Time: August 29, 8:00 pm CT
TV: FS1 -- Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst), Bruce Feldman (reporter)
Radio: KOOL 108
RANKINGS AND LINES
Vegas line: Minnesota by 13
Massey: Minnesota No. 34 (FBS), SDSU No. 2 (FCS)
ESPN FPI prediction: 86.7% chance of Minnesota victory
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 2018 RESULTS
CANCELED at Iowa State
W 45-14 vs. Montana State
W 90-6 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
L 21-17 at North Dakota State
W 54-51 OT vs. Indiana State
W 36-7 vs. Youngstown State
L 24-9 at Northern Iowa
W 38-28 at Illinois State
W 59-7 Missouri State
W 57-38 at Southern Illinois
W 49-27 vs. South Dakota
W 51-6 vs. Duquesne
W 27-17 at Kennesaw State
L 44-21 at North Dakota State
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE RESULTS VS. FBS IN LAST 10 YEARS
2016: L 59-41 at #13 TCU
2015: W 41-39 at Kansas
2014: L 38-18 at #24 Missouri
2013: L 59-20 at Nebraska
2012: L 31-17 at Kansas
2011: L 56-3 at Illinois
2010: L 17-3 at #6 Nebraska
2009: 16-13 at Minnesota
2018 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing:
GRADUATED: Taryn Christion -- 197/340 (57.9%), 3020 yards, 32 TDs, 8 INTs, 158.9 QBR
Rushing:
Pierre Strong -- 117 attempts, 1116 yards (9.5 ypc), 11 TDs
Mikey Daniel -- 139 attempts, 630 yards (4.5 ypc), 10 TDs
CJ Wilson -- 43 attempts, 281 yards (6.5 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving:
Cade Johnson -- 67 receptions, 1332 yards, 17 TDs
Adam Anderson -- 47 receptions, 718 yards, 7 TDs
Blake Kunz -- 20 receptions, 343 yards, 3 TDs
Jacob Brown -- 11 receptions, 147 yards, 3 TDs
Kallan Hart - 11 receptions, 147 yards, 0 TDs
GAME NOTES
-- Minnesota and South Dakota are playing for the seventh time. Minnesota has won all six prior games. Minnesota won the last game 16-13 in 2009.
-- South Dakota State has reached the FCS playoffs for seven consecutive seasons. The only other team to do that is North Dakota State.
-- The Jackrabbits are the No. 3 team in the STATS FCS preseason poll and No. 4 team in the preseason Coaches Poll. They received one first-place vote.
-- The Jackrabbits have only been FCS since 2004. Before, they were Division-II. They've had 13 winning seasons in their 15 seasons in the FCS.
-- Five SDSU players made the preseason FCS All-American team: wide receiver Cade Johnson, running back Pierre Strong, linebacker Christian Rozeboom, kicker Chase Vinatieri, and long snapper Bradey Sorenson.
-- SDSU this season loses three-year starter Taryn Christion. Redshirt freshman J'Bore Gibbs was a two-time All-State selection for Phillips HS in Chicago. Gibbs is a fairly big quarterback at 6'3" 230 pounds, and also held an offer from Eastern Michigan coming out of high school. His high school film is here.
-- SDSU has a new offensive coordinator, Jason Eck, who was previously the offensive line coach. The Jacks run a spread offense. John Stiegelmeier described his offense as such: “Our offense is going to be multiple. It’s going to be multiple with the skill guys we use. It’s going to be multiple with the motions and shifts we do. I think we’re going to try and keep it somewhat simple in terms of plays, but multiple in terms of personnel groups and shifts and motions -- really want to perfect certain plays and hide them within all that stuff.”
SDSU runs a 4-3 defense.
-- John Stiegelmeier had this to say about Minnesota: "It's something our guys look forward it. It's not we're going to walk into the stadium and be in awe of things. We respect Minnesota greatly. Coach (Fleck) has done a great job over there of moving that program ahead. We just have to be ready to play our best football, and as our coaches always said, 'do your 1/11th.'
"(Minnesota's receivers and running backs) are game-breaker type guys. Our coaches are talking about 'how do we defend these guys?' (Early in fall camp) you don't want to do much in terms of a gameplan, but (Minnesota) was very skilled. We're going to have to grab some cloth and gang tackle those guys.
"Very impressive in terms of how Minnesota changed some things (defensively), maybe a little more disciplined if you will. I know they changed coordinators at one point in the season. To get the bowl victory against a team like Georgia Tech, they played some good defense."
-- South Dakota State had several coaching changes but few losses and additions to the coaching staff. In a game week video with SDSU Athletics' YouTube channel, Stiegelmeier said that there was only one addition and subtraction to the coaching staff but all but one assistant coach had their role/position changed.
-- Kicker Chase Vinatieri's uncle is legendary NFL kicker Adam Vinatieri, who also attended SDSU.
-- The Jackrabbits blocked an impressive eight kicks last season.
-- Entering the final week of the preseason, six former Jacks were on NFL rosters.
-- SDSU has 12 players from Minnesota in their two-deeps and 20 Minnesotans in total: CB Malik Lofton (Hopkins), S Michael Griffin (Park), Keaton Heide (Wayzata), Levi Brown (Roseville), Tolu Ogurinde (Park), Deyon Campbell (Hopkins), Payton Shafer (Park), Jefferson Lee (Marshall), Saiveon Williamson (Waseca), Payton Madison (New London-Spicer), Andrew Mueller (Hill-Murray), Matthew Borowicz (Lakeville South), Ian Bass (Rosemount), Aron Johnson (Chisago Lakes), Jason Titus (Andover), Kallan Hart (Faribault), Michael Wandmaker (Andover), Malachi Johnson (Benilde-St. Margaret's), Spencer Hildahl (Montevideo), Reece Winkelman (Marshall).
TV: FS1 -- Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst), Bruce Feldman (reporter)
Radio: KOOL 108
RANKINGS AND LINES
Vegas line: Minnesota by 13
Massey: Minnesota No. 34 (FBS), SDSU No. 2 (FCS)
ESPN FPI prediction: 86.7% chance of Minnesota victory
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 2018 RESULTS
CANCELED at Iowa State
W 45-14 vs. Montana State
W 90-6 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
L 21-17 at North Dakota State
W 54-51 OT vs. Indiana State
W 36-7 vs. Youngstown State
L 24-9 at Northern Iowa
W 38-28 at Illinois State
W 59-7 Missouri State
W 57-38 at Southern Illinois
W 49-27 vs. South Dakota
W 51-6 vs. Duquesne
W 27-17 at Kennesaw State
L 44-21 at North Dakota State
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE RESULTS VS. FBS IN LAST 10 YEARS
2016: L 59-41 at #13 TCU
2015: W 41-39 at Kansas
2014: L 38-18 at #24 Missouri
2013: L 59-20 at Nebraska
2012: L 31-17 at Kansas
2011: L 56-3 at Illinois
2010: L 17-3 at #6 Nebraska
2009: 16-13 at Minnesota
2018 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Passing:
GRADUATED: Taryn Christion -- 197/340 (57.9%), 3020 yards, 32 TDs, 8 INTs, 158.9 QBR
Rushing:
Pierre Strong -- 117 attempts, 1116 yards (9.5 ypc), 11 TDs
Mikey Daniel -- 139 attempts, 630 yards (4.5 ypc), 10 TDs
CJ Wilson -- 43 attempts, 281 yards (6.5 ypc), 1 TD
Receiving:
Cade Johnson -- 67 receptions, 1332 yards, 17 TDs
Adam Anderson -- 47 receptions, 718 yards, 7 TDs
Blake Kunz -- 20 receptions, 343 yards, 3 TDs
Jacob Brown -- 11 receptions, 147 yards, 3 TDs
Kallan Hart - 11 receptions, 147 yards, 0 TDs
GAME NOTES
-- Minnesota and South Dakota are playing for the seventh time. Minnesota has won all six prior games. Minnesota won the last game 16-13 in 2009.
-- South Dakota State has reached the FCS playoffs for seven consecutive seasons. The only other team to do that is North Dakota State.
-- The Jackrabbits are the No. 3 team in the STATS FCS preseason poll and No. 4 team in the preseason Coaches Poll. They received one first-place vote.
-- The Jackrabbits have only been FCS since 2004. Before, they were Division-II. They've had 13 winning seasons in their 15 seasons in the FCS.
-- Five SDSU players made the preseason FCS All-American team: wide receiver Cade Johnson, running back Pierre Strong, linebacker Christian Rozeboom, kicker Chase Vinatieri, and long snapper Bradey Sorenson.
-- SDSU this season loses three-year starter Taryn Christion. Redshirt freshman J'Bore Gibbs was a two-time All-State selection for Phillips HS in Chicago. Gibbs is a fairly big quarterback at 6'3" 230 pounds, and also held an offer from Eastern Michigan coming out of high school. His high school film is here.
-- SDSU has a new offensive coordinator, Jason Eck, who was previously the offensive line coach. The Jacks run a spread offense. John Stiegelmeier described his offense as such: “Our offense is going to be multiple. It’s going to be multiple with the skill guys we use. It’s going to be multiple with the motions and shifts we do. I think we’re going to try and keep it somewhat simple in terms of plays, but multiple in terms of personnel groups and shifts and motions -- really want to perfect certain plays and hide them within all that stuff.”
SDSU runs a 4-3 defense.
-- John Stiegelmeier had this to say about Minnesota: "It's something our guys look forward it. It's not we're going to walk into the stadium and be in awe of things. We respect Minnesota greatly. Coach (Fleck) has done a great job over there of moving that program ahead. We just have to be ready to play our best football, and as our coaches always said, 'do your 1/11th.'
"(Minnesota's receivers and running backs) are game-breaker type guys. Our coaches are talking about 'how do we defend these guys?' (Early in fall camp) you don't want to do much in terms of a gameplan, but (Minnesota) was very skilled. We're going to have to grab some cloth and gang tackle those guys.
"Very impressive in terms of how Minnesota changed some things (defensively), maybe a little more disciplined if you will. I know they changed coordinators at one point in the season. To get the bowl victory against a team like Georgia Tech, they played some good defense."
-- South Dakota State had several coaching changes but few losses and additions to the coaching staff. In a game week video with SDSU Athletics' YouTube channel, Stiegelmeier said that there was only one addition and subtraction to the coaching staff but all but one assistant coach had their role/position changed.
-- Kicker Chase Vinatieri's uncle is legendary NFL kicker Adam Vinatieri, who also attended SDSU.
-- The Jackrabbits blocked an impressive eight kicks last season.
-- Entering the final week of the preseason, six former Jacks were on NFL rosters.
-- SDSU has 12 players from Minnesota in their two-deeps and 20 Minnesotans in total: CB Malik Lofton (Hopkins), S Michael Griffin (Park), Keaton Heide (Wayzata), Levi Brown (Roseville), Tolu Ogurinde (Park), Deyon Campbell (Hopkins), Payton Shafer (Park), Jefferson Lee (Marshall), Saiveon Williamson (Waseca), Payton Madison (New London-Spicer), Andrew Mueller (Hill-Murray), Matthew Borowicz (Lakeville South), Ian Bass (Rosemount), Aron Johnson (Chisago Lakes), Jason Titus (Andover), Kallan Hart (Faribault), Michael Wandmaker (Andover), Malachi Johnson (Benilde-St. Margaret's), Spencer Hildahl (Montevideo), Reece Winkelman (Marshall).
