Jacks' goal? Maintain momentum

BROOKINGS –

The shoe will be on the other foot today, replete with relatively long cleats.

One week after gaining its first Missouri Valley Football Conference victory at the UNI-Dome, No. 13 South Dakota State hosts a Youngstown State program that it has annually handled since joining the league. The Jackrabbits (5-2, 2-1) have won six in a row in the series, five by double-digits.

That includes a 42-13 decision on the road last year in what amounted to a playoff play-in game for both teams. Afterward, some SDSU players posed for pictures on the Penguins' snow-covered field.

Background aside, this meeting holds weight in being a top-20 showdown with probable postseason implications that's being held on Hobo Day. Reserved seats were sold out Monday, and crowd projections are in the range of 14,000 for 10,000-seat Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

The No. 17 Penguins (5-2, 2-1) this week have been publicly forthcoming about the fact that they need to do something different to swing the series. Their primary talking points: Managing SDSU's physicality and atmosphere.

"It's definitely one of the most different places I've ever been in my life," YSU senior receiver Christian Bryan said. "And I think that gets some of the kids a little wide-eyed, and your head's not really into it. And then you add in the fact of how the fans are and how tough and physical of a team they are … focus is a big thing we need to have this week."

Coach Eric Wolford believes bad first halves in Brookings have been a problem for the Penguins, something he attributed to their unfamiliarity with natural grass.

SDSU has the only such surface in the conference, an advantage that will end in 2016 with the opening of the $65-million Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. YSU bussed to a high school for Tuesday and Wednesday practices in order to get a feel for grass.

Some of the Penguins played their entire prep careers on artificial turf.

"I don't think we've adapted very well to playing on the grass," Wolford said. "We never do it. We don't do any conditioning on grass – we don't do nothing on grass."

As for the physical element, both sides agree that YSU is stouter than last year, especially on the defensive front under new coordinator Jamie Bryant.

The Penguins are rich in skill players, too, with a pair of running backs and three receivers factoring in heavily. And it seems like they've settled on a single quarterback after dabbling with a two-man rotation.

True freshman Hunter Wells (6-foot-5, 195 pounds) from Navarre, Ohio, made his first conference start last week in a win over Southern Illinois. He's a drop-back passer – SDSU hasn't faced many of those this season – and is completing 68.8 percent of his passes with six touchdowns against one interception.

This will be the first road action of his college career.

"We're planning on him playing an even better game than last week and preparing for that," SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. "If there is wind or the crowd affects him – that's something added. We've got to prepare for a guy that's playing good football right now."

There are signs that the Jacks are gaining ground on the defensive side, having given up 300 yards or less in the last two Valley games. At Northern Iowa, SDSU came up with three interceptions – one returned for a score – and made a season best 10 tackles for loss.

That was without sacks leader backup defensive tackle Kellen Soulek and with starting cornerback Je Ryan Butler. The former should return today from an ankle injury, while the latter is questionable due to a family emergency.

Still, Jacks don't intend to rely on outside factors or recent history in what will be their only home appearance in a three-game span.

"I think our game plan has been good (against YSU), and we've rose up," said Stiegelmeier, whose team has won five straight in Brookings. "But one play in the game of football can change things."

YOUNGSTOWN STATE (5-2, 2-1) at SDSU (5-2, 2-1)

When/where: 2 p.m. at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium

TV/video: KDLT, ESPN3

Radio: KELO-AM 1320 (Sioux Falls), KELQ-FM 107.9 (Sioux Falls), WNAX-AM 570 (Yankton), KJJQ-AM 910 (Brookings), KORN-AM 1490 (Mitchell), KSDR-AM 1480 (Watertown)

Coaches: SDSU: John Stiegelmeier (18th year, 116-83); YSU: Eric Wolford (fifth year, 29-23)

Series: SDSU leads 10-5

Last week: SDSU beat Northern Iowa 31-28, while YSU beat Southern Illinois 26-14

Rankings: SDSU is No. 13 in the FCS media poll and No. 15 in the FCS coaches poll; YSU is No. 17 in the media poll and No. 16 in the coaches poll

Live chat: Terry Vandrovec will host a live chat from the game at argusleader.com