SDSU football: Running game comes to life just in time

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Nov. 24—GRAND FORKS — There were several culprits in South Dakota State's four-game losing streak.

Freshmen quarterbacks Luke Marble and Jackson Henry struggled to replace starter Chase Mason. The defense seemed to disappear for stretches. Specials teams mistakes loomed large. The coaches seemed to be grasping for answers.

But with everyone from coaches to fans to players to media trying to diagnose how a team could go from 7-0 and ranked 2nd in the nation to 7-4 and in danger of missing the playoffs, it was, in hindsight, perhaps pretty simple.

The Jacks were struggling to do one simple thing that has long been a strength of theirs:

Run. The. Ball.

Saturday in the must-win regular season finale against North Dakota, the Rabbits were runnin' again.

Going against a North Dakota defense that was ranked No. 1 in the Valley with 97 rushing yards allowed per game, the Jacks tallied 202 yards on the ground on their way to a 34-31 overtime win that locked up a playoff spot.

The Jacks (8-4) will host New Hampshire (8-4) on Saturday in the first round of the FCS playoffs, and their rediscovered ground attack is the biggest reason to think they can extend their season.

"We finally got back to our identity," said coach Dan Jackson. "Our identity at South Dakota State is to run the football and stop the run. We stuck to it and then it opened up shots down the field, and that's what we're about."

The Jacks had averaged just 115 rushing yards per game during their four-game losing streak, and even that number was aided by a 75-yard toss to wide receiver Jack Smith on the first play of the game against USD that counted as a rush. Senior tailback Julius Loughridge had been quiet after a strong start to the season, while freshmen James Basinger and Josiah Johnson had mixed results when given carries.

It wasn't solely on them. The Jacks offensive line has had a sub-par season by their own lofty standards, and recent injuries to right tackle Sam Hagen and right guard Kenyon Big Bow threatened to make things even more difficult.

But on Saturday the Jacks sprung a new-look attack up front. They moved center Shane Willenbring to guard, inserted sixth man Nate Adams at center, and with John Pica moving into a starting role at tackle, the Jacks consistently alternated their guards and tackles on either side of Adams in an attempt to create mismatches and manipulate the Fighting Hawk defensive front. It worked, and when tackle Quinten Christensen was ejected in the second half for allegedly making contact with an official, redshirt freshman Kyan Rauk stepped in and played well in his first significant action.

"You know, our offensive line works their tails off every week," said Loughridge, who rushed for 112 yards on 24 carries against the Hawks and is now at 916 yards for the season. "They're a little banged up and everything, but they laid it all on the line for the program. We had to go out there and do our job. That was a big thing this week, establishing the run, because we knew they were a good run defense, and so I'm very proud of the results and the outcome."

The Jacks' commitment to the run was as admirable as their execution. They needed 55 carries to get those 202 yards — a 3.7 average per carry that's actually lower than their already league-low 3.8 average on the season.

But they picked up 12 first downs on the ground. Loughridge and Johnson, who rushed for 79 yards and three touchdowns, were not tackled for a loss even once among 43 attempts between them.

Most important was the work the ground game did on SDSU's third series of the game.

UND had just taken a 14-0 lead on an 89-yard touchdown pass. They had momentum on their side, a crowd of almost 12,000 clearly sensed an imminent blowout, and a Jacks team that had lost four in a row and been weathering disaster after disaster over the previous month had to be wondering if another ugly loss might be on the horizon. They needed to answer. Or else.

The Jacks started the drive on their own 20-yard line, late in the first quarter, and after an incomplete pass on first down, called 16 consecutive runs. At one point they handed off to Loughridge on 11 plays in a row. Piece-by-piece, he pushed the Fighting Hawks back until the 17-play, 80-yard drive ended with a Johnson touchdown run to cut the score to 14-7.

The Jacks were back in the game and their season was still alive. Were it not for that drive, SDSU might have turned in their equipment on Sunday.

"My belief never wavered in any of those guys," said Christensen. "No matter who steps into that role out there we have the same championship standards and expectations. I believe in every one of them guys and I'm so proud of how we handled that and how hard everyone played."

The New Hampshire defense allows 161 rushing yards per game. And if past history is any indication, playoff foes from outside the Valley or Big Sky tend not to be as physical as the ones SDSU faces in conference play. That's not to suggest the Wildcat defense can't play, but the Jacks should have confidence going into the postseason.

Going into the Alerus Center and trying to run right at the Valley's best rushing defense was a huge challenge, and after weeks of failure, they looked like a contender again.

"We felt like we could have success, but against that defense was no easy task," said offensive coordinator Eric Eidsness. "The O-line was ready to go. We had a good scheme. But we told the guys in pregame, it takes 11 guys. If 11 guys can win the battle we're going to be successful. They accepted that challenge and went out and played to win."

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