Hobo Day Matchup – The Collegian

The 4-1 Jackrabbits will face the Youngstown State Penguins on Saturday for Hobo Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.

South Dakota State earned a big win over Youngstown State last season with a final score of 34-0, their final road game of the regular season last year.

In the 2023 Hobo Day football game, the Jacks faced Northern Iowa where they won 41-6.

“I think playing in front of a sold-out stadium is definitely important,” head coach Jimmy Rogers said. “People care here, so it's a whole different level of excitement when you know you're going to be playing in front of a sold-out stadium, and I think that's kind of a given.”

State of South Dakota

The No. 1 Jacks look to continue their long winning streak in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this week. Currently, the record is held by NDSU (2017-2021) with a 19 conference game winning streak, while SDSU is one game behind with 18 wins.

This season, South Dakota State is averaging 34.20 points per game but allowing just 14.80 points per game.

Mark Gronowski wants to reach 1,000 yards in this game as he is currently at 976 yards. This season, Gronowski has thrown nine passing touchdowns and five interceptions with a completion percentage of 61.94%.

In the receiving game, Griffin Wilde continues to lead the Jacks with 345 receiving yards and three scores from the air. Wilde is averaging over five catches per game.

With a 52-yard performance last week, receiver Grahm Göring passed the two-century mark with 219 yards this year. Similar to Wilde, Goering has scored three touchdowns this season.

Tailback Amar Johnson continues his dominance of the group with 316 rushing yards to his name this season. Amar Johnson has scored four touchdowns on 66 carries this season. The Missouri native also showed promise in the receiving game, rushing for 112 yards on 15 receptions.

Kirby Vorhees has made big strides for the Jacks, rushing for 279 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.

The linebacker duo Adam Bock (36 tackles) and Caleb Francl (27 tackles) were unstoppable this season with a total of 63 tackles.

Mathew Durrance and Graham Spalding follow Bock and Francl with 25 and 20 tackles respectively.

With two interceptions this season, Steven Arrell ranks second in the MVFC with the most interceptions of the year.

On the defensive line, Jarod Depriest and Max Baloun each have three tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.

Youngstown State

This season, Youngstown State is 2-4 and 1-1 in the Valley with a loss to Missouri State and a win against Indiana State.

Dual-threat quarterback Beau Brungard has been the man for the Penguins offense this season, leading the team in both rushing and passing yards.

Through the air, Brungard, a second-year quarterback, has thrown for 1,013 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions on 65.5%.

On the ground, Brungard carried the ball 64 times, accounting for 473 yards and six touchdowns. Ethan Wright and Tyshon King join his company with over 280 yards each. Wright's 393 rushing yards come on 71 carries, while King has 283 yards this season. Both defenders have four touchdowns each.

“Offensively, they had playmakers on the perimeter and two really good running backs,” Rogers said. “Their quarterback guy is making the whole thing a success, great athlete, he's sixth in the league in rushing right now. Great quarterback with great speed and we have to try to limit what he can do to us as much as possible.”

Max Tomczack was Brungard's primary target all season, racking up 392 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 28 catches. Alongside him, Cyrus Traugh has 19 catches for 248 yards and three touchdowns.

On defense for the Penguins, Makahi Shahid leads the team with 27 total tackles (20 solo tackles, seven assists). Preston Zandier follows with 24 tackles to his name, while Devin Johnson and Stephon Hall have 23 each.

YSU has one interception this season by Jeremiah Robinson. The Penguins have two forced fumbles and 15 total sacks this year.

“They're going to come in with the belief that they can beat us, and we need to make sure we're anchored and understand that anyone can beat you,” Rogers said.