How to watch and what to know about Illinois State at South Dakota State
One more to go for the Jackrabbits.
South Dakota State has clinched a playoff berth and at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title, and with a win Saturday in the home finale – Senior Day – they’d finish off their first-ever outright Valley title. They’d finish 10-0 against FCS opponents. And they’d likely clinch one of the top two seeds in the playoffs, which guarantees home field advantage throughout.
ILLINOIS STATE (5-4) AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (9-1)
WHEN/WHERE: 2 p.m. Saturday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
TV: Midco Sports
RADIO: WNAX-AM 570; Jackrabbit radio affiliates
STREAMING: EPSN+ and Midco Sports Plus
COACHES: ISU – Brock Spack (14th year, 94-65); SDSU – John Stiegelmeier (26th year, 194-112)
SERIES: Tied 5-5
LAST TIME: Illinois State beat the Jacks 27-18 in Brookings in 2019
LAST WEEK: YSU lost 19-17 to Youngstown State; SDSU beat Northern Iowa 31-28
RANKINGS: SDSU is ranked No. 1 in the FCS poll
A must-win game for ISU against South Dakota State
Like Northern Iowa a week ago, Illinois State is facing the No. 1 team in the nation in what’s likely a must-win. The Redbirds seemed on their way to a playoff spot when they started the year 5-2, but after a physical and exhausting 24-7 road loss at North Dakota State, ISU was upset at home by Youngstown State last week. The back-to-back losses leave them at 5-4. A win next week against Western Illinois wouldn’t do much for the Redbirds’ resume. But a win in Brookings certainly would.
More:Matt Zimmer's FCS Top 25 for Week 10
The last time these teams played it was also on Senior Day in Brookings, and the Redbirds closed the game on a 17-0 run to escape with the win.
This year only the Jacks and Bison have given up fewer points than ISU’s 20.0, but the Redbirds are also one of four teams in the Valley scoring fewer than 20 (they average 18.1).
The Birds have got solid quarterback play this year from former Minnesota Gopher Zack Annexstad, who’s completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,691 yards and 11 touchdowns but did not play last week due to a shoulder injury. Freshman Tommy Rittenhouse started in his place and rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns while completing 7-of-14 throws for 103 yards.
Stiegelmeier said the Jacks are preparing for both quarterbacks, but that the Redbird offense doesn’t change much whoever is under center.
South Dakota State football:No. 1 South Dakota State football survives scare, beats Northern Iowa 31-28
ISU runs a 3-4 defense that’s anchored by nose tackle Noah Hickcox, end Jason Lewan and linebackers Zeke Vandenburgh and Kenton Wilhoit. Vandenburgh leads the league with 7.5 sacks.
“They’re very physical on defense,” Stiegelmeier said. “Their linebackers are really good football players. They’re sound, and their back-end will hit you, too.”
Can South Dakota State remain undefeated in FCS?
The Jacks survived a scare from a Northern Iowa team that was in must-win mode last week. Now they have to do it again.
For the Jacks, this is potentially historic territory. They’ve never won the Valley title outright. They’ve never gone through a regular season undefeated in FCS play. They’d accomplish both of those feats with a win Saturday. They’d also finish the regular season undefeated at home, extend their winning streak to 10 games and assure themselves of consecutive bye weeks, as they have their scheduled regular season bye next week and would get a first-round playoff bye as well.
Under normal circumstances going two weeks in a row without a game would perhaps not be ideal, but with the injuries SDSU is dealing with, they’ll be happy to get the time off.
But they need to win first. SDSU has made some noise recently about past criticisms of their tendency to lose an important game with playoff positioning on the line, and a win Saturday would be their ultimate answer to those (valid) critiques.
South Dakota football:With no playoffs, it’s a development year for South Dakota: Here’s what you should still watch for
The Jacks enter the game first in the Valley in scoring defense (16.4) and total defense (270.5) and third in scoring offense (31.4). Isaiah Davis is second in the league in rushing (882 yards), while quarterback Mark Gronowski has thrown for 1,964 yards and 17 touchdowns while also rushing for seven touchdowns. Jaxon and Jadon Janke each have five touchdown catches.
The Jacks defense leads the leage in interceptions (14) and is second in sacks (27). Cale Reeder has three interceptions, while Caleb Sanders has five sacks and Reece Winkelman 4.5.
South Dakota State has averaged 17,041 fans in their five home games this season. That number will be put to the test by the cold temperatures on Saturday, with the current forecast calling for a high of 24 degrees on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: What channel, stream is South Dakota State football vs. ISU on?
