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South Dakota State linebacker T.J. Lally was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week and punter Ethan Sawyer earned special teams honors following their performances in the Jackrabbits' 12-8 victory over UC Davis on Sept. 15.
In his first home start, Lally paced a Jackrabbit defense that did not allow an offensive touchdown with 10 tackles (all solo), including four sacks. The redshirt freshman from Chicago also recovered a fumble on the Aggies' final offensive play to preserve the victory. His four sacks were the most by a Jackrabbit player in the Division I era and the most sacks in a game since Jeff Wolgamott tallied four against Morningside (Iowa) in the 1997 season finale. SDSU did not allow UC Davis past the Jackrabbit 25-yard line for the entire game.
Sawyer helped the Jackrabbits win the battle of field position, punting seven times for an average of 47.9 yards in breezy conditions at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. A sophomore from Brandon, Sawyer booted a career-long 72-yarder in the contest and prevented UC Davis from recording any punt returns on the afternoon, landing one punt inside the 20-yard line with two touchbacks. For the season, he is averaging 44.1 yards per punt.
Courtesy: Jason Hove
