ST. LOUIS – South Dakota State quarterback Keaton Heide was named Co-Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Week following a record-setting performance in the Jackrabbits’ victory against Northern Iowa.
A freshman from Wayzata, Minnesota, Heide completed his first 14 pass attempts and finished the game 15-of-16 for 196 yards and two touchdowns as No. 8/9 SDSU knocked off the No. 4/5 Panthers, 38-7.
His passing streak broke the Jackrabbit Division I standard of 11 consecutive completions to start a game by Taryn Christion versus Drake in 2016, and also marked the most consecutive completions by any MVFC quarterback since 2013. Heide’s touchdown passes covered 10 yards to Jaxon Janke in the third quarter and 20 yards to Cade Johnson in a 21-point fourth quarter. Heide also connected with Johnson on a 65-yard pass play to set up SDSU’s first touchdown of the game early in the second quarter.
Heide shared the weekly award with Southern Illinois running back Javon Williams Jr.
Also earning MVFC Player of the Week awards were Southern Illinois running back D.J. Davis (offense), Illinois State defensive back Devin Taylor (defense) and Missour State punter Brendan Withrow (special teams).
The Jackrabbits (8-3, 6-2) close out the regular season Saturday by traveling to in-state rival South Dakota. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.
