What South Dakota State head coach Jimmy Rogers said about Oklahoma State
South Dakota State, the two-time defending FCS national champions, come to Stillwater this weekend to open the 2024 season against No. 17 Oklahoma State.
The Jackrabbits from Brookings, South Dakota have won 29-straight games and haven’t lost since September 2022. That game was the last time they faced an FBS team as they lost 7-3 to Iowa in Des Moines.
Jimmy Rogers is 15-0 as head coach, as he succeeded long-time coaching great John Stiegelmeier after the 2022 season. Rogers, who played linebacker at South Dakota State in the late 2000s, served as his alma mater’s defensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022 when he got the head coaching job.
Rogers spoke to the media about the upcoming season and his team’s trip to Oklahoma this weekend. Kickoff from Stillwater is set for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Here’s what the Jackrabbits’ head coach said about this week’s game.
Opening statement
“We’re a couple days away from playing what I believe is arguably one of the best programs in college football today. Coach Gundy has done an unbelievable job. His tenure there from assistant to coordinator to being one of the longest tenured coaches in Power Four football, he’s a Hall of Fame coach and I think it shows with the roster right now.
The retention he’s been able to maintain with 22 starters returning, Outland Trophy Award finalist, Rimington Watch List, the running back in Ollie Gordon who has been unbelievable and was Big 12 Player of the Year last year. They have three NFL wide receivers on their roster. Probably more, but on film it’s significant those guys are playmakers for them. They have a seven year veteran at quarterback.
This week will bring challenges surely, and we’re excited for those challenges. We’re excited to play in front of that many people in this venue. Our guys are chomping at the bit. We’re not going down there for moral victories. We plan to go down there and give it our best and however it shakes, it shakes.”
What have you done to prepare for the weather on Saturday?
“Yeah we can’t control the weather, whatever comes will come. We try to control what we can control. We practice really hard, we compete against each other. In the winter, a lot of people talk about how cold it is here. I don’t think a lot of teams are used to coming up to subzero weather here.
It’s the complete opposite. I’m from Arizona, so I’ve lived in both climates. It is what it is. You learn to adapt and compete. We’ve talked about hydration more than anything else. Moreso that isn’t due to Oklahoma State, just to eliminate injuries in camp.”
Does having played Iowa close a few years ago help with the preparation?
“I think you learn everything from the experience you take in. A lot of our players that were on that team are on this team with the exception of a few key players. A lot of our team was here to witness that or they were in attendance to see it. I don’t know.
This is a different team. I say it every year. I said it last year, even with the returning starters we had, every year is different with different emotions. For us, we just try to put our focus on each other.”
What stands out about RB Ollie Gordon on film?
“If you give him a seam, he can go the distance. He’s extremely fast. He’s my comparison to (former South Dakota State running back) Pierre Strong because I got to see him every single day. Pierre Strong was extremely fast. He’s bigger than Pierre, and he’s extremely physical. We’re gonna have to be multiple on defense. We’re not just gonna be able to load the box just because of what they have on the perimeter. We’re not just going to be able to not play with a box that’s loaded. We gotta be on point with the calls and make sure that we tackle well in space. He does a great job of making the first guy miss, and if he can make the first guy miss, he can easily get eight to 10 yards because he is so fast. It’s going to take a full swarm to the ball for 60 minutes of this game to slow him down.”
Other than a win, what takeaways are you looking for Saturday?
“A takeaway is that we improve as a team and everyone is locked in to giving their best, execiting a game plan. We’ve given up moral victories here for a long time. We’re going there for a reason. We’re going to compete. If we’re going to claim we’re one of the best in the country, here’s an opportunity to go showcase that. I can tell you this: Our players wouldn’t expect for me to say it any differently.
I’m excited to see their passion with which they play with, how they fly around and how physical we can play. This team is really good, arguably one of the best that I’ve gone against schematically, watching as a competitor. I’m excited for it. They’ve got a really dynamic skillset on the perimeter. Ollie Gordon is arguably the best running back in the country.
They have a seven-year veteran and seven offensive linemen that can play and rotate. They’re all six or seven year guys. They’re experienced. They’re very similar to what we were last year as far as when you look at a roster and how many guys have played. That will not be an excuse.”
