South Dakota State football vs. Mercer: Preview and prediction for FCS playoff matchup
Coming off a bye week in the first round of the FCS playoffs, the South Dakota State football team is as well-rested as they've been since the season started. The time off gave the Jackrabbits some additional time to heal up and get ready for their second-round matchup.
SDSU will welcome a first-time opponent in Mercer to Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
The Bears are heavy underdogs against the South Dakota State, who will be looking to win their 26th consecutive game, but SDSU coach Jimmy Rogers knows a team is the most dangerous when no one believes in them.
“There's a chip that's on your shoulder when everybody counts you out,” Rogers said.”This team will be on edge because we know that Mercer is going to come in with a chip on their shoulder and want to give it their best shot and we need to give it ours as well and give it the most attention because it's the only game that matters right now.”
Here is the tale of the tape between the two sides before their first meeting this weekend:
No. 1 seed SDSU (11-0, 8-0) vs Mercer (9-3, 6-2)
When: Saturday, 1 p.m.
Where: Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD
TV/Radio: ESPN+/Jackrabbit Sports Network
What’s at stake: From here on out every game is win or go home.
For Mercer this game is a chance to build on an already historic campaign. The Bears won their first playoff game in program history last week against Gardner-Webb and a win against the Jackrabbits would propel them further into uncharted territory.
Who’s better: Mercer went 8-3 this season and finished second in the Southern Conference behind only Furman, who is the seventh seed in the FCS playoffs. The Bears are one of three playoff teams from the SoCon and have shown improvement every year under the stewardship of third-year head coach Drew Cronic.
Mercer averages 26 points per game and allows 22.5.
While the Bears are having a historic season, so is South Dakota State and they're doing it in a more difficult conference. The Jackrabbits went a perfect 8-0 in the Missouri Valley, a conference where six teams made the playoffs.
Matchup to watch: The South Dakota State passing game vs Mercer’s pass rush.
The Bears have 28 sacks as a team and are led on the defensive end by Solomon Zubairu, Ken Standley, Lance Wise and Marques Thomas. Zubairu has a team-high nine sacks while Stadley leads in tackles with 89 and Wise has five interceptions.
The pressure will be on Gronowski to make quick reads and make the right play when his number is called to make passes.
SDSU wins if: They’re able to slow Mercer’s run game. The Bears' rushing attack is led by Al Wooten, who has a team-high 702 rushing yards, and dual-threat quarterback Carter Peevy who has 12 rushing touchdowns and 500+ rushing yards. The Jackrabbits have thrived when making teams one-dimensional, if they can do it against Mercer it should be a strong win for SDSU.
Prediction: South Dakota State, 42-7
Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota State football vs. Mercer playoff preview and prediction
