USD Students Gearing Up For SDSU Game

It's been nine years since the two most prominent college football teams in South Dakota went head-to-head.  But that will happen again Saturday afternoon when the Jackrabbits and Coyotes hit the gridiron in Brookings.

When you step onto the University of South Dakota campus, it's hard to miss the excitement surrounding the big game.  There are banners hanging everywhere and almost every student you see is proudly sporting the school colors.

But some students say the big game is not just about who wins.

It's business as usual on the University of South Dakota campus, except for maybe a few things.

"It's kind of a big deal.  You see the banners and the posters and everyone is excited and I think it will be a good game," student Michelle McClellan said.

Saturday's game is the first big rivalry football matchup between the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits and University of South Dakota Coyotes. And the Coyotes aren't going in without showing their pride.

"I think it's really exciting to see that the whole school is getting excited for a big rivalry game, getting the entire class involved is great," student Blake Seier said.

Whether it's trading in your SDSU shirts or buying a shirt just for the big game, students across campus are pumped, no matter the outcome.

"I'm hoping we are going to win, we are 1 and 9, not the greatest and they are also a very good team. I hope we are going to win. Any time though that this big of a rivalry gets together I always think it's going to be a good game," student Jordan Janousek said.

And even more than the game, many students are just happy to have the rivalry back. There's been a lot of hype obviously, because it's the first year both teams are in the same division again.

"They are so close together they might as well just play because everybody loves a rivalry," student Michelle McClellan said.

USD is accepting SDSU t-shirts up until Game Day in exchange for a bright red shirt as a way to spread school spirit.