BleedGopher
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per the Argus Leader:
When it comes to sports, South Dakota is Minnesota territory.
To be sure, the sports loyalties of the Rushmore State are varied, but in a state with no major pro sports teams, the Twins and Vikings have long been the closest thing we have. And since South Dakota didn’t have a Division I college team until after the turn of the century, many of the state’s sports fans have an out-of-state rooting interest when it comes to college sports. Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa are the most common, as they’re all neighboring states.
Until the Jackrabbits moved up to Division I in 2004 (with the USD Coyotes following them in 2008), the thought of one of our little North Central Conference teams playing in a Big Ten Stadium seemed outlandish. Now it’s become routine, as SDSU and USD play a major conference foe almost annually. The Coyotes have already defeated the Gophers, back in 2010, in what still counts as one of the biggest upsets ever by a South Dakota team.
So for a Jackrabbit squad that counts 20 Minnesotans on its roster, playing the Golden Gophers on Thursday night in a nationally televised game at TCF Stadium is special. This is a team many of them grew up watching and hoping to one day play for. That and the fact that SDSU had its FBS game rained out last year (against Iowa State) means this is an opportunity the Jacks are going to relish.
“In the end I’m gonna treat it like just another game, but it will be cool to play literally five minutes from home against a team I watched growing up,” said Jacks linebacker Levi Brown, who was an all-state athlete at Roseville. “It’ll be really fun. They recruited me a little but never offered me. It always gives you a little chip on your shoulder. That’ll motivate me for sure.”
https://www.argusleader.com/story/s...a-golden-gophers-special-opponent/2130181001/
Go Gophers!!
When it comes to sports, South Dakota is Minnesota territory.
To be sure, the sports loyalties of the Rushmore State are varied, but in a state with no major pro sports teams, the Twins and Vikings have long been the closest thing we have. And since South Dakota didn’t have a Division I college team until after the turn of the century, many of the state’s sports fans have an out-of-state rooting interest when it comes to college sports. Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa are the most common, as they’re all neighboring states.
Until the Jackrabbits moved up to Division I in 2004 (with the USD Coyotes following them in 2008), the thought of one of our little North Central Conference teams playing in a Big Ten Stadium seemed outlandish. Now it’s become routine, as SDSU and USD play a major conference foe almost annually. The Coyotes have already defeated the Gophers, back in 2010, in what still counts as one of the biggest upsets ever by a South Dakota team.
So for a Jackrabbit squad that counts 20 Minnesotans on its roster, playing the Golden Gophers on Thursday night in a nationally televised game at TCF Stadium is special. This is a team many of them grew up watching and hoping to one day play for. That and the fact that SDSU had its FBS game rained out last year (against Iowa State) means this is an opportunity the Jacks are going to relish.
“In the end I’m gonna treat it like just another game, but it will be cool to play literally five minutes from home against a team I watched growing up,” said Jacks linebacker Levi Brown, who was an all-state athlete at Roseville. “It’ll be really fun. They recruited me a little but never offered me. It always gives you a little chip on your shoulder. That’ll motivate me for sure.”
https://www.argusleader.com/story/s...a-golden-gophers-special-opponent/2130181001/
Go Gophers!!
