BROOKINGS After splitting back-to-back games with its two biggest rivals, South Dakota State will now turn its attention to the last-place team in the Missouri Valley in Murray State.
The Jackrabbits were able to salvage a split in the two rivalries games after beating South Dakota 20-17 in overtime on Saturday. That came a week after a 13-9 loss to North Dakota State in Fargo.
SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said both games were physical and tough mentally, but now his team has to get ready for the final month of the season.
Every game is important. Im not going to disrespect the teams that are upcoming. Was it physical? Surely. Were both defenses good? Surely. But Im not going to take anything lightly. I think our guys are in a good spot right now, Rogers said.
Murray State comes into Saturdays matchup with a record of 1-7 and the Racers have lost their first five games of conference play. The Racer offense is led by Sioux Falls native Jayden Johannsen at quarterback.
Johannsen began his career at North Dakota State, but then transferred to South Dakota Mines. In three seasons he threw for over 8,100 yards and rushed for over 1,600 yards while scoring 98 touchdowns for the Hardrockers.
This season hes thrown for 1,061 yards and six touchdowns, while having 220 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Hes had eight interceptions in the first eight games of the season, but three of those came last weekend in a 59-6 loss to North Dakota State.
Rogers was complimentary of the Sioux Falls Washington alum during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
I think theyre doing a good job of making him a multiple threat. Hes running the ball a little bit. They do some different things on offense and every week it seems like they scatter in a lot of new plays or theres some new plays with motioning and jetting. They try to utilize their skill on the perimeter and we have to do a good job of minimizing huge chunk plays, Rogers said.
SDSUs offense struggled again to put points on the scoreboard on Saturday. In the past two games the Jacks have scored 33 points after scoring 150 points in their previous three games.
Rogers said in order to score more points the Jacks have to be consistent throughout drives.
We need to execute and finish drives more than anything else. Were moving the ball on people and the stats can show that, but then right around the midfield range we either kill ourselves or dont execute. So, were working really hard at that, Rogers said.
The Jackrabbit rushing attack has been a weapon all season but on Saturday against the Coyotes the Jacks struggled to fully find a rhythm on the ground. SDSU averages 231.5 yards per game on the ground but the Jacks had 166 against the Yotes.
Senior Amar Johnson specifically struggled as he ran for just 17 yards on 10 carries. Johnson did have two touchdowns but Rogers said he thought Johnson was taking what was there for him and isnt worried about his production.
I think at times you just have to do what the play gives you and not press to make more out of a play when the holes might not be there. I say that and then a lot of times [Johnsons] made plays. You cant look for a home run hit every time. Sometimes you have to take the hard yards. Sometimes the light isnt always as big as it was in practice because youre playing against a great defense and sometimes the defense just calls a great defense. Im not worried about Amar and his commitment to the team or his knowledge of what he should do, Rogers said.
Rogers added that third string running back Kirby Vorhees could return on Saturday after missing the past two games due to injury.
The Jacks did get a few players back from injury in the game against USD. Senior defensive end Zac Wilson came back for SDSU after missing five games due to a shoulder injury. Tucker Large came back to the field as well after missing the same amount of games as Wilson. Rogers said it was good to have Large back as he brings the most energy on the SDSU defense.
It was good to get Zac Wilson back in the lineup and get him going. He was fresh off of missing seven weeks and to have him back in the rotation was huge. I was excited to have Tucker on the field because he brings a different type of edge to our defense. He brings a different type of communication and excitement just in how he plays. Hes the smallest guy on our defense and plays with the biggest chip on his shoulder, Rogers said.
SDSU was ranked No. 3 in the FCS Playoff Committees initial rankings that were released on Wednesday afternoon. NDSU and Montana State had the two spots ahead of the Jacks and USD was right behind SDSU.
At this time the past two seasons the Jackrabbits were undefeated against FCS teams and had a stranglehold on the No. 1 seed. Rogers said theres plenty of time for his team to still be that team and he doesnt believe that theres no time to improve.
Im not buying into the idea that we cant get better because its week eight and we are what we are. Thats what losers say and Im not going to allow that complacency or that thought to come into our players minds and our coaches minds. If you look at last years team, although it was a different team, we found another gear in the playoffs, and those were the last four games of a 15-game season, Rogers said.
Kickoff between the Jackrabbits and Racers is set for 2 p.m. Saturday. You can watch the game on Midco Sports or ESPN+ and listen to the game on AM 570 WNAX.
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