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In their first appearance in the FCS playoffs, South Dakota State University’s football team logically should be intimidated.  After all, the Jackrabbits will travel to face top-seeded Montana, who earned their 17th consecutive playoff appearance by going undefeated in the regular season.

Despite the challenge facing South Dakota State, Coach John Stiegelmeier said his team is excited and ready for the first-time event.

Stiegelmeier, who has an 83-59 record in 13 years with SDSU, said the success of this year’s team has created a lot of excitement for football in South Dakota.  

The game will be the second playoff appearance for the Jackrabbits in 30 years.  The first came in 1979 in a loss to Youngstown State in the NCAA Division II playoffs.

“We have been a better FCS program than a Division II program,” Stiegelmeier said.
“It’s a result of a lot of people rolling up their sleeves.”

South Dakota State, which finished second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference to Southern Illinois, has experience against ranked opponents.  Since joining the FCS in 2004, the Jackrabbits have played 28 ranked teams, going 9-19.

“We have played some great schedules,” Stiegelmeier said.  “The Missouri Valley Football Conference is much like other conferences.  There are really good teams that have prepared us for the playoffs.”

Stiegelmeier said playing in front of over 25,000 fans in Washington-Grizzly Stadium should not faze his team.  The Jackrabbits played in front of over 50,000 fans at Minnesota Nov. 14.

“It gets the younger players into that environment,” Stiegelmeier said.  “Montana is not a Big Ten school, but it is still a hostile environment.”

Leading the Jackrabbits against Montana will be redshirt freshmen quarterback Thomas O’Brien.  According to Stiegelmeier, O’Brien was interested in playing for Montana out of high school.  However, the Jackrabbits beat Montana on recruiting O’Brien, Stiegelmeier said.

Other stand outs on offense for South Dakota State are senior wide receiver Glen Fox and junior running back Kyle Minett.

Fox, a senior captain for the Jackrabbits, leads South Dakota State in receptions and receiving yards.

Stiegelmeier said Fox is a quite leader who makes the tough catches.

Minett, a second-team selection in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, rushed for 1,173 yards this season.  

“He is a complete football player,” Stiegelmeier said of Minett.  “His forte is to get four yards, go one on one, and spin off.  He uses different moves.”

Minett was selected first-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American.  “He can remember what we tell him,” Stiegelmeier said describing Minett’s academic success.

On defense, Stiegelmeier said the team has developed a more aggressive mentality this season.  Part of the intensity comes from senior defensive end Danny Batten.
Batten, a Buck Buchanan Award candidate, earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season.

“He is a fiery type of guy whose motor never stops,” Stiegelmeier said of Batten.  “I love coaching him.”

With a motivated team, Stiegelmeier is looking to have the same success Wolford had in 2007 when they beat Montana in a similar first round match.  A win would be the first against Montana in school history.  

Though Montana has won all six pervious meetings, Stiegelmeier said the team is focusing on the here and now.

“We preach playing in the present and living in the present,” Stiegelmeier said.  “It’s a different team and a different crowd.”

While preparing for the Grizzlies, Stiegelmeier said he is most impressed with senior wide receiver Marc Mariani and junior running back Chase Reynolds.

“Chase is a guy we’ve got to stop,” Stiegelmeier said.  “He gets better the longer he runs.  We’ve got to keep him controlled.”

Besides stopping Reynolds and Mariani, Stiegelmeier said the key to success relies on the linemen.

“We’ve got to win the battle on the offensive and defensive line,” Stiegelmeier said.  
The 11th- ranked Jackrabbits will face Montana in Washington-Grizzly Stadium at noon on Saturday. Stiegelmeier said playing in the FCS playoffs for the first time is a huge step for South Dakota State.

“I’m proud of the football team,” Stiegelmeier said.  “We earned it.”