Jacks Defense Takes Center Stage in Hobo Day Victory

South Dakota State forced five turnovers in once again holding Northern Iowa out of the end zone and quarterback Chase Mason accounted for all four Jackrabbit touchdowns in a 31-3 Hobo Day victory Saturday afternoon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

In playing before a season-high crowd of 19,342, the second-ranked Jackrabbits improved to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. SDSU also extended its home winning streak to 33 games. UNI dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in league play.

Mason scored on a pair of 2-yard runs in the first half. His first touchdown capped a seven-play, 37-yard drive following the first of four Jackrabbit interceptions on the day as Isaiah Johnson picked off a Matthew Schecklman pass to give SDSU a short field.

After UNI put up what would be its only points of the game on a 30-yard field goal by Max Bartachek, the Jackrabbits answered with their second scoring drive of the game. Julius Loughridge broke off runs of 27 and 20 yards before Mason plunged in again from 2 yards out with 2 minutes and 2 seconds remaining in the first half.

SDSU had a chance to put more points on the board late in the second quarter when Cullen McShane punched the ball loose near midfield and fellow linebacker Joe Ollman recovered. However, the Jackrabbits missed their second field goal attempt of the day as a 45-yarder into a gusty southerly wind came up short.

The start of the third quarter was full of twists and turns, starting when UNI forced a three-and-out and blocked a Jackrabbit punt, recovering at the SDSU 12. The SDSU defense came up with a quick response when backup quarterback Aidan Dunne entered the game as a running back and lofted a pass to the right corner of the end zone that was picked off by Jalen Lee.

Chase Van Tol added an interception later in the third quarter for SDSU, but the Jackrabbit offense again stalled and turned the ball over on downs.

After the second UNI punt of the third quarter, the Jackrabbits were finally able to add to their lead by turning to the air. Grahm Goering caught passes for 12 and 16 yards before Mason found Greyton Gannon for catches and runs of 26 and 22 yards, the last of which went for a touchdown.

Mason connected with another tight end for the final Jackrabbit touchdown of the day as he lofted a pass over a UNI defender into the left flat to Andrew Gustad for an 11-yard score early in the fourth quarter.

SDSU tacked on a 30-yard field goal by Eli Stader on its next drive to close out the scoring and freshman Myles Green notched the Jackrabbits' fourth and final interception in UNI territory to keep the Panthers out of the end zone for the third consecutive game in the series.

Mason ended the afternoon 19-of-31 passing for 251 yards. Alex Bullock caught five passes for 82 yards, followed by Goering and Jack Smith each with four receptions for 51 and 36 yards, respectively.

SDSU finished with a 382-221 advantage in total offense. Loughridge led the ground game with 76 yards on 19 carries.

For UNI, Schecklman was 12-for-20 passing for 125 yards. Bill Jackson led the Panthers with 10 carries for 29 yards, as well as five receptions for 42 yards.

Ollman paced the Jackrabbit defense with eight tackles, followed by six by McShane. Van Tol stuffed the defensive stat sheet with four total tackles, including two sacks, and an interception.

Kolben Miller, Ryan Crandall and Tucker Langenberg all registered 10 stops for UNI.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State goes back on the road for an Oct. 18 matchup at Murray State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Kentucky.

NOTES

Northern Iowa leads the all-time series, 33-27-2
The Jackrabbits' 33-game home winning streak began following a 26-17 setback to UNI on Oct. 23, 2021, and is now the fourth-longest such streak in Football Championship Subdivision history
SDSU has won 25 of its last 26 MVFC games since the start of the 2022 season
The Jackrabbits' Cody Cotton blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt on the second play of the second quarter
Mason rushed and threw for touchdowns in the same game for the second time this season and fourth time in his career
Gannon has caught touchdown passes in consecutive games
The Jackrabbits' four interceptions marked their most in a game since recording six in and FCS playoff game against UC Davis on Nov. 27, 2021
Attendance was the sixth-largest since Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium opened in 2016

-GoJacks.com-

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