VERMILLION South Dakota State lost its third-straight game on Saturday as the Jackrabbits fell to in-state rival South Dakota 24-17 at the DakotaDome.
SDSU was shut out in the second half and its the first time since 2013 that the Jacks have lost three games in a row.
I thought we made a few too many mistakes to get it done in the end and didnt make enough plays in the second half when we needed to to potentially take the lead or pull ahead, said SDSU head coach Dan Jackson.
Each team scored 17 points in the first half. No. 8 ranked SDSU struck quickly as Jack Smith took a pitch 75 yards to the house on the first play from scrimmage.
We worked on [that play] all week in practice, Smith said. We felt good about it and everybody executed. What more could you ask for on the first play and to start off [the game like that]. We talked about being a spark plug and thats what we wanted to do right from the beginning.
No. 22 ranked USD responded right away as the Coyotes drove 70 yards in 15 plays. L.J. Phillips Jr. capped off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run on third and goal and it was 7-7 with 8:24 to go in the first quarter.
SDSU would get the lead back with a field goal. The Jacks drove inside the USD 25 yard line but had to settle for a 40-yard field goal from Eli Stader. That made it 10-7 with 4:30 left in the opening quarter.
Neither team scored again until there was just over four minutes left in the first half. USD tied the game with a 19-yard field goal from Will Leyland.
SDSU punted on its next possession and the Coyotes then went 80 yards in three plays. SDSUs Cullen McShane had an unnecessary roughness penalty and then Aiden Bouman had pass plays of 37 and 19, with the latter being a touchdown to Larenzo Fenner to make it 17-10.
The Jacks had 50 seconds to respond and they did just that. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Henry completed five passes on the 70-yard drive and the final one was a 27-yard touchdown to Alex Bullock to make it 17-17 going into halftime.
It was Henrys first start of his career and he finished the game 13-of-24 with 139 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He had nine completions for 112 yards in the first half.
Henry played because starter Chase Mason missed his third-straight game with a foot injury and backup Luke Marble was injured and was only going to play in case of an emergency. Jackson said the freshman from Dell Rapids has developed quickly over the past two weeks.
I think Jack Henry, Jacks a winner and hes a great athlete. Jack needed to learn how to play quarterback when he got here. To be playing what was your third or fourth string quarterback, the standard is you go out and play. But I thought from a confidence standpoint, creating, you saw him run around and use his feet and still be able to make some throws downfield. Those were things he wasnt doing two weeks ago or a week ago or on Tuesday, Jackson said.
The only touchdown of the second half came on the first drive of the half as USD got the ball and marched down the field. Phillips found the end zone again and this time it was a 32-yard run on third down where he carried a trio of Jackrabbits into the end zone and that gave the Yotes the lead for good.
Phillips had 168 yards on 27 carries. It was the most rushing yards that the Jacks have given up to an individual player this season and senior defensive end Kobe Clayborne said SDSUs performance on defense was not acceptable.
Its not acceptable. How we played today is not good enough. Its not up to our standard and its how weve played the past couple weeks and we have to get it figured out. Were known for stopping the rush and he had a lot of explosive runs and two touchdowns that really changed the momentum of the game, and on third down too. Its not acceptable and we have to step up on our end, Clayborne said.
SDSU had two chances to tie the game in the fourth quarter. On the first drive the Jacks drove to the USD 25 but Henry threw into double coverage in the end zone and it was intercepted by Dejaun Lewis. The second one SDSU faced a fourth and four on its own 47 and Henrys pass to Smith was broken up. The Yotes then ran out the clock in victory formation after picking up a first down.
The Jacks had 330 total yards of offense. SDSU was 1-of-7 on third and fourth down in the second half on Saturday and was 5-of-14 for the game in those situations. The Jacks are now 18-of-51 on third and fourth during this losing streak and Jackson pointed to that being one of the issues leading to the offensive struggles.
Im going to have to go back and exactly [look at the film of the second half]. I know that some of the third downs were longer. I know that the running game got going. I have to look at why and how the sequencing of plays where we ended up getting behind the sticks, which then created some situations where we had to punt, Jackson said.
It was the first time USD beat SDSU since 2021, which the Yotes won with a hail mary. The Coyotes have now won three of the past four meetings in the DakotaDome.
The loss puts the Jacks at 7-3 with two games to play. Theyll host Illinois State in the home finale next weekend and then close the season with a game at North Dakota on Nov. 22.
SDSUs playoff hopes hang in the balance with those two games. A shot at a top-eight seed is likely out the window and should the Jacks lose their final two games, the playoffs might be as well.
Jackson said hes not worried and does not feel a sense of desperation for his football team.
Im not a desperate person. I know exactly where were going and what were doing, and I know how the guys will respond. We told them this week that it was playoff football anyway and that doesnt change. We have a home game next week and all that matters is that we get that win and get to eight. We then go to North Dakota to end the season. [Hopefully] we can get some guys back and develop some other players. We [win] that one and well like exactly where were sitting at that point, Jackson said.
Leave a Reply