BROOKINGS South Dakota State seemed to have gotten its groove back this past weekend as the Jackrabbits beat Murray State 52-6. This Saturday theyll take the trip up Interstate 29 to Grand Forks and take on the North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
SDSU (7-2, 4-1) racked up 595 yards of total offense and punted just one time in the victory over the Racers. SDSU had 343 rushing yards, but head coach Jimmy Rogers said the offense is still a work in progress after the Jacks saw so much turnover after last season.
Weve done an unbelievable job in the run game, but its about putting it together with a full group of skill players that are all brand new and developing that trust factor, Rogers said. People can say what they want, but they dont play. Theres a lot of different people on the field offensively and were replacing eight NFL guys.
Any team in the country, Power Four or not, would struggle with that. So, were not content with what weve done offensively and were not stopping or pointing the finger at any position in particular. We just want to continue to grow and want to continue to prepare for a product that we want to put on the field and are proud of.
UND (5-4, 2-3) looked like it was in position to possibly get a top-eight seed in the FCS Playoffs two weeks ago, but the Fighting Hawks have dropped back-to-back games. Both losses came on the road and were to a pair of teams that were below .500 in Youngstown State and Indiana State.
The Fighting Hawks have dropped to No. 21 in the FCS media poll and Rogers said his team will need to be ready to go right away on Saturday due to the desperation that the Fighting Hawks may have.
They still have tough players that want to win. They know where theyre at in their season and they need this win and we know that. So, we have to come into this environment and play with a certain edge because we know theyre going to come out and be ready to compete in front of their home fans, Rogers said.
One of the reasons the Jacks wont be overlooking the Fighting Hawks is because theyve had some trouble up in Grand Forks. In the 2021 spring season, UND handed SDSU its only loss in the regular season and two years ago the Fighting Hawks led 21-7 before the Jacks came away with a 49-35 victory.
I think its important to win every single game whether its on the road or not, Rogers said. I think a lot of times [the road atmosphere] might be more hyped than it actually is. If youre a competitor you dont really care where youre playing. You could play in a WalMart parking lot. Its our job to get these guys ready to play and we know where were going. We just played in a tough venue at NDSU and I dont feel like the fans made an impact [in that game].
The Fighting Hawks had to move on from Tommy Schuster at quarterback after he led the Fighting Hawks for four-straight seasons. His replacement is junior Simon Romfo and hes thrown for 1,612 yards, 14 touchdowns and six interceptions, while completing 61.2% of his passes.
Romfos top target is fifth-year senior Bo Belquist who has 48 catches for 754 yards and nine touchdowns. The Fighting Hawks ground attack is led by a pair of backs in Isaiah Smith and Gaven Ziebarth. The two have combined for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Rogers said Belquist is who the Jacks will be focusing on on Saturday.
I feel like the running backs are really talented. The quarterback does a good job of extending plays and they have arguably the best wide receiver in FCS football in Bo Belquist. Hes done an unbelievable job this year and throughout his career. Theres no doubt that he should be an all-american the way he competes and plays, Rogers said.
SDSUs defense has been consistent all season long. The Jackrabbits are top-five in the FCS in both total defense and scoring defense as they give up 243.9 yards and 13.6 points per game.
Rogers said defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit and the rest of the coaching staff should get the credit for the success that the Jacks have had on that side of the ball over the past two seasons.
Im not going to take any credit for the rise of what weve been able to do defensively. Bobbit] has done a great job, along with that entire defensive staff. They work extremely hard and have found some little nuances here and there that have allowed us to be more competitive and execute better on defense, and Im proud of that, Rogers said.
SDSU got some production from its tight end room for the first time in a while on Saturday as three different tight ends caught a pass. Davin Stoffel led the way with three catches for 60 yards. Brody Gormley had a 19-yard reception and David Alpers had a 15-yard catch.
All three tight ends are underclassmen and Rogers said he thinks theyre coming into their own as the Jacks hit the final stretch of the regular season.
I think [production with the tight ends] is part of who we want to become. Weve talked about the talent in that room, but for those guys to get those targets, they also have to be open. Were not going to [force it]. If youve watched the history of South Dakota State, weve utilized the tight end in the pass game, having Zach Heins, Tucker Kraft and Dallas Goedert. Its allowed us to have a system to work with and surely those guys are growing into the evolution of what we want, which is a multi-threat player, Rogers said.
Kickoff between the Fighting Hawks and Jackrabbits is set for 1 p.m. You can watch the game on Midco Sports or ESPN+ or listen to the game on AM 570 WNAX.
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