South Dakota State Jackrabbits football
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represents South Dakota State University in college football. The program competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The Jackrabbits play their home games at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on South Dakota State's campus in Brookings, South Dakota. South Dakota State is considered to be among the few perennial powers in the FCS. South Dakota State is also one of only 13 FCS schools to host ESPN's College GameDay. For the 2019 GameDay matchup, the No. 3 Jackrabbits hosted the No. 1 North Dakota State Bison, where they would lose in a close battle 23–16 after losing their starting QB to a season ending knee injury.[2] The Jackrabbits currently have a 12-year streak of qualifying for the FCS playoffs, the second-longest in the country at the FCS level (the longest being North Dakota State at 13). They also have cemented their status as an FCS blueblood with their first National Championship win in school history on January 8th, 2023.
| South Dakota State Jackrabbits football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1900 | ||
| Athletic director | Justin Sell | ||
| Head coach | Jimmy Rogers 1st season, 2–0 (1.000) | ||
| Stadium | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium (capacity: 19,340) | ||
| Year built | 2016 | ||
| Field surface | Turf | ||
| Location | Brookings, South Dakota | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FCS | ||
| Conference | Missouri Valley | ||
| Past conferences | NCC (1922–2003), Great West (2004–2007) | ||
| All-time record | 622–470–35 (.567) | ||
| Playoff record | 18–11 | ||
| Claimed national titles | 1 (Div. I FCS): 2022 | ||
| Conference titles | |||
| Rivalries | North Dakota State (rivalry) South Dakota (rivalry) North Dakota | ||
| Colors | Blue and yellow[1] | ||
| Fight song | Ring the Bell | ||
| Mascot | Jack Rabbit | ||
| Marching band | The Pride of the Dakotas | ||
| NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances | (12) 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 | ||
| Website | Jackrabbit Football | ||
History
The Jackrabbits were an NCAA Division II program in the North Central Conference until moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004. In March 2004, SDSU initially began their Division I FCS era by being a charter member of the now-defunct Great West Football Conference (along with North Dakota State, Southern Utah, Cal Poly, UC Davis, Northern Colorado) and stayed there until 2007 when they were accepted into the Missouri Valley Football Conference and began league play in the 2008 season. South Dakota State University has invested in their football program's facilities recently as they have some of the finest amenities and facilities at the FCS level including the largest video/scoreboard in the FCS (2015) a new 19,340-seat stadium (2016), and a large state-of-the-art student-athlete center in the north end zone (2010). Connected to the student-athlete center is one of the largest indoor practice facilities in NCAA Division I (completed in 2014). Due to the success of South Dakota State and North Dakota State football programs, the Dakota Marker game was featured on ESPN’s nationally televised College GameDay on October 26, 2019, becoming one of only a few FCS programs to be featured on the show. South Dakota State reached the Football Championship Subdivision semi-finals five times in 2017, 2018 and 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively. They advanced to their first national championship game on May 8, 2021 after defeating the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 33–3 in the national semi-finals. They played No. 2 Sam Houston State for the national championship on May 16, 2021 and lost 23–21. The Jackrabbits finished the season 8–2 and as national runner-ups. A year and a half later on January 8, 2023 they advanced to the national championship game again where they would win their first national title over conference rival North Dakota State, 45–21.
Classifications
- 1952–1972: NCAA College Division
- 1973–2003: NCAA Division II
- 2004–present: NCAA Division I–AA/FCS
Conference affiliations
- Independent (1889–1921)
- North Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (1922–2003)
- Great West Conference (2004–2007)
- Missouri Valley Football Conference (2008–present)
Players in the National Football League
A total of 34 Jackrabbits have played for NFL teams, including seven currently.
- Jordan Brown - free agent
- Dallas Goedert - Philadelphia Eagles
- Christian Rozeboom - Los Angeles Rams
- Cade Johnson - Seattle Seahawks
- Pierre Strong Jr. - Cleveland Browns
- Chris Oladokun - Kansas City Chiefs
- Tucker Kraft - Green Bay Packers
29 Jackrabbits have been drafted in the NFL Draft. As of 2021, Jim Langer is the only Jackrabbit to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Record versus Missouri Valley Football Conference
- Records current as of November 2021[3]
| Rival | Record (W–L–T) | Winning Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois State | 6–8 | .429 |
| Indiana State | 10–2 | .833 |
| Missouri State | 14–1 | .933 |
| Murray State | 0-0 | .000 |
| North Dakota | 36–47–5 | .434 |
| North Dakota State | 45–64–5 | .413 |
| Northern Iowa | 25–32–1 | .439 |
| South Dakota | 58–54–7 | .518 |
| Southern Illinois | 11–4 | .733 |
| Western Illinois | 14–4 | .778 |
| Youngstown State | 18–7 | .720 |
FCS Playoffs results
As of January 8, 2023, the Jackrabbits have appeared in the FCS playoffs twelve times with an overall record of 18–11. They have made 11 consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs, currently the second-longest streak in the nation.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | First Round | Montana | L 48–61 |
| 2012 | First Round Second Round | Eastern Illinois North Dakota State | W 58–10 L 3–28 |
| 2013 | First Round Second Round | Northern Arizona Eastern Washington | W 26–7 L 17–41 |
| 2014 | First Round Second Round | Montana State North Dakota State | W 47–40 L 24–27 |
| 2015 | First Round | Montana | L 17–24 |
| 2016 | Second Round Quarterfinals | Villanova North Dakota State | W 10–7 L 10–36 |
| 2017 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Northern Iowa New Hampshire James Madison | W 37–22 W 56–14 L 16–51 |
| 2018 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Duquesne Kennesaw State North Dakota State | W 51–6 W 27–17 L 21–44 |
| 2019 | Second Round | Northern Iowa | L 10–13 |
| 2020 | First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Holy Cross Southern Illinois Delaware Sam Houston State | W 31–3 W 31–26 W 33–3 L 21–23 |
| 2021 | First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | UC Davis Sacramento State Villanova Montana State | W 56–24 W 24–19 W 35–21 L 17–31 |
| 2022 | Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Delaware Holy Cross Montana State North Dakota State | W 42–6 W 42–21 W 39–18 W 45–21 |
Division II Playoffs results
The Jackrabbits have appeared in the Division II playoffs one time with an overall record of 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Quarterfinals | Youngstown State | L 7–51 |
Head coaches
| # | Coach | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morrison | 1900 |
| 2 | L. L. Gilkey | 1901 |
| 3 | J. Harrison Werner | 1903 |
| 4 | William Blaine | 1904 |
| 5 | William Juneau | 1905–1908 |
| 6 | Jason M. Saunderson | 1909–1910 |
| 7 | Fred Johnson | 1911 |
| 8 | Harry W. Ewing | 1912–1917 |
| - | No team | 1918 |
| 9 | Charles A. West | 1919–1927 |
| 10 | Cy Kasper | 1928–1933 |
| 11 | Red Threlfall | 1934–1937 |
| 12 | Jack V. Barnes | 1938–1940 |
| 13 | Thurlo McCrady | 1941–1946 |
| 14 | Ralph Ginn | 1947–1968 |
| 15 | Dave Kragthorpe | 1969 |
| 16 | Dean Pryor | 1970–1971 |
| 17 | John Gregory | 1972–1981 |
| 18 | Wayne Haensel | 1982–1990 |
| 19 | Mike Daly | 1991–1996 |
| 20 | John Stiegelmeier | 1997–2022 |
| 21 | Jimmy Rogers | 2023–present |
Facilities
- Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium (19,340 capacity)
- Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex (SJAC)
- Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center (Connected to SJAC in north end zone)
In 2014, South Dakota State University started construction of a new stadium on the location of the current Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The new stadium has a total seating capacity of 19,340 with easy expansion to 22,500.
The Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex is the Jackrabbits new State-of-the-art indoor practice facility. The facility was opened on October 11, 2014. The SJAC has bleacher seating for up to 1,000 spectators and can be used for football practice, track practice, softball and baseball practice, track competitions, and other events within the SDSU athletic department. The 149,284-square foot facility is the largest indoor practice facility in Division I athletics and features an eight-lane, 300-meter track which is only one of five collegiate indoor tracks of that size in the nation. Inside the track is an 80-yard football field plus end zones at each end and is composed of a soy-based Astroturf. Within the facility it has areas for sports medicine and strength and conditioning. Sports medicine features include rehab space, a training room, weight room expansion, hydrotherapy, a football team room, offices and academic advising facilities. The SJAC is used by many of SDSU's athletic programs.
All-Time statistical leaders
Single-game leaders
- Passing Yards: Dan Fjeldheim (460, 9/28/2002)
- Rushing Yards: Zach Zenner (295 2x, 11-24-2012, 9/7/2013)
- Receiving Yards: Jeff Tiefenthaler (256, 9/27/1986)
Single-Season leaders
- Passing Yards: Taryn Christion (3,714, 2016)
- Rushing Yards: Josh Ranek (2,055, 1999)
- Receiving Yards: Jeff Tiefenthaler (1,534, 1986)
Career leaders
- Passing Yards: Taryn Christion (11,535, 2015–2018)
- Rushing Yards: Josh Ranek, (6,744, 1997–2001)
- Receiving Yards: Jake Wieneke (5,157, 2014–2017)
Media coverage
All home and road games are covered on the Jackrabbit Sports Network. The broadcast range of the Jackrabbit Sports Network covers eight states (South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming), and consists of the following stations:
- WNAX 570AM (Flagship Station)
- KJJQ 910AM
- KRKI 99.5FM
- KOLY 1300AM
- KBFS 1450AM
- KGFX 1060AM
- KXLG 99.1FM
The team does not have an official television partner, but Jackrabbit games have been televised on Midco Sports Net, Fox College Sports, the Big Ten Network, Fox Sports North, ESPN+, ESPN, ABC and local television networks.
Record against FBS competition
Overall 2–10.
| Season | Opponent | Conference | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Iowa State | Big 12 | L 17–44 | 0–1 |
| 2009 | Minnesota | Big Ten | L 13–16 | 0–2 |
| 2010 | Nebraska | Big 12 | L 3–17 | 0–3 |
| 2011 | Illinois | Big Ten | L 3–56 | 0–4 |
| 2012 | Kansas | Big 12 | L 17–31 | 0–5 |
| 2013 | Nebraska | Big Ten | L 20–59 | 0–6 |
| 2014 | Missouri | SEC | L 18–38 | 0–7 |
| 2015 | Kansas | Big 12 | W 41–38 | 1–7 |
| 2016 | TCU | Big 12 | L 41–59 | 1–8 |
| 2018 | Iowa State | Big 12 | Canceled by weather | |
| 2019 | Minnesota | Big Ten | L 21–28 | 1–9 |
| 2021 | Colorado State | Mountain West | W 42–23 | 2–9 |
| 2022 | Iowa | Big Ten | L 3–7 | 2–10 |
Future non-conference opponents
Announced schedules as of June 17, 2023.[4]
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Oregon | at Oklahoma State | at Montana State | at Northwestern | at Iowa State | at Nebraska | at Nebraska | |
| Montana State | at Southeastern Louisiana | Drake | Southeastern Louisiana | ||||
| vs Drake (in Minneapolis, MN) | Utah Tech | at Tarleton State |
References
- "South Dakota State Jackrabbits Media Information". July 17, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
- Zimmer, Matt. "College GameDay: North Dakota State crashes party at South Dakota State". Argus Leader. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- "2021 Football Schedule". South Dakota State University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
- "South Dakota State Jackrabbits Football Future Schedules". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.