Jackrabbits square off with Panthers in second round

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BROOKINGS – Three weeks ago No. 7 SDSU topped then No. 4 ranked Northern Iowa 38-7 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. A lot has happened since then.

SDSU went on to lose its final regular season game of the season to USD 24-21. The Jacks then thought they were not going to be a top-eight seed in the FCS Playoffs.

“We couldn’t really dwell on (the USD game). We were just thinking next game, next game and move on. Going into the next day we had the selection show and we had to see where we were seeded and go from there. We were expecting to play last week and we got lucky and didn’t have to play,” SDSU defensive end Tolu Ogunrinde said.

It was announced during the selection show that the Jacks would be the No. 7 seed in the playoffs and head coach John Stiegelmeier said the mood of the team changed instantly.

“I think the best thing (about having the bye week) is mentally because it’s a grind. Every week, putting in a new game plan, all the different things these guys have to learn along with school. So I think these guys came back from Thanksgiving refreshed in every way,” Stiegelemeier said. 

Northern Iowa defeated San Diego in similar fashion to most of their wins this season by not giving up a lot of points. The Panthers beat the Toreros 17-3 in the first round. It was an ugly game as neither team had over 300 total yards, but the Panthers held the Toreros to 26 yards rushing.

In the first meeting against UNI, SDSU had 141 yards rushing. Stiegelmeier said that was a key to their victory.

Freshman quarterback Keaton Heide, who replaced J’Bore Gibbs after a knee injury against North Dakota State on Nov. 9, had a really good game against the Panthers. Heide finished the game 15-for-16 with 196 yards and two touchdowns.

“That’s all Keaton,” SDSU wide receiver Cade Johnson said. “He was making the right decisions, the right reads and trusting it. Especially against a really good UNI defensive line and secondary. They know how to fly around the ball. That’s a credit to him, he’s been working hard and making the right reads.”

The key moment of the game was when SDSU was up 17-7 with 13:16 left in the game. That’s when Ogunwrinde stripped UNI quarterback Will McElvain and SDSU cornerback Don Gardner scooped up the ball and returned it 24 yards for a touchdown.

SDSU forced three other turnovers during the first matchup, all interceptions, and Johnson said that winning the turnover battle will be the key to winning the game on Saturday.

“We need to clean up our turnovers. We’ve been focusing on ball security a lot, because when we don’t turn the ball over we’re 6-0. I think that explains itself. We need to take care of the ball and run what we want to run,” Johnson said.

McElvain only has six interceptions on the season and three of them came against SDSU. He also threw threw for a season-low 85 yards against the Jackrabbits. Ogunrinde said the key to stopping McElvain is getting pressure.

“We never want to look past teams we play, but when it comes to teams like UNI and NDSU. We want to make sure we really focus that week. Those are really good teams in the Valley. … They’re one of the best offensive lines conference, so as a defensive line want to focus on getting to the quarterback and making him uncomfortable,” Ogunrinde said. 

SDSU has been dealing with injuries on offense all season long. Gibbs is likely out for the season, running back C.J. Wilson has missed the last three games with a foot injury and starting running back Pierre Strong Jr. has missed the last two games with a knee injury. Stiegelmeier said both running backs are questionable heading into Saturday’s game.

Mikey Daniel has stepped up in the absence of Strong and Wilson. Daniel has a combined 207 yards and two touchdowns in the past two games.

This is the seventh-straight season the Jackrabbits have made the FCS Playoffs and the third-straight season they have been a top-eight seed. Johnson said the difference between regular season football and playoff football is self explanatory.

“It’s do or die time. You have to be able to come out and perform because if you don’t perform and you flop you’re going home. We just really need to play Jackrabbit football and we’ll be alright. You have to treat it like any other game and go 1-0 on the day because at the end of the day that’s what’s important and take care of business,” Johnson said.

Kickoff between the Jackrabbits and Panthers is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3.