BROOKINGS Two weeks ago, the South Dakota State football team had its eyes on winning a top-two matchup and getting the inside path to the top seed in the FCS Playoffs. Now, after two-straight losses, the Jackrabbits will have to get up off of the mat and take on in-state rival South Dakota on Saturday.
SDSU (7-2) lost that top-two matchup against top-ranked North Dakota State 38-7. SDSU was looking to bounce back with a game against Indiana State, who had not won a conference game, but instead the Jacks lost 24-12 to the Sycamores in what was one of the worst losses in program history.
The Jacks dropped to No. 8 in the Stats Perform Top 25 Poll. However, SDSU did receive positive news on Wednesday as the FCS Playoff Committee released its second top 10 rankings and the Jackrabbits were ranked sixth. The top-eight teams will get a first round bye in the playoffs.
SDSU head coach Dan Jackson said his team needs to move on after the two losses and find ways to get better.
… The truth is, 7-0 wasnt an accident. 7-0 didnt happen because we were lucky. The guys went and did that. Weve had some adversity, and theres truth in that. Were no different than any other team that has had adversity. We need to find ways to respond to that. I feel very confident in their response and I just want to see full effort and physicality and a disciplined, detailed team, Jackson said.
The Jackrabbits have had trouble scoring points in the past two games with the absence of starting quarterback Chase Mason, who has been out with a foot injury. Luke Marble has started in place of Mason in the past two games and has gone 24-of-45 with 270 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
SDSU moved the ball against the Sycamores but it did not result in a lot of points. The Jacks had 441 total yards of offense against ISU and 11 of their 12 drives ended in opponents territory. However, they were 0-of-5 on fourth down and 10-of-19 on third down and six of the 10 third-down conversions came in the latter part of the fourth quarter when they were already down two scores.
For the season, SDSU is now 5-of-20 on fourth down, which is tied for fourth-to-last in the FCS, and 50-of-123 on third down, which is 51st in the country. Jackson said his team needs to execute better in those situations.
You just have to do your job. You have to take what the defense is giving you and be able to identify that as quickly as possible. We can do some things. We had a couple third downs this past week where we ran the ball on third down and picked up the first down and didnt get to fourth, which was positive. We need to execute in what deems as a pressure situation, but just viewing it as any other play and doing your job and executing. We need to get into the right things and then guys have to make plays. We need to elevate our game in a situation that can be challenging and I would prefer to prevent, Jackson said.
Jackson did not say who was going to be the starting quarterback on Saturday, but gave an update on Mason and a couple of other key players.
Chase is working through it, Jackson said. Hes making progress. The key with his deal is going to be how he responds to it. If we push it to a point where theres a negative reaction then he might not be available. If he reacts positively then he could be [available]. We have a lot of other guys out. [Wide receiver] Lofton OGroske and [linebacker] Chase Van Tol are still out. [Offensive tackle] Sam Hagen, well see if hes able to do some things.
The truth with the injuries is, does it impact the football team? Yes. But we need to have guys step up. We need to do our job as coaches to develop the next guy. Were not going to use it as an excuse. If youre on this team, youre expected to play and play well.
Saturdays game in Vermillion will be the 118th all-time meeting between the Jackrabbits and Coyotes. SDSU holds a 58-52-7 advantage in the series and is 10-2 against USD in the Division I era.
USD (6-4) is ranked No. 22 and is coming off its biggest win of the season as the Yotes beat then No. 8 ranked North Dakota 26-21. Jackson said USDs formula to winning the game is straightforward.
They took the ball away [against UND]. The style in which they play, theyre going to run the ball and limit possessions. Ive been a part of this being a teams identity. They want to run the ball, control the clock, their running back is very good, and then play good, sound, quality defense and keep the game close until the fourth quarter, Jackson said.
The USD offense is led by redshirt sophomore running back L.J. Phillips Jr. He has started the past eight games after Charles Pierre went down with a season-ending injury in the second game of the season. Phillips is third in the NCAA in total rushing yards with 1,296 and hes also third in yards per game at 129.6.
Jackson said Phillips has had a lot of success because hes the right back for the USD system.
Hes a great running back. He plays within their system. They do a lot of zone schemes. Hes really good at cutting the ball back when he needs to. I love it. Lets play some physical football and well see [who prevails]. [Stopping the run] between the tackles is a strength of ours and I know they stretch it with some of their zone schemes. Hes talented and their offensive line has improved as theyve gained cohesion together and theyre going to lean on [Phillips]. They wont shy away from giving the ball to him a lot, Jackson said.
Kickoff on Saturday is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the DakotaDome. You can watch the game on ESPNU or listen to the game on AM 570 WNAX.
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