South Dakota State Runs Past Eastern Illinois 42-7 Behind Explosive Ground Game
The short version
- No. 2 South Dakota State beat Eastern Illinois 42-7, moving to 4-1; EIU fell to 1-4.
- SDSU rushed for 408 yards, with Johnson (121), Basinger (116) and Blair (80) leading the way.
- Basinger broke a 7-7 tie and added a 48-yard touchdown to open the second half.
- Josh Holst threw a touchdown pass in his first start in place of injured Chase Mason.
- SDSU visits Illinois State on Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. to open Missouri Valley play.
Sophomore running backs piled up 317 rushing yards and five touchdowns as No. 2 South Dakota State beat Eastern Illinois 42-7 at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
Second-ranked South Dakota State overcame a sloppy first half to defeat Eastern Illinois 42-7 in nonconference football Saturday night at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. The Jackrabbits moved to 4-1 overall, while the Panthers fell to 1-4. Announced attendance for the Hall of Fame Game was 18,264.
The Jackrabbits scored first, with Josiah Johnson spinning out of a tackle on an 18-yard touchdown run to cap the game's opening drive. Eastern Illinois answered early in the second quarter when quarterback Cole LaCrue ran it in from nine yards up the middle, finishing a 12-play, 82-yard drive that was extended by a fake punt on which Cade Cox completed a 10-yard pass to Makhi Wilson.
South Dakota State sputtered on its other first-half possessions, turning the ball over on downs twice, punting once and missing a field goal. James Basinger broke a 7-7 tie midway through the second quarter with a 39-yard touchdown run on his second carry of the night.
The Jackrabbits took control immediately after halftime. Basinger opened the third quarter with a 48-yard touchdown on SDSU's first offensive play, and Corey Blair Jr. followed on the team's next snap with a 61-yard scoring burst up the middle. Johnson, the reigning Stats Perform National Offensive Player of the Week, added a 55-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-1 run later in the third quarter.
The SDSU defense held Eastern Illinois scoreless the rest of the way, forcing eight punts and recovering two second-half fumbles. Maverick LeBrun stripped LaCrue on a sack near midfield with Bergan Tetzlaff recovering, and Noah Luginbill forced a fumble from a Panthers receiver that Brady Schroedermeier recovered deep in Jackrabbit territory.
Josh Holst, making his first start at quarterback in place of an injured Chase Mason, turned the first fumble into points with a 16-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ben Brooks — the first scoring catch of Brooks' career. Holst finished 11 of 22 for 176 yards, with Coleman Kuntz leading the receivers with four catches for a career-high 81 yards.
South Dakota State finished with 408 team rushing yards and 597 yards of total offense, topping 400 rushing yards for the first time since Oct. 12, 2024, against Youngstown State. Johnson rushed for 121 yards on 14 carries, Basinger gained 116 on nine attempts and Blair added 80 on six carries. The Jackrabbits are averaging 302.4 rushing yards per game this season, and it marked the second time this year two SDSU backs topped 100 yards in the same game.
LaCrue completed 6 of 16 passes for 85 yards and ran for 24 yards on 12 carries for Eastern Illinois. Charles Kellom led the Panthers with 28 rushing yards on 11 carries and a team-high three receptions for 30 yards. Jes Krcil paced the SDSU defense with 12 tackles and two pass breakups, while Nick Vecchiarelli had 12 tackles and Alex Koulovatos added 11 for EIU.
South Dakota State leads the all-time series 2-0. The Jackrabbits return to Missouri Valley Football Conference play Oct. 3 with a road game at nationally ranked Illinois State, kicking off at 6 p.m. at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.
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