South Dakota State explodes for 35 second-half points to rally past Youngstown State

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — For a half, it looked like Stambaugh Stadium was once again going to be a house of horrors for South Dakota State.

They couldn’t buckle their chinstraps without committing a penalty. Their offensive line was getting pushed around. Quarterback J’Bore Gibbs looked lost. And it resulted in an 11-point Youngstown State lead at halftime that felt like it should’ve been worse.

It all changed in the second half.

Sparked by an interception return touchdown by Don Gardner and a rejuvenated Gibbs, the No. 3 Jackrabbits scored 35 second-half points to rally past the No. 17 Penguins for a 38-28 win in a battle of ranked FCS heavyweights.

While SDSU came in with four straight wins, there were questions about just how good they really are, and for a half they seemed to be answering them in the negative. Their dominant second half and poise in a tough road environment made this one of the most significant wins in recent program history.

“It feels really good,” said coach John Stiegelmeier. “We can be a really good football team. And tonight we beat a really good football team.”

Indeed, the Penguins looked dominant early, constantly penetrating the SDSU backfield with their defensive line and looking efficient on offense behind dual-threat quarterback Nathan Mays. SDSU was fortunate to only be down 14-3 at halftime, thanks in large part to a whopping eight penalties for 90 yards.

Stiegelmeier said there was no halftime lecture. The players took it on themselves to change the game.

“We didn’t want things to go the way it was going,” said senior offensive tackle Evan Greeneway. “It was just about looking at each other in the locker room. It was intense, because we knew we could get this. We knew we could come back and win. It’s a credit to the guys in that locker room for coming together to get the win.”

It started with Gardner’s pick six, caught off a deflection by linebacker Logan Backhaus, which cut the lead to 14-9 after a failed two-point conversion.

“We were in Cover 2 and I saw the quarterback looking at me — it was a quick slant,” Gardner said. “Then I saw Logan going for it and I was like, ‘No, he’s gonna take my pick,' but it went off his fingertips and I just scooped it up. I had to get in the end zone so I could go celebrate with (defensive coordinator Jimmy) Rogers.”

Though YSU (4-2) would quickly answer with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Mays to running back Joe Alessi to give the Penguins a 21-9 lead, SDSU players said Gardner’s pick was the turning point. An offense that had been bottled up to that point went to work, with Gibbs directing a 13-play, 75-yard drive that cut the lead to 21-16, then hitting Cade Johnson on an 81-yard bomb early in the fourth quarter to give SDSU (5-1) their first lead. Johnson then completed a pass to Blake Kunz on the conversion to make it 24-21.

Gibbs called Youngstown State’s defensive line the best he’s faced, but credited his offensive line for a much-improved second half, thanks to both adjustments in play-calling and simply better, more physical play.

“They picked it up in the second half and I did, too,” Gibbs said. “We knew eventually we were gonna get the looks we wanted. Like on that long ball to Cade — we ran that in practice and (YSU) lined up exactly how we’d done it in practice, so that was a perfect situation for us.”

After another interception on a tipped pass, this one by DyShawn Gales, SDSU pushed the lead to 31-21 on a 13-yard touchdown run by C.J. Wilson.

The Penguins answered with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Joe Craycraft to Miles Joiner to make it a 31-28 game, but SDSU put it away on the next drive. After Jaxon Janke fought through tackles on a 3rd and long bubble screen to move the chains, Gibbs finally showed off the running skills fans have been waiting to see, going 63 yards for a touchdown after being sprung by a block from fullback Luke Sellers.

Gibbs said he should’ve slid down inside the 20 so the Jacks could run out the clock, but didn’t mind showing his teammates what he can do as a ballcarrier.

“They were surprised,” the freshman quarterback grinned. “I told 'em I can run, I just haven’t done it since high school. I gotta get back in the groove.”

Gibbs finished 14-of-26 passing for 210 yards and a touchdown while leading SDSU with 75 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 12 attempts. Pierre Strong had 61 yards, Wilson 53 and Mikey Daniel 27, as the Jacks picked up 151 of their 213 rushing yards in the second half.

Christian Rozeboom had 13 tackles to lead an SDSU defense that allowed 412 yards but forced three turnovers and picked up three sacks — all on one key fourth quarter drive.

With the win in hand, SDSU will be back on the road next week at Indiana State, a team that picked up its first conference win Saturday against Western Illinois. The Jacks will hope to be better from the start in that one, but coming from behind on the road doesn’t hurt a team’s confidence.

“This is a huge win,” Gardner said. “It’s the Missouri Valley where every game is hard, especially on the road. We can’t wait to get back on the road and get another one next week.”