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New chapter begins in SDSU-NDSU rivalry
New chapter begins in SDSU-NDSU rivalry
Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com
Argus Leader
published: 10/9/2004
Huge crowd expected for tonight's Division I-AA clash in Brookings
Call it a "budding rivalry" all you want, but today's South Dakota State-North Dakota State football game does have 100 years of history behind it.
The two teams first met in 1903 in Fargo, an 85-0 blowout for NDSU that still stands as the most points scored by one team in this series.
Over the years, as the two schools helped create and establish the North Central Conference as a premier Division II league, the Bison and Jackrabbits went back and forth until NDSU began to widen the gap starting in the late 1970s.
"We don't have to do a whole lot to get our guys up for this football game," SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. "We expect to win this game. For us to build (the rivalry) up, if we don't accomplish that goal, we're setting our guys up for failure."
Which leads us to today's rebirth in what officials from both schools hope will become their premier showcase game at the Division I-AA level. A big crowd is expected for the first battle for the Dakota Marker trophy begins at 6:40 p.m. today at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, and the game will be broadcast around the country via satellite TV.
"Very rarely do you see a (Jackrabbit) player out of position or on a busted assignment," said second-year NDSU coach Craig Bohl, whose program holds a 48-36-5 all-time edge over the Jackrabbits. "They execute well and don't beat themselves."
Both SDSU (3-2, 0-2) and NDSU (4-1, 0-1) are searching for their first victory in the Great West Football Conference, the new I-AA league the schools helped create as they made the leap into Division I. So far, each squad has earned some points in divisional polls and gained respect within the I-AA community.
In the year's first I-AA Gridiron Power Index (GPI) rankings released this week, the Bison are 28th while the Jacks are 39th out of 120 teams. The GPI, complied by the Web site www.i-aa.org, is a BCS-style ranking system.
Both have shown themselves to be competitive in the I-AA ranks. SDSU pulled a mammoth upset on Sept. 25 at Southern (La.) that caught the eye of many I-AA followers. The Jacks gave No. 10 Cal Poly a struggle last week, but they lost 14-7 in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
NDSU, meanwhile, is coming off a 24-14 road win at Nicholls State (La.), the Bison's second I-AA victory of the season. Their lone loss was a 15-13 decision at Northern Colorado a month ago.
"It's probably about where we thought we might be," Bohl said. "We might be a little disappointed, because we had hoped to be 5-0, but we're close enough to feel like we're moving in the right direction."
The Bison enter the game with the top rushing attack and the second highest-scoring offense in the Great West. Kyle Steffes is second in the league with a 115 yards-per-game rushing average on 92 carries, while Cinque Chapman is fourth with 73.4 yards on 72 carries.
"They make you prove you can stop the run," Stiegelmeier said. "Their two running backs are very good. They don't make mistakes."
NDSU averages a league-best 446.2 yards per game on offense, with quarterback Tony Stauss also passing for 152.4 yards a game. The Bison are scoring 38.8 points a game, while their defense is yielding a league-low 10.2 points a game.
The Jackrabbits have been buoyed by running back Anthony Watson and quarterback Brad Nelson. Watson, a sophomore, averages 88.6 yards a game rushing, third-highest in the Great West.
Nelson, coming off a rocky outing against a quick Cal Poly defense, is averaging 197.2 yards per game passing. He has 10 TDs to five interceptions.
"Nelson, I feel, is one of the best quarterbacks I've seen in awhile," said Bohl, a former Nebraska assistant. "Offensively, they're very solid."
SDSU's defense has improved dramatically since opening the season by giving up 52 points at Cal-Davis. The Jacks are allowing just 84.6 yards a game on the ground, and linemen Ryan Schlieman and Joey Abell have combined for 6.5 sacks.
While it's a continuation of a long-standing series, a close game today in front of a large, bipartisan crowd would go a long way to fostering some venom and animosity between these interstate foes.
"I think it's definitely going to create a lot of excitement," Bohl said. "There were a lot of naysayers, but we have two really good institutions that are going to be meeting on the gridiron."