South Dakota State football primer: No. 1 Jackrabbits face final road test at Northern Iowa

BROOKINGS — Going through its final highway sport of the common season, the South Dakota State can clinch at the very least a share of the Missouri Valley Soccer Convention title with a win at Northern Iowa. Right here’s what to know forward of the competition:

When: 4 p.m. Saturday

The place: UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Data: SDSU 8-1 total, 6-0 Missouri Valley; UNI 5-4, 4-2 Missouri Valley.

Coaches: SDSU: John Stiegelmeier, twenty sixth season, 193-112; UNI: Mark Farley, twenty second season, 167-96.

Final assembly: The Jackrabbits and Panthers final met on Oct. 23, 2021, in Brookings, with UNI leaving as 26-17 highway winners.

Sequence historical past: SDSU and UNI have a historical past that dates again a lot additional than their current conferences as FCS and MVFC opponents. On the Division II stage, the Jackrabbits and Panthers squared off for 4 a long time earlier than UNI moved from the North Central Convention to Division I within the late Nineteen Seventies, In complete, SDSU and UNI have performed 58 instances, with the Panthers forward within the all-time sequence 33-23-2, together with an 11-7 mark because the Jacks joined the FCS in 2004 and a cut up of the previous 12 conferences.

Final week: SDSU rode a near-perfect offensive show to a 49-7 dwelling win on Hobo Day, whereas UNI stopped a Hail Mary try simply in need of the aim line to protect a 37-36 win towards Southern Illinois.

Notes:

• SDSU tightened its grip on the No. 1 rating this week, taking 53 of 54 first-place votes within the Stats Carry out FCS ballot. In the meantime, UNI is within the center of a pack of eight groups outdoors the highest 25 however nonetheless receiving votes.
• Televised protection shall be accessible by Midco Sports activities or ESPN+.

In regards to the Jackrabbits:

• SDSU’s lively right-game win streak ranks as its longest within the Division I period and has additionally pushed the Jacks to a 6-0 begin to MVFC play for simply the second time (2008). With a win Saturday, SDSU would tie the college file for many consecutive wins at 9, which was first set in 1928 and matched between 1950 and 1951.
• In final yr’s defeat towards UNI, SDSU was held to 60 yards speeding. Even when Isaiah Davis sees restricted motion for a second-straight week on account of harm, anticipate the Jackrabbits to emphasise the run sport towards a UNI protection that’s giving up 157.7 speeding yards per sport, which is fourth-worst within the MVFC. For the season, SDSU is averaging 161.7 yards per sport on the bottom.
• SDSU’s protection, which continues to tempo the MVFC in factors allowed (15.1), complete yards allowed (260.8), speeding yards allowed (72.4) and interceptions (12), will face a check this weekend towards a high-powered Panther offense (extra on that under).
• For the reason that begin of the 2019 season, the Jacks are 12-3 in convention highway video games. None of these three losses got here to a staff outdoors the Dakotas (two to South Dakota, one to North Dakota).

In regards to the Panthers:

• UNI has loads to play for, as Saturday will go a good distance in figuring out its playoff destiny. The Panthers have reeled off three straight wins to get again on the fringes of playoff rivalry at 5-4. A win over the top-ranked staff within the FCS may give UNI what it must be in with six wins (there’s current precedent for a 6-5 UNI staff within the playoffs) whatever the final result of its closing sport. A loss, nevertheless, doubtless would go away the Panthers on the fallacious aspect of the bubble.
• It is a teaching cliche, however longtime Panther coach Mark Farley has an impeccable monitor file of getting his groups to play their finest soccer late in seasons. In 22 seasons beneath Farley’s path, UNI owns a 61-14 mark in November contests.
• Led by quarterback Theo Day, now in his second season with the Panthers after beginning his faculty profession at Michigan State, UNI’s offense has put up the very best numbers within the MVFC. Day leads the convention in passing yards (2,471) and touchdowns (19) whereas solely throwing 4 interceptions. On the opposite finish of Day’s passes, goal Sam Schnee and Deion McShane each rank within the MVFC top-10 for receiving, combining to haul in 70 passes for almost 1,100 yards and 4 scores. As a staff, the Panthers tempo the MVFC in yards per sport at 438.1 and are third (behind North Dakota State and South Dakota State) in scoring at 30.8 factors per sport.
• Linebacker Spencer Cuvelier leads the UNI protection with 77 tackles, which additionally leads the convention and is fourth by a per-game common (8.6). On the again finish, Benny Sapp III and Woo Governor are two of the 4 gamers tied for the MVFC lead with three interceptions this season.

Subsequent week: SDSU closes its common season at dwelling towards Illinois State on Nov. 12. UNI is idle subsequent week earlier than its regular-season finale at South Dakota on Nov. 19.