Story by
The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Yotes vs Jacks: A year-by-year history of the rivalry in Division I
- Story byThe Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
- Yotes vs Jacks: A year-by-year history of the rivalry in Division I
Oct. 26—BROOKINGS — South Dakota State has had the upper hand in the in-state rivalry since it resumed in 2012, leading the series 10-3. But since a 7-0 head start for the Jacks it's even at 3-3.
While USD has had a few rough spots and rebuilding years during that time, the Jacks have been a consistent FCS contender for the entirety of the series' Division I era — their 14-year streak of qualifying for the FCS playoffs began the same year the rivalry resumed, in 2012.
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Over the last few years the Coyotes have taken steps to become a regular FCS contender themselves, and as such, the rivalry has tightened up.
This year's clash should be a classic. Both teams are ranked in the top 10. Both teams are on the short list of serious national championship contenders. Both teams have energetic, well-liked head coaches. Both teams have energized their fan bases. Both teams have plenty of motivation heading into Saturday's nationally-televised game.
As we look ahead to what should be a hell of a game, let's first take a look back at the previous 13 meetings.
2012: SDSU 31, USD 8, in Brookings
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USD was welcomed to Division I by a crowd of 15,278 that watched the Jackrabbits jump out to a 21-0 first quarter lead and dominate USD with their defense.
SDSU led 24-0 heading to the fourth when USD got on the board when Mike Garvey scooped up a blocked punt and took it in for a score. After a two-point conversion made it a two-score game, USD tried an onside kick and failed.
SDSU took advantage of the short field with Zach Zenner taking one in from a yard away to provide the final margin. The All-American running back had 164 yards on 28 carries in the game.
2013: SDSU 27, USD 12, in Vermillion
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A crowd of 10,845 saw SDSU's return to the DakotaDome, and the Coyotes put up a fight.
Trailing 13-6 at the half, USD got a 13-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Earl to Terrance Terry in the third quarter, but missed the extra point, allowing the Jacks to maintain a 13-12 lead.
SDSU went up eight on a 5-yard pass from Austin Sumner to Jason Schneider early in the fourth, and it stayed that way until USD drove into Jacks territory late in the game looking for a game-tying score, until Winston Wright picked off an Earl pass and raced 82 yards for a score to put it away.
2014: SDSU 37, USD 14, in Brookings
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At 7-3, a playoff spot was probably secure for SDSU, but a win in the regular season finale would certainly lock it up. The Jacks got it convincingly.
In the last home game of Zenner and Sumner's careers, SDSU scored three first-quarter touchdowns on their way to a 37-0 lead before USD added two late scores.
Sumner threw for a career-high 395 yards and three touchdowns, dropping the Coyotes to 2-10 on the season.
2015: SDSU 30, USD 23, in Vermillion
By the time the game rolled around, USD had made clear they were not the same team that had lost 10 times the year before, and took a 20-10 lead into the fourth quarter.
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Freshman quarterback Taryn Christion struggled for the Jacks, so SDSU called veteran Zach Lujan out of the bullpen in the fourth quarter, and watched the junior lead the team to a come-from-behind victory.
Lujan led a quick scoring drive early in the fourth to cut the lead to 20-17, then engineered another one as soon as the Jacks got the ball back, giving them a 24-20 lead.
Nick Farina added a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown to make it a 20-0 fourth quarter that secured the win.
2016: SDSU 28, USD 21, in Brookings
SDSU entered play at 6-3, closing in on a playoff berth and conference championship. USD was 4-5, holding on to longshot playoff hopes but mostly looking to play spoiler. They almost succeeded.
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In the rivalry's debut at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, the teams were tied at 21 in the fourth quarter when USD's Alex Gray intercepted Christion and the Coyotes drove into the Jackrabbit red zone with a chance to take the lead. But ace kicker Miles Bergner pushed a 32-yard field goal attempt wide right, and the Jacks responded with an 80-yard scoring drive that ended with a 7-yard touchdown run by Christion to provide the winning margin.
2017: SDSU 31, USD 28, in Vermillion
For the first time, SDSU and USD were both ranked in the FCS top 25 and on their way to the playoffs when facing off.
In a back-and-forth struggle between the two most prolific offenses in the Valley, SDSU took a 17-7 lead on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Christion to Jake Wieneke, but USD rallied back, going ahead 21-17 on a 10-yard strike from Chris Streveler to Dakarai Allen.
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The Jacks, however, built a 10-point lead late on a touchdown pass from Christion to Cade Johnson, and while the Coyotes got back within three on another connection from Streveler to Allen in the final minutes, SDSU recovered an onside kick and ran out the clock.
Senior tight end and future Philadelphia Eagle Dallas Goedert caught 11 passes for 117 yards in his final game against the Coyotes.
2018: SDSU 49, USD 27, in Brookings
Pierre Strong introduced himself to USD by running wild against the Coyotes on a wintry afternoon, rushing for 253 yards on only 17 carries and scoring on touchdowns of 30, 73 and 46 yards.
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Behind the NFL-bound Strong, an opportunistic defense and a 59-yard touchdown pass from Christion to Blake Kunz, SDSU jumped out to a 28-7 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Trailing 42-14 in the fourth, USD briefly got back in it with consecutive touchdown passes from Austin Simmons that made it a two-score game at 42-27, but Strong's final touchdown run of the game ended any thoughts of a comeback.
2019: USD 24, SDSU 21, in Vermillion
The Coyotes came in as heavy underdogs, knowing their season would end, win or lose, while SDSU was 8-3 and hoping to clinch a playoff seed. But USD was simply the better team in this game. Though the Jackrabbits outgained USD 498-369 and got 308 passing yards from freshman quarterback Keaton Heide, four turnovers did them in.
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Meanwhile South Dakota got a heroic effort from Simmons, as he threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns in his final game as a Coyote, as USD finally celebrated their first Division I win over the Jackrabbits.
2021: USD 23, SDSU 20, in Vermillion
If you saw it you'll never forget it. The Hail Mary game.
USD was in control until SDSU turned it on late. Trailing by four in the fourth quarter, the Jacks launched a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended on a Pierre Strong touchdown run to give them a 20-17 lead. When SDSU got a fourth down stop and then a first down, it looked like it was over. But they weren't quite able to completely run out the clock, and rather than punt or run a play on fourth down, they chose to have Chris Oladokun attempt to burn the final seconds by heaving a deep ball high into the air.
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After a review, the officials put one second back on the clock, and you know the rest: Carson Camp's heave toward the end zone was batted in the air and hauled in by Jeremiah Webb with no time on the clock to give the Yotes the shocking victory.
The win propelled the Coyotes into the playoffs, and likely cost SDSU a playoff seed.
2022: SDSU 28, USD 3, in Brookings
The Coyotes limped in at 1-3 with a slumping offense and the Jacks had won four straight after a 7-3 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
But the Yotes took a 3-0 lead early and had a chance to make it 10-0 when the Jacks muffed a punt at their own 9-yard line. Instead, a Cale Reeder interception shifted the momentum back to the home team, and the Jacks scored 28 unanswered points in front of the first sell-out crowd in the series' Division I history. USD finished with just 136 yards of offense and ended up stumbling to a 3-8 finish, while the Jackrabbits won the national championship.
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2023: SDSU 37, USD 3 in Vermillion
In what was billed as the biggest meeting in the history of the series, the Coyotes didn't hold up their end of the bargain in front of a sold-out DakotaDome crowd.
They held a 3-0 lead midway through the second quarter, but the Jacks finally broke through on a 7-yard touchdown run by Jadon Janke on a reverse, and moments later it was 14-3 after a 20-yard run by Amar Johnson.
Three Hunter Dustman field goals followed, and Johnson added two more touchdown runs in the fourth as the Jacks turned it into a rout.
SDSU defenders said their goal was to 'keep the lights on', as USD turns the lights off when the Coyotes score touchdowns, and they accomplished their goal, sapping any potential fun out of the day that Yotes fans might have had.
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2024: SDSU 20, USD 17 (in overtime) in Brookings
It took more than a century, but the Jacks and Yotes finally needed overtime to decide their rivalry clash on a chilly night at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
Both teams scored touchdowns on their opening drives but the defenses took over from there. SDSU led 14-7 early in the fourth when Dennis Shorter rammed into Amar Johnson to force a fumble that Mi'Quise Grace returned for a game-tying touchdown.
USD's Will Leyland missed a 46-yard field goal late in regulation, then hit a shorter one on the Coyotes' overtime possession to give the visitors a brief 17-14 lead. Johnson then atoned for his earlier fumble by taking it in for the game-winning score when SDSU got the ball, keeping the Coyotes winless in Brookings in the Division I era.
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2025: USD 24, SDSU 17 in Vermillion
The Jackrabbits were coming off a stunning 24-12 upset loss at home to Indiana State, a defeat so shocking it almost seemed to sap the fun out of the rivalry game. SDSU had been 7-0 and ranked 2nd in the nation before QB Chase Mason went down with an injury. The Jacks got blitzed 38-7 by NDSU in their first game without him, then came the catastrophe against the Sycamores.
The Jacks gave redshirt freshman Jack Henry his first career start at QB against the Coyotes, and played much better than they had against Indiana State, but it wasn't near enough against a surging USD squad. The Yotes had weathered a mid-season storm and now they were rolling, and senior quarterback Aidan Bouman got his first win over the Jacks (a program with deep ties to his family) in his last shot at it. The beloved southpaw completed 14-of-21 throws for 158 yards while LJ Phillips rushed for 170 yards and the Yotes blanked the Jacks in the second half.
