The South Dakota State University football program plans to christen the new Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium with a Sept. 10, 2016, matchup against Drake (Iowa).
The stadium-opening game versus Drake kicks off a three-game series between the two programs. Other matchups are slated for Sept. 16, 2017, in Brookings, with a Sept. 14, 2019, game set to be played in Des Moines.
“Again, I am appreciative of our administration in supporting the pursuit of great competition for our players.” SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier said. “Having quality opponents remains a priority in both our programs and the Jacks look forward to competing against Drake. This series also allows each of our fan contingencies an easy opportunity to travel and support their program.”
The agreement marks the renewal of a series that dates back to 1945. Drake, which is a member of the Pioneer Football League, leads the all-timeseries by an 8-2 count; however, the Jackrabbits won the last meeting, 20-3, in Des Moines during the 1983 campaign.
“We are excited to renew this rivalry and thank the officials at Drake for working with us to put this series together,” SDSU Director of Athletics Justin Sell said. “This agreement meets many aspects of our scheduling philosophy by being able to play quality regional opponents with the ability to fill out our home schedules.”
By filling the stadium-opening date, SDSU has completed its football scheduling through 2016, with six home games in each of the next three seasons.
Construction on the 19,340-seat Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium is scheduled to begin this fall. The project will be completed in phases at the current Coughlin-Alumni Stadium site, starting with completion of the south and east sides prior to the start of the 2015 season.
