Jackrabbits Roll Past Northern Iowa 41-15 behind Ground Game
South Dakota State piled up 259 rushing yards and dismantled Northern Iowa 41-15 on Saturday afternoon at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, according to game reports from KCRG and gojacks.com. The fifth-ranked Jackrabbits controlled the line of scrimmage from the opening kickoff, building a 17-7 halftime lead before pulling away completely in the second half of the Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup.
Josiah Johnson led the charge for South Dakota State (8-2, 5-1 MVFC), grinding out 109 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries while crossing the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season. Teammate James Basinger added 102 yards and a score on just nine carries, highlighted by a game-breaking 63-yard touchdown dash on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Jackrabbits Dominate with Balanced Offense and Defensive Stops
The Jackrabbits finished the afternoon with 467 total yards of offense. Quarterback Chase Mason directed the aerial attack efficiently, completing 10 of 18 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Jack Smith caught four passes for 62 yards, including a 22-yard scoring strike in the first quarter that set the tone for the visitors. Lofton O’Groske contributed three receptions for 69 yards, helping stretch the Panther defense.
Northern Iowa (4-5, 3-3 MVFC) found success hard to come by against a disciplined SDSU front seven. The Panthers managed just 74 rushing yards and 260 total yards of offense. Quarterback Jaxon Dailey completed 23 of 39 passes for 177 yards and a late touchdown to Briggs Hughston. Xavier Terrell added a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter to cap a 12-play, 75-yard drive, but UNI suffered its first home loss of the season.
Upcoming Conference Matchups
Tristan Alvano chipped in six points for the Jackrabbits with field goals from 42 and 50 yards out, the latter marking a season-long kick. Defensively, Jes Krcil paced SDSU with a game-high 10 tackles, while Cullen McShane and Chase Van Tol added nine and seven tackles, respectively. Calvin Jaworski led the defensive effort for Northern Iowa with nine stops.
Both teams return to conference play next Saturday. Northern Iowa hits the road to face South Dakota, while South Dakota State travels to meet Southern Illinois.
