| Teamname: | South Dakota State Jackrabbits football |
| Currentseason: | 2024 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team |
| Firstyear: | 1900 |
| Athleticdirector: | Justin Sell |
| Headcoach: | Jimmy Rogers |
| Headcoachyear: | 2nd |
| Hcwins: | 15 |
| Hclosses: | 0 |
| Stadium: | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium |
| Stadiumbuilt: | 2016 |
| Stadcapacity: | 19,340 |
| Stadsurface: | Turf |
| Location: | Brookings, South Dakota |
| Ncaadivision: | I FCS |
| Conference: | Missouri Valley |
| Pastaffiliations: | NCC (1922–2003), Great West (2004–2007) |
| Atwins: | 657 |
| Atlosses: | 477 |
| Atties: | 35 |
| Playoffs: | 22–12 |
| Natltitles: | 2 (Div. I FCS): 2022, 2023 |
| Fightsong: | Ring the Bell |
| Pagfreelabel: | NCAA FCS Playoff Appearances |
| Pagfreevalue: | (13) 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 |
| Rivalries: | North Dakota State (rivalry) South Dakota (rivalry) North Dakota |
| Mascotdisplay: | Jack Rabbit |
| Marchingband: | The Pride of the Dakotas |
| Websitename: | Jackrabbit Football |
| Websiteurl: | http://gojacks.com/index.aspx?path=football |
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represents South Dakota State University in college football. The program competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The Jackrabbits play their home games at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on South Dakota State's campus in Brookings, South Dakota.
South Dakota State is considered to be among the few perennial powers in the FCS. South Dakota State is also one of only 13 FCS schools to host ESPN's College GameDay.
For the 2019 GameDay matchup, the No. 3 Jackrabbits hosted the No. 1 North Dakota State Bison, where they would lose in a close battle 23–16 after losing their starting QB to a season ending knee injury.[1]
As of August 2024, the Jackrabbits possess a 12-year streak of qualifying for the FCS playoffs, the second-longest in the country at the FCS level.[2] The longest FCS qualification streak - as of August 2024 - belongs to North Dakota State at 13.[3]
South Dakota State are two-time national champions. They achieved their first national championship win in school history on January 8, 2023, defeating North Dakota State 45-21.[4]
Then a year later on January 7, 2024, they repeated by defeating Montana (13–2) with a score of 23–3. The Jackrabbits finished the season with a perfect 15–0 record under first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, who previously served as defensive coordinator and was a captain of the 2009 SDSU team himself.[5] [6]
The Jackrabbits were an NCAA Division II program in the North Central Conference until moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 2004.
In March 2004, SDSU initially began their Division I FCS era by being a charter member of the now-defunct Great West Football Conference (along with North Dakota State, Southern Utah, Cal Poly, UC Davis, Northern Colorado) and stayed there until 2007 when they were accepted into the Missouri Valley Football Conference and began league play in the 2008 season.
South Dakota State University has invested in their football program's facilities recently as they have some of the finest amenities and facilities at the FCS level including the largest video/scoreboard in the FCS (2015) a new 19,340-seat stadium (2016), and a large state-of-the-art student-athlete center in the north end zone (2010). Connected to the student-athlete center is one of the largest indoor practice facilities in NCAA Division I (completed in 2014). Due to the success of South Dakota State and North Dakota State football programs, the Dakota Marker game was featured on ESPN’s nationally televised College GameDay on October 26, 2019, becoming one of only a few FCS programs to be featured on the show.
South Dakota State reached the Football Championship Subdivision semi-finals six times in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively.
They advanced to their first national championship game on May 8, 2021 after defeating the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens 33–3 in the national semi-finals. They played No. 2 Sam Houston State for the national championship on May 16, 2021 and lost 23–21. The Jackrabbits finished the season 8–2 and as national runner-ups.
A year and a half later on January 8, 2023 they advanced to the national championship game again where they would win their first national title over conference rival North Dakota State, 45–21.[7]
On January 7, 2024, the Jackrabbits successfully defended their National Title when they defeated the Montana Grizzlies football team 23-3. Their victory capped a 15-0 undefeated regular season for first-year coach Jimmy Rogers, including an 8-0 Missouri Valley Conference record.[8]
A total of 34 Jackrabbits have played for NFL teams, including five signed to team rosters as of March 2024.
29 Jackrabbits have been drafted in the NFL draft. As of 2021, Jim Langer is the only Jackrabbit to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
| Rival | Record (W–L–T) | Winning Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois State | 6–8 | .429 | |
| Indiana State | 10–2 | .833 | |
| Missouri State | 14–1 | .933 | |
| Murray State | 0–0 | .000 | |
| North Dakota | 36–47–5 | .434 | |
| North Dakota State | 45–64–5 | .413 | |
| Northern Iowa | 25–32–1 | .439 | |
| South Dakota | 58–54–7 | .518 | |
| Southern Illinois | 11–4 | .733 | |
| Western Illinois | 14–4 | .778 | |
| Youngstown State | 18–7 | .720 |
Through December 2023, the Jackrabbits have appeared in the FCS playoffs thirteen times with an overall record of . They have made 12 consecutive appearances in the FCS playoffs, currently the second-longest streak in the nation.
| First Round | Montana | L 48–61 | ||
| First Round Second Round | Eastern Illinois North Dakota State | W 58–10 L 3–28 | ||
| First Round Second Round | Northern Arizona Eastern Washington | W 26–7 L 17–41 | ||
| First Round Second Round | Montana State North Dakota State | W 47–40 L 24–27 | ||
| First Round | Montana | L 17–24 | ||
| Second Round Quarterfinals | Villanova North Dakota State | W 10–7 L 10–36 | ||
| Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Northern Iowa New Hampshire James Madison | W 37–22 W 56–14 L 16–51 | ||
| Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Duquesne Kennesaw State North Dakota State | W 51–6 W 27–17 L 21–44 | ||
| Second Round | Northern Iowa | L 10–13 | ||
| Holy Cross Southern Illinois Delaware Sam Houston State | W 31–3 W 31–26 W 33–3 L 21–23 | |||
| First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals | UC Davis Sacramento State Villanova Montana State | W 56–24 W 24–19 W 35–21 L 17–31 | ||
| Delaware Holy Cross Montana State North Dakota State | W 42–6 W 42–21 W 39–18 W 45–21 | |||
| Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship | Mercer Villanova Albany Montana | W 41–0 W 23–12 W 59–0 W 23–3 |
The Jackrabbits have appeared in the Division II playoffs one time with an overall record of 0–1.
| Quarterfinals | Youngstown State | L 7–51 |
| 1 | Morrison | 1900 | |
| 2 | L. L. Gilkey | 1901 | |
| 3 | J. Harrison Werner | 1903 | |
| 4 | 1904 | ||
| 5 | 1905–1908 | ||
| 6 | 1909–1910 | ||
| 7 | 1911 | ||
| 8 | 1912–1917 | ||
| - | No team | 1918 | |
| 9 | 1919–1927 | ||
| 10 | 1928–1933 | ||
| 11 | 1934–1937 | ||
| 12 | Jack V. Barnes | 1938–1940 | |
| 13 | 1941–1946 | ||
| 14 | 1947–1968 | ||
| 15 | 1969 | ||
| 16 | 1970–1971 | ||
| 17 | 1972–1981 | ||
| 18 | 1982–1990 | ||
| 19 | 1991–1996 | ||
| 20 | 1997–2022 | ||
| 21 | 2023–present |
In 2014, South Dakota State University started construction of a new stadium on the location of the current Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The new stadium has a total seating capacity of 19,340 with easy expansion to 22,500.
The Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center (formerly the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex) is the Jackrabbits new State-of-the-art indoor practice facility. The facility was opened on October 11, 2014. The Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center has bleacher seating for up to 1,000 spectators and can be used for football practice, track practice, softball and baseball practice, track competitions, and other events within the SDSU athletic department. The 149,284-square foot facility is the largest indoor practice facility in Division I athletics and features an eight-lane, 300-meter track which is only one of five collegiate indoor tracks of that size in the nation. Inside the track is an 80-yard football field plus end zones at each end and is composed of a soy-based Astroturf. Within the facility it has areas for sports medicine and strength and conditioning. Sports medicine features include rehab space, a training room, weight room expansion, hydrotherapy, a football team room, offices and academic advising facilities. The Stiegelmeier Family Student-Athlete Center is used by many of SDSU's athletic programs.
All home and road games are covered on the Jackrabbit Sports Network. The broadcast range of the Jackrabbit Sports Network covers eight states (South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, and Wyoming), and consists of the following stations:
The Missouri Valley Football Conference and ESPN have signed a six-year media rights agreement, effective from the 2024 season. As part of the deal, a minimum of nine games will be showcased on ESPN, ESPN 2, or ESPN U throughout the contract. Additionally, the MVFC will maintain its "game of the week" digital package on ESPN+. The agreement also includes exclusive airing of additional league contests on ESPN platforms. Jackrabbits games have also been broadcast on Midco Sports Net, Fox College Sports, the Big Ten Network, Fox Sports North, ABC, and various local television networks.
Overall 2–10.
| Season | Opponent | Conference | Result | Record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | L 17–44 | 0–1 | |||
| 2009 | L 13–16 | 0–2 | |||
| 2010 | Big 12 | L 3–17 | 0–3 | ||
| 2011 | Big Ten | L 3–56 | 0–4 | ||
| 2012 | Big 12 | L 17–31 | 0–5 | ||
| 2013 | Big Ten | L 20–59 | 0–6 | ||
| 2014 | L 18–38 | 0–7 | |||
| 2015 | Big 12 | W 41–38 | 1–7 | ||
| 2016 | Big 12 | L 41–59 | 1–8 | ||
| 2018 | Big 12 | Canceled by weather | |||
| 2019 | Big Ten | L 21–28 | 1–9 | ||
| 2021 | Mountain West | W 42–23 | 2–9 | ||
| 2022 | Big Ten | L 3–7 | 2–10 | ||
Announced schedules as of June 6, 2024.[10]
| at Oklahoma State | at Montana State | at Northwestern | at Iowa State | at Nebraska | at Nebraska | ||
| Incarnate Word | Drake | Southeastern Louisiana | |||||
| Augustana (SD) | at Tarleton State | ||||||
| at Southeastern Louisiana |