ABERDEEN, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Two men from Aberdeen died in a rollover crash early Saturday morning.

According to the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the crash occurred around 1:22 a.m. eight miles northeast of Aberdeen.

A 37-year-old driver and a 36-year-old passenger in a 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander were traveling westbound on Brown County 13 near the intersection of 393rd Avenue.

The vehicle left the roadway and entered the ditch, then vaulted off the shoulder at the intersection. The vehicle rolled, ejecting both occupants.

Both received fatal injuries. Neither of the occupants was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

The names of the persons involved have not been released pending notification of family members.

All information released so far is only preliminary.

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GRAND FORKS — For the first time since joining South Dakota State football as a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in January, Danny Freund was back at the Alerus Center.

He watched the Jackrabbits roll to a 38-7 win Saturday over UND from the coaches’ box, a familiar spot for Freund, who coached at UND for 13 years.

Freund isn’t calling plays for the Jacks this season, but his new head coach likes what he’s seeing from his new addition.

Jackrabbits offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Ryan Olson is in charge of playcalling, but “Danny’s done a really good job of working with Olson up top and has really spearheaded, but it’s been Ryan Olson this season,” Jackrabbits coach Jimmy Rogers said.

Still, as the quarterbacks coach, Freund — a former UND quarterback — spends much of his time working with Mark Gronowski, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner, an honor given to the best FCS offensive player.

Gronowski went 11-for-19 passing for 193 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s win.

The three scores, of 25, 39 and 47 yards, were all hauled in by sophomore Griffin Wilde.

“Just the consistency,” Rogers said. “We’re getting better at passing the ball. It’s one of those things that didn’t show up in the North Dakota State game — being able to take downfield shots and Mark having his feet underneath him and delivering the ball with accuracy. He was poised when he got pressured.

“UND blitzes as much as any team that we’ll face in the country, so to be able to see the pressures, be able to work at that, and our O-linemen execute the communication that it takes to pick up some of those things, I thought that was really positive.”

Wilde ended with five catches for 140 yards – more than UND’s receiving corps combined.

The Jackrabbits heard all about Alerus Center magic and the Hawks’ success at home, but SDSU didn’t let that impact the game.

They might be back-to-back FCS national champions, but Rogers emphasizes the same messaging to his team, no matter the opponent the Jackrabbits are facing.

“This is a completely different team and a bunch of different personnel,” he said. “We’re focused on one game at a time, maybe more than anything else.

“It’s about being present in the moment and not letting things slip on your end. You only get 12 games guaranteed, and it’s really important to try to maximize it in every way, whether that be your intensity or your focus and the preparation. That can’t change based off who you’re playing because you only get so many of them. We work year-round for – what is 60 minutes, 12 times? It goes by really quick, although it feels at times like a lifetime. Try to get the guys to cherish the moment and enjoy being around each other and developing a culture that they want to stick and compete for one another.”

Freund brought experience to South Dakota State, but his mentality has stuck out to Rogers. It fits into what the Jackrabbits are trying to create, Rogers said.

“He’s just a great coach,” Rogers said. “Having Danny and his family in our program is maybe the biggest impact. Just who they are and what they’ve done as far as the spirit they bring, and they make everybody more positive being around them.”

GRAND FORKS — By the final moments of the fourth quarter Saturday, the typically noisy Alerus Center fell quiet before a loud chant from the corner visitors section broke out.

“Let’s go Rabbits,” the blue and yellow fans rang out.

Through the final three quarters, the South Dakota State faithful were the only ones with anything to cheer about.

No. 3 SDSU scored 28 points in the second quarter en route to a 38-7 win over No. 21 UND in the worst home loss in the Bubba Schweigert Era.

The Fighting Hawks dropped a third-straight game to fall to 5-5.

UND hadn’t lost at home this bad since Montana State beat UND 63-20 in 2013, the final season of former head coach Chris Mussman.

“We’re going to find out a lot about our team and individuals on our team right now,” UND coach Bubba Schweigert said. “We already talked about it in the locker room. We have to stay together. These are hard times. If we can use sports and teach life, this stuff is worth it.

“There’s going to be hard times in all of our individual’s lives. Harder times than losing football games. It doesn’t seem like it right now because we put a lot of time and effort in to preparing for games and we want to be successful. We’re going to find out a lot of our character. Our coaches have to do it, your players have to do it. I think when you really, really care about your guys and they care about you, I think they’ll stay together.”

UND entered the matchup with the Jacks 5-0 in the Alerus this year and 16-2 at home vs. the Missouri Valley Football Conference since joining the league in 2020. The only losses were 16-10 to North Dakota State in 2021 and 49-35 to SDSU in 2022. NDSU and SDSU went on to win national titles in those respective years.

All but forgotten by the end, UND actually got off to a decent start.

Running back Isaiah Smith, who finished with 87 yards on nine carries, scored on a 62-yard run to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

But the Jacks dominated from there.

SDSU wide receiver Griffin Wilde finished with five catches for 140 yards and three touchdowns. He caught touchdown passes of 25 and 39 yards in the second quarter.

Quarterback Mark Gronowski was comfortable in the pocket, finishing 11-for-19 for 193 yards. He wasn’t sacked.

The Jacks ran 43 times for 264 yards and picked just the right times to hit deep balls for Wilde, who frequently was able to beat UND’s last line of defense in the secondary.

“They have big formations, and when throw it deep, they kept in a lot to protect to make sure he has time,” Schweigert said. “It’s 1-on-1, so you have to hold up. They beat us in some 1-on-1 situations. Running the football sets up the entire offense.”

UND’s offense was limited after Smith’s breakout run. Quarterback Simon Romfo finished 16-for-23 for 124 yards with one interception and was sacked three times.

Romfo struggled to find time in the pocket and his longest pass of the day was 18 yards to tight end Quincy Vaughn.

Romfo also fumbled on a scramble in the second quarter with UND already trailing 24-7. Seven plays later, the Jacks scored on Amar Johnson’s 3-yard run for a 31-7 lead.

The Hawks also missed two field goals, including a 51-yard attempt with 34 seconds to halftime.

“We just have to make plays,” Smith said.