The 2021 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 25th-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 11–4 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the MVFC. South Dakota State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Jackrabbits defeated UC Davis in the first round, Sacramento State in the second round, and Villanova in the quarterfinals before losing to Montana State in the semifinals. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.
2021 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football | |
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NCAA Division Semifinal, L 17–31 at Montana State | |
Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
Ranking | |
STATS | No. 4 |
FCS Coaches | No. 5 |
Record | 11–4 (5–3 MVFC) |
Head coach |
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Offensive coordinator | Jason Eck (3rd season) |
Co-defensive coordinator | Brian Bergstrom (3rd season) |
Co-defensive coordinator | Jimmy Rogers (3rd season) |
MVP | Pierre Strong Jr. |
Home stadium | Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 1 North Dakota State $^ | 7 | – | 1 | 14 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 14 Missouri State ^ | 6 | – | 2 | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 16 Southern Illinois ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 18 South Dakota ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 4 South Dakota State ^ | 5 | – | 3 | 11 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 23 Northern Iowa ^ | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indiana State | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Dakota | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Illinois | 2 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Illinois State | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youngstown State | 2 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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After the season, offensive coordinator Jason Eck was hired as the head football coach at the University of Idaho.
Schedule
editDate | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
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September 3 | 8:00 p.m. | at Colorado State* | No. 3 | FS1 | W 42–23 | 32,327 | |
September 11 | 6:00 p.m. | Lindenwood* | No. 2 | ESPN3 | W 52–7 | 15,162 | |
September 25 | 12:00 p.m. | at Indiana State | No. 2 | ESPN+ | W 44–0 | 6,652 | |
October 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Dixie State* | No. 2 |
| ESPN+/Midco | W 55–7 | 14,427 |
October 9 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 8 Southern Illinois | No. 2 |
| ESPN+/Midco | L 41–42 OT | 12,216 |
October 16 | 12:00 p.m. | at Western Illinois | No. 7 | ESPN+ | W 41–17 | 2,827 | |
October 23 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 20 Northern Iowa | No. 6 |
| ESPN3 | L 17–26 | 16,889 |
October 30 | 1:00 p.m. | at Youngstown State | No. 10 | ESPN+ | W 47–16 | 9,423 | |
November 6 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 2 North Dakota State | No. 9 |
| ABC ND/ESPN+/Midco | W 27–19 | 18,122 |
November 13 | 2:00 p.m. | at No. 19 South Dakota | No. 4 | ESPN+/Midco | L 20–23 | 9,068 | |
November 20 | 2:00 p.m. | North Dakota | No. 12 |
| ESPN+/Midco | W 24–21 | 8,132 |
November 27 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 14 UC Davis* | No. 11 |
| ESPN+ | W 56–24 | 3,681 |
December 4 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 8 Sacramento State* | No. 11 |
| ESPN+ | W 24–19 | 10,031 |
December 11 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 6 Villanova* | No. 11 |
| ESPN+ | W 35–21 | 3,401 |
December 18 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 7 Montana State* | No. 11 |
| ESPN2 | L 17–31 | 20,457 |
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Roster
edit2021 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Ranking movements
editWeek | ||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
STATS FCS | 3 (4) | 2 (11) | 2 (9) | 2 (8) | 2 (10) | 2 (15) | 7 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 4 |
Coaches | 4 (1) | 3 (3) | 3 (2) | 3 (1) | 3 (1) | 3 (1) | 8 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 5 |
Players drafted into the NFL
editRound | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
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4 | 127 | Pierre Strong Jr. | RB | New England Patriots |
7 | 241 | Chris Oladokun | QB | Pittsburgh Steelers |
References
edit- ^ "South Dakota State Jackrabbits Schedule 2021". ESPN. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "2021 Football Schedule". South Dakota State University Athletics. Retrieved January 17, 2024.