South Dakota State’s No. 1 quarterback J’Bore Gibbs might be back on Saturday, when the Jackrabbits host Drake in Brookings.
And, he might not.
Head coach John Stiegelmeier said the freshman’s undisclosed injury — suffered in the Jacks’ season-opening loss at Minnesota on Aug. 31 — kept Gibbs out of practice entirely last week, and out of last Saturday’s home-opening 38-3 win over Long Island, and isn’t serious.
But possibly serious enough to keep him out for a second consecutive game.
“He was day-by-day (last week),” Stiegelmeier said on Monday’s “Sports Talk with Craig & John” on KWSN.
“It’s an injury that will take a little time (to heal), but may not prevent him from playing, also. We’d love to have him back because of his leadership and how he played at Minnesota, at times, but we also want him healthy and safe.”
Asked what the specific injury was, “Stiegelmeier said: “I can’t tell you that,” with a chuckle.
Gibbs both dazzled with his athleticism but also threw a interception and lost a fumble that led to touchdowns in that 28-21 loss.
Junior Kanin Nelson started in Gibbs’ place against Long Island, completing 6 of 8 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, while not throwing an interception. He rushed 8 times for 17 net yards and scored the Jacks’ first TD to give them a 7-0 lead.
SDSU led 21-3 at halftime, with the running backs carrying most of the offensive weight, combining for 186 yards on 42 carries.
What’s the difference between the one-game performances of Nelson and Gibbs — who beat Nelson in the position battle during spring and summer camps?
“I think the poise in the pocket,” Stiegelmeier said on KWSN, which sounds weird because Kanin is a junior and J’Bore is a freshman. But there’s a knack to that: Standing back there, having things cave down, and being able to stick with your keys and make a throw as you’re getting hit, whatever the scenario is, and then knowing when to run when the timing is not going to work out.
“There were a couple of plays, at least two for sure that we thought could have been big plays for us that Kanin just rushed a little bit, and that’s fine. He still made a positive play, but I thought we could have been better in the situation.”
Third string quarterback Keaton Heide relieved Nelson in the second half when SDSU’s lead was considerable and completed both of his passes for 30 yards while rushing 4 times for 9 yards.
No. 3 SDSU is a heavy favorite against Drake (0-2), which lost its opener at North Dakota 47-7, then its home opener to Div. II Truman State 10-7.
Ideally, Gibbs is ready to play against the Bulldogs because “he’s a pup, too, and he needs as many reps as possible,” Stiegelmeier said.
“We’ll give Keaton a few reps and get Kanin up to speed, because if he really is the guy at some point, we’ve done everything we can to get him up to speed.
“The Drake game is a scary game,” Stiegelmeier said. “The table is set for us to relax. So, really, the pressure is on the coaches this week.”
