SDSU football notebook: Tucker Kraft is back in a big way
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Tucker Kraft’s return to the lineup for No. 1 South Dakota State was, well, vintage Tucker Kraft.
After going down with an injury on his first catch of the season in the opener at Iowa and missing the next six games, the star tight end and NFL prospect was back in the lineup Saturday at the Alerus Center, and he made his presence felt in the Jackrabbits’ 49-35 win over North Dakota. Kraft caught three passes for 53 yards and a 32-yard touchdown that helped SDSU close the first-half deficit to seven points by halftime, and even returned a kick-off 30 yards (more on that later).
“I think the fans and everyone could feel it,” said receiver Jadon Janke. “It felt normal again. It was really great to have him back. I love that guy – he does crazy stuff out there, as you saw.”
Kraft’s start, however, was a little rough-and-tumble.
The first time he was targeted was on a crossing route over the middle. The ball bounced right off his hands and fell incomplete, leaving SDSU with a 3rd and 8, and they punted a play later. On the next series he jumped offsides to turn a 3rd and 10 into a 3rd and 15 and another punt.
“I was really wired at first,” Kraft said. “I had a false start, had a drop and got lit up on the play. But I needed that. I needed to get hit in the face. It was great.”
So great, apparently, that, after UND had answered DyShawn Gales’ pick-six with a 12-play, 93-yard scoring drive to go up 21-7, Kraft finally got the offense on the board. He ran a deep drag and after a scrambling Mark Gronowski found him at the sideline, Kraft turned upfield and ran over defenders at the goalline for his first touchdown of the season.
“Everyone always asks me what’s my favorite route,” Kraft said of his touchdown. “My favorite route is anything that makes me look athletic. That was a simple 15-yard over route. I saw Mark scrambling and I had to back-shoulder it. That was the hardest part of the touchdown – making the catch and securing the ball. From there I just had to dodge, duck and dive. That was my ‘I’m Back’ moment.”
More:Behind quarterback Bouman, South Dakota football storms back to stun No. 14 Southern Illinois 27-24
On Kraft’s next catch he picked up six yards but was then flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play. Kraft regretted the penalty, but noted that it was provoked.
“I got tackled into the sideline and somebody spit into my mouth,” he said. “I got a little fiery.”
He wasn’t done, though. After UND cut the SDSU lead to 42-28 with just under seven minutes to go, they tried an onside kick. Kraft charged it like an infielder, snagged it on a hop and took off for the end zone. He was dragged out of bounds at the 9-yard line by UND defensive back Marcus Vaughn-Jones.
It was probably the closest the 6-foot-5, 255-pounder will ever get to a kick return touchdown.
“I blew it, man, I blew it,” Kraft said with a big grin. “I’m still not 100 percent speed yet, I’ll blame it on that. I tried the stiff-arm and it didn’t work so well, but I ran out of bounds right where my family was sitting, so it was actually an emotional moment for me. That was wild. If I had scored on that it would’ve been massive.”
Two plays later, Amar Johnson scored to make it 49-28.
49 on 47
SDSU (7-1, 5-0) had just 308 yards of offense, but that was on an average of 6.6 yards per play. A defensive touchdown, Kraft’s kick return, a 58-yard punt return by Janke and a fumble recovery gave SDSU short fields, and they ultimately scored 49 points while running 47 offensive plays.
“Not very often you have more points than plays,” said coach John Stiegelmeier.
More:South Dakota State football downs UND 49-35, improve to 7-1
Special teams struggles
Though Janke’s punt return was a huge play, it was mostly a rough day for the Jacks’ special teams units. Two punts were partially blocked, and a third, in the final minute, was resoundingly blocked and recovered in the end zone for a Hawks touchdown that cut the lead to 14, which they followed by recovering an onside kick.
The onside kick was forgivable – UND kicker Brady Stevens executed as perfect a kick as you’ll ever see. But the three blocked punts – and a 61-yard punt return in the first quarter that set up a UND touchdown – had SDSU coaches fuming.
“We’ll work on it,” Stiegelmeier said. “That last (blocked punt), I don’t know what happened. I don’t know how that many guys got through. That was N.G. Not good.”
Linebackers dropping
SDSU lost middle linebacker Adam Bock to a foot/leg injury early in the first quarter, and the All-American spent the rest of the game on the sidelines in a boot and on crutches. He could be facing a lengthy absence.
Graham Spalding was ejected in the second half for targeting, and must consequently sit out the first half of next week’s game. Jason Freeman, an NAIA transfer who has excelled on the weakside, had eight tackles Saturday but was banged up again, while the Jacks are already playing without Sam linebacker Daeton Mcgaughy.
Sack lunch
SDSU put a hurting on UND quarterback Tommy Schuster. They sacked him five times and put a handful of other hits on him. Quinton Hicks, Colby Huerter, Caleb Sanders, Jarod DePriest and Reece Winkelman all had sacks.
SDSU ranks second in the Valley with 21 sacks on the season.
More:After big Dakota Marker win, time for No. 1 South Dakota State football to finish the job
Kings of the Dakotas
With the win, SDSU completed a sweep of the Dakota schools, defeating former longtime North Central Conference rivals USD, NDSU and UND back to back to back. Their seven-game winning streak also tied the longest of the school’s Division I era. They're now 1-0 as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation.
“It definitely means a lot,” Janke said of beating all three Dakota schools. “Being a Dakota kid, playing for SDSU is the best feeling ever, and beating all the Dakota teams, I couldn’t ask for a better season so far.”
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota State football's Tucker Kraft is back in a big way
