http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...D=200660926001
By Stu Whitney. I don't exactly agree with the Super Bowl analogy, but it was a big game none the less.
How big was South Dakota State’s 24-17 victory over Nicholls State on Saturday?
For a heavily scrutinized football team that started 0-3 (with more tough ones on the way), this one felt like the Super Bowl.
Just ask Jackrabbits coach John Stiegelmeier, whose job security became an issue following an embarrassing home loss to NCAA Division III Wisconsin-La Crosse on Sept. 2.
SDSU followed that with road losses to Montana and Northern Iowa. On Saturday, the Jacks gained 379 total yards and scored their first second-half points of 2006 to top Nicholls State, which fell 56-7 to Nebraska earlier this month.
Stiegelmeier, encouraged by a solid effort from quarterback Andy Kardoes, actually woke up feeling chipper after the team’s return trip from Thibodaux, La.
“I was an usher in church Sunday morning, and I was getting pats on the back,” says Stiegelmeier, who is in his 10th year at the helm. “At our level now, it’s more consuming. So it’s nice to have something positive to talk about – especially when you’re being questioned.”
With a new school president and a wide-open Division I future, “Coach Stig” must still prove he’s the right guy to push SDSU into I-AA respectability.
The next test is Saturday against McNeese State, ranked 16th in I-AA despite Saturday’s 41-7 loss at Toledo. The good news? The game will be played in Louisiana, where the Jacks are now 2-0.
For a heavily scrutinized football team that started 0-3 (with more tough ones on the way), this one felt like the Super Bowl.
Just ask Jackrabbits coach John Stiegelmeier, whose job security became an issue following an embarrassing home loss to NCAA Division III Wisconsin-La Crosse on Sept. 2.
SDSU followed that with road losses to Montana and Northern Iowa. On Saturday, the Jacks gained 379 total yards and scored their first second-half points of 2006 to top Nicholls State, which fell 56-7 to Nebraska earlier this month.
Stiegelmeier, encouraged by a solid effort from quarterback Andy Kardoes, actually woke up feeling chipper after the team’s return trip from Thibodaux, La.
“I was an usher in church Sunday morning, and I was getting pats on the back,” says Stiegelmeier, who is in his 10th year at the helm. “At our level now, it’s more consuming. So it’s nice to have something positive to talk about – especially when you’re being questioned.”
With a new school president and a wide-open Division I future, “Coach Stig” must still prove he’s the right guy to push SDSU into I-AA respectability.
The next test is Saturday against McNeese State, ranked 16th in I-AA despite Saturday’s 41-7 loss at Toledo. The good news? The game will be played in Louisiana, where the Jacks are now 2-0.
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