Griz look to slow down SDSU’s super-sophomore
The South Dakota State team that visited the Treasure State last season for the FCS playoffs featured an offense led by a future professional.
The same seeks true for the Jackrabbits today.
Led by sensational sophomore receiver Jake Wieneke, the 8-3 South Dakota State Jackrabbits are preparing for Saturday’s clash in Missoula against the 7-4 Montana Grizzlies.
When SDSU went on the road and defeated Kansas 41-38 in their season opener, a Jayhawk assistant told Jackrabbits coach John Stiegelmeier he thought Wieneke could play in the SEC.
“He’s a really special young man and a really special football player,” said Stiegelmeier.
A year ago, the Jackrabbits were led by star halfback Zach Zenner, an All-American now on the roster of the Detroit Lions who sparkled as the Jackrabbits defeated the Montana State Bobcats in Bozeman in a first-round playoff game.
Wieneke, a 6-4, 210-pounder from Maple Grove, Minn., is the focal point of the SDSU offense now.
He has 66 receptions for 1,344 yards and 11 TD catches. In his two-year career, Wieneke has astounding totals of 139 catches for 2,748 yards and 27 touchdowns.
The Montana defense has tremendous players on each level, including the secondary.
“They look good. They look physical. They’ve got good athletes and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Wieneke said.
Washington-Grizzly Stadium can get loud, of course. Might that hurt the Jackrabbits’ passing attack?
“We know it’s going to be loud. But we’ve played in those kinds of places before,” Wieneke said. “We feel like we can beat anybody in the nation, so we’re looking forward to this game.”
THE MONTANA OFFENSE has put up 111 points in two games, including a 57-16 trouncing of Eastern Washington two weeks ago. Quarterback Brady Gustafson’s return from injury has helped, and the UM receivers have truly answered the bell.
“We’ve got a great receiving corps and it’s nice that we’re really able to take advantage of them now,” UM coach Bob Stitt said. “Brady really understands what the defensive secondary is doing. He can get the ball where it needs to go and can also check us into some really good plays that isolate our guys one-on-one.”
While Ellis Henderson, Jamal Jones and Ben Roberts get much of the attention for their talents, the Grizzly pass-catching contingent also includes sophomore Josh Horner, the Great Falls native who had five receptions against the Bobcats last week.
“He’s solid, solid as heck,” Stitt said of the 6-5, 200-pounder. “When you’ve got a great quarterback, the defense can choose to take somebody away. But when you take somebody away it leaves somebody else open, and Brady has that ability to find that guy.”
MONTANA’S DEFENSE WAS expected to be among the Big Sky Conference’s best. Certainly that was the case.
The defensive line is outstanding, a unit led by stars Tyrone Holmes and Caleb Kidder. Sophomore defensive end Tucker Schye of Malta made several plays in the backfield last week against the Bobcats.
“He’s going to be a great one,” Stitt said of the 6-4, 225-pounder. “He’s gotten more reps as we’ve gone through the year. He’s one of those good Montana kids that we’re really, really excited about. This is invaluable for him to get this kind of experience. Because we’re really going to need him next year.”
THE GRIZZLY DEFENSE features senior linebacker Kendrick Van Ackeren, who had 13 tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss, and an interception against Montana State last week.
“Every week you know what you’re going to get out of him,” Stitt said. “He flies around and makes plays. He’s one of the smartest guys out on the field, which is why he’s always in the right place at the right time.”
The Grizzly secondary also played very well against the Bobcats, as Nate Harris, JR Nelson and Eric Johnson made several impressive tackles in one-on-one situations.
“Open-field tackling, that was a weakness of ours early in the year,” Stitt said. “But it was very good last Saturday.”
BEING ON THE ROAD for the playoffs rankles some at South Dakota State, but Stiegelmeier isn’t going to complain.
The Jackrabbits are ranked 10th and 11th in the two polls devoted to FCS football, yet were sent to Montana, ranked 16th and 17th. Undoubtedly, the UM bid, or guarantee fee to the NCAA, was higher. Montana annually ranks among the top FCS football programs in home attendance and it’s expected that 18,000 or more will attend Saturday’s game.
“I think it’s unfortunate that this becomes a budget thing and a locale thing, and I’m not saying we’re a better team than anybody,” Stiegelmeier said.
The Jackrabbits dropped their regular-season finale, 30-24 in double overtime to Western Illinois, otherwise might have earned one of the eight available first-round byes in the tournament.
“We had a chance, but we didn’t get it done,” Stiegelmeier. “This will be a challenge and we know that. I think we’ll be ready to play.”