Papendick: SDSU football had much to celebrate in 2021

It was a year like no other in the history of college football, thanks to a COVID-induced spring season.

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits played 25 games over two seasons in 2021.

In 302 days (Feb. 19-Dec. 18), the Jacks registered 19 wins, six losses, two trips to the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals and a national runner-up finish. SDSU tied for a Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and earned the Dakota Marker trophy twice with wins over rival North Dakota State.

John Stiegelmeier, a SDSU graduate and former assistant, is now 185-111 in 25 seasons as coach of the Jacks. Stiegelmeier, who grew up in Selby, also spent time as an assistant coach at Northern State (1984-87).

Coach “Stig” and his SDSU staff, their players and program as well as the university got a lot of well-deserved praise nationally during the Jacks’ two runs through the playoffs in 2021.

Here are some of the incredible numbers generated by SDSU football in 2021:

• 231,553: Fans watched the Jacks play in person either at home or on the road.

• 19,594: Miles traveled to games by the SDSU team. In its last three games, the Jacks traveled more than 8,000 miles as well as fitting in Finals Week.

• 834: Points scored (446 allowed).

• 280: -Pound freshman offensive lineman Gus Miller of Brookings even got in on the explosive SDSU scoring when he recovered a fumble for a touchdown against California-Davis this fall.

• 201: SDSU football practices in 2021.

• 199: Tackles by Adam Bock.

• 194: Points scored off the foot of Cole Frahm (32 for 47 on field goals and 98 of 100 on extra points).

• 165: Passes caught, 2,704 yards gained and 25 TDs scored by Madison's twin brothers Jadon and Jaxon Janke.

• 105: Team touchdowns. 53 rushing, 47 passing, 3 interception returns, 1 fumble return and 1 punt return.

• 95: Times SDSU got within 20 yards of its own goal line, and 85 times the Jacks scored.

• 64: Different Jackrabbits were in on the team’s 1,613 tackles.

• 60: Sacks, including 11.5 by Caleb Sanders.

• 27: Touchdowns by running back Pierre Strong (rushing, passing and receiving). Strong rushed for a career 4,584 yards and had a hand in 49 TDs. As a passer, he was 9-9-0 for 206 yards and six TDs.

• 33: Interceptions, including 5 by Dalys Beanum.

• 24: Football games played in 2021 by Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, KY, an NAIA program that won its national title in the spring (11-0) and then was a national semifinalist this fall (12-1).

• 15: Players played in all 25 SDSU games (Wes Genant, Garret Greenfield, Mason McCormick, Krockett Krolikowski, Thomas Stacker, Reece Winkelman, Cale Reeder, Michael Griffin, Isaiah Stalbird, Zach Heins, Adam Bock, Caleb Sanders, Cole Frahm, Jaxon Janke and Jadon Janke).

• 6.8: Yards per play averaged by the SDSU offense that ran 1,555 plays for 10,648 yards.

• 6: Seasons in a row the Jacks have had team captains from their home state. Since 2016, 12 of the Jacks’ 32 captains have been from South Dakota. SDSU’s 2021 fall season captains included South Dakotans Wes Genant (Parkston), Mason McCormick (Sioux Falls Roosevelt) and Xavier Ward (Freeman, played for Canistota-Freeman). Other previous team captains from South Dakota since 2016: Genant (2021 spring); Preston Tetzlaff of Brookings (2021 spring); Evan Greeneway of Yankton (2019); Dalton Cox of Aberdeen Roncalli (2018); Taryn Christion of Sioux Falls Roosevelt (2018, 2017); Dallas Goedert of Britton (2017); Shayne Gottlob of Salem (2016); and Nick Mears of Milbank (2016).

• 4: Time zones played in its last four games of the year in Brookings (Central); Sacramento, CA (Pacific); Villanova, PA (Eastern); and Bozeman, MT (Mountain).

• 3: SDSU losses were by three points or less. The Jacks lost its six games in 2021 by a combined 38 points.

Long-time South Dakota journalist John Papendick is a freelance writer, public speaker and seeker of new life experiences. Email: papendickjohn@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Papendick: SDSU football had much to celebrate in 2021