Run Rabbits!

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to be able attend South Dakota State University's first ever home playoff Football game.

The Jackrabbits hosted the Eastern Illinois Panthers in first round FCS football action at Coughlin Alumni Stadium in Brookings, SD.

Despite reading comments from the Panthers that the Jackrabbits, "Didn't do anything special".  And that, "We've faced good running backs before."  And how they had heard that SDSU "keeps the grass a foot long, to slow down the game".

The Jackrabbits had little trouble with the Ohio Valley Conference Champions, winning 58-10.  Sophomore running back Zach Zenner, broke the school's single game rushing record with 295 total yards and 3 touchdowns, and basically took the 4th quarter off.  In fact, his backup, redshirt Freshman Reggie Gandy, also ran for 150 yards and had two touchdowns of his own.

Run, Zach! Run!

While it was fun watching the Rabbits dispatch a clearly outmatched foe, it only sets the table for this weekend's coming Rivalry Rematch!

SDSU will travel up to Fargo, ND to face the NDSU Bison for the second time this season.  Last time, the Bison were able to win the game 20-17 to capture the Missouri Valley Conference football championship.

This time?  Who knows?  The Bison are certainly a solid team, and play the same type of smart, hard nose football as the Jackrabbits.  While it's strange to comprehend how the selection committee could set up the top two teams in the top conference in the nation to meet in a second round matchup... I'm pretty sure that the Jackrabbits were not the team the Bison wanted to see right away, either.

Go Big. Go Blue. Go Jacks!