The 2023 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented the
South Dakota State University
South Dakota State University (SDSU or SD State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest university and is the sec ...
as a member of the
Missouri Valley Football Conference
The Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC), formerly the Gateway Football Conference, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the National Collegiate A ...
(MVFC) during the
2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season
The 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The regular seas ...
. Led by first-year head coach
Jimmy Rogers
Jay or James Arthur "Jimmy" Rogers (June 3, 1924December 19, 1997) was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters's band in the early 1950s. He also had a solo career and ...
, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 15–0 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the MVFC title for the second straight season. South Dakota State received the MVFC's automatic bid to the
NCAA Division I Football Championship
The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was ca ...
playoffs, where after a first-round bye, the Jackrabbits defeated
Mercer
Mercer may refer to:
Business
* Mercer (automobile), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925)
* Mercer (consulting firm), a human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City, US
* Mercer (occupation), a merchant or tra ...
in the second round,
Villanova in the quarterfinals,
Albany in the semifinals, and
Montana
Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...
in the
NCAA Division I Football Championship Game to win a second consecutive national title. South Dakota State outscored opponents 146-15 in the four playoff games, completed a wire-to-wire season as the No. 1 ranked team in the
NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Sponsored by the National Collegiate ...
(FCS), and extended the team's winning streak to 29 games.
It was the first South Dakota State team to compile an undefeated season since the
1950 Jackrabbits team. The team played home games on campus at
Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in
Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a city in and the county seat of Brookings County, South Dakota, Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 23,377 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in South Dakota, fo ...
.
Schedule
Rankings
Game summaries
Western Oregon
*Source
Box Score
No. 3 Montana State
*Source
Box Score
vs. Drake
*Source
Box Score
No. 12 North Dakota
*Source
Box Score
at Illinois State
*Source
Box Score
Northern Iowa
*Source
Box Score
at No. 12 Southern Illinois
*Source
Box Score
at No. 4 South Dakota
*Source
Box Score
No. 11 North Dakota State
*Source
Box Score
at No. 22 Youngstown State
*Source
Box Score
Missouri State
*Source
Box Score
No. 17 Mercer—NCAA Division I Second Round
*Source
Box Score
No. 6 Villanova—NCAA Division I Quarterfinal
*Source
Box Score
No. 5 Albany—NCAA Division I Semifinal
*Source
Box Score
vs. No. 2 Montana—NCAA Division I Championship Game