Two-time defending Football Championship Subdivision national champion South Dakota State will put a long winning streak on the line Saturday as it opens the 2024 season with a meeting against a ranked Oklahoma State squad from the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The top-ranked Jackrabbits bring an overall winning streak of 29 games into Saturday’s contest. SDSU last suffered a defeat in the 2022 season opener at Iowa, falling 7-3 to the Hawkeyes on Sept. 3 of that year. Since then, the Jackrabbits reeled off 14 consecutive victories en route to the 2022 national title, then ran the table with a perfect 15-0 mark in 2023.

Oklahoma State, which is ranked 17th by the Associated Press and 18th by the FBS coaches in the preseason polls, is coming off a 10-4 campaign in 2023. The Cowboys posted a 7-2 record in the Big 12 Conference and closed the 2023 slate with a 31-23 victory over Texas A&M in the TaxAct Texas Bowl.

 

THE SERIES: Saturday’s game will mark the first-ever meeting between South Dakota State and Oklahoma State in football.

Since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004, the Jackrabbits have played four games against current members of the Big 12 Conference and hold a 1-3 record. SDSU’s lone win over a Big 12 foe was a 41-38 victory at Kansas in the 2015 season opener.

Following is a list of recent Jackrabbit games against Big 12 opponents:

• 2008 – Iowa State 44, South Dakota State 17 (Aug. 28, 2008 at Ames, Iowa)
• 2012 – Kansas 31, South Dakota State 17 (Sept. 1, 2012 at Lawrence, Kan.)
• 2015 – South Dakota State 41, Kansas 38 (Sept. 5, 2015 at Lawrence, Kan.)
• 2016 – TCU 59, South Dakota State 41 (at Fort Worth, Texas)

Note: A 2018 game between SDSU and Iowa State was canceled due to inclement weather
 

FOR OPENERS: In the Football Championship Subdivision era (since 2004), the Jackrabbits have compiled a 10-10 record in season-opening games, with six of the losses against Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

In the 20 previous seasons, the Jackrabbits opened with a road game 12 times and posted a 3-9 record, including a 2-6 mark against FBS opponents. SDSU’s two wins against FBS foes were in 2015 at Kansas (41-38) and 2021 at Colorado State (42-23).

 

YEAR 21 in FCS: The 2024 season marks the 21st season South Dakota State has competed in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Since joining the Division I ranks in 2004, the Jackrabbits have compiled a 171-79 record (.684 winning percentage).

In the decade of the 2020s, SDSU has put together a 48-7 record, which is good for an .873 winning percentage.

 

PLAYOFF HISTORY: South Dakota State made its 14th postseason appearance in its football history in 2023, with 13 of those berths coming as a member of the Football Championship Subdivision. SDSU’s lone appearance in the NCAA Division II football playoffs came in 1979, when the Jacks dropped a 50-7 decision at Youngstown State.

The Jackrabbits have compiled a 22-12 record in the playoffs and made their 12th straight appearance in the FCS playoffs, including advancing to at least the semifinal round for the fourth season in a row and sixth time in the last seven seasons. SDSU made its first appearance in a national title game during the 2020-21 spring season, falling to Sam Houston, 23-21, then claimed its first-ever national championship in football with a 45-21 victory over North Dakota State in January 2023. The Jacks repeated as national champions during the 2023 campaign with a 23-3 victory over Montana.

SDSU advanced to the FCS national title game each of the three years it held the No. 1 overall seed in the playoff field (16 teams in 2020-21, 24 teams in 2022 & 2023).

 

SWEET 16 IN THE MVFC: The 2023 season marked South Dakota State’s 16th as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Since joining the league in 2008, SDSU is the only program in that span to not have a losing season in conference play.

The Jackrabbits hold a 92-34 record (.730 winning percentage) in MVFC games and have won six or more league games eight times. SDSU has claimed the league title four times: previously earning a share of league titles in 2016 and during the 2020-21 spring season before running the table with an 8-0 record in conference play en route to outright conference championships in both 2022 and 2023.

 

ELITE COMPANY: Heading into the 2023 postseason, South Dakota State was one of only two Football Championship Subdivision programs to reach the playoffs each of the last 12 seasons. The Jackrabbits secured the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s automatic bid to the 2023 playoffs, assuring SDSU of its 12th consecutive postseason appearance and 13th overall at the FCS level.

MVFC rival North Dakota State holds the longest active streak with 14 consecutive trips to the playoffs after gaining an at-large berth to the 2023 tournament.

 

WINNING STREAKS CONTINUE: South Dakota State extended several winning streaks during its 2023 playoff run.

First, the Jackrabbits extended their overall winning streak to 29 games dating back to the second game of the 2022 season. SDSU has won 19 games against ranked FCS opponents in that span, including three victories over North Dakota State and two each against North Dakota and Montana State.

SDSU also lengthened its current winning streak in home games to 21.

The Jackrabbits’ 29-game winning streak is now the third-longest in the history of the Football Championship Subdivision, which dates back to 1978. The FCS winning streaks of 20 or more games are:

• 39 games – North Dakota State (2017-20)
• 33 – North Dakota State (2012-14)
• 29 – South Dakota State (2022-present)
• 26 – James Madison (2016-17)
• 24 – Pennsylvania (1992-95); Montana (2001-02)
• 22 – Harvard (2013-15); Sam Houston (2019-21)
• 21 – Montana (1995-96); Colgate (2002-03)
• 20 – Holy Cross (1990-92); Dayton (1996-97) 

RANKINGS STREAK: By being ranked first in the final Stats Perform FCS poll of the 2023 season and again to open the 2024 campaign, SDSU has now appeared in the top 25 of 160 consecutive media polls dating back to October 2012.

The Jackrabbits have not relinquished the top spot in the poll since ascending to that ranking on Oct. 17, 2022. SDSU held on to the ranking for the final seven surveys of the 2022 season and has extended its streak at No. 1 to 22 consecutive polls with its top billing in the 2024 preseason poll.

SDSU received 52 of 56 first-place votes in the 2024 Stats Perform FCS preseason poll and also earned 25 of 26 first-place votes in the first American Football Coaches Association rankings.

 

CAPTAINS: Leading the Jackrabbit football team are six captains:

• Dalys Beanum, Sr., Omaha, Nebraska;
• Adam Bock, Sr., linebacker, Solon, Iowa;
• Jarod DePriest, Sr., defensive tackle, Trivoli, Illinois;
• Mark Gronowski, Sr., quarterback, Naperville, Illinois;
• Tucker Large, Jr., safety, Sioux Falls;
• Gus Miller, Sr., offensive lineman, Brookings.

Bock and Gronowski are both in their third seasons in the role, while the other four captains are first-time captains.

 

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: South Dakota State is well-represented on the 2024 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team with six selections. The honor squad was announced Monday and includes first-team selections Mark Gronowski and Adam Bock from the Jackrabbits.

Gronowski, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner as the top offensive player in the FCS ranks a year ago, returns for his senior season after throwing for 3,058 yards and 29 touchdown against only five interceptions in 2023. The Naperville, Illinois, native led the FCS in quarterback rating at 179.67 while completing 68.1 percent(209-of-307) of his passes.

In addition, Gronowski ran for 402 yards and eight touchdowns in helping lead the Jackrabbits to a 15-0 record in 2023.

Gronowski is again on the Walter Payton Award Preseason Watch List, while Bock returns to the Buck Buchanan Award Preseason Watch List after being a finalist for the top defensive player in FCS in 2021.

A senior linebacker from Solon, Iowa, Bock ranked third on the team last season with 65 tackles despite missing five games due to injury. A two-time first-team all-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection and a second-team All-America honoree in 2021, Bock has tallied more than 300 career tackles.

Receiving second-team honors on the Stats Perform preseason squad were offensive lineman Gus Miller and punt returner Tucker Large. The FCS winner of the 2023 Rimington Award as the top center and a Brookings native, Miller played a key role within an offensive line that helped pave the way for the Jackrabbits to average 37.3 points and 449.9 yards of total offense per fame.

Large, a junior from Sioux Falls, averaged 18.9 yards per punt return attempt last season and set an SDSU single-game record with 159 yards versus Drake. Also a starting safety for the Jackrabbits, Large ranked second on the team with four interceptions and added 49 tackles.

Rounding out the Jackrabbit contingent on the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team were third-team honorees Dalys Beanum and Amar Johnson. Beanum, a senior cornerback from Omaha, is coming off a 2023 campaign in which he recorded a team-best five interceptions while also contributing 29 tackles and two pass breakups.

Johnson made the squad as an all-purpose back after ranking second on the team in 2023 with 1,205 all-purpose yards (80.3 ypg). A senior from O’Fallon, Missouri, Johnson finished second on the squad with 801 rushing yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry, while also tallying 282 yards on kickoff returns (23.5 yards per attempt) and catching 12 passes for 122 yards.

 

GRONOWSKI A DUAL THREAT: South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski reached a pair of career milestones early in the 2023 season.

On his 20-yard touchdown run in the third quarter of the game against Sept. 9 game against Montana State, Gronowski topped the 1,000-yard mark for career rushing. One week later, Gronowski surpassed 5,000 career passing yards as he completed 18-of-25 passes for 226 yards and a career-high five touchdowns against Drake.

Gronowski is the third SDSU quarterback to top 5,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in his career, joining Taryn Christion (11,535 passing/1,515 rushing from 2015-18) and Ted Wahl (6,016 passing/1,229 rushing from 1985-88). Gronowski ranks third in SDSU history with 7,415 passing yards and 8,749 yards of total offense.

He had a streak of passing and rushing for a touchdown in 11 consecutive games come to an end Oct. 21, 2023, at Southern Illinois, but has accomplished the feat in 22 of 40 career starts. The Jackrabbits have a 37-3 record in Gronowski’s 40 career starts, including an 11-1 mark in postseason games.

MODELS OF EFFICIENCY: South Dakota State made 57 trips into the red zone during the 2023 season and came away with points 55 of those times for an FCS-best 96 percent efficiency rate. The Jacks scored a touchdown on 45 of those trips — 30 rushing, 15 passing — with 10 field goals.

SDSU went 13-for-14 in red-zone trips during the postseason, scoring nine touchdowns with four field goals. The Jackrabbits’ lone red-zone trip in which they did not score ended with a kneel-down to run out the clock against Villanova.

The Jacks had a streak over two seasons of scoring on 70 consecutive drives into the red zone come to end with an interception in the end zone early in the fourth quarter of the Oct. 21, 2023, game at Southern Illinois. Before that, the last time SDSU did not score when inside the opponent’s 20-yard line was on a missed field goal in the second quarter of their Oct. 1, 2022, game versus Western Illinois. SDSU had scored 57 touchdowns and kicked 13 field goals in that span.

In addition, the Jackrabbits led the FCS ranks in both third-down and fourth-down conversions on offense. SDSU converted on an FCS-best 53.5 percent (84-of-157) of its third-down attempts, highlighted by a 9-for-14 performance in the opening round of the playoffs against Mercer.

SDSU finished above 50 percent in the first six games of the season before being limited to a 4-for-12 performance Oct. 21 at Southern Illinois.

On fourth down, the Jackrabbits converted 9-of-11 times for 82 percent, including making good on their lone attempt in the Dec. 9 playoff matchup against Villanova.

 

BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM: The Jackrabbits wrapped up the 2023 season by ranking in the top six of the Football Championship Subdivision in both scoring offense (sixth, 37.3 points per game) and scoring defense (first, 9.3 points per game). SDSU has scored 20 or more points in 28 of the 29 games in their current winning streak and has held the opposition to 10 points or less 13 times, including nine times last season.

The Jackrabbits pitched a shutout in three of their last six games — a 34-0 victory at Youngstown State on Nov. 11, a 41-0 whitewashing of Mercer on Dec. 2 and blanking UAlbany, 59-0, on Dec. 15. Overall, SDSU outscored the opposition, 146-15, in four playoff games, allowing only one touchdown.

 

OWNING THE THIRD: South Dakota State held a huge advantage coming out of the locker room at halftime by outscoring the opposition by a 123-14 margin in the third quarter of games last season. The Jackrabbits solidified that margin by outscoring Montana, 16-0, in the third stanza of the national championship game.

 

PICKING OFF THE COMPETITION: The Jackrabbit defense has continually taken the ball away from the opposition in recent seasons, including leading the Football Championship Subdivision in interceptions two of the last three seasons while ranking second in 2023.

After leading the subdivision with 21 interceptions in 2021, SDSU tallied an FCS-best 18 interceptions in 2022, including two in that season’s national championship game against North Dakota State. Jackrabbit defenders recorded at least one interception in each of their 11 regular season games during the 2022 campaign.

Last year, the Jackrabbits hauled in 19 interceptions to rank second among FCS squads. SDSU tallied three interceptions in its 2023 season opener against Western Oregon (Colby Huerter, Tucker Large, Kolten Tilford) and again in the Dec. 15 semifinal playoff game versus UAlbany (Large, DyShawn Gales, Dalys Beanum).

Beanum recorded an interception in each of SDSU’s four playoff games. Seven of his 11 career interceptions have come in the postseason.

Dating back to the start of the 2018 season, the Jackrabbits have intercepted at least one pass in 65 of their last 81 games for a total of 106 pickoffs.

 

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: South Dakota State raced out to a 28-0 lead a minute into the second quarter of its 2023 season opener against Western Oregon thanks to a pair of long interception returns for touchdowns by its starting safeties.

First, Colby Huerter hauled in an interception off a deflection by DyShawn Gales for a 54-yard return for touchdown. On the first play of the second quarter, Tucker Large picked off a pass and weaved his way through traffic for a 64-yard score.

It marked the fifth time in the Division I era of Jackrabbit football (since 2004) that SDSU returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game. The others:

• Sept. 29, 2007 vs. Stephen F. Austin – Jimmy Rogers (32 yards, Q2), Conrad Kjerstad (82 yards, Q4);
• Nov. 10, 2007 vs. Southern Utah — Tyler Koch (45 and 99 yards in Q4);
• Oct. 1, 2016 vs. Western Illinois – Christian Rozeboom (37 yards, Q3), Dallas Brown (19 yards, Q3);
• Nov. 27, 2021 vs. UC Davis — Adam Bock (39 yards, Q3), Dalys Beanum (59 yards, Q4).

SDSU also scored two return touchdowns in the Dec. 15 semifinal victory against UAlbany when Tucker Large returned a punt 79 yards to the end zone midway through the second quarter and Jason Freeman scooped up a fumble on the second play of the second half and returned it 34 yards to push the Jackrabbit lead to 42-0.

 

SPOTTING THE LEAD: Scoring first has mattered little during South Dakota State’s school-record 29-game winning streak. Jackrabbit opponents have drawn first blood 10 times in that span, including four games (Montana State, Drake, South Dakota, North Dakota State) last season.

The largest deficit faced by SDSU during its winning streak has been 14 points on two occasions, the last of which came against North Dakota in the squads’ 2022 meeting in Grand Forks. UND scored the first 14 points of the game before the Jackrabbits took control by scoring 42 of the next 49 points en route to a 49-35 win.

 

DOUBLE-DUTY DUSTMAN: Senior Hunter Dustman has figured prominently in the Jackrabbits’ special teams efforts the past two seasons.

A native of East Bethel, Minnesota, Dustman has handled both the kicking and punting duties for the Jackrabbits. As the placekicker, he has put together back-to-back 100-point seasons, scoring 113 points in 2022 and 122 points during the 2023 season. He made 18 field goals each of the past two seasons and enters the 2024 campaign fourth on the program career charts with 37 field goals.

In addition, Dustman set an SDSU single-season record with 68 extra points in 2023.

A four-time Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week award winner, Dustman has averaged 42.5 yards on 120 career punts.

 

FREUND JOINS COACHING STAFF: Danny Freund was hired as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in January 2024. He will share coordinator duties with Ryan Olson, who has been a member of the SDSU coaching staff since 2021 and will retain duties coaching the offensive line.

Freund spent the last dozen years coaching at the University of North Dakota, including serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2018. He helped lead the Fighting Hawks to five FCS playoff appearances, as well as a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title during the 2020-21 spring season.  

Prior to his role as offensive coordinator, Freund had stints coaching UND’s running backs, fullbacks and wide receivers. He also held the title of associate head coach during the 2023 season, when the Fighting Hawks averaged 34.1 points per game en route to a postseason berth. He was honored by RII Sports Technology with its GRAPHITE Award, which recognizes excellence and efficiency in play-calling.

Freund was a two-year team captain (2007, 2008) as UND made the transition from NCAA Division II, compiling a 16-6 record as the starting quarterback. He set multiple school passing records before embarking on his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2010. Freund returned to Grand Forks and UND in 2011.

THE 12TH MAN: South Dakota State benefited from large crowds throughout the 2023 regular season, averaging 18,208 fans after coming off a national championship.

The Jackrabbits drew their first of four sellout crowds this season when 19,332 fans came out for the Sept. 9 showdown against Montana State, which at the time tied for the second-largest attendance in the seven-year history of Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. The crowd played a big role in the game, helping factor in nine false-start penalties by Montana State in the game, including six in the final quarter.

The Nov. 4 Dakota Marker game against North Dakota State, which was a rematch from the 2022 FCS national championship game, drew a stadium-record 19,431 fans.

Two other crowds this season have reached sellout status, with 19,357 fans clicking through the turnstiles for the Oct. 14 Hobo Day game versus Northern Iowa and a total of 19,231 fans in attendance for the Sept. 30 league opener with North Dakota.

SDSU also set program playoff attendance records in all three postseason games the Jackrabbits hosted, highlighted by a crowd of 12,265 for the semifinal game against UAlbany.

 

DANA J. DYKHOUSE STADIUM: Jackrabbit football moved into a new home in September of 2016 with the completion of Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

The stadium, which was constructed in phases on the site of SDSU’s previous home field, Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, seats 19,340 spectators and cost $65 million to build.

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium is being funded through private gifts and long-term revenue streams, including concessions and suite, loge box and ticket sales. Bonds are financing nearly two-thirds of the project’s construction, with the remaining dollars coming from private support. Lead gifts totaling $12.5 million from former Jackrabbit football player and Sioux Falls banker Dana Dykhouse and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford were announced in October 2013.

The stadium officially opened Sept. 8, 2016, featuring a concert by country music stars Luke Bryan, Little Big Town and Lee Brice as part of the Jacks Bash opening weekend. The first football game was two days later, on Sept. 10, when the Jackrabbits defeated Drake, 56-28.

SDSU has gone on to post a 53-7 record at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium during its seven seasons of operation, including a 14-1 mark in FCS playoff games. The Jacks’ current home winning streak is 21 games (including playoff games), with their last home loss a 26-17 setback to Northern Iowa on Oct. 23, 2021.

In 2023, the Jackrabbits completed their fourth undefeated season while playing at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, compiling a 9-0 record. SDSU previously posted perfect home records in 2018 (7-0), the 2020-21 spring season (5-0) and 2022 (9-0).

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium was designed by Kansas City-based Crawford Architects, with the construction firm JE Dunn serving as the project manager at risk and Henry Carlson Company of Sioux Falls serving as general contractor. 

 

JACKS IN THE PROS: In preparation for the 2024 season, more than a dozen former South Dakota State standouts were in National Football League training camps, continuing the Jackrabbits’ long tradition of developing players into pro prospects.

Headlining the list is tight end Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles. After being selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Goedert has gone on to record 307 receptions for 3,589 yards and 22 touchdowns in six seasons. In helping lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl during the 2022 season, Goedert caught 55 passes for 702 yards and three touchdowns.

Linebacker Christian Rozeboom earned a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 season. A member of the Rams’ practice squad in 2020, Rozeboom made his NFL debut with the Kansas City Chiefs early in 2021 before returning to Los Angeles and seeing action mostly on special teams for the Rams for the remainder of the regular season and postseason.

Rozeboom moved into a starting role in 2023 and totaled 79 tackles with an interception.

For the first time since 1976, the Jackrabbits saw two players selected in the same NFL Draft following the 2021 campaign. Running back Pierre Strong was a fourth-round selection by the New England Patriots, while quarterback Chris Oladokun was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Strong went on to gain 100 yards on 10 carries and added seven receptions for 42 yards during his rookie season with the Patriots before being traded to Cleveland at the end of training camp in 2023. He added 291 rushing yards and a touchdown while also contributing as a kick returner for the Browns.

Oladokun was released by the Steelers, but was assigned to the practice squad of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. He spent time on the active roster in 2023 as Kansas City went on to win its second consecutive Super Bowl.

Tight end Tucker Kraft was a third-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers in 2023 and turned in a strong second half to his rookie season, finishing the year with 31 catches for 355 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

SDSU had two more players selected in the NFL Draft in 2024 when Mason McCormick was taken in the fourth round by Pittsburgh and Isaiah Davis was a fifth-round pick of the New York Jets.

Six others who played on both Jackrabbit national championship teams later signed as free agents: cornerback DyShawn Gales (Cleveland); offensive tackle Garret Greenfield (Seattle); tight end Zach Heins (Los Angeles Chargers); wide receivers Jadon and Jaxon Janke (Houston), and linebacker/safety Isaiah Stalbird (New Orleans).

Headlining the list of Jackrabbit pro football alumni are Hall of Famer Jim Langer and the NFL’s career scoring leader, Adam Vinatieri.

Langer who played football at SDSU from 1967-69 and also was an All-American in baseball, played center on every offensive down during the Miami Dolphins’ perfect season in 1972. He was a first-team All-Pro four times and was selected to play in six Pro Bowl games. He played in three Super Bowl games with the Dolphins from 1970-79 before finishing his career with the Minnesota Vikings from 1980-81. Langer passed away in September 2019.

Vinatieri wrapped up his playing career after becoming the NFL’s all-time scoring leader in 2018 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. Over Vinatieri’s 24 seasons from 1996-2019, his totals include NFL bests of 599-of-715 on field goal attempts, 83.8 percent, and 2,673 career points. He also ranks second in career extra points with 874.

In all, Vinatieri set 15 NFL records, including 21 100-point seasons.

 

ROGERS SHOW: The Jimmy Rogers Radio Show airs throughout the 2024 season.

The weekly, hour-long show originates in front of a live audience at 6 p.m. Mondays at Cubby’s Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings. Hosted by Tyler Merriam, the show airs along the Jackrabbit Sports Network, including flagship station WNAX 570 AM, and can be heard through the Jackrabbit app and online at GoJacks.com.

Weekly segments include interviews with Jackrabbit coaches, student-athletes and others associated with SDSU football. Fans can submit questions through social media platforms and fans in attendance can register for weekly prizes.

 

A LOOK AHEAD: The Jackrabbits return home to open the home portion of their schedule with the annual Dairy Drive game against Incarnate Word on Sept. 7.

A celebration of the 2023 national championship will precede the game, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

-GoJacks.com-