Bringing the best of college football to the region’s premier sports and entertainment venue, the Minnesota Twins and South Dakota State University tonight announced that the reigning national champion Jackrabbits football team will host Drake University on Sept. 16 at Target Field. The announcement of the game was made in conjunction with the Twins Winter Caravan event Tuesday night at the Sanford-Jackrabbit Athletic Complex in Brookings, South Dakota.
The contest between these two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs will be an SDSU home game; it also marks the third college football game in the 14-year history of the Twins’ home ballpark, and the second NCAA Division I contest. Kickoff time and ticket information, including availability and on-sale date, will be announced in the coming weeks.
“The Minnesota Twins organization is thrilled to host SDSU football as the Jackrabbits continue defense of their first-ever national title right here at Target Field,” said club President & CEO Dave St. Peter. “We cannot wait to again revel in the pageantry and tradition of college football, and are beyond excited to welcome SDSU, Drake and their respective fans and communities to downtown Minneapolis and our beautiful ballpark.”
SDSU finished its historic 2022 campaign with a 14-1 record and the program’s first ever national title, capped by a victory over North Dakota State in the FCS Championship Game on Jan. 8, 2023.
“We’re honored to partner with the Minnesota Twins organization and want to thank our counterparts at Drake for their cooperation in making this game at Target Field a reality,” said SDSU Director of Athletics Justin Sell. “This game provides us with a great opportunity to showcase Jackrabbit Football in a location with one of our strongest alumni bases and also a key area within our recruiting footprint.”
TARGET FIELD COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY
The SDSU-Drake matchup marks the third college football game played at Target Field, and the second NCAA Division I contest. The Twins’ home ballpark first welcomed a then-record Division III crowd of 37,355 for the University of St. Thomas’ 20-17 victory over St. John’s University on Sept. 23, 2017; the venue then hosted 34,544 fans on Aug. 31, 2019, as North Dakota State University defeated Butler University by a score of 57-10.
