Aug. 29, 2024 12:26 PM EST

No. 17 Oklahoma State Opens With Two-Time Defending Fcs Champ South Dakota State

By The Associated Press
FILE - Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy speaks during the Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier, File) Lucas Peltier, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy speaks during the Big 12 NCAA college football media days in Las Vegas, Tuesday, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucas Peltier, File)

South Dakota State at No. 17 Oklahoma State, Saturday, 2 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Oklahoma State by 9 1/2.

Series record: First meeting.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Two teams with high expectations meet for the first time. Coach Jimmy Rogers hopes to lead South Dakota State to a third straight Championship Subdivision title and his Jackrabbits haven't lost a game in nearly two years. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is entering his 20th season with the Cowboys. They return all but one starter from a team that won 10 games last season. The Cowboys are expected to contend for a Big 12 title and a spot in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. The Cowboys are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball while the Jackrabbits return just three starters on offense and five starters on defense.

KEY MATCHUP

Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon vs. South Dakota State linebacker Adam Bock. Gordon ran for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns last season and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back. Bock, an FCS All-American with 344 career tackles, anchors a stingy defense that limited opponents to 88.1 yards rushing per game in 2022 and 89.6 yards in 2023.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Oklahoma State: WR Brennan Presley, a preseason All-Big 12 pick, caught 101 passes for 991 yards and six touchdowns last season. Look for QB Alan Bowman to target Presley and fellow wideout Rashod Owens (63 receptions, 895 yards, five scores) early and often if the Jackrabbits bottle up Gordon.

South Dakota State: QB Mark Gronowski threw for 3,058 yards and accounted for 37 total touchdowns to win the Walter Payton Award as the top FCS player. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound senior is 37-3 as a starter and led FCS quarterbacks in passing efficiency (179.67).

FACTS & FIGURES

FCS No. 1 South Dakota State has won 29 straight games and two national titles since losing to Iowa by four points in the 2022 season opener. ... The Jackrabbits averaged 37 points and 450 yards per game last season. ... South Dakota State's defense limited opponents to 9.3 points and 257 total yards per game last season. ... The Cowboys return seven offensive linemen with a combined 200 career starts, including preseason All-Big 12 picks Dalton Cooper (49 career starts) and Joe Michalski (23 career starts).

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