The South Dakota State University Jackrabbits will host Division II school Augustana on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Dana J. Dykhouse.

“Really excited for this matchup,” said head coach Jimmy Rogers. “I know that their [Augustana] going to come into this stadium and be excited, having a competitive spirit to them and so it’s going to take our best to get ready to compete.”

The Jacks come into this non-conference matchup at 1-1 this season as they lost to Oklahoma State in week one 44-20 and beat Incarnate Word 45-24 in week two.

Augie on the other hand sits undefeated at 1-0 with their 35-13 win over the University of Mary last Thursday.

The pair of teams have met a total of 62 times on the field, with the last time being in 2004.

Nearly twenty years later, Augustana will get to match up with their in-state opponent who has jumped up to the Division I conference since the last time they played.

South Dakota State

The Jacks picked up their first win of the year last week and look to continue the trend moving forward.

This season, SDSU has scored a total of 65 points but the team has been outscored by opponents by three points.

Hunter Dustman is currently 8-8 on point after conversions this season and 3-4 on field goals.

At the helm of this offense is graduate student Mark Gronowski. The Illinois native has thrown for six touchdowns and 549 yards with a 60.29% completion percentage. Though averaging an impressive 274.50 yards per game from the air, Gronowski also averages an inception per game.

Griffin Wilde was one of many backups who turned starter this season and has been excelling at the receiver position. The sophomore has caught 17 passes (5th in the nation) for 256 yards (3rd in the nation).

“He [Wilde] was capable last year [for big performances],” said Rogers. “I’d say it more than anything that he worked really hard at changing his body. He looks really good right now; he’s put together and gained about 20 lbs. and he looks faster.”

Wilde also leads the Jacks in receiving touchdowns on the year with three to his name.

Grahm Goering has averaged a touchdown a game on seven receptions this season. The junior has racked up 119 yards this season while averaging 17 yards per reception.

In his first season as the starter, tailback Amar Johnson has shown great things for the Jackrabbit offense with 185 yards on 28 carries. With help from his offensive line, Amar Johnson has yet to be tackled behind the line of scrimmage while rushing.

The speedster Angel Johnson currently holds 69 rushing yards on 12 attempts.

Defensively, three-time team captain Adam Bock leads the team with 21 on the year. Over half of Bock’s stops are solo tackles.

Caleb Francl follows Bock with 15 tackles on the season while Mathew Durrance has 14. Durrance showed out big in week two against Incarnate Word with an eight-tackle game (seven solos) and a fumble recovery.

Defensive back Dayls Beanum leads the team in force fumbles with one on the year.

Augustana

For Augustana, Gunnar Hensley showed out in a dominant performance in their first bout, throwing 14-18 for 219 yards and two passing touchdowns.

The sophomore also rushed for eight yards and a touchdown in their first game.

Hensley found receiver Isaiah Huber six times last game, which Huber turned into 40 yards throughout the game.

Though it is tailback Max Grand who leads the Vikings in receiving yards right now, thanks to a 56-yard touchdown against the University of Mary.

Matt Francis and Jack Fisher also caught multiple balls in their first week of action. Francis pulled in two with a total of 43 yards while Fisher had four catches, 36 yards and a score.

Senior Jarod Epperson leads the backfield for the Vikings. Epperson has 11 carries on the season for 57 yards.

Grand pulled in a total of two touchdowns in their opener, one from the air and one on the ground.

Former Jackrabbit Canyon Bauer brought in a rushing touchdown of his own from a yard out as well.

On defense, Augie’s Kade Lynott leads the team in tackles with six on the season. Alex Belongia has five while Ryan Isaiah and Haden Wallace each have four.

Three Vikings have racked up two sacks in their first game (Myles Taylor, Christian Connelly and Will Davis).

Saturday’s game can be seen on Midco Sports Network and streamed on Midco Sports Plus or ESPN+. The live radio broadcast can be heard on KJJQ-AM 910 or throughout the Jackrabbit Sports Network.

SDSU will hit the road after Saturday’s performance and travel to play Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.