Second-half ground game propels Jacks past Panthers
· Yahoo Sports
BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) --- South Dakota State's stable of sophomore running backs combined to run for 317 yards and five touchdowns as the Jackrabbits shook off a slow start to defeat Eastern Illinois, 42-7, in nonconference football action Saturday night at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
The second-ranked Jackrabbits improved to 4-1 overall. EIU dropped to 1-4 on the season.
Visit palladian.co.za for more information.
James Basinger sparked SDSU with back-to-back long touchdown runs. His 39-yard scoring jaunt on his second carry of the night midway through the second quarter broke a 7-all deadlock, then, on the Jackrabbits' first offensive play of the second half, Basinger found a seam along the right side and motored to the end zone for a 48-yard touchdown.
Corey Blair Jr. made it 2-for-2 to start the second half by taking a handoff on SDSU's next offensive snap of the third quarter and burst up the middle for a 61-yard touchdown.
The Jackrabbits' rushing onslaught continued later in the third quarter as reigning Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week Josiah Johnson rolled around right end on fourth-and-1 play and outran the defense for a 55-yard touchdown. It was the second touchdown of the night for Johnson, who opened the scoring by spinning around a would-be tackle for an 18-yard score on the opening drive of the game.
Eastern Illinois tied the game on a 9-yard touchdown run by quarterback Cole LaCrue early in the second quarter after the Panthers extended the drive on a fake punt in which Cade Cox completed a pass for 10 yards to Makhi Wilson. LaCrue's touchdown run up the middle capped a 12-play, 82-yard drive.
Meanwhile, the Jackrabbits turned the ball over on downs twice, punted once and missed a field goal on their other first-half possessions.
The SDSU defense pitched a shutout the rest of the way by forcing the Panthers to punt a total of eight times and caused - and recovered - a pair of fumbles in the second half. Maverick LeBrun stripped LaCrue of the football on a sack near midfield that Bergan Tetzlaff recovered for the first takeaway, then Noah Luginbill lodged the ball loose from an Eastern Illinois receiver with Brady Schroedermeier recovering deep in Jackrabbit territory.
The Jackrabbits cashed in on the first fumble as Josh Holst, who was making his first start at quarterback in place of an injured Chase Mason, connected with tight end Ben Brooks on a 16-yard touchdown pass for the final tally of the night.
SDSU finished with a total of 408 rushing yards and 597 yards of total offense. Johnson led the way with 121 yards on 14 carries, followed by Basinger with 116 yards on only nine attempts. Blair ended the night with 80 yards on six carries.
Holst completed 11 of 22 passes for 176 yards, with Coleman Kuntz leading the Jackrabbits in receiving with four catches for a career-high 81 yards.
LaCrue completed only 6-of-16 pass attempts for 85 yards and added another 24 yards on the ground for EIU on 12 carries. Charles Kellom led the Panthers in rushing with 28 yards on 11 carries and also was the leading pass-catcher with three receptions for 30 yards.
Jes Krcil paced the Jackrabbit defense with 12 tackles and added a pair of pass breakups. Nick Vecchiarelli shared game-high honors with 12 tackles for EIU, with Alex Koulovatos registering 11 stops.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits return to Missouri Valley Football Conference action Oct. 3 by traveling to nationally ranked Illinois State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.
NOTES
- SDSU leads the all-time series, 2-0, with the only previous matchup resulting in a 58-10 Jackrabbit home victory in the opening round of the 2012 Football Championship Subdivision playoffs
- The Jackrabbits had two running backs go over the 100-yard mark in the same game for the second time this season as Basinger and Blair accomplished the feat in the 2026 opener versus Stetson on Aug. 29
- SDSU topped the 400-yard mark in rushing for the first time since a 404-yard performance against Youngstown State on Oct. 12, 2024
- SDSU is now averaging 302.4 rushing yards per game in 2026
- Four of Basinger's five touchdown runs this season have covered at least 27 yards
- Brooks' touchdown reception was the first of his career
- Krcil became the first Jackrabbit with double figures for tackles in a game this season and now leads the squad with 31 total stops
- SDSU has scored 38 points off the seven turnovers it has forced so far this season
- The Jackrabbits have scored on their opening drive of the game four times and have come away with points (four touchdowns, one field goal) on their initial possession of the second half in all five contests
- SDSU improved to 70-10 all-time at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium since the facility opened in 2016
- Attendance for the Hall of Fame Game was 18,264
