The 2025 season has not gone as South Dakota State planned, at least not over the last month. After surging out to a 7-0 start, the Jackrabbits looked as though they were again going to be a shoo-in for the FCS playoffs and another top seed. Big wins over ranked Sacramento State and then Montana State propelled SDSU into the early national championship conversation after a turbulent offseason in which they went through a head coaching change and major roster overhaul. It seemed as though the “rebuilding
year” that so many had branded this fall to be in Brookings was going to be anything but.
To say it all fell out from beneath Dan Jackson’s squad since mid-October, though, would be an understatement. When quarterback Chase Mason went down with an ankle injury back in Week 8 against Murray State, it changed the entire trajectory of the Jacks’ entire season. South Dakota State would end up winning that contest against the Racers but they have not tasted victory since. With Mason out, they’ve gone 0-3 in an ugly skid that’s featured a Dakota Marker blowout at home to NDSU, a head-scratching defeat to Indiana State and, most recently, a stumble to South Dakota in Vermillion. It’s the first time since 2013 that the team has lost three consecutive games.
What was once a campaign full of promise where it felt like the sky might be the limit has suddenly has taken a nose dive and, with just two weeks to play now, SDSU finds itself in a situation it isn’t used to; staring down the barrel of missing the playoffs. With games against a pair of Top 25 Missouri Valley foes in Illinois State and North Dakota looming, things are looking dicey to say the least.
As the Redbirds come to town this weekend for the home finale, the biggest question on every Jackrabbits fan’s mind is the status of Mason. Freshmen Luke Marble and Jack Henry have both filled in his absence and neither has been able to get it done. It’s become clear at this point that South Dakota State’s offense needs the veteran Mason under center. Before he went down, Mason was having a great season, throwing for 1,419 yards and 11 touchdowns along with just one pick. His backups have combined for four interceptions in his place.
As of right now, though, it is still up in the air on whether or not he’ll go on Saturday and if he can’t it looks like it will again be Henry. Last week against the Coyotes, Henry made his first collegiate start and had an okay day, throwing for 217 yards and a score but also tossing two picks. This week, the challenge would only get harder for the freshman signal caller as Illinois State has intercepted 11 passes and sacked opposing QBs 17 times this season.
Outside of the Xs and Os of the game, SDSU is also going up against a team that is equally fighting for its playoff life. The Redbirds come in with a similar 7-3 record knowing that they, too, need to win to avoid finding themselves on the dreaded playoff bubble next week. Four losses might not be a complete death sentence for either team but a fifth almost certainly would be. Both squads have their backs against the wall in this one but it feels like for South Dakota State the situation is even more dire.
The good news is that, whether Mason can play or not, the team still has other very talented playmakers on offense like running back Julius Loughridge and receiver Alex Bullock. Those two have been workhorses all year long and will be asked to step up in a big way this weekend, regardless of who the quarterback is. Loughridge has over 800 rushing yards while Bullock leads the team with 683 yards and four TDs.
Somehow, some way the Jackrabbits have to find a way to get up off the mat or their entire season looks like it’ll go up in flames entirely. A bye week in the playoffs is almost surely out of the question now but the year can still be salvaged. Winning this weekend would go a long ways in easing the tensions in the South Dakota and, while it won’t guarantee anything, it will make next week’s showdown in Grand Forks a “win and you’re in” contest and, after the way things have gone over the last several weeks, that’s all you can ask for if you’re the Jacks.
SDSU and ISU will kick off at 3:00 PM (ET) on Saturday and can be watched on ESPN+.
