Southern University Game

[89rabbit]

Looks like it is offical.  Here is a story from WBRZ in  Louisiana:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/...ufoot001.shtml

Southern's football schedule finally set


By RANDY ROSETTA
rrosetta@theadvocate.com
Advocate sportswriter

Southern University's 2004 football schedule finally came into clear focus Friday, with one unfamiliar opponent plugging a nagging hole and another familiar foe still left off.
The Jaguars and South Dakota State officially signed contracts Friday to square off in Baton Rouge on Sept. 25. That addition allows Southern to play a full 11-game slate after a scheduling problem with Southwestern Athletic Conference opponent Arkansas-Pine Bluff left the Jaguars with only 10 games.  .  .

Southern and UAPB were originally slotted to play Sept. 25 in St. Louis in the Gateway Classic. Southern balked because of travel costs. UAPB offered to move the game to Oct. 2 in Pine Bluff -- the game in St. Louis would have been a Lions home game -- but Southern declined because of a previous commitment to play Alabama State on that date.

The only other common open date was Nov. 20, and Southern shot down that possibility because it falls right before the Jaguars' annual battle against Grambling State in the Bayou Classic at the Superdome.  .  .  .

When Southern and UAPB couldn't find an acceptable solution, the Jaguars were left scrambling to fill an open date. Kerr said there was no pressure from the SWAC to force Southern into playing UAPB on Nov. 20.

Kerr said there was no other feasible resolution.

"In terms of not playing them this season, that's not something we wanted, but it was something we found that we just couldn't get done," Kerr said. "We've accepted that and we're comfortable with the decision. It's time for us to move on."

Which is what Southern did by convincing South Dakota State to make a 1,316-mile trip south for a nonconference game.

Kerr said he relied on an NCAA service on the Internet to spread the word that Southern needed an opponent. With a few phone calls, Kerr connected with SDSU officials and quickly hammered out a deal.

The Jackrabbits will earn $50,000 for their trip, which Kerr called a very healthy payout and one that is "at the top of (Southern's) scale that we can pay somebody to come down here."

South Dakota State will play at the NCAA Division I-AA level this season after operating in Division II the last several decades. The Jackrabbits were 7-4 a year ago.

Kerr said part of the agreement with SDSU includes Southern considering the negotiation of a return trip to Brookings, S.D.

"We're very grateful that they are coming," he said. "I was really kind of surprised that anybody responded to the call we put out."



That ought to lock our schedule as well.      I hope we can get Southern to make the return trip, I'm not sure I like the sounds of "Southern considering the negotiation of a return trip to Brookings, S.D." but I do like the $50,000 payout.  I'm sure we will hear more from our end soon.  No matter what happens I am glad we got the game with Southern.

Go State!  ;D

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Southern University Game

Thats a good guarentee. I believe we got $40,000 when we played Montana 11 years ago. If we recipocate in guarentee money, I sure Southern will consider and then too, they may need to fill a schedule next year or the year after. I think in being willing to play we have shown some sincerity which means a great deal.

It would be great for SU team and fans to find out what life is like in the upper midwest.

[Earle]

Re: Southern University Game

Indeed it would be great for SU fans to find out what life is like in the upper midwest. One thing is for sure, SU people know very very very little about South Dakota. Myself, I know that S.D. is the sister state to North Dakota and is located just south of the Canadian border. A city called Sioux (or is it Fargo) is your largest city. I am not familiar with the city of Brookings. I know absolutely nothing else abour S.D.

[bluedog]

Re: Southern University Game

Well howdy there Jackrabbits it was a hard road here but thanks to AC and 89 I made it.

Looking forward to having some great dialogue with you guys and learning as much as I can about the "Great" city of Brookings.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Southern University Game

SU Fans

Brookings is located about 58 miles straight north of Sioux Falls on I-29 that runs north to Canada.  Population is about 20,000 without the students, and maybe 30,000 with the students.  Our student enrollement was a little over 10,000 last fall. Air service is to Sioux Falls.  Sioux Falls is the large one with maybe 170,000 people.  We are very much still an agriculture state. US Senate Minority Leader  Tom Daschle is one of our alums and has worked hard for SDSU, including the large Sun Grant noted in my Signature.

One other alum that SDSU is very proud of is Cleveland Abbott, the legendy coach at Tuskegee University from 1923 to his death in 1955.  Cleve graduated from SDSU in 1916. I would suspect there was a time when SU played Tuskegee. Tuskegee is still D2 but from what I understand has given their old rival Alabama State a run for their money and have won some years in their annual Turkey Day Classic on Thanksgiving Day. I believe Alabama State is on SU schedule for this year and maybe its an annual conference opponent.

This as you may know is SDSU first year at D1AA. We have a plan in place, but for this year we will offer only 38 scholarships for football.  SDSU recently has had more sucess in men and women Basketball than we have had in football.  We have NCAA National championships in both men and women.  Frost Arena had a seating capacity of 9500 before any back chair seating was installed and that had decreased the capacity for comfort.

Coughlin Alumni Staduim was built in 1962 and we have gotten as many as 16,000 in the staduim. From what I gather SU may have a superior facality for football in that you have nearly 30,000 capacity.  I for one am looking forward to coming to your campus.

. There are people in South Dakota who feel SDSU should not go D1AA, but we are in the process of having one of q1963 national championship Basketball players lead a campaign to raise 20 million for endowed scholarships. To date he has committments for 10 million and this is a five year campaign. Year one is 2004.  We will have the funds and are committed to being competitive at the D1 and D1AA levels of competition.

Recipocating with a $50,000 guarentee for SU for next year or the following year should not be a problem and our Adminstration will do that if that is requested.

We have had a few NFL players starting with a couple in the 1930's and in the late 1950's into the 1960's Pete Retzlaff played for the Philadelphia Eagles. Doug Eggers played on the 1958 championship team Baltimore Colts.
Jim Langer is a NFL Hall of Famer and played for the Miami Dolphins.  The current NFL players are Adam Viniteri with New England Patriots. Adam Timmerman with the St Louis Rams and Steve Heiden with the Cleveland Browns.

Its a much slower pace of life especially in Brookings. I think you will enjoy your visit if it happens. Even if it not a SU football game in Brookings, you are still welcome.

[89rabbit]

Re: Southern University Game

Indeed it would be great for SU fans to find out what life is like in the upper midwest.  One thing is for sure, SU people know very very very little about South Dakota.  Myself, I know that S.D. is the sister state to North Dakota and is located just south of the Canadian border.  A city called Sioux (or is it Fargo) is your largest city.  I am not familiar with the city of Brookings.  I know absolutely nothing else abour S.D.  

Hey Earle,

Welcome to the board. You are right we are the Sister state of North Dakota and as the name implies they are North of us. They boarder with Canada. We boarder with them to the North, Iowa and Minnesota to the East, Nebraska to the South and Montana and Wyoming to the West. Our biggest City is Sioux Falls (about 45 min. South of Brookings) and the State Capitol is Pierre.

I found this web site that might interest you.

http://www.state.sd.us/state/sdsym.htm


Isn't it fun how college football can bring folks together. I am learning a ton about Louisiana and Baton Rouge. ;D Hope the return trip happens and you get a chance to visit our Great State!

Go State! ;D

[Earle]

Re: Southern University Game

Thanks Jackrabbit and SDSUFAN for the crash course on the great state of South Dakota.  It certainly would be good to visit your part of the country.  For a moment, I had forgotten that Senator Tom Daschle comes from S.D.

We welcome you to Louisiana and to its capital city of Baton Rouge on 9/25 and always.  Come and experience the sights and sounds that make this region great.  The food, culture, and people of the Gulf South will be cause for return visits with great frequency.

Baton Rouge is a large city with a population of 230,000 in the city proper and nearly 700,000 in the four-parish metropolitan area.  Louisiana call its political subdivisions  "parishes" as opposed to "counties."  A bustling city with a colorful past, Baton Rouge sits high above the banks of the Mississippi River just 60 miles up river from New Orleans, queen city of the Gulf South.  The BR can be accessed by way of its regional airport, which is served by several major airlines, or by New Orleans International located 55 miles to the south.

Southern University-Baton Rouge is the main campus of the 3-campus Southern University system.  Branch campuses are located at New Orleans and Shreveport.   SUBR has an annual enrollment of 9000 students upwards and a system enrollment of more then 15,000.  We enjoy one of the largest and most rabid fan bases in the country in 1-AA  football with a per-game average of more than 22,000.  Our stadium (Mumford) currently seats about 27,000 and is about to be expanded to nearly 30,000 seats.

Again, we welcome to Louisiana, Baton Rouge, and Southern University.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Southern University Game

Earle:

Thanks too for your description of Southern and Baton Rogue. I suspect if I visit your campus and community, I will hear some zideco and Cajun music something I really enjoy.

Some of the spicy food I am not so sure about.

I have a very close friend that is an alum of SU and he lives in Virginia, and I cant wait to tell him about this game. My friend knows I am a big Jackrabbit fan and it seems every Sunday there was a email from him telling me about the SDSU score he saw in the paper and if we lost he was full of questions.

So SU is not totally foreign to me.  Also have watched the Bayou Classic last year and other years too.  Both teams have exciting offenses, so I hope our defense can step up to the plate. If we dont it will be a long night in Baton Rogue.

We have beefy lineman and hope they can show the needed quickness to stay in the game.  This year being our first in D1AA, as others on this board have said, our guys had better strap the helment on be ready to play football.

[Jagster]

Re: Southern University Game

All Jaguar and SDSU fans:

Our new scoreboards for basketball, baseball and football comes from a rather large contributor to SDSU, Daktronics, Inc., so many SDSU grads have been to SU over the last two years for those installations.

[bisonguy]

Re: Southern University Game

One word of advice for any Rabbits that might make the trip: Nexium. ;D Enjoy the food, just be prepared for the consequences.

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

Re: Southern University Game

For all who are planning on attending this game-book your rooms now, I called my LSU friends today-They have Mississippi St. in Death Valley the same night. Lots of fans from Starkville, MS. and New Orleans' LSU fans will stay overnight. I'm getting my accomodations this week. I'm already looking forward to tailgating in the Bayou (something I've done lots of times before but never with MY TEAM in the game).

[bluedog]

Links to hotels, airport and good eating

Baton Rouge Metro Airport
hotels.com

The Hilton Gardens are right down Harding Blvd. which goes directly to the campus.


American food
Barbecue or see bluedog
Italian food
Mexican food
Seafood
Cajun food
and one of my favorites J Alexander of Baton Rouge

[Jagster]

Re: Links to hotels, airport and good eating

Baton Rouge Metro Airport
hotels.com

The Hilton Garden Inn is located about 2 miles down Harding Blvd. which goes directly to the campus.


American food
Barbecue or see bluedog  
Italian food
Mexican food
Seafood
Cajun food
and one of my favorites J Alexander of Baton Rouge

Those are some good restaurants that bluedog mentioned, these are my personal favorites.

Cajun/Creole/Seafood

BOUTIN'S ($)
8322 BLUEBONNET BLVD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70810
Phone: (225) 819-9862

DONS SEAFOOD & STEAK HOUSE ($)
6823 AIRLINE HWY, BATON ROUGE, LA 70805
Phone: (225) 357-0601

JUBANS RESTAURANT ($$$)
3739 PERKINS RD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 346-8422
Must have dish: HALLELUJAH CRAB, fried seafood stuffed softshell crab topped with sauce creolaise

MANSUR'S ON THE BOULEVARD ($$$)
5720-A CORPORATE BLVD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 923-3366
Must have dish: Cream of Brie & Crabmeat Soup

MIKE ANDERSON'S SEAFOOD & OYSTER BAR ($$)
1031 W. LEE DR, BATON ROUGE, LA 70820
Phone: (225) 766-7823

PARRAINS SEAFOOD ($$)
3225 PERKINS RD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 381-9922

RALPH & KACOOS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT ($$)
6110 BLUEBONNET BLVD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70809
Phone: (225) 356-2361

Barbeque/Steaks

DREAMLAND BBQ ($)
4385 PERKINS RD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 381-8282

RUTH'S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE ($$$)
4836 CONSTITUTION AVE, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 925-0163

SULLIVAN'S OF BATON ROUGE ($$)
5252 CORPORATE BLVD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 925-1161

TJ RIBS ($$)
2324 S. ACADIAN THWY, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 383-7427

[jax1906]

Re: Links to hotels, airport and good eating

Those are some good restaurants that bluedog mentioned, these are my personal favorites.

Cajun/Creole/Seafood

BOUTIN'S ($)
8322 BLUEBONNET BLVD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70810
Phone: (225) 819-9862

DONS SEAFOOD & STEAK HOUSE  ($)
6823 AIRLINE HWY, BATON ROUGE, LA 70805  
Phone: (225) 357-0601

JUBANS RESTAURANT ($$$)
3739 PERKINS RD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808  
Phone: (225) 346-8422
Must have dish: HALLELUJAH CRAB, fried seafood stuffed softshell crab topped with sauce creolaise

MANSUR'S ON THE BOULEVARD ($$$)  
5720-A CORPORATE BLVD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808  
Phone: (225) 923-3366  
Must have dish: Cream of Brie & Crabmeat Soup

MIKE ANDERSON'S SEAFOOD & OYSTER BAR ($$)
1031 W. LEE DR, BATON ROUGE, LA 70820
Phone: (225) 766-7823

PARRAINS SEAFOOD ($$)
3225 PERKINS RD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808  
Phone: (225) 381-9922  

RALPH & KACOOS SEAFOOD RESTAURANT ($$)  
6110 BLUEBONNET BLVD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70809  
Phone: (225) 356-2361

Barbeque/Steaks

DREAMLAND BBQ ($)
4385 PERKINS RD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 381-8282

RUTH'S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE ($$$)
4836 CONSTITUTION AVE, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 925-0163

SULLIVAN'S OF BATON ROUGE ($$)
5252 CORPORATE BLVD, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 925-1161

TJ RIBS ($$)
2324 S. ACADIAN THWY, BATON ROUGE, LA 70808
Phone: (225) 383-7427

Jax is in the house!!


Definitely some very good choices for some good eating.

Another must try is Memphis Bar B que at the Embassy Suites.

Copelands as well as Ralph and Kakoos(sp).

Copelands has good Cajun food as well as Ralphs.

Also...The Chimes.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Southern University Game

Here is the Sioux Falls Argus Leader feature on the SU game.

http://www.argusleader.com/sports/We...yfeature.shtml


Jacks to play I-AA power Southern
Chris Solari
csolari@argusleader.com

published: 6/23/2004

Addition of Jaguars completes schedule

South Dakota State added some spicy Southern flavor to finalize this fall's football schedule.

What's missing, though, is a heaping of home cooking.

SDSU agreed to travel to Baton Rouge, La. in September to face Southern University. It was the 11th and final game needed for Jackrabbit Coach John Stiegelmeier and Athletic Director Fred Oien to complete this year's slate.

In its first year playing in Division I-AA for football, the NCAA's second-highest classification, SDSU will host four games and hit the road for seven. But four of those road opponents finished in the final ESPN/USA Today I-AA Top 25.

"The level of competition is tremendous," Stiegelmeier said. "The only wish is that we'd have one or two more at home. But in the first year (of the transition to Division I-AA), we're not able to dictate a lot. The kind of people we're playing are not going to come to our place in our first year because they are quality, quality programs."

When Saint Mary's disbanded its football program after announcing the Great West Football Conference, the remaining schools' schedules needed a little tweaking. The Jacks' new docket includes:

• A Sept. 4 season-opener to kick off the Great West Football Conference at UC Davis, in its second year of the transition to Division I-AA.

• The Sept. 25 game against Southern, a historically Black university. That game is the same day in Baton Rouge that defending I-A Bowl Championship Series national champ Louisiana State hosts Mississippi State.

• A contest with perennial I-AA powerhouse Georgia Southern, slated for Oct. 30 in Statesboro, Ga.

• The inaugural battle for the Dakota Marker trophy against North Dakota State on Oct. 9 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium in Brookings.

• Hobo Day on Nov. 6 against former North Central Conference foe Augustana. The Vikings are one of just three Division II opponents on SDSU's schedule.

Seven of SDSU's eight I-AA opponents were ranked in the top 40 of last season's Gridiron Power Index (GPI), an unofficial, computer-generated ranking system which determines teams that are playoff-worthy.

"We were hoping to get into a conference, and we did," Stiegelmeier said. "Then, to be honest, I initially thought we'd have more Division II schools on our schedule. Not because it was what we wanted, but because of what we thought we'd get."

The only I-AA opponent not ranked in the GPI is NDSU which - like SDSU - enters its first season in I-AA.

"I really applaud our coaches. They really understand that we're not doing this just to win games," Oien said. "We're doing this to show the state and the region that we are serious about being a Division I school. That means we're going to play the best we can possibly find that will play us."

Erin Breczinski, SDSU's athletic ticket manager, said a season ticket for games at Coughlin-Alumni will cost $48. Last year, with six home games, the package cost $72.

"It fluctuates every year, depending on how many home games we have," Breczinski said.

Individual game tickets remain the same - reserve seats for $12, adult general admission for $10 and students K-12 general admission for $5.

In heading to Baton Rouge for some cajun food and zydeco music, the Jackrabbits will pick up a $50,000 guarantee for the game on the bayou. Stiegelmeier said it won't fully cover travel costs, but added that last year's trip to Western Oregon - with a limited travel roster - ran about $42,000.

Oien said SDSU will earn about $100,000 in guarantee money this year. That will go toward chartering flights to away games, on which the athletic department will sell seats to fans and players' families on a regular-fare basis to help recoup some of the costs.

"One of our concerns is missed class time," Oien said. "What these guarantees do is obviously allow us to travel, but also to travel so we can get the kids home on Saturday (after games)."

Round trip, the Jackrabbits will fly more than 14,000 miles this year from Brookings to games. Last year, they logged just over 4,000 miles with five road games, most within driving distance.

Southern Athletic Director Floyd Kerr told The Advocate in Baton Rouge that the $50,000 payout is, "at the top of (Southern's) scale that we can pay somebody to come down here."

The Jaguars are coming off a 12-1 season under Coach Pete Richardson, who has led them to the Black College National Championship three times since 1993. Southern was ranked 14th in the final I-AA poll in 2003.