What channel is South Dakota State football vs Delaware on? Here's how to watch, stream
It feels like the Delaware Blue Hens were just here a minute ago, but much has changed in their program since their 33-3 loss to South Dakota State in the 2021 spring season playoffs.
The Hens came to Brookings for the first time in their history that day in the FCS semifinals, and they were riding high at 7-0, having won the CAA title and looking like a legit national title contender. A few or their players even seemed to go out of their way that spring to proclaim their conference, not the Dakota-driven Missouri Valley Football Conference, was the best in the FCS.
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But Delaware was humbled that day, dominated by the Jackrabbits. Hens coach Danny Rocco admitted after the game his team had been mistaken in thinking they’d be able to match SDSU physically.
It left a mark, apparently, because the Hens went 5-6 in the fall season, and Rocco was fired.
He’s since been replaced by Ryan Carty, a Delaware alum (he was a backup to future NFL quarterback Joe Flacco, as well as on the 2003 national championship team) who happened to be the offensive coordinator for Sam Houston State when the Bearkats beat SDSU in the spring national championship, the game that followed the Jacks’ win over the Blue Hens.
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The Hens bounced back this year, opening the year with a 14-7 win over Navy and jumping out to a 5-0 start that had them in the top 10 of the national rankings. But then it kind of fell apart. Delaware would lose four of their last six to close out the regular season, including three in a row on the road.
A 7-4 mark with an FBS win was enough to get them in the playoffs, however, and they were impressive on Saturday in routing St. Francis 56-17 in the first round. But a Jackrabbit team that’s won 10 in a row and nine straight at home dating back to last year, will be a much tougher challenge.
Still, the Blue Hens should have a good idea of what they’re up against. A handful of their best players were on the trip when they came to Brookings 18 months ago, led by quarterback Noah Henderson. The SDSU defense gave Henderson an absolute beating in that game, but he earned the Jacks’ respect by taking it, and two seasons later he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country, having thrown for 3,200 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. Top receivers Jourdan Townsend and Thyrick Pitts (17 touchdown catches between them) were both in the lineup for Delaware in the last meeting, as was fullback Khory Spruill and defensive stalwarts Jonny Buchanan, Noah Plack, Kedrick Whitehead, Drew Nickles and Artis Hemmingway. Buchanan has a whopping 136 tackles this year; Plack has 90.
The Jacks, when they take the field, will be playing a game for the first time in 20 days, having had a scheduled bye on the final week of the regular season, then earning a first-round playoff bye as the No. 1 seed in the FCS tournament. Rust is a concern, but after playing 11 games in 11 weeks, SDSU was happy to take the extended time off to rest up and heal.
The game is not televised over the air or on cable - it will stream on ESPN+. The high temperature for Saturday in Brookings is forecasted to be 26 degrees.
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DELAWARE (8-4) AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (10-1)
WHEN/WHERE: 2 p.m. Saturday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
TV/STREAMING: ESPN+
RADIO: WNAX-AM 570; Jackrabbit radio affiliates
COACHES: DU – Ryan Carty (1st year); SDSU – John Stiegelmeier (26th year, 195-112)
SERIES: Tied 1-1
LAST TIME: SDSU defeated Delaware 33-3 in the spring 2021 playoff semifinals
LAST WEEK: Delaware beat St. Francis 56-17 in the first round of the FCS playoffs; SDSU had a bye
RANKINGS: SDSU is No. 1 in the FCS; Delaware is ranked 23rd
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: How to watch South Dakota State football vs Delaware in FCS playoffs
