GRAND FORKS — UND and South Dakota State will both be searching for an eighth win of the season when the teams meet at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Alerus Center.
Here are eight things to know about the Jackrabbits.
Chase Mason or Jack Henry?
South Dakota State’s quarterback against UND on Saturday at the Alerus Center is going to be of national interest.
Mason, the team’s standout starting quarterback, powered the Jacks to a 7-0 start to the season that included impressive wins over Sacramento State, Montana State and Youngstown State.
After suffering an injury, the Jacks have gone in a bit of a tailspin. SDSU was down 28-0 after the first quarter at home against Illinois State last Saturday.
With Mason out, the Jacks have turned to redshirt freshman Jack Henry recently.
Against Illinois State, Henry was 32-for-51 for 254 yards. He also led the Jacks with 41 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Matt Zimmer of Sioux Falls Live reported via social media that Mason was practicing in team settings this week.
2. Park River’s Hagen has been out
Former UND offensive lineman Sam Hagen, a native of Fordville, N.D., has been out of the South Dakota State lineup in recent weeks with a knee injury.
Hagen, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound senior, was voted a captain before the season.
Hagen spent the 2021-23 seasons in Grand Forks. After redshirting, he played in 12 games in both 2022 and 2023 including starting the entire season at guard in 2023.
3. Losing streak is new ground
South Dakota State has lost four in a row on losses to North Dakota State, Indiana State, South Dakota and Illinois State.
The Jacks last lost four games in a row in the same season back in 2011, falling to Illinois, Cal Poly, Illinois State and Indiana State.
SDSU will be looking to avoid its first losing season in MVFC play since joining the league in 2008. SDSU is the only program in that span to never finish below .500 against league opponents.
4. Jackson pats Schmidt on back
SDSU coach Dan Jackson, who came back to Brookings this offseason after stints at Northern Illinois, Vanderbilt and Idaho, was asked about new UND coach Eric Schmidt.
Jackson said the two have some common friends and have known each other for a long time.
“I’ve always respected his authenticity,” Jackson said of Schmidt. “He’s a defensive guy so when I watch them play, they play hard and relentless and have a level of physicality. I think that’s a direct reflection of Coach Schmidt.”
5. Postseason streak on line
South Dakota State needs to beat UND to enter the FCS postseason.
Missing out on the FCS playoffs is a rarity in Brookings.
South Dakota State has compiled a 24-13 record in the playoffs and made a 13th consecutive appearance in the FCS playoffs in 2024.
In 2024, the Jacks advanced to at least the semifinals for the fifth season in a row and seventh time in the last eight years.
SDSU’s lone appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs came in 1979 when the Jacks lost to Youngstown State 50-7.
6. SDSU finding some answers?
Although South Dakota State fell behind Illinois State 28-0 after one quarter last Saturday, the Jackrabbits did make the game dangerous at moments in the second half.
Part of that comeback was fueled by an offense figuring out the next, healthy weapons.
“(Grahm Goering) is a returning starter and really steady and does a lot of really good things,” UND coach Eric Schmidt said. “I think (Alex Bullock) transferred in and has become a big-play threat. (Jack Smith) is a young kid but is fast and sudden. I think they’ve started to figure out who the guys are now that they need to get the football to.”
7. Injuries seem to alter RB situation
South Dakota State running back Julius Loughridge started the season hot, racking up 159 yards against Sacramento State and 176 yards (and four touchdowns) against Youngstown State.
Injuries midway through the year appear to be impacting performance down the stretch.
Loughridge only had three carries for 5 yards in the loss to Indiana State and four carries for 3 yards against Illinois State.
Loughridge is a senior transfer from Fordham, where he had 3,000 rushing yards in his career.
8. Walters redshirting at SDSU
Hagen isn’t the only North Dakotan on the SDSU roster.
Grand Forks Red River product JB Walters is redshirting in 2025 with the Jackrabbits.
Walters, who’s 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds, was a first-team all-state choice on the offensive line for the Roughriders last season.
The North Dakota connection to SDSU may come to an end, though, as former UND offensive coordinator and quarterback Danny Freund is no longer in Brookings.
Freund joined Jimmy Rogers and other former SDSU football staff members in taking over coaching roles at Washington State. Freund is the offensive coordinator at Washington State this season.
