BROOKINGS – South Dakota State needed a big game from its defense and that’s exactly what they got. The No. 8 Jackrabbits held the No. 4 Northern Iowa to 239 yards of total offense and 85 yards passing in a 38-7 win at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Saturday.
“Really proud of our football team. Just so proud of them. … Hats off to coach (Mark) Farley and Northern Iowa. That’s a really good football team we beat. Had some things go our way, but I’m going to claim that we made them go are way. Excited about the victory and happy to go 1-0 this week,” SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier said.
The play of the game came when the Jacks were up 17-7 with 13:16 left in the fourth quarter. That’s when SDSU defensive end Tolu Ogunrinde stripped UNI’s quarterback Will McElvain and SDSU cornerback Don Gardner scooped the ball up off the turf and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.
“I saw Tolu stripping the ball and I saw the ball bounce. Every Wednesday we practice the scoop and score and I saw it get a good bounce and I was like ‘man i’m scoring this one.’ Then I was in the endzone,” Gardner said.
It was the second time this season Gardner made a game altering play. He had a pick-six against Youngstown State on Oct. 12th when SDSU was trailing 14-3 in the third quarter. SDSU went on to win that game 38-28.
The scoop and score was one of four turnovers for the Panthers on the day. McElvain also threw three interceptions. The lone touchdown for UNI came in the third quarter when Sam Schnee ran it in from 10 yards out.
“I thought our defense played close to perfect. When you think about football and all the moving parts, all the steps and keys and so on. I was really impressed and it starts with our coaching staff. They do a phenomenal job,” Stiegelmeier said.
SDSU quarterback Keaton Heide had a bounce back game after fumbling and throwing an interception against Illinois State last week. Heide, who is starting in place of J’Bore Gibbs who injured his knee against North Dakota State, was 15-for-16 with 196 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The offensive line played a big part in having only one incompletion as Heide was only sacked once.
“The most impressive part about our passing game is the way Keaton stands in the pocket when he has time. He made some good scrambles today and found some other receivers today. For a young man that age, every day and every play is to get better. Really impressed with his performance,” Stiegelmeier said.
Pierre Strong Jr. went down with a knee injury in the first quarter for SDSU. C.J. Wilson also did not play for the Jacks and that gave Mikey Daniel an opportunity to get most of the carries. Daniel finished with 82 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.
“Pierre went down and nobody flinched,” Stiegelmeier said. “I feel bad for Pierre. … They put a brace on his leg and had him to see if he could come out and play. He said he couldn’t do it, so it’s going to be, I’m guessing week to week.”
The Jacks had 337 yards of offense on the day. Cade Johnson led SDSU with six catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. Jaxon Janke also had 20 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
The kicking woes continued for SDSU. Senior Chase Vinatieri got the start after Cole Frahm replaced him last week. Vinatieri had his first kick blocked and he missed his second kick from 45 yards out. He made his final kick from 44. Stiegelmeier said who kicking position will change from week to week.
“We had some one-on-one competitions. I believe in both those guys. Will do it again this week and they’ll both always travel. You have to produce, so we’ll put some pressure on them and see if they produce,” Stiegelmeier said.
This was a very crucial game for SDSU. They were sitting at No. 8 in the country which would mean if the season ended today they would have a bye in the FCS Playoffs. The win over the Panthers almost secured that now because it was a win over a top-four team. Stiegelmeier said there was a bit of urgency during practice leading up to the game against UNI.
“All talked about was being 1-0 and having that focus. I challenged them today and it’s never my words, but it’s everyone coming together. I challenged them today and they gave us close to 98% in their performance. They reminded me down in the locker room that they hope to be there every week, in terms of grading. Really proud of them,” Stiegelmeier said.
Up next the Jackrabbits will travel down to Vermillion to take on South Dakota. The Coyotes (4-7, 3-4) got blown out by NDSU Saturday 49-14. USD has lost 10-straight games to SDSU. Their last win was in 2000, before both teams were in the FCS.
“It’s going to be a really fun game to play. It’s going to be their Super Bowl. [USD] always play us really hard, but we’re ready for the challenge,” Ogunrinde said.
NO. 4 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 38, NO. 4 NORTHERN IOWA 7
UNI (7-4, 5-2) 0 0 7 0
SDSU (8-3, 5-2) 0 7 10 21
Second Quarter
SDSU – Mikey Danie 2 run (Cjhase Vinatieri kick), 13:16
Third Quarter
SDSU – Jaxon Janke 10 pass from Keaton Heide (Vinatieri kick), 9:58
SDSU – Vinatieri 44 field goal, 5:20
UNI – Sam Schnee 11 run (Matthew Cook kick), :49
Fourth Quarter
SDSU – Don Gardner 24 fumble return (Vinatieri kick), 13:16
SDSU – Cade Johnson 20 pass from Heide (Vinatieri kick(, 9:04
SDSU – Kanin Nelson 12 run (Vinatieri kick) 2:36
UNI SDSU
First Downs 13 15
Plays-Yards 58-239 53-337
Rushes-Yards 34-154 37-141
C-A-Int.-Yards 12-24-3-85 15-16-0-196
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-Yards 5-42 3-20
Punts-Avg.-I20-TB 7-38.6-3-0 4-35.8-1-0
Kickoffs-Avg.-TB 2-54.5-0 7-55.4-2
Punt Returns-Yards-TD 2- -4-0 3-21-0
Kickoff Returns-Yards-TD 232-0 6-48-0
INT Returns-Yards-TD 0-0-0 3-22-0
Fumble Returns-Yards-TD 0-0-0 1-24-1
Miscellaneous Yards 0 0
Possession Time 27:32 32:28
Third-down Conversions 5-14 3-10
Fourth-down Conversions 0-0 0-0
Red Zone 1-1 4-4
Sacks By-Yards 1-6 1-6
Field Goals 0-0 1-3
RUSHING: SDSU – Mikey Daniel 21-83, Devin Blakley 6-23, Pierre Strong 3-14, Kanin Nelson 1-12, Keaton Heide 6-18. UNI – Sam Schnee 18-75, Will McElvain 12-62, Trevor Allen 3-18, Aaron Graham 1-12
PASSING: SDSU – Keaton Heide 15-16-0-196. UNI – Will McElvain 12-24-3-85
RECEIVING: SDSU – Cade Johnson 6-134, Adam Anderson 2-21, Jaxon Janke 4-20, Devin Blakley 1-13, Kallan Hart 1-6, Pierre Strong 1-2. UNI – Jaylin James 3-34, Aaron Graham 2-21, Logan Wolf 1-10, 1-9, Trevor Allen 2-7, Lane Suni 1-5, Sam Schnee 2- -2.
DEFENSE: SDSU – Logan Backhaus 3 tackles, INT; Tolu Ogunrinde 3 tackles, FF; Don Gardner 2 tackles, FR, Touchdown; Reece Winkelman 4 tackles, .5 sack, TFL; Michael Griffin 1 tackle, INT; Jordan Gandy INT; Seven Wilson 8 tackles,. UNI – Chris Kolarevic 13 tackles, TFL; Bryce Flater 11 tackles; Christian Jegen 7 tackles, TFL, sack; Bryce Flater 11 tackles; Jevon Brekke 6 tackles; Seth Thomas 6 tackles; Brawntae Wells 1 tackle, blocked kick.
A – 7,317
Missouri Valley Football Conference
MVFC Overall
STATS/Coaches W-L PF/PA W-L PF/PA Strk
1/1 North Dakota State 7-0 290/85 11-0 459/140 W32
7/8 Illinois State 5-2 130/122 8-3 243/190 W2
8/9 South Dakota State 5-2 215/132 8-3 355/180 W1
4/5 Northern Iowa 5-2 157/150 7-4 247/228 L1
RV/RV Southern Illinois 5-2 205/136 7-4 332/255 W5
South Dakota 3-4 242/208 4-7 339/368 L1
Indiana State 1-6 97/171 4-7 184/250 W1
Youngstown State 1-6 166/244 5-6 344/318 L3
Missouri State 1-6 93/216 1-9 146/346 L6
Western Illinois 1-6 149/280 1-10 217/405 L2
Note: The following regular-season matchups will not take place in 2019: SDSU-WIU, NDSU-InSU, YSU-MSU, UNI-SIU and IlSU-USD. … The Bears are playing 11 regular-season games this year … North Dakota joins the conference in 2020.
WEEK 12 – Saturday, Nov. 16
South Dakota State 38, Northern Iowa 7
North Dakota State 49, South Dakota 14
Illinois State 17, Missouri State 12
Southern Illinois 45, Western Illinois 21
Indiania State 24, Youngstown State 17
Notable games
North Dakota 45, Northern Colorado 38
WEEK 13 – Saturday, Nov. 16
Illinois State at Youngstown State, Youngstown 11 a.m. (ESPN+)
Western Illinois at Northern Iowa, Ceder Falls 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
South Dakota State at South Dakota, Vemillion 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
North Dakota State at Southern Illinois, Carbondale 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Indiana State at Missouri State, Springfield 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Notable games
Southern Utah (3-8, 2-5) at North Dakota (6-4)
• North Dakota State 49, South Dakota 14
FARGO – NDSU racked up 700 yards of total offense and held USD to 245 total yards in a blowout win.
The Bison, who have now won 32 games in-a-row ran for 419 yards with Ty Brooks leading the way. He had 128 yards and two touchdowns. Adam Cofield had 51 yards and a touchdown. NDSU quarterback Trey Lance went 12-for-15 with 249 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Watson had three catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.
USD (4-7, 3-4) quarterback Austin Simmons had a rough day. The Missouri Valley passing leader was held to 73 yards passing and was 11-for-19. He did have 51 yards rushing though. Kai Henry led the Yotes with 58 yards and a touchdown. Cannan Brooks had 33 yards and a touchdown.
The Bison will travel to Carbondale, Ill. to take on Southern Illinois next week and the Coyotes will welcome SDSU to Vermillion.
• Illinois State 17, Missouri State 12
NORMAL – The Redbirds hung on to beat the now 1-9 Bears. Illinois State is still in position to get a top-eight seed and a first round bye in the FCS Playoffs.
The Redbirds got on the board first with 3:58 left in the first quarter on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady Davis to Kacper Rutkiewicz. It didn’t take long for the Bears to respond as Jeremiah Wilson had a 74-yard touchdown run 15 seconds later. They would miss a two-point conversion, so Illinois State had a 7-6 lead.
Tristan Bailey caught a 8-yard touchdown pass to give Illinois State a 14-6 lead with 14:56 left in the first half. The Bears kicked a field goal to make it 14-9 at halftime. Both teams traded field goals in the fourth quarter and Illinois State used a goal line stand with 39 seconds left to get the win.
Davis went 8-for-11 with 65 yards and two touchdowns. James Robinson ran for 155 yards on 29 carries.
MSU quarterback Peyton Huslig went 19-for-35 with 185 yards and two interceptions. Jeremiah Wilson had 78 yards on three carries and Damoriea Vick had five catches for 48 yards.
Illinois State will close the season out at Youngstown State and Missouri State will host Indiana State.
• Southern Illinois 45, Western Illinois 21
MACOMB – The Salukis used a 21-point third quarter to pick up their fifth-straight win and improve to 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the Missouri Valley.
SIU jumped out to a 10-0 lead in first half before WIU (1-10, 1-6) quarterback Connor Sampson threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Gerge Wahee with 1:58 left in the first half to make 10-7 at halftime. The Salukis outscored the Leathernecks 21-0 in the third quarter. Javon Williams Jr. had two rushing touchdowns in the quarter. The two teams each scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
The Salukis ran for 388 yards as a team. D.J. Davis had 207 yards and two touchdowns and Williams had 149 yards and three touchdowns. Kare Lyles went 12-for-18 with 144 yards and Lance Lenoir had 114 yards on five catches.
Sampson went 22-for-36 with 208 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Wahee had two catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Max Norris had 73 yards on 16 carries.
The Leathernecks play at Northern Iowa Saturday.
• Indiana State 24, Youngstown State 17
In a battle of teams with one win in the MVFC, the Sycamores prevailed to win their second game in the conference.
ISU jumped out to 17-3 lead and didn’t look back. The Sycamores ran for 242 total yards and had three rushers run for more than 60 yards. Michael Haupert led the way with 95 yards and a touchdown. Nick Sims had 63 yards and Dominique Dafney had 61.
YSU quarterback Joe Craycraft went 11-for-33 with 181 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had 123 yards rushing and a touchdown. C.J. Charleston had five catches for 105 yards and Ryan Emans had 51 yards and a touchdown.
