The South Dakota State football team closes out a two-game homestand and a stretch of four games at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in five weeks by hosting in-state rival South Dakota in a Saturday matinee.
Kickoff is set for 2 p.m., with television coverage on Midco Sports and ESPN+. Radio coverage begins at 12 Noon on 570 WNAX and the Jackrabbit Sports Network. Saturday’s game is part of the South Dakota Showdown Series, which awards points throughout the academic year to the winners of athletic contests between the two schools across all sports.
SDSU enters the week on a four-game winning streak and with a 4-1 overall record. The Jackrabbits, who have maintained their national rankings of second in the Stats Perform media poll and third in the American Football Coaches Association poll throughout the 2022 season, improved to 2-0 in Missouri Valley Football Conference action with a 34-10 home win over Western Illinois on Oct. 1.
USD, meanwhile, is coming off a bye week after opening league play with a 34-17 home setback against top-ranked North Dakota State on Sept. 24. The Coyotes are 1-3 overall, but are still receiving votes in the Stats Perform rankings.
THE SERIES: According to SDSU records, Saturday’s game will mark the 115th meeting between the Jackrabbits and Coyotes on the gridiron. The series dates back to a 6-6 tie back in 1889 in a game that was played in Sioux Falls.
Overall, the Jackrabbits hold a 55-52-7 advantage in the series.
The two programs were longstanding members of the North Central Conference and often played season home-and-home series during their days competing at the NCAA Division II level. After a nine-year hiatus as the institutions made their moves to Division I competition on separate timetables, the series resumed in 2012, when USD gained entry into the Missouri Valley Football Conference. SDSU won the first seven matchups as D-I rivals, but USD?has won the last two meetings – both by three points.
In last season’s meeting, Nov. 13, 2021, at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, USD’s Jeremiah Webb hauled in a 57-yard Hail Mary pass from Carson Camp on the final play of the game, lifting the 17th-ranked Coyotes to an improbable 23-20 victory over fourth-ranked SDSU.
The Jackrabbits had taken a 20-17 lead with six minutes and 10 seconds remaining, putting together a methodical 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Pierre Strong, Jr.
Saturday’s game marks the first meeting between the two Rushmore State rivals at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium since 2018. The matchup slated to be played during the 2020-21 spring season was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
