Jacks pull away from SIU on Hobo Day

BROOKINGS, S.D. – South Dakota State scored three second-half touchdowns and the Jackrabbit defense pitched a shutout over the final 30 minutes en route to a 28-10 Hobo Day victory over Southern Illinois Saturday afternoon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.The third-ranked Jackrabbits improved to 4-1 overall, while SIU dropped to 2-3 on the season. The game marked the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both squads.The Salukis capitalized on the lone SDSU turnover of the game to put the first points on the board – and the first first-quarter points allowed by the Jackrabbits this season. After recovering a fumble at the Jackrabbit 20-yard line, Griffin Cerra booted a 31-yard field goal with five minutes remaining in the opening stanza for a 3-0 lead.SDSU responded quickly as STATS FCS Walter Payton Award candidate Cade Johnson slipped through a would-be tackle after catching a pass from J’Bore Gibbs and rolled 58 yards for a touchdown and a 6-3 Jackrabbit lead. The extra point was blocked.It was Johnson’s fourth touchdown of the season – all of which have come in the last three games.The game turned into a defensive tussle until the closing minutes of the first half. SDSU put together a nine-play, 77-yard drive that chewed up nearly nine minutes before Chase Vinatieri capped the march with a 39-yard field goal.SIU put together its best drive of the day with two minutes to go in the first half as it went 77 yards on nine plays, taking a 10-9 lead with 12 seconds to play on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Karé Lyles to Nigel Kilby.The Jackrabbits continued their third-quarter dominance this season, holding SIU without a first down in the quarter. Meanwhile, SDSU took the lead at 15-10 with its second big play of the game as sophomore running back Pierre Strong, Jr. cut back near the line of scrimmage and ran through and past the Saluki defense for a 64-yard touchdown run.Strong would finish the day with 229 rushing yards while tying a career high with 20 carries. As a team, the Jackrabbits ran for 297 yards and ended the day with a 393-215 advantage in total offense.The redshirt freshman duo of Gibbs and Jaxon Janke accounted for two Jackrabbit touchdowns in the fourth quarter on pass plays covering 12 and 4 yards. Janke’s second touchdown came after Michael Griffin II intercepted a pass and returned it to the SIU 30.Gibbs completed 10-of-15 attempts for 96 yards and a career-high three touchdowns. Janke caught three passes for 20 yards, with Johnson tallying a pair of receptions for 66 yards.For SIU, Lyles ended the afternoon 13-of-27 for 108 yards and was sacked five times. The Jackrabbit defense also limited the Salukis to 1-of-14 on third-down attempts and 1-for-3 on fourth-down conversions.Logan Backhaus, who recorded the first of the sacks, registered a game-high 11 tackles. Levi Brown added seven stops, including a pair of tackles for loss, and Christian Rozeboom added six tackles.Avante Cox caught five passes for 54 yards, including a 31-yard reception that set up the Salukis’ touchdown. Romeir Elliott was the top ground-gainer for SIU with 71 yards on 11 carries.UP NEXTThe Jackrabbits travel next Saturday (Oct. 12) to Youngstown State. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Central) at Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown, Ohio. The game will be televised on Sioux Falls-based My UTV.