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Dakota State football team travels west to face Hardrockers Saturday
October 25, 2011
THIS WEEK: Dakota State (1-8 overall record) heads on the road Saturday to face their former Dakota Athletic Conference foe and long-time rival South Dakota Mines (0-8). Kickoff from the O'Harra Stadium is set for 2 p.m. (Central Time)/1 p.m. (Mountain Time) in Rapid City, S.D.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 72nd meeting between the Trojans and Hardrockers in a series that dates back to 1922. South Dakota Mines had won the last four meetings with DSU. Dakota State defeated the Hardrockers 31-7 in Rapid City, S.D. on Oct. 14, 2006. The Hardrockers own an all-time series record of 48-22-1. Both Dakota State and South Dakota Mines were former members of the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) and South Dakota-Iowa Conference (SDIC). The Hardrockers were 7-4 during the DAC era that began in 2000 and ended in 2010-11 season.
LAST TIME OUT: Dakota State dropped their home game finale 40-20 last Saturday versus Dordt (Iowa) at Trojan Field. The Trojans trailed 13-12 at halftime, but were outscored 27-8 in the second-half. South Dakota Mines were shut down by University of Sioux Falls 71-0 in the battle of new members of the NCAA Division II in Sioux Falls, S.D.
FOOTBALL FORECAST: Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 57 degrees and a party cloudy sky in Rapid City, S.D.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Robert Ortiz ranks first in the nation in total kick-off return yards with 1014. Wes Dauz is fourth in the nation in total receptions with 53, while Carl Curtis is 17th in the nation with 38 total receptions. Eric Liles ranks fourth in tackles per game (10.7). Brandon Large is ninth in the nation in total passing yards with 1931 yards and total offense yards with 2098. As a team, Dakota State ranks 15th in the nation in total pass offense (1934) and 24th in pass offense per game (214.9).
DSU QUICK LEADERS: Jeb Olsen leads the team in rushing with a total of 559 yards, an average of 79.9 yards per game. Brandon Large averages 214.6 passing yards with a completion percentage of 57.8. Wes Dauz leads the team with 53 receptions, an average of 5.9 catches per game. Eric Liles records 75 tackles for the Trojans. Blake Schlagel have 2.5 quarterback sacks this season for DSU.
DSU FOOTBALL HISTORY LESSON: Dakota State is in its 92nd year of competition. The Trojans own an all-time record of 267-442-17. DSU opened their first year of competition in 1908 with an overall record of 4-1-1.
FOLLOW LIVE COVERAGE: Follow DSU-South Dakota Mines football game live paid coverage from America One Networks. The link will be available on www.dsuathletics.com, above the 'Upcoming Events' on the 'Live Games' tab.
STAY CONNECTED: Follow Dakota State all season long on its official online home, www.dsuathletics.com.
UP NEXT: Dakota State plays their final regular season finale on the road on Nov. 5. The Trojans visit another Dakota Athletic Conference foe in North Dakota. DSU plays Mayville State at 2 p.m. in Mayville, N.D.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
