dsu athletics news
dsu athletics pages
DSU football team looks to bounce back in winning column, hosts Jamestown (N.D.) Saturday
October 22, 2012
THIS WEEK: Dakota State football team (1-8 overall record, 0-1 Association of Independent Institutions conference record) looks to bounce back in the winning column as they return home Saturday afternoon. The Trojans entertain Jamestown (N.D.) (3-5, 2-1 A.I.I.) in the battle of former Dakota Athletic Conference foes. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Trojan Field.
THE SERIES: The series began in 1982 where Jamestown won the first-ever meeting over the Trojans. The Jimmies currently owns an 18-4 all-time series record versus Dakota State. The last time DSU had defeated Jamestown was in 2005 by the score of 21-17 in Jamestown, N.D. DSU's last win at the Trojan Field against the Jimmies was on Oct. 30, 2004 with the score of 27-7. In both teams' last meeting on Oct. 23, 2010 at the Trojan Field, JC won the high scoring affair over the Trojans 58-48. Dakota State outgained the Jimmies 559-439 in total offensive yards.
LAST TIME OUT: Dakota State dropped a 24-7 road defeat at Dordt (Iowa) on Oct. 20 in Sioux Center, Iowa. The Trojans outgained the Defenders 452-340 in total offensive yards in the game. DSU was unable to convert their scoring opportunities in the red zone four times. Jamestown recorded a 13-10 road victory at Valley City State (N.D.) to earn their 'Paint Bucket' trophy. The Jimmies trailed 10-6 heading in the fourth quarter before recording a touchdown and PAT kick to seal the victory. VCSU finished with 272 yards of offense, nine more than the Jimmies.
FOOTBALL FORECAST: As of Tuesday, the weather forecast for Saturday in Madison, S.D. calls for a partly cloudy sky with a high temperature of 44 degrees. The wind will come from the south at 5-10 miles-per-hour.
RECORDS TO WATCH: Two records could be broken this season in the DSU Football record book. Dakota State currently produces 177 first-downs this season, which DSU set the school record last season with the most first-downs in a single season with 184. Brandon Large amassed a total of 2,421 passing yards this season after Oct. 20 game at Dordt (Iowa). Justin Thielke currently holds the DSU school record for most passing yards in a single season with 2,501 yards set in 1999.
TROJANS IN THE NATIONAL RANKS: According to the DakStats-NAIA statistical website as of Tuesday, Dakota State ranks second in the nation in total pass offense with 2560 yards. DSU is ninth in pass offense per game (284.4). The Trojans rank ninth in the nation in opponent fourth down conversion rate of 29.4 percent. Brandon Large is second in the nation in total passing with 2,421 yards and third in total offense with 2,433 yards. Stacey Berg is fourth in receiving yards per game (115.7) and sixth in total receiving yards with 810 yards. Craig Hertz ranks seventh in the nation in tackles per game (11.3). Eric Liles is 15th in the nation in tackles per game (10.1). Bobby Tisch is 24th in total receptions with 39 catches, while Berg ranks 26th with 38 receptions and Carl Curtis 31st with 36 receptions. Nic Behrens is 30th in the nation in total field goals with five.
DSU QUICK LEADERS: Brandon Large leads the Trojans' offense attack with an average of 269.0 passing yards per game. He records a passing completion rate of 57.4 percent. Large amasses 14 passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns this season. Large leads the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) in passing category. John Niesen records 412 rushing yards and averages 45.8 rushing yards per game. Stacey Berg records 38 catches for 810 yards (115.7 yards per game). He leads the A.I.I. in the receptions category. Eric Liles leads the team in total tackles with 91 (10.3 tackles per game). Craig Hertz averages 11.3 tackles per game. Josh Licht records 3.0 quarterback sacks for the Trojans (0.3 sacks per game).
DSU FOOTBALL HISTORY LESSON: Dakota State is in its 93rd year of competition. The Trojans own an all-time record of 268-452-17. DSU opened their first year of competition in 1908 with an overall record of 4-1-1. Dakota State is in their second year membership with the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.).
WATCH & LISTEN: All Dakota State home football matches will be webcast live video and audio. There is no charge to the webcast. Fans wanting to follow the action can go to the following link: http://streaming.dsu.edu/Athletics-Live. The link also will be available on www.dsuathletics.com in the 'Live Games' tab above the 'Upcoming Events.'
LIVE STATS/PLAY-BY-PLAY: Live stats and play-by-play will be available in all Dakota State's home games. The live stats link is available on game day on www.dsuathletics.com under 'Live Games' tab above the 'Upcoming Events.'
STAY CONNECTED: Stay connected with Dakota State football and athletics all season long on www.dsuathletics.com. The Trojans are also on Twitter, just log onto www.twitter.com/GoDaSUAthletics. The Dakota State University Athletics group page can be found on Facebook on https://www.facebook.com/DSUTrojanAthletics.
UP NEXT: Dakota State concludes their 2012 regular-season schedule at home on Saturday, Nov. 3. The Trojans welcome Mayville State (N.D.) in another battle of former DAC foes. Kick-off is set for 3 p.m. at the Trojan Field. Seniors will be recognize prior to the game.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
