Brian Dzenis: Jackrabbits could be vulnerable

A slump may not be the best word to describe it, but South Dakota State lately looks more human than its No. 2 ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision suggests.

After the Jackrabbits (3-1, 1-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference) lost a fourth-quarter lead against No. 1 North Dakota State for a 21-17 defeat, SDSU gave up 24 points in the fourth quarter and needed overtime to beat Indiana State, 54-51, last week. Indiana State did not win a game last year and has not defeated a MVFC opponent since the 2016 season.

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader described last week’s game — which featured the Jackrabbits blowing an 18-point lead at home as “a moral loss.”

Youngstown State (2-3, 1-1) already has a good game-plan for SDSU and executed it last year in a 19-7 win at Stambaugh Stadium. The Penguins held the ball for 45 minutes, 14 seconds while attempting just 19 passes.

“That would definitely get some rest for our legs,” Penguin safety Chrispin Lee said at the prospect of repeating the feat. “It would really help the defense.”

SDSU lost tight end Dallas Goedert to the NFL draft as he was a second-round pick for the Philadelphia Eagles and the MVFC’s all-time leading receiver in Jake Weineke, but the Jackrabbits are still potent on offense.

Their season averages are a little inflated courtesy a 90-6 win against an Arkansas Pine-Bluff team that’s looking to be the worst team in FCS football with close to 2,000 yards passing yards conceded and a loss to a Division II team on its ledger. Jackrabbits coach John Steigelmeier later apologized for running up the score. SDSU also had its Sept. 1 game against Iowa State cancelled.

Quarterback Taryn Christion is the conference’s all-time leading passer with 9,597 yards and 87 touchdown passes. He’s kept rolling even with his top two targets out with 1,082 passing yards, a conference-best 15 touchdowns and just one pick. Five of those of those touchdowns came against Pine-Bluff.

“[They’ve changed] a little bit. They were doing certain things to feature [Goedert and Weineke],” YSU coach Bo Pelini said. “They have some different guys with different strengths. You have to play to the strengths you have and I think they do that well.

“They understand how to combine the running game and the passing game and how to complement each other. They understand what they want to do and what binds they want to put you in,” he added. “They’re going to be on point. Everyone will be in the right spots.”

Cade Johnson is the only wideout in the conference averaging triple digits in yards at 102.8 a game and boosts 411 yards and seven TD catches in the season. Adam Anderson isn’t far behind with 373 yards and three scores.

Given how well the passing game has gone, the Jackrabbits haven’t used the run very often with the second-fewest carries in the conference (154). Issac Wallace leads SDSU on the ground with 413 yards and four touchdowns.

On defense, the team is looking to rebound after giving up 569 yards on an average nine yards per play against the Sycamores.

Brian Dzenis covers YSU sports for The Vindicator. Write him at bdzenis@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Brian_Dzenis.