECOND-QUARTER OUTBURSTS: South Dakota State set a program Division I-era record when it scored 35 points in the second quarter of its Oct. 2 Beef Bowl game against Dixie State. It marked the most points in any quarter by a Jackrabbit squad since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, surpassing the previous record of 31 in the second quarter of a 2005 game against Valparaiso.

Through eight games this season, the Jackrabbits have outscored the opposition by a 115-37 margin in the second quarter.

TURNOVER BATTLE: The Jackrabbits hadn't turned the ball over this season until committing three costly mistakes — two interceptions and a fumble — in an overtime loss to Southern Illinois on Oct. 9.

Up until that point, the Jackrabbits had a long stretch of taking care of the football that dated back to their run to the national championship game in the spring.

Starting with their April 17 win at North Dakota State, South Dakota State had committed only one turnover in its last nine games, with the lone miscue an interception in the national title game against Sam Houston.

Conversely, the SDSU defense forced 15 turnovers in that span, including five in an Oct. 2 victory over Dixie State. The Jackrabbits are plus-7 in turnover margin so far this year.

BOCK SETS CAREER HIGH: South Dakota State middle linebacker Adam Bock established a new career high with 17 tackles, including a half-sack, in the Jackrabbits' overtime loss to Southern Illinois on Oct. 9. Bock's previous high was 13 tackles last season against North Dakota State and matched versus Southern Illinois in their last matchup, an FCS playoff quarterfinal this past May.

Bock's 17 tackles are tied for sixth-most in a game by a Jackrabbit since tackles became an official NCAA statistic in 2000, and are the most by an SDSU player since Christian Rozeboom tallied 18 stops in a 2017 game at Missouri State. Bock currently leads the team with 61 tackles after the sixth double-digit-tackle performance of his career — and third this season — with 10 stops Oct. 23 versus Northern Iowa.

The sophomore from Solon, Iowa, also made Jackrabbit history when he returned a blocked extra-point attempt at Youngstown State for a defensive 2-point conversion. It was the third time an SDSU player scored a defensive extra point, joining Vic Sosa (1997 at Augustana) and Trey Carr (2014 at Southern Utah).

SACK RABBITS: When the Jackrabbits tallied a pair of sacks at Youngstown State on Oct. 30, South Dakota State ran its streak of notching multiple sacks in a game to 10 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Linebacker Logan Backhaus and defense tackle Ryan Van Marel registered the sacks, giving SDSU a team total of 24 sacks so far this year — one more than its team total in a 10-game spring season.

Caleb Sanders and Reece Winkelman share the team lead with 4.5 sacks, while a total of 16 different players have recorded at least a half-sack this season.

As a team, the Jackrabbits are averaging 3.0 sacks per game, which ranks 15th in the Football Championship Subdivision.

WINKELMAN, SANDERS NEAR TOP 10: Senior defensive linemen Reece Winkelman and Caleb Sanders not only share the team lead in sacks this season, but the Jackrabbit duo have nearly identical career numbers for sacks and tackles for loss as they are both poised to move into the SDSU career top 10 in those categories yet this season.

A defenisve end from Marshall, Minnesota, Winkelman has tallied 14 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss in his career. He trails Kevin Tetzlaff (15 sacks from 1988-91) for 10th place on the SDSU career charts.

Winkelman notched a team- and career-best 6.5 sacks during the 2019 campaign.

Sanders, a defensive tackle from Glenwood, Iowa, enters the week with 13 career sacks and 28 tackles for loss. The 10th spot on the career tackles for loss chart is held by Ryan Earith (30 TFLs from 2016-19).

50-PLUS CLUB: Cole Frahm made his second field goal of more than 50 yards this season— and third of his career — in the Oct. 30 game at Youngstown State, connecting on a 52-yarder on the final play of the first half. It was the 15th field goal of 50 or more yards in program history.

Frahm's 54-yarder earlier this season against Lindenwood is tied for the fourth-longest field goal in program history. Parker Douglass (2007) and Chase Vinatieri (2018) hold the school record with 57-yard field goals and Douglass connected on five field goals of 50-plus yards in his All-America career.

Following is a listing of the longest field goals in SDSU history:
57-Parker Douglass, vs. Stephen F. Austin, 2007
57-Chase Vinatieri, at Northern Iowa, 2018
55-Chase Vinatieri, vs. Northern Iowa, 2017 (FCS playoff game)
54-Parker Douglass, vs. UC Davis, 2005 (at Sioux Falls)
54-Cole Frahm, vs. Lindenwood, 2021
53-Parker Douglass, at Southern Utah 2006
52-Brett Gorden, vs. St. Cloud State, 1997
52-Parker Douglass, vs. Cal Poly, 2005
52-Parker Douglass, vs. UC Davis, 2006
52-Cole Frahm, vs. Youngstown State, 2020-21
52-Cole Frahm, at Youngstown State, 2021
51-Adam Vinatieri, vs. North Dakota, 1992
51-Adam Vinatieri, at Augustana, 1994
51-Chase Vinatieri, vs. Drake, 2017
50-Brett Gorden, at UC Davis, 1997

In addition, Frahm has moved into seventh place on the SDSU career charts for field goals made with 26 after booting eight in five games last month. In the Oct. 16 win at Western Illinois, he passed Tony Harris (1977-80), K.C. Johnson (1984-86) and Keith Witt (2002-03), all of whom made 23 field goals in their Jackrabbit careers.

For his career, Frahm is 26-for-39 on field goal tries and has made a field goal in seven consecutive games and 16 of 18 games over the past two seasons.

605 HOGS: The success of the South Dakota State offense can be attributed in large part to the continuity the Jackrabbits have been able to maintain along the offensive line.

The quintet of Aron Johnson (left tackle), Mason McCormick (left guard), Wes Genant (center), Eagan Lickiss (right guard) and Garret Greenfield (right tackle) had started 17 games in a row dating back to the start of the 2020-21 spring season until the string was broken Oct. 30 at Youngstown State. In that game, senior Eddie Miller replaced Lickiss in the starting lineup at right guard.

Despite the change, SDSU went on to record 293 rushing yards in the game.

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.

JACKS IN THE PROS: During the summer of 2021, six former South Dakota State standouts were in training camp with 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 161 receptions for 1,823 yards and 14 touchdowns in four seasons.

While Goedert was the lone former Jackrabbit on an opening day active roster, two other recent defensive standouts were assigned to practice squads. Linebacker Christian Rozeboom recently joined the Kansas City Chiefs after being released by Los Angeles Rams and cornerback Jordan Brown returned to 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. He spent the 2020 season as a member of the Rams' practice squad.

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. He spent the latter part of the 2020 season as a practice squad player with the Washington Football Team.

The most recent former Jackrabbit with professional aspirations is wide receiver Cade Johnson, who signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks after the 2021 NFL Draft. He has since been assigned to Seattle's practice squad.

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.Over three seasons, he ranked third in program history for touchdown catchess (28), fifth in receiving yards (2,872) and sixth in 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.

Veteran offensive lineman Bryan Witzmann is once again a free agent after being among the last cuts by the Kansas City Chiefs this summer. 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.

Also awaiting his next opportunity is fullback and Brookings native Mikey Daniel, who spent this summer with the Carolina Panthers following a stint with Atlanta in 2020.

In addition, wide receiver Jake Wieneke caught on with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League in 2019 and finished the year with 44 catches for 569 yards with eight touchdowns. The CFL did not compete in 2020 due to the pandemic, but Wieneke has already exceeded his 2019 totals with 45 receptions for 739 yards and eight touchdowns thus far during the 2021 campaign.

Also in the CFL is Wieneke's former teammate Taryn Christion. A?Sioux Falls native, Christion is a member of the Ottawa Redblacks. He has played in four games this season and has registered 20 yards on 2-of-6 passing.

Recently announcing his retirement was former Jackrabbit standout Adam Vinatieri, who became the NFL career scoring leader in 2018 with the Indianapolis Colts.

Over Vinatieri's 24 seasons, his totals included 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.

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, 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.

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 was held this past Sept. 8 and included a musical lineup of Zac Brown Band, Fall Out Boy and Gabby Barrett.

SDSU has gone on to post a 32-7 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its first five-plus seasons of operation, including a 7-1 mark in FCS playoff games.

The Jackrabbits went undefeated at home in 2018 at 7-0 and again during the 2020-21 spring season with a 5-0 mark. SDSU has won its last six games at the stadium.

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.

STIG SHOW: The John Stiegelmeier Radio Show airs Monday nights throughout the 2021 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 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: South Dakota State will play its second rivalry game in a row, traveling Nov. 13 to South Dakota. Kickoff is 1 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

The Jackrabbits close out the 2021 regular season at home on Nov. 20, hosting North Dakota for Military Appreciation Day. That game, which also will be the 2021 Hall of Fame Game and Senior Day, is set to kick off at 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

-GoJacks.com-