Week 3 leftovers: Jacks made lineup changes at SUU

Here are some final notes from Week 3 in the South Dakota State football season, a 26-6 victory at Southern Utah:

Shayne Gottlob came to SDSU as a tight end and a walk-on. But on Saturday, the redshirt sophomore from Salem made his first career start – at defensive tackle – and maybe the most important play of the game, picking off a pass and returning it four yards for a touchdown on the first snap of the second quarter.
Afterward, Gottlob noted that Friday he dropped some passes thrown by defensive coordinator Clint Brown.

SDSU also had a first-time starter on offense, sophomore Nick Carr moving into left tackle for junior Bryce Siverling, who tweaked an ankle against Cal Poly. Siverling practiced part of the week and made the trip, but didn't see any action.

The Jacks didn't appear to sustain any major injuries, although tight end Cam Jones was held out of the second half. He had an ice wrap on his surgically repaired foot.

SDSU senior running back Zach Zenner put up 140 yards to give him 1,149 in six starts against Big Sky squads. Also, he's at 4,970 for his career meaning there's another milestone on the way.

The Jacks have won six regular-season games in a row against FCS teams dating back to last season. (That's Northern Iowa, Indiana State, South Dakota, Youngstown State, Cal Poly and Southern Utah.) They were at least 15 points better than their opponents in five of those games.

The SDSU staff didn't make much of the elevation leading up to the game. Instead, it harped on staying hydrated due to the expected heat. Game-time temp was 80 degrees, and the Jacks sideline was in the sun for most of the first half.

Saturday was big for the Missouri Valley Football Conference as member schools won a total of eight games. That ties the league record for a single day.
Also, every team in the Valley other than USD (which has had to visit Oregon and Montana) and UNI has at least two wins three weeks into the season. So far, the league is backing up the contention that it deserves more playoff berths.

SDSU didn't give up any points until the final 6 minutes. That's in line with the way things have gone for Southern Utah this season. The Thunderbirds haven't scored any first-quarter points and have second in the second quarter. Things won't get much easier next week when they visit Fresno State, their second FBS foe in a month.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.