BROOKINGS — For the first time in a few years, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits entered their bye week with more questions than answers. But with several injuries and a few facets to iron out, SDSU used its bye week to figure things out before opening its Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule at Northern Iowa on Saturday afternoon.

“We just spent the time improving on ourselves and really focusing and trying to polish the things that we need to get better at,” SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said during Tuesday’s media session. “We’re ready for Missouri Valley play and we’re excited for what we believe is a playoff game every single week.”

The biggest concern for SDSU was its health coming into the bye. While the Jacks dominated the Lions in a 41-0 victory their final game before the bye, it was led by several key reserves such as Kirby Vorhees’s (179 rushing yards, 3 TD) performance in place of Angel Johnson and Colby Heuter’s interception in place of Tucker Large.

With several other injuries across the roster, Rogers said the time off helped most of his team, but wasn’t entirely sure how many players would return against UNI.

“We’re hoping to get a couple of players back [but] whether they get back or not this week, we’re hoping in the near future,” Rogers said. “...We’ve got to get through this week’s worth of practices but I know some of the guys that were kind of dinged up that were still playing are definitely feeling better right now. So there are a couple of guys that we’re hoping to get back, we’re just not 100 percent sure if they’re going to make it through this week’s practice or not.”

The other aspects of the bye week included refining some of the areas where the Jacks needed to improve. SDSU’s passing game has been one area that hasn’t been as sharp as it was a year ago, but Rogers stated it was one of many things the Jacks worked on during the bye.

“Some of those are timing issues. Some of those are just missing a throw or dropping a catch,” Rogers said. “Those things we work on weekly, those things we work every time that we’re out there, it’s maybe emphasized by our coaches more, but at the end of the day, it’s not like we didn’t practice running the football. So more technique in all phases. Special teams, red zone area…timing, clock management, those are the things that we worked on last week.”

The dedication to work on all facets of the game was bolstered by Rogers’ opinion on the timing of the bye week. While he referenced the 2022 season, when the bye was at the last week of the season before the playoffs, he mentioned that it was on his team to be at its best possible form heading into the MVFC schedule.

“A couple of years back, I know we all spent too much time maybe complaining about where their bye week stood, and then we got to the end, and we needed those two weeks in order to get through the playoffs,” Rogers said. “I’m assuming if we were able to get through it this year and get that same point, we wouldn’t complain about the bye right before the playoffs. But they come where they come and we’ve got to be locked into executing when we’re on the field together and making the most of whoever steps on the field is believed in and that they do their job.”

That job begins in Cedar Falls where the Jacks will face the Panthers to open conference play. UNI has had a unique schedule so far, earning wins over Pioneer League opponents Valparaiso and St. Thomas to open the year and losing back-to-back games against FBS opponents Nebraska and Hawaii before the bye.

UNI head coach Mark Farley stated that the bye week gave him plenty of time to evaluate his team and several changes could be in store for Saturday’s game.

“I’ve made some [changes] based off what I saw in those first four games,” Farley said on Monday. “Last week gave me three [practices] to look at my ideas, my thoughts and then did they work or not work? There will be some changes, some movement.”

The most noticeable change could be at quarterback. UNI ranks ninth in the conference with 126 passing yards per game despite running an air raid offense and sophomore Matthew Schecklman replaced starter Aidan Dunne in the third quarter of the 36-7 loss to Hawaii.

While those numbers could be suppressed due to two games against FBS opponents, Schecklman and Dunne split first-team reps during the bye week, potentially paving the way for a new signal caller. But UNI still has plenty of weapons on offense including starting running back Tye Edwards and wide receivers Sergio Morancy and Desmond Hutson.

With Jonathan Cabral-Martin (33 tackles) and Zach Mehmert (1.5 sacks) leading the defense, Rogers was complimentary of what the Panthers will bring to the field on Saturday.

“[They’re] a really good football team. Very well-coached,” Rogers said. “[There’s] a lot of new faces on the defensive side of the ball with the exception of some linebackers that are really talented and offensively, they return a boatload of really skilled players and they’re going to create challenges for us.”

The game also will be played at the UNI-Dome where the Panthers had plenty of success against the SDSU in the 2000s and each of the past two meetings have been decided by one possession, including a 31-28 victory on Nov. 5, 2022.

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily the UNI-Dome as much as it is they’re just a great football team,” Rogers said. “Regardless of what their record is, they’re always better than what their record is when they play us. And so we need to get ready. All of us coaches are well aware of how good Northern Iowa is and so is our football team. The majority of these guys have played them and it’s never been easy. So we need to be locked into doing the small things right this week and really be focused on executing and making the most of the small opportunities that open up in this type of game.”

Saturday’s game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. kickoff in Cedar Falls, Iowa.