The Championship Subdivision News Log

Saturday certainly was, as the slogan goes, a good day to be a Jackrabbit. Actually, the past 10 years have been pretty decent for the blue and yellow.

A 24-14 triumph over sixth-ranked Northern Iowa on Saturday in Brookings was the 63rd win for South Dakota State since the 2000 season, breaking the program mark for the most victories in a decade.

The previous record of 62 wins was set in the 1990s. Prior to that, No. 11 SDSU had never won more than 55 games in any decade.

“It does mean something to us,” Jacks senior defensive end Danny Batten said. “Through the transition and through adversity we can rise and we can win and we can bond together as a team.”

The circumstances make the 63-43 mark more impressive. SDSU weathered a five-year transition to the NCAA Division I level and gained entry into the Missouri Valley Football Conference during the run.

There have been myriad highlights within the body of work. On Saturday, the Jacks clinched an eighth consecutive winning season and beat a top 25 team for the ninth time in four years. Two years ago, they claimed their first conference title since 1963. They have become mainstays in the top 25 polls, and average home attendance has skyrocketed from 5,547 in 2003 to 14,003 so far this year.

Now at 6-1 overall and 5-0 in the Valley, SDSU is off to its best start in 30 years and likely two wins from clinching its first playoff berth since 1979.

This may be the golden age of Jacks football.

“The program’s been built by young men that believed in the transition and stuck to it, and we’re reaping the benefits from hard work and belief,” said coach John Stiegelmeier, who has 81 wins in 13 seasons at his alma mater. “Are we where we want to be? No, we’re not.”

* In the moments after the win over UNI, Stiegelmeier was asked if redshirt freshman Thomas O’Brien or fifth-year senior Ryan Crawford will start at quarterback next week against Youngstown State. His response: No idea.

That’s not hard to believe considering how well both have fared.

Crawford was 58 of 86 for 734 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions before suffering a knee injury in the second quarter of a game at Cal Poly on Oct. 3. He was in uniform for the first time since then on Saturday, although not yet healthy enough to play.

Meanwhile, O’Brien is 3-0 since taking over, going 53 of 79 for 615 yards with four scores and no turnovers. Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley said the Minnesota native was the difference in the game Saturday.

“Whatever happens, happens,” O’Brien said. “It’d be awesome to see Ryan come back. It’s really tough to see him just before the game knowing what he’s going through. I know that’s really tough. He’s one of my best friends, but if I have to go, I’ll be ready.”

* Junior corner General Parnell - the Jacks leader in interceptions with four - hurt his right knee in the third quarter Saturday and did not return. Stiegelmeier said that the injury is “potentially serious.”

* SDSU is now 7-0 in conference home games since joining the Valley.

* UNI became the first team to score a third-quarter touchdown against SDSU this season. The Jacks have outscored opponents 66-10 in that frame.

* SDSU is 5-0 in Valley play. Fourteen teams have been in that position previously, and 14 of them wound up in the postseason.

Jacks hit stride in banner season
By TERRY VANDROVEC, The Sioux Falls Argus Leader
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910260306