NO. 2 SDSU Wins Thirller in Double Overtime

BOZEMAN, Mont. — South Dakota State quarterback Chase Mason threw a pair of touchdowns in overtime, the last a 25-yarder to tight end Brayden Delahoyde on the first play of the second extra session, to lift the second-ranked Jackrabbits to a 30-24 road victory Saturday night at No. 3 Montana State.

The Jackrabbits improved to 2-0 on the season, while Montana State dropped to 0-2. The game was played before a Gold Rush crowd of 22,117 at Bobcat Stadium.

Tied at 17 after regulation, Mason hooked up with wide receiver Lofton O'Groske for a one-handed catch and a 2-yard touchdown for the first score in overtime. It was the second touchdown of the game for the sophomore wide receiver and his 12th and final catch of a career night.

The Bobcats quickly answered with a six-play drive that ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Adam Jones.

On what would be the only SDSU offensive play of the second overtime, Mason found Delahoyde, a redshirt freshman from Spearfish, open down the left hash for a 25-yard score. The two-point attempt was no good.

Montana State picked up a first down early in the ensuing possession and, after a Jackrabbit penalty for offsides on fourth-and-6 from the 10, needed only a yard to extend the drive. However, SDSU linebacker Kytan Fyfe stopped Bobcat running back Julius Davis inches shy of the line to gain on a play up the middle to end the contest.

The Jackrabbits scored on the opening drive of the game, marching deep into MSU territory before culminating the 11-play, 68-yard drive with a 25-yard field goal by Eli Stader.

Montana State took its lone lead of the night on a 7-yard touchdown run by quarterback Justin Lamson early in the second quarter, finishing off a nine-play, 88-yard drive that began with a 34-yard pass from Lamson to Dane Steel.

A big play by the Jackrabbits' special teams set up the first Jackrabbit touchdown of the night in the closing minutes of the first half. True freshman Casey Larson broke through the line and blocked the MSU punt attempt, setting SDSU up at the Bobcat 21. The Jacks needed only two plays to find paydirt, with Mason scoring around right end from 8 yards out after a 13-yard run by Julius Loughridge.

The Bobcats tied the game at 10-all on a 33-yard field goal by Myles Sansted at the first-half horn, and the game remained knotted heading into the final quarter.

After SDSU missed a field goal attempt in the third quarter, O'Groske put the Jackrabbits back out front with an 8-yard touchdown reception with 9:08 remaining.

However, Montana State returned the favor with a momentum-changing play of its own on special teams. SDSU punter Max Pelham initially evaded a heavy rush near his own end zone, but his botched punt attempt after moving to the right rolled into the hands of Seth Brock, who returned the miscue 10 yards for the game-tying touchdown with 6:37 to play in regulation.

Mason, who completed his first seven pass attempts of the night, ended the game 17-of-25 for 190 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. O'Groske totaled 141 receiving yards on his dozen catches.
Loughridge recorded a team-high 83 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Montana State finished with a 349-297 advantage in total offense. Lamson was the Bobcats' leading rusher with 96 yards on 20 carries and completed 18-of-28 passes for 123 yards. Julius Davis added 76 rushing yards on 12 carries.

Cullen McShane led the Jackrabbit defense with 11 tackles, followed by fellow linebacker Joe Ollman with eight stops. Ollman and Noah St-Juste each forced fumbles, with Logan Green adding a sack and a half.
Cole Taylor registered a game-high 13 tackles and forced a fumble for Montana State.

UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits return home Sept. 13 to host Drake in the 58^th Beef Bowl game. Kickoff for the Jacks in Black game is set for 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

NOTES

Montana State leads the all-time series, 11-8, although the Jackrabbits have won six of the last seven meetings
O'Groske's 12 receptions are tied for third-most in a game by an SDSU receiver and were the most by a Jackrabbit since Dallas Goedert caught 12 passes at Southern Illinois on Oct. 8, 2016
Delahoyde's game-winning touchdown came on his first collegiate reception
SDSU improved to 7-6 all-time in overtime games
The Jackrabbits won despite going 1-for-13 on third-down attempts
Stader topped the 500-point mark for his collegiate career, ending the night with 501
SDSU has won 28 of its last 30 games against ranked Football Championship Subdivision opponents since the start of the 2022 season

-GoJacks.com-

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