The battle for South Dakota comes back once again this year as the No.1 ranked South Dakota State Jackrabbits travel to Vermillion, SD to take on the No. 8 University of South Dakota Coyotes on Oct. 28 at 1:00 pm.

These two South Dakota teams have met on the gridiron a total of 114 times, with the first time being the inaugural year of South Dakota in 1889 which ended in a 6-6 tie. Since then, SDSU owns the board sitting at a 56-54-7 record against the only other FCS school in the state.

The last time the Coyotes had home field advantage ended poorly for the Jacks, as USD completed a last chance Hail Mary to win the game. Though a disappointing memory for SDSU, they got the last laugh in the 2022 season as they walloped South Dakota at the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium 28-3.

To head coach Jimmy Rogers, preparation is key when going into rivalry games.

“The guys know who we are playing, will there be a height of sense of urgency and energy? Yeah, that’s what a rival game is about,” Rogers said in his weekly press conference.

Univeristy of South Dakota

The University of South Dakota has been a team to watch this season under head coach Bob Nielson. Last year, the Coyotes finished with a gruesome 3-8 record and walked into the 2023 season unranked. Currently, USD fought their way to the 4th seed on the Stats Preform FCS Top-25 and 9th in the coaches poll after getting national attention when they beat No. 2 NDSU in week four.

The Coyotes are 6-1 with their only loss this season to FBS opponent Missouri. USD and SDSU are the only teams in the Missouri Valley Football Conference without a conference loss.

Leading the offense for USD  this season is former Iowa State quarterback Aidan Bouman who has thrown for 1,359 yards this season and 10 touchdowns, throwing just under 70% on the year. He currently sits 8th in the nation for completion percentage.

Bouman’s favorite target has been the impressive Carter Bell. After the departure from last year’s leading receiver Wesley Eliodor, Bell took up the reigns and hasn’t looked back as he has 478 receiving yards this season and seven touchdowns.

With Bell, Jack Martens and JJ Galbreath have been reliable targets for this offense as well. Galbreath sits at 287 yards and four touchdowns this season while Martens 259 and a score.

Junior, Travis Theis, has been successful in his rushing attack up to this point, running the ball for 568 yards this season and four touchdowns on 112 attempts. Nate Thomas and Charles Pierre each have over 200 yards of their own this season as well, with Thomas at 262 and four touchdowns and Pierre with 214 and three scores.

Stephen Hillis has been a focal point on this 21st ranked defense. The senior linebacker has recorded 115 total tackles this season with 57 of them being on his own. Hillis also has four sacks, eight tackles for loss and two force fumbles.

“Their defense is really well-rounded,” Rogers said. “They do a good job of keeping the cup on the football and keeping leverage on the ball and they do a good job just being in passing lines.”

Though Hillis isn’t the only impressive linebacker on this defense. Brock Morgensen has also broken the century mark in total tackles this season with 106, seven quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery he took for 37 yards.

USD has six interceptions on the year with three of them coming from defensive back Myles Harden. The Florida native has 44 tackles on the season with a sack and a fumble recovery.

SDSU

After a close 17-10 win against Southern Illinois, the Jackrabbits walk into the DakotaDome 7-0 on the season.

In 2023, South Dakota State has outscored opponents 39 points per game to 12.57 points allowed.

Mark Gronowski and company have led this impressive offense to the 9th ranked in the nation. Gronowski has 1,321 total passing yards this season, throwing for 16 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 69.23% (14th in the nation).

Along with his impressive air attack, the Illinois native has rushed for 137 rushing yards and six scores on 39 attempts.

The skill positions on the offense have proven to be very effective all season with five players over 100 receiving yards. Jaxon Janke sits at the top of the receiver list this season due to the 26 catches and 365 yards he has this season, in which he leads both categories. He also has three touchdowns this year.

Griffin Wilde has had an impressive freshman season so far, catching the ball 13 times for 267 yards and four scores. His 20.54 yards per catch average is the highest on the team. Tight end Zach Heins has been a redzone threat all season, with four touchdowns on 17 catches for 223 yards.

Jadon Janke missed the first two games of the season due to injury but has exploded in his last five games. The senior from Madison, SD has 180 yards, three touchdowns and 14 catches on the season.

The one-two punch of Isaiah Davis and Amar Johnson has been almost unstoppable this season. Davis has 98 carries for 685 yards and eight touchdowns while Johnson has 68 carries for 444 yards and one score.

SDSU’s dominant defense has been led by Saiveon Williamson who has pulled in 47 tackles this season as well as two forced fumbles. Fellow linebacker Jason Freeman has been a force to be reckoned with in 2023 too, adding 41 total tackles to the 5th ranked defense in the nation.

State’s seven total interceptions this season have come from all different players with their most recent from Dalys Beanum against SIU. Beanum has 17 tackles this season with fellow defensive back Dyshawn Gales bringing in 20.

Up Next

The Jacks will be back at the Dana next week for the Dakota Marker game against North Dakota State University, a rematch of the 2022 FCS National Championship. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on Nov. 4.