Getty Quarterback Mark Gronowski of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
The South Dakota State University Jackrabbits (2-2) and the Drake University Bulldogs (0-2) will clash at Target Field on Saturday, September 16.
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If you’re in the United States, the only way to watch the game is on ESPN+:
ESPN+ includes hundreds of college football games in 2023, plus dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (or $13.99 per month for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch Drake vs South Dakota State live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com.
Compatible devices for the ESPN app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Drake vs South Dakota State Preview
The Jacks are fresh from a 20-16 comeback win over Montana State last week. SDSU quarterback Mark Gronowski went 13-of-22 for 184 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team to a thrilling second half comeback. South Dakota State failed to score at all in the first half, going into halftime down 10-0, but the Jackrabbits held Montana to just six points in the second half, ultimately making the plays when they needed them.
SDSU is averaging 32.5 points a game on offense over its first two games, while allowing 11.5 points per contest on defense. The Jacks defense has given up just over 253 yards a game, and has been particularly effective against the pass, allowing opposing teams only 97 yards through the air per game.
On the other side, Drake lost a thriller of its own last week, falling to Northwestern, 27-24 in overtime. Bulldogs quarterback Luke Bailey completed 24 of his 32 passes for 253 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the loss. Drake was called for 14 penalties against Northwestern, a huge reason they didn’t eke out a win.
“It’s a game that we thought we had at the end,” Bulldogs head coach Todd Stepsis said after the loss. “There is a reason why they (Northwestern) are the defending champs. They know how to win and got it done when we didn’t. … It’s the same message to our team win or lose. It’s how you come back and continue to move forward. Our team has another defending champ next week. We need to have a great week and learn from the mistakes we had. It’s hard to overcome 14 penalties and we definitely have to clean that up.”
The Jacks are currently the No. 1 ranked team in the FCS, while the Bulldogs are unranked. That said, South Dakota State isn’t about to overlook the Bulldogs.
“I know they’re doing everything they can to prepare for us and we need to do the same,” SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said about Drake. “At the end of the day, we need to play our best football regardless of where we play. You work all year long to get these opportunities and to take a game for granted, we’re not going to do that.”
These two teams have played each other three times, with South Dakota State winning all three. They last met in 2019, when the Jackrabbits won, 38-10.