After a 13-9 loss against North Dakota State, the now No. 3 Jackrabbits will host their instate rival, No. 4 Coyotes at home.
SDSU lost its No. 1 rank to NDSU, the same team they took it from over two years ago.
This Interstate Series matchup will be the 117th matchup between SDSU and USD, where the Jackrabbits hold a 57-52-7 lead over the Coyotes. South Dakota State currently sits on a two-game winning streak over South Dakota with their last win ending in a 37-3 victory for the Jacks.
South Dakota State
SDSU comes into the game with a 5-2 (2-1, MVFC) record on the season with losses to Oklahoma State and North Dakota State. The Jackrabbits have outscored opponents this year 243-100.
With 1,221 yards in the air and 212 on the ground. Mark Gronowski sits at the helm of this offense. Gronowski has thrown for 11 touchdowns and six picks this season, while completing 61.36% of his throws.
“Mark [Gronowski] gets a lot of the blame for [turnovers], it’s not just Mark,” said head football coach Jimmy Rogers. “It could be an o-lineman one play, it could be a wide receiver the next play, it could be Mark. We have to continue to build and continue to make sure we are doing the right things.”
Of the Illinois native’s 45 rushing attempts, three of them have gone into the endzone. Gronowski had his biggest rushing game of the season against NDSU where he racked up 77 yards on the ground.
Though Gronowski has over 200 rushing yards, it is the second most from a quarterback on the team. That title belongs to Chase Mason. The Viborg, South Dakota native has been explosive in his last two games, averaging 120.5 yards while scoring at least one touchdown in his last four games.
Amar Johnson continues to own the ground with 521 rushing yards this year (most on the team), five rushing touchdowns (tied for first) and averaging 74.43 yards per game (most on the team) on 87 carries. Kirby Vorhees follows suit with 363 rushing yards and three scores on 28 attempts this season.
Griffin Wilde and Grahm Goering have caught four scores each this season, with Wilde amounting to 432 yards on 36 catches and Goering for 300 yards on 18 receptions.
Johnson has also passed the century mark in receiving yards this season with 115 on 17 catches.
Defensively, Adam Bock sits two tackles away from 50 on the season (23 solo, 25 assisted) while Caleb Francl has 41 on the season.
Graham Spalding has racked up 37 on the year followed by Matthew Durrance with 33.
Steven Arrell leads the team with two interceptions this season, with his most recent being against UNI to open conference play. Four other Jackrabbits have one to their name as well.
Dawson Ripperda and Bryce Hawthorne lead the team with two sacks each, while Koby Clayborne follows close with 1.5 on the year.
South Dakota
The Coyotes sit at 6-1 (4-0, MVFC) and look to extend their five-game winning streak.
Redshirt junior Aidan Bouman has the reins of this offense and has looked impressive this season, amounting to 1,393 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception on 69.85%.
USD’s rushing game has been a force all season, averaging 232.6 yards per game. USD has two backs over the five-century mark in Charles Pierre Jr. and Travis Theis. Pierre Jr. has seen most of the work in the backfield with 106 carries for 705 and 12 touchdowns, while veteran back Theis has 75 carries for 518 yards and eight touchdowns.
Bouman’s main target this season has been Carter Bell with 22 receptions and 315 yards to his name. Bell has yet to find the endzone this season.
Tight end JJ Galbreath leads this USD offense in receiving yards with 323 yards and two scores on 17 targets.
Quaron Adams and Theis are tied with Galbreath at two receiving scores this season.
Gary Bryant III leads South Dakota with 51 tackles this season. The redshirt Sophomore linebacker also has an interception and a forced fumble to his name. Dennis Shorter (35 tackles), Nate Ewell (34 tackles) and Teven McKelvey (34 tackles) all have brought in at least 30 tackles this season.
“I think Gary Bryant [III] is exceptional,” said Rogers. “It’s one of the things we look at when we recruit linebackers is speed and the ability to move and redirect like a db (defensive back) and he has been a really really good player and I think he makes that whole defense go.”
Shorter leads the team in picks with two, while senior Nick Gaes has tallied up six sacks (most on the team).
“This is going to be a tough matchup,” said Rogers. “We’re excited for the opportunity, we’re excited to move on from last week and prove we’re one of the best teams in the country and we’ll have the opportunity this weekend.”
Next up
After their matchup with the Coyotes, the Jackrabbits will match up against Murray State for their second-to-last home game this regular season.