JackJD

Hey, I remember well all the years when SDSU couldn't buy a football win against both North Dakota schools.

With NDSU, USD and SDSU all claiming a share of the conference title, the Sagarin rating was the conference’s agreed method for resolving which team could claim the automatic qualifier for the playoffs. The AQ had no bearing on the selection committee’s process for determining seeding and matchups. Had NDSU won in Vermillion, or if SDSU had lost at Missouri State, the Sagarin rating would not have been a topic on any fan message board. I think most SDSU fans recognize that SDSU playing DII Augustana and USD playing DII Northern State, were factors in the committee’s work. In SDSU’s case, the decision to play Augie was a late call – SDSU was contracted to host FCS (WAC) Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State out of St. George, UT) but Utah Tech backed out. I don’t know anything about USD’s scheduling decision but that decision took on added significance when Portland State cancelled USD’s game after USD flew in to Portland only to hear PSU's team had been exposed to pertussis (a fact PSU knew for a day or two before USD got on the plane)…it was likely USD would have won that game but instead ended up with one less DI game on its schedule. It seems hard to argue with Montana State’s #1 seed or NDSU’s #2 seed based on win/loss and more detailed season stats. In my view, USD’s win over NDSU should have been a discussion point in the committee’s deliberations – should a losing team be seeded higher than a team that just beat them? -- but what weight was given to that point in light of other factors is beyond me. My guess is the committee thought a little about what could happen if the brackets permitted SDSU meeting NDSU in Frisco, a repeat of the 2022 game (boring to the rest of the country; or, if the brackets permitted SDSU playing USD in Frisco. What is the interest in playoffs for fans whose favorite team is not located in Montana or one of the Dakotas? I think you’ll find very little griping by SDSU fans about the bracket and seeding. Sure, there are some personal preferences about whether we end up in Fargo or Bozeman if we get through the preliminary rounds; but, I think the Jacks faithful take a note from our coach and the team: we’ll play anybody, anywhere. To get to Frisco means we have to go through some very good teams (cue the “last play” and “one game at a time” mantras). Jacks fans are guardedly optimistic right now. Since mid-season, the Jacks have looked like and played like the Jacks teams of the past couple of seasons. In some respects, we may be better. The adjustment to the loss of a great senior class now well represented in the NFL, took longer than we thought but now, much like last season and the playoffs, we have been crushing teams. This past weekend, a pretty good Missouri State team could only score 9 points at home – three field goals. Best of luck to UND working through the discussions about whether a coaching change is warranted. That’s a tough decision that impacts all of the teams in the conference.

I've always thought the administration and fans quietly recognized that we didn't provide sufficient support for SDSU football. Actually, for the poor investment, we got a pretty good bang for the buck. Stig was highly respected as a person and was considered a very good coach. We just didn't give him the right support for many years. I've often thought that the inability to play at a championship level was recognized as a fault of the fans, boosters and administrators. I recall conversations over those years in which Jacks fans were pretty honest in their assessment that we didn't give the program enough support. It seems there never was much discussion about replacing Stig. Maybe some fans think we're lucky Stig didn't "replace" us and that may appear as having a long leash but we probably owed it to the guy. Now, on game days, Stig brings out more smiles, takes more selfies with fans, and shakes more hands than a politician while walking around in the tailgate area.

Not a big deal but SDSU was the dominant NCC team from 1949 through 1963. Ralph Ginn-coached teams won 9 NCC titles in those years. 1963 was the piivotal year, after which SDSU faded and NDSU emerged as the big dog. For the 1963 season, NDSU hired Darrell Mudra and Bison boosters laid the foundation for Teammakers to support the program. In 1964, Mudra's team won the NCC title and in his third and final season as head coach, 1965, Mudra's Bison repeated as NCC Champs. The Bison decided to stay at the top. Meanwhile, SDSU struggled. Success slowly started to return on a regular basis when Mike Dailey became SDSU's head Coach (and Coach Stig was an assistant). But SDSU fortunes didn't start reaching higher until SDSU committed to joining NDSU in transitioning to Div 1 FCS, SDSU planned to raise and spend a lot of money on new and improved facilities, coaching staffs and program support. I give a lot of credit to hiring Justin Sell as the Athletic Director to lead the effort. Coach Stig was given the opportunity to become the modern CEO Head Coach as we started adding more assistant coaches, matching the number of assistants other FCS programs employed. And there's no question that the tremendous improvement in facilities put SDSU on par with the top FCS facilities in the country. Last, tremendous support from alums and fans of SDSU emerged, led by stadium-namesake Dana J. Dykhouse, a Jackrabbit football alum (his son was too).

We’re trying a new experiment in South Dakota: elect less desirable people as the State’s Governor.

A few years ago there was a rumor about the Vikings moving to the capitol of the Philippines. They were going to be renamed the "Manilla Folders".

Based on the UND and the SDSU official athletics websites, I have listed below the sports each team sponsors. SDSU sponsors more sports than UND. Am I missing something about the statement "What they don't have is another sport to manage?" I read that as something the poster thinks is correct and that provides some sort of benefit to SDSU. UND Sports -- Eight men's sports are listed: Basketball; Cross Country; Football; Golf; Hockey; Tennis; Track & Field - Indoors; and Track & Field, Outdoor. Nine women's sports: Basketball; Cross Country; Golf; Soccer; Softball; Tennis; Track & Field - Indoor; Track & Field - Outdoor; Volleyball. SDSU Sports -- Eight men's sports but if Track & Field indoor and outdoor were counted separately as does UND, then the total is nine men's sports: Baseball; Basketball; Cross Country; Football; Golf; Swimming and Diving; Track & Field (indoor and outdoor) ; Wrestling. Nine women's sports but if Trand & Field indioor and outdoor were counted separately as does UND, then the total is 10 women's sports: Basietball; Cross Country; Equestrian; Golf; Soccer; Softball; Swimming and Diving; Track and Field (indoor and outdoor); Volleyball. SDSU also sponsors a rodeo team for men and women although the rodeo team is not considrered a part of the athletic department. JackJD

Make sure you're wearing blue, know the school fight song, and are buying some SDSU gear which will be sold at the gathering, if you're planning on ducking into the SDSU room or we'll spot you drinking the complimentary beer. I wonder how strong the USD crowd will be since the Yotes Men are in the play-in game which may have depressed their full-tourney pass sales (I don't know that for a fact). I've attended all but one SLT since it has been held in Sioux Falls. The 2024 Tourney has great potential. Many have commented on the league parity, particularly on the Men's side. I've watched most of the teams and the quality spread from top to bottom is not as large as it has been in some years. I'll show up for the Friday play in games and stay in Sioux Falls (I live 90 minutes outside of Sioux Falls) for the entire tourney, irrespective of how the SDSU teams perform. I'm even looking forward to the USD v ORU play-in game -- should be entertaining and will be of great interest to Jacks fans because the winner plays the Jacks on Saturday. Good luck and safe travels!

USD, not SDSU, led the effort to get approval for multi-year contracts when the Coyotes wanted a longer commitment to offer to Bob Nielsen, current USD football coach. Personally, I think it was a good move and benefitted the schools and their coaches.

SDSU Athletics official site, gojacks.com, lists the game as a sellout. There are some tickets available on the SeatGeek reseller site...link: https://seatgeek.com/south-dakota-state-jackrabbits-football-tickets/ncaa-football/2023-09-30-2-pm/5953727 The Weather Channel at about 1:45 pm today (Friday) predicts 79 degrees at the 2:00 pm kickoff with the temp rising to 85 between 4 and 5 PM...mostly sunny skies for the afternoon; win ESE at 10-20 mph (which isn't a big problem because the stadium is oriented north to south and the stands will slow down some of that wind). Great day to enjoy a cold "Ears Up" or two (the official Jackrabbit beer...lots of other popular brands available too) during the game. Remember, to keep the beer lines moving at an acceptable speed, credit or debit card required to buy beer and you must have ID checked and obtain a wrist-band before buying beer (wrist-band stations easy to find). It should be a very competitive football game before 19,340+ fans in great weather. Travel safely to Brookings and back and enjoy the game.

I see one suggestion was drive to Watertown or Sioux Falls....I'm from Watertown and there are some games where we decide to avoid the post-game crowd and drive to Watertown (40 minutes) and hit BWW where there are usually other Jacks fans. In Brookings, I prefer Cubbys before and after games and any other time. Lots of TVs with all the games; good food; good beer selection; good service. Fans from everywhere and all ages are welcome, even the occasional Bison. Often there is a wait to get inside after a big game. Tailgating is allowed five hours before the game. There are designated tailgating areas although tailgating seems to have spread to any area you can park your vehicle. Here's a link to an article in the Brookings Register newspaper from 2022 ... it appears to be accurate for this season too. See the graphic on the left which shows the designated tailgating areas for visiting fans. Of course, that's not mandatory and is actually a great spot with lots of parking. The only "problem" is its a three-block walk to the stadium. If you want to walk around before the game, walk through the "Backyard" which is the tailgate area immediately north of the indoor track/practice facility which is immediately north of the stadium and the newly-named Steigelmeir Family Student Athlete Center (which abuts the north end of the stadium. If you're friendly, you'll probably drink free. https://brookingsregister.com/article/changes-made-to-sdsu-football-gameday-experience#:~:text=Tailgating and tickets Due to the demand of,hard-surface lot for %24650 for the entire season.

I've had four season tickets since 2010 and until the recent two or three years, it was a pretty safe bet you'd be able to buy a ticket on game day. That's not true today. I'm probably not a good source for commenting on people offering tickets for sale on game day because I'm in a parking lot on the west side of the stadium just a short walk into the gate, sitting on a chair, drinking a beer. But from that vantage point, I have not seen a ticket offered. It seems reasonable to assume someone is offering to sell tickets they cannot use but I can't guess the risk of a drive to Brookings only to find no tickets available. I don't know the exact procedure that is followed in the conference, but I think I understand the process generally. The home team has to make available to the visiting team a certain number of tickets (400 or so?). About five days to a week before gameday, the visiting team returns any unsold tickets and the home team then offers them for sale. I assume you've checked with your athletic office for tickets...if not, I'd do that first. The game will definitely be a sellout and with the attention the Jacks are getting from new fans etc., any Jacks fans with tickets they can't use will likely connect with other Jacks fans they know. Hope you can make it. Gamedays in Brookings are a lot of fun and the more the merrier.

LOL. If we can keep the attendance figures up, the discussion will be started about expansion (upper deck on east side...when the stadium was constructed (completed for the 2016 season), footings and related were put in the ground for relatively little additional cost and, in the long run if the decision is made to expand, that kind of preliminary work should result in considerable cost savings and speed of construction. The east concourse area will be considerably expanded to be similar to the west concourse.)

It appears the UND at SDSU game is sold out. I haven't heard or read an official statement on that but if one tries to purchase tickets from the official GoJacks.com site, the "none available" message pops up. The official stadium capacity is 19,340. I imagine all of the tickets allocated to UND have been purchased. We've had two games at the Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium this season: Opener against D2 Western Oregon was 16,258; and second home game was against Montana State, 19,332. Last weekend SDSU was considered the "home" team but we played Drake at Target Field before a crowd of 18,174. Looks like the home games against UND, UNI and NDSU are sold out (or extremely close to being sold out). The Jacks end their home games with Missouri State. Looking forward to a good fight in Brookings against the Hawks.

I don't know how often Heins was on the field but I think the games SDSU has had with NDSU of late have some element of a chess match. And, each team will have at least some unconventional play ready for the game (perhaps SDSU is more likely to spring a surprise on the Bison). Each time Heins was in, a defender was dedicated to lining up against him. I think they had to assume that he may take off running. Heins improved steadily through the season (recall Kraft went out early in the first game at Iowa and missed much of the season) and by the end of the season, he was a strong threat. We're expecting big things from Heins in 2023.