SDSU’s 29-game winning streak shatters after loss to 17thranked FBS opponent Oklahoma State in Stillwater, OK this afternoon.
The Cowboys exploded in the third quarter, producing three touchdowns on back-to-back-to-back to extend their lead, which the Jacks were unable to recover from.
Sophomore Griffin Wilde showed out in his first game as the wide receiver number one, bringing in seven of his eleven total targets for 150 yards and one score. Wilde’s sole touchdown came by a breakaway 60-yard play.
Grahm Goering went 4-8 on catches with 69 yards and a spectacular one-handed snag for SDSU’s first touchdown of the 2024 campaign.
Quarterback Mark Gronowski threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns and completed 20 of 37 throws. The Illinois native threw one interception in his first game back.
Leading the Jackrabbits with 12 total tackles was Adam Bock, with six coming off solo stops. Fellow linebacker Caleb Francl ended the game with eight while Dayls Beanum finished with seven on the day.
Alan Bowman was at the helm of the offensive for the Pokes all day, throwing for 267 yards and two scores with a 74% completion rate (25-34).
The seventh-year collegiate quarterback got two receivers over the 80-yard mark in De’Zhaun Stribling (83 receiving yards) and Rashod Owens (81 receiving yards).
Ollie Gordon II, the 2023 FBS rushing leader took to the ground for 27 carries on 104 yards and two scores, averaging 3.9 yards per carry.
“He [Gordan II] was physical last year and he looks to be physical this year,” said Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy. “I thought he ran well today, made guys miss, made guys bounce off of him. He made big runs at key times today and he looks better physically running than he did last year, in my opinion.”
Defensively for the Cowboys, Trey Rucker led the game with 15 total tackles while Preseason All-American Nick Martin finished with 10 tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. Martin nearly added an interception to his stats in the fourth quarter but was unable to keep possession.
South Dakota State started with the ball but was unable to produce a score in their first two drives due to a turnover on downs and an interception respectively.
Unlike their opponent, OSU started hot, scoring a field goal and two touchdowns early in their first drives.
Down by 10 points early, Hunter Dustman knocked down a 31-yard field goal, his second longest of the game to put the first Jackrabbit points on the board for the season.
Dustman’s number was called yet again in the second quarter, this time from 48 yards out which brought the score into halftime at 17-6 in favor of OSU.
the Cowboys opened up the second half with a touchdown on the opening drive but was quickly answered by a three-play 75-yard drive by the Jacks, finished the drive off with a Goering touchdown.
Oklahoma State would go on and get into the endzone two more times before SDSU would score their final touchdown of the night by way of air, a 60-yard receiving touchdown to Wilde.
“Defensively, we played good and then gave up big plays,” said Coach Gundy.
A field goal inside the final two minutes capped off the game at 44-20, South Dakota State’s first loss since 2022 at Kinnick Stadium against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
52,202 fans gathered for the OSU/SDSU opener at Boone Pickens Stadium.
SDSU will travel back to Brookings, South Dakota to take on Incarnate Word on Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. In the home opener for the Jacks, SDSU will celebrate the 2023 National Championship at the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
