BROOKINGS South Dakota State will turn the page after a humbling loss to North Dakota State to a home game against Indiana State on Saturday.
The Jackrabbits suffered their first loss of the season with a 38-7 defeat to NDSU. The No. 1 ranked Bison jumped all over the No. 2 ranked Jacks, leading 21-0 a little over 19 minutes into the game.
SDSU head coach Dan Jackson said he thought the Jacks played hard but made some mistakes in crucial situations.
The thing that stood out was that our guys made plays in critical situations, Jackson said. Our guys have made those plays in the past. I think it really came down to the third down defense. We got them into more third and longs than anybody in the country, up to this point. Now, its execution on those third downs. A majority of those [NDSU] made the play and then there were a handful where we needed to execute and there were mistakes made.
I think the bright spot defensively was what I thought after the game, in terms of the physicality up front with the offensive and defensive line [was good]. Our defensive line was disruptive and created more pressure than I thought in the game. Now, we need to have better plans to contain [the quarterback] when hes out of the pocket and contain him better. I think our offense just has to be able to find more of a rhythm within the early portions of the game.
It was the first home loss since October of 2021 and snapped a 33-game home win streak for the Jacks. It was the first time SDSU lost by 30 points or more since falling to James Madison 51-16 in the FCS Semifinals in 2018.
The loss moved SDSU from No. 2 in the Stats Perform Top 25 to tied for fourth with Montana State. Jackson said he thinks the Jacks will respond from this and use this loss as motivation moving forward.
At the end of the day were a 7-1 football team whos found ways to win and the guys know that theyre a good football team and understand that we were presented with some challenges on Saturday. By no means is that going to disrupt their preparation or excitement around the rest of the season. The truth is that our goals are in front of us and we have an opportunity to respond and go 1-0 this week. If other people lack belief in you, it can definitely motivate you, Jackson said.
Indiana State will enter Saturdays contest as losers of the last six games. The Sycamores won their first two games of the season over McKendree University and Eastern Illinois and have not won since. They are one of three teams in the Missouri Valley who have not won a conference game.
SDSU was without starting quarterback Chase Mason and will likely be without the senior for at least another week with a foot injury. Luke Marble had his first career start against the Bison and went 7-of-16 for 89 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He was sacked three times.
Jackson said he thinks it was a good thing that Marbles first start came against the best defense in the FCS.
His psyche is good. I would rather him see one of the better defenses in the country now, early, and know what it is and feel the speed in which things are happening and also be able to see some different schemes too. Then as he progresses throughout the season there will be nothing but growth. Hell grow a lot from it and you can learn a lot, not necessarily through failure, but through challenges more so than just having instant success, Jackson said.
Mason wont be the only Jackrabbit starter who will not be on the field on Saturday. Lofton OGroske, who is second in receiving, will be out and linebacker Chase Van Tol, who is SDSUs third-leading tackler, will be out as well. OGroske had missed the previous three games with an injury before the NDSU game.
Jackson said he does not know the timeline on any of the three players that are injured and alluded to there being more injuries than just those three players.
[Mason] is no different than last week. Hes making progress and as soon as hes able to go out there and function adequately well get him back out there. [OGroske and Van Tol] are not going to be able to play, amongst several others. Thats just from our training staff. Im not going to get into the specificity of their injuries but I do expect to get them back at some point this season and am waiting on some MRI and testing results for what [OGroske and Van Tols] injuries are exactly, Jackson said.
Kickoff between South Dakota State and Indiana State is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday. You can watch the game on ESPN+ or Midco Sports.
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