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Brookings, South Dakota: No. 5 South Dakota State Beats Northern Iowa 41-15, Hands Panthers First Home Loss

The Jackrabbits scored the first 17 points at the UNI-Dome, ran for 259 yards, and handed Northern Iowa its first home loss of the season in a 41-15 Missouri Valley win.

By Orbit Post2 min read
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Brookings, South Dakota: No. 5 South Dakota State Beats Northern Iowa 41-15, Hands Panthers First Home Loss

Key points

  • No. 5 South Dakota State scored the first 17 points, never trailed, and beat Northern Iowa 41-15 on Saturday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
  • South Dakota State punted on its first drive, then scored on a 22-yard screen pass from Chase Mason to Jack Smith with 7:19 left in the first quarter.
  • Josiah Johnson finished a nine-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and the lead reached 17-0.

No. 5 South Dakota State scored the first 17 points, never trailed, and beat Northern Iowa 41-15 on Saturday at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The win was the first by a visiting team in the building this season, and it lifted the Jackrabbits to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

A fast start on the road

South Dakota State punted on its first drive, then scored on a 22-yard screen pass from Chase Mason to Jack Smith with 7:19 left in the first quarter. Tristan Alvano added a 50-yard field goal, a season long for him, to make it 10-0 late in the first quarter.

Josiah Johnson finished a nine-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and the lead reached 17-0. Seven of the nine plays on that drive came on the ground.

Northern Iowa scored just before halftime on a five-yard run by Xavier Terrell, and the Panthers went into the break trailing 17-7.

The second half settles it

The Jackrabbit defense stopped Northern Iowa on downs early in the third quarter after the Panthers had converted once on fourth down. Mason then completed three passes for 75 yards, and Johnson scored from three yards out to make it 24-7.

A 29-yard punt return by Myles Green set up the next score. Mason found Smith for 29 yards and then threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Brayden Delahoyde. South Dakota State scored 21 straight points in the second half and led 38-7.

Northern Iowa quarterback Jaxon Dailey threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Briggs Houghston early in the fourth quarter and connected with Tay Norman on the two-point conversion, cutting the lead to 38-15. Alvano closed the scoring with a 41-yard field goal with 7:34 left.

The numbers behind the win

Mason finished 10 of 18 for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson ran 14 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns, and Basinger added 102 yards on nine carries. Smith caught four passes for 62 yards, and Lofton O'Groske caught three for 69 yards.

South Dakota State totaled 467 yards of offense, with 259 of them on the ground. The defense held Northern Iowa to 260 total yards and only 74 rushing yards. Jes Krcil led the Jackrabbits with 10 tackles.

The Jackrabbits stay on the road next week. They play at Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Timeline

  1. Nov 7, 2026South Dakota State takes a 17-0 lead at the UNI-Dome on touchdowns by Jack Smith and Josiah Johnson and a 50-yard field goal by Tristan Alvano.
  2. Nov 7, 2026Northern Iowa cuts the lead to 17-7 before halftime on a five-yard touchdown run by Xavier Terrell.
  3. Nov 7, 2026South Dakota State scores 21 straight points in the second half, wins 41-15, and improves to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Sources