BROOKINGS, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota State running back Amar Johnson topped the 100-yard mark for the second game in a row and the Jackrabbit defense held Augustana out of the end zone in a 24-3 Beef Bowl victory before a crowd of 19,376 Saturday night at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
SDSU, the top-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision, improved to 2-1 overall. Augustana, ranked 14th in the NCAA Division II coaches’ poll, dropped to 1-1 on the season.
The Vikings capitalized on a turnover on the opening kickoff to put the first points on the board. Jake Detert jarred the ball loose from Jackrabbit kick returner Kolten Tilford and Kael Ryan recovered the fumble at the SDSU 11. The Jackrabbit defense held firm, however, as Augustana settled for a 32-yard field goal by Jake Pecina two minutes into the contest.
SDSU responded on its first offensive drive, putting together a six-play, 60-yard touchdown drive, starting when Johnson picked up first downs on the first two Jackrabbit plays from scrimmage, a 12-yard pass and a 13-yard run. One play after SDSU picked up a crucial first down via defensive holding on a third-down play, quarterback Mark Gronowski rolled around left end and scored from 9 yards out.
The Jackrabbits extended their lead to 17-3 with a pair of scores in the second quarter. Once again, Johnson was at the center of the first scoring drive of the quarter, accounting for all 55 yards of the four-play march. A senior from O’Fallon, Missouri, strung together runs of 16, 26 and 12 yards to put SDSU on the doorstep. He then took a direct snap and plunged in from a yard out.
After turning Augustana over on downs for the second time in as many drives, the Jackrabbits added a 39-yard field goal by Hunter Dustman in the closing seconds of the first half.
SDSU took advantage of a short field after a shanked punt to score what would be the final points of the night midway through the third quarter as Gronowski scored his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run.
Mistakes prevented the Jackrabbits from adding to their lead down the stretch as SDSU uncharacteristically turned the ball over three times in the game and committed nine penalties for 110 yards. Augustana was flagged seven times for 40 yards.
The Jacks did finish with a 374-171 advantage in total offense, including a 233-24 margin in rushing yards. Johnson matched his career high with 126 yards on 17 carries, while freshman running back Maxwell Woods gained 61 yards on six carries, including a 44-yard run on his second carry of the night, in his collegiate debut.
Gronowski completed 19-of-27 passes for 141 yards, but was intercepted two times. Griffin Wilde was the top target with six catches for 47 yards, while Johnson (14 yards) and Kentrell Prejean (20 yards) each tallied three receptions.
Evan Bearth came off the bench to pace the Augustana offense by completing 8-of-17 passes for 92 yards, while starter Thomas Scholten was 12-of-18 passing for 55 yards and an interception. Isaiah Huber hauled in five catches for 53 yards, with former Jackrabbit Canyon Bauer adding five receptions for 37 yards. Rashad Lampkin led the Augie ground game with 26 yards on six carries.
Defensively, the Jackrabbits were led by Kobe Clayborne with five tackles, including a tackle for loss. Fellow defensive end Dawson Ripperda registered 1.5 sacks and was one of five SDSU players with four stops.
Augustana’s Logan Leonard led all players with 10 tackles and added an interception. Peyton Buckley notched eight tackles and had the other Viking interception.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State closes out nonconference action Sept. 21 at Southeastern Louisiana. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond, Louisiana.
NOTES
- SDSU leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1931, 44-15-2
- The two programs met for the first time since 2004
- The Jackrabbits improved to 36-21 in Beef Bowl games and have won seven in a row and 11 of the last 12
- SDSU extended its home winning streak to 23 games
- Johnson previously ran for 126 yards in the FCS national championship game against North Dakota State on Jan. 8, 2023, and tallied 112 yards last week versus Incarnate Word
- Gronowski moved into a tie with Anthony Watson (2003-06) for ninth place in career rushing touchdowns at SDSU with 29
- Woods finished with 89 all-purpose yards as he also caught two passes for nine yards and returned a kickoff 19 yards
- Colby Humphrey came up with the first Jackrabbit interception of the season, picking off a pass late in the first quarter
- The Jackrabbits have not given up a touchdown seven times over the last two seasons (18 games)
- The crowd was the second-largest in the history of Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, which opened in 2016
