Stephen F. Austin
South Dakota St.
Lumberjacks Fall to South Dakota State
10/1/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 29, 2007
BROOKINGS, S.D. - The South Dakota State Jackrabbits racked up 364 yard of total offense, and picked off five passes, two which were returned for touchdowns Saturday afternoon to defeat SFA, 45-0. The loss drops the Lumberjacks to 0-4 heading into next weekend's Southland Conference opener at Southeastern Louisiana. The shutout also marks the first time in the `Jacks' last 70 games that the team has been unable to score.
SDSU jumped on top with two first half field goals and pushed its advantage to 13-0 on a Kyle Minett 28-yard touchdown run. Despite the 13-0 deficit, SFA got the ball late in the first half with the opportunity to put some points on the board and cut into the Jackrabbit lead. SDSU was able to take all the momentum into the locker room when Jimmy Rogers picked off a Danny Southall pass and returned 32 yards for the score. The Jackrabbits were able to hold the momentum in the second half scoring 24 unanswered points.
Southall completed 14-of-21 passes, but the Lumberjack receivers were unable to break away for many yards after the catch due to a swarming South Dakota State defense. The Jackrabbits held SFA to 219 yards of total offense.
Southall finished the game with 94 yards passing. Lufkin freshman Jeremy Claybon saw the first action of his career behind center. He finished the day completing 4-of-8 passes for 16 yards. Senior running back Louie Runnels led the SFA ground attack carrying the 19 times for 37 yards.
The Lumberjack defense was led by freshman Chad Haynes and Terrance Nurse. Haynes led the team with 12 tackles, while Nurse finished the afternoon with nine. It marks the fourth time in as many games that the `Jacks have had a different player lead the team in tackles.
SFA opens Southland Conference play Saturday, Oct. 6, when they travel to Hammond, La., to take on Southeastern Louisiana. The game against the Lions is slated to begin at 6 p.m.
-SFA-
