South Dakota

FCS Championship Preview: South Dakota State vs. Montana | The Analyst

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2 years ago

January 5, 2024

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FCS Championship Preview: South Dakota State vs. Montana | The Analyst

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits have become what the Montana Grizzlies used to be in FCS college football.

Will the Griz have a say about that in the national championship game on Sunday?

SDSU is seeking back-to-back FCS titles, having reached the final for the third time in the last four seasons. In fact, the Jackrabbits have reached at least the semifinal round in six of the last seven postseasons.

That used to be Montana, a two-time FCS champion, which is appearing in the title game for the eighth time, tying for the second-most in history. But it’s the Griz’s first title shot since 2009 after the first seven occurred in a 15-season span from 1995 to 2009.

(Here’s the championship game history of Montana and South Dakota State)

The nation’s top two teams will meet at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, in a much-anticipated showdown. Here’s a capsule preview of the 46th FCS championship game:

No. 1 Seed South Dakota State (14-0) vs. No. 2 Seed Montana (13-1)

Kickoff – 2 p.m. ET Sunday at Toyota Stadium (17,677) in Frisco, Texas (ABC)

Series – Montana leads 8-0 (last meeting: Montana won 24-17 at home in a 2015 first-round playoff game)

Coaches – Montana: Bobby Hauck (129-35, 13th season; 144-84 overall); South Dakota State: Jimmy Rogers (14-0, first season)

5 Players to Watch – Montana: QB Clifton McDowell (138 of 235, 1,861 yards, 13 TDs, 3 INTs; 751 rush yards, 9 TDs), WR/Return Junior Bergen (55 receptions, 766 yards, 5 TDs; 798 kickoff/punt return yards, 4 TDs), RT Brandon Casey (All-Big Sky first team), NT Alex Gubner (39 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 3 sacks), LB Braxton Hill (116 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 7 QB hurries, 3 takeaways); South Dakota State: QB Mark Gronowski (196 of 286, 2,883 yards, 28 TDs, 4 INTs; 349 rush yards, 7 TDs), RB Isaiah Davis (220 carries, 1,491 yards, 17 TDs; 22 receptions, 1 TD), LT Garret Greenfield (three-time Stats Perform FCS All-America first team), LB Jason Freeman (96 tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 INTs, 3 fumble recoveries), FS/PR Tucker Large (43 tackles, 4 INTs, 7 pass breakups; 18.9-yard punt return average, 1 TD)

Notable – Montana: The Grizzlies won FCS national titles in 1995 under coach Don Read and in 2001 under Joe Glenn, while Hauck seeks to win his first in his fourth championship game appearance. The dual-threat McDowell spreads around the offensive touches, including to Eli Gillman (950 rushing yards, 12 total TDs), the 2023 Jerry Rice Award recipient as the national freshman of the year. The Grizzlies rank fifth among 128 FCS teams in scoring defense (16.8-point average), 12th in rushing defense (102.9-yard average) and third in preventing third down conversions (28.6 percent). Bergen, the team’s playoff standout, has four combined touchdowns on kickoff and punt returns this season, but the Grizzlies have have allowed four kicks blocked as well. South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits enter on a 28-game winning streak (third-longest in FCS history) as they seek back-to-back FCS titles – last year under John Stiegelmeier and this season under Rogers, the Eddie Robinson Award winner. The offense boasts a number of NFL prospects, including Davis (24 career games with 100+ rushing yards) and O-linemen Greenfield and Mason McCormick. Gronowski, a junior, joins that trio as a first-team All-American, leading the FCS in passing efficiency (182.7). Dating back to last season, the Jackrabbits have scored on 98 of their last 100 trips inside an opponent’s red zone. The linebacker-led defense has posted shutouts in two of the Jackrabbits’ three playoff games – their 9.7-point overall average allowed bettered only by the 2018 Colgate squad (9.3) since 2010.

2 Key Factors – Montana: The Grizzlies, who utilize a 3-3-5 base defensive alignment, must handle an SDSU offensive line that is considered the best in the FCS to prevent sustained drives by the Jackrabbits. Gubner, the Big Sky defensive player of the year, is excellent at bringing pressure up the middle. The No. 2 seed also must answer SDSU scores and stay within at least one score to have a chance in the fourth quarter for an upset; South Dakota State: With Montana deep in defensive backs, the Jackrabbits must use the run to set up the pass. Davis has been over 100 rushing yards in all seven postseason games the last two seasons, and that’s something they’ve come to rely on at this time of the season. Hunter Dustman set the championship record for punting average last January, but he needs hang time and direction away from the red-hot Bergen (three TD returns in UM’s last two games).

Up Next – The winner will claim the No. 1 final ranking in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll. The 2024 season opener for each team is on Aug. 31: SDSU will play at Oklahoma State and Montana will host Missouri State.

Prediction – South Dakota State 27, Montana 20

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South Dakota

Feeding South Dakota

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2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Feb. 26, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 26, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

03-14-22-50-57, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South Dakota

SNAP soda ban headed to desk of South Dakota governor, who’s concerned about costs

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

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SNAP soda ban headed to desk of South Dakota governor, who’s concerned about costs

State Sen. Sydney Davis, R-Burbank, speaks in the South Dakota Senate at the Capitol in Pierre on Feb. 10, 2026. Davis is sponsoring a bill that would ban the use of SNAP benefits for soda purchases. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

By: John Hult

PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – The question of whether South Dakota moves to ban the use of government food assistance for sugary drinks is in the hands of Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, who has signaled his opposition to the bill all through the 2026 legislative session.

The state Senate voted 27-6 on Wednesday to endorse House Bill 1056, after the House passed it earlier 58-11. Assuming the same levels of support, both margins are wide enough to overcome a Rhoden veto, should he choose to issue one.

The bill directs the Department of Social Services to ask for a federal waiver to allow the state to bar the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the purchase of soft drinks.

SNAP is a federal program, managed by the state, through which people with low incomes get a monthly allowance for food through a debit-like card that can be used at most stores to buy nearly any consumable grocery item save alcohol and prepared foods.

Representatives from Rhoden’s office testified against the bill in House and Senate committees, arguing that the administrative costs would be too high. A fiscal note attached to the bill between its passage in the House and its appearance on the Senate’s Wednesday calendar estimated that implementation would cost $310,000 through the first two years. Those costs would come from hiring an extra employee and contracting for software to track sales, file reports and help retailers determine which drinks are banned.

Backers see long-term savings to the state, though. A high percentage of SNAP recipients are also on Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded health insurance program open to disabled and income-eligible people.

On Wednesday, Burbank Republican Sen. Sydney Davis noted the connection between excess soda consumption and health problems like obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. Medicaid dental costs alone add up $51 million a year, she said.

Mitchell Republican Sen. Paul Miskimins, a retired dentist, told the body he once counted 32 cavities and seven abscesses in the mouths of 2-year-old twin boys who were covered by Medicaid.

He attributed the tooth decay to sugary beverages.

“I don’t know if that first visit was more traumatic on the boys or on my dental staff and myself,” said Miskimins.

Tamara Grove, R-Lower Brule, was the lone senator to speak in opposition on the Senate floor. She argued that some stores might stop accepting SNAP payments due to the administrative burden of sorting barred products from the rest of their inventories, and pointed out that the bill wouldn’t do a thing to prevent SNAP recipients from loading up on sugary foods like ice cream or snack cakes.

“It gives this look as if there’s going to be this big, huge change in the way that people buy products, but it’s really not going to be,” Grove said.

Some surrounding states, including Nebraska, have moved to ask for a waiver to ban soda sales through SNAP. Such waivers are now an option, as President Donald Trump’s administration is willing to consider granting them. Former President Joe Biden’s administration was not.

Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, the South Dakota bill’s prime sponsor, got a letter last week from Trump administration officials expressing support for her proposal.

In response, Rhoden spokeswoman Josie Harms told South Dakota Searchlight that the governor “has always been supportive of the Trump Administration’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again,” using a reference to the policy agenda branding used by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“We have met directly with his Administration on this issue, and at no point has our opposition been directed at President Trump or his efforts to reform SNAP,” Harms said. “Our focus has always been on ensuring the implementation of SNAP reform works effectively for our state.”

Harms said Wednesday that Rhoden would answer questions about the bill at a Thursday press conference.

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