South Dakota is a red state again

VERMILLION, S.D. (GoJacks.com) — Fifth-ranked South Dakota State turned the ball over four times in falling to in-state rival South Dakota, 24-21, in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday afternoon at the DakotaDome.

SDSU finished with a 498-369 advantage in total offense. Keaton Heide completed 26-of-35 passes for 308 yards, while Cade Johnson ended the afternoon with game highs of 10 catches and 139 yards to lead the receiving corps.

Mikey Daniel finished with a career-high 125 yards on 17 carries.

For USD,  Austin Simmons completed 20-of-32 passes for 252 yards and also led the Coyotes in rushing with 47 yards on 16 carries. In addition to his two touchdown receptions, Brett Samson totaled six receptions for 71 yards.

Christian Rozeboom notched a game-high 14 tackles for the Jackrabbits as he topped the 100-tackle mark for the fourth year in a row. Levi Brown and Michael Griffin II each were credited with four stops.

Jack Cochrane paced USD with 11 tackles, including one of the Coyotes’ four sacks.

The Jackrabbits wrapped up the regular season with an 8-4 overall record, including a 5-3 mark in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  South Dakota State is seeded seventh and will host a second-round matchup December 7th in the upcoming Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.

It was the first win for South Dakota in the series since 2000, ending a 10-game slide. The Coyotes finish 2019 with a 5-7 record and equaled their best finish inside the Valley at 4-4. USD also extended its streak of seasons with at least one top-25 victory to seven.