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Seth Benson story in Sioux Falls paper

The Benson piece is paywall but the Argus Leader also had an article on Iowa kids playing for SDSU. Prominent mention of Sean Bock from Solon who KF did not recruit.
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The Iowa Hawkeyes have a long and storied tradition as a successful major college football program, one we’ve always been fairly familiar with here in South Dakota. After all, it’s a neighboring state, and with Sioux Falls just a few miles from the border, chances are you know someone who bleeds black and yellow [probably intentional. Zimmer is a moron, more or less, and a Nebraska football fan]

That makes South Dakota State’s game on Saturday as big as any of the ones the Jackrabbits have played in their Division I era against major conference foes. They’ve played Minnesota and Nebraska more than once. Same with the Iowa State Cyclones. This is their first ever matchup with the Hawkeyes.

Jacks head coach John Stiegelmeier has called this Iowa team, which won 10 games and the Big Ten West title last year, the best team SDSU has ever faced. (Really, John? Better than the 6th-ranked Huskers who beat you 17-3 in 2010? Or the 2019 Gophers that finished the year 11-2 and ranked No. 10 after winning the season opener 28-21 over SDSU?)

More: Seth Benson was almost a Jackrabbit — now he's leading Iowa against the team he grew up rooting for

There are 12 players on the Jackrabbit roster from Iowa, including three of their best – middle linebacker Adam Bock, defensive tackle Caleb Sanders and offensive tackle Garret Greenfield. A handful of youngsters on the roster are from just outside Iowa City, as well. Most are downplaying the going-back-home angle. But everyone knows this is a special opportunity for the whole team, and especially the guys from the Hawkeye State.

“A lot of our best players are from Iowa,” said guard Mason McCormick, a Roosevelt grad. “They’re definitely juiced. You know they’re gonna come out like, hey, these guys made a mistake not recruiting me. They’re excited to go out there and show what they can do. How can you not be? Playing in front of 70,000 people. It’ll be a blast.”


BROOKINGS, SD - MAY 8: Caleb Sanders #99 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits bears down on quarterback Nolan Henderson #2 of the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens on May 8, 2021 in Brookings, South Dakota. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)
BROOKINGS, SD - MAY 8: Caleb Sanders #99 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits bears down on quarterback Nolan Henderson #2 of the Delaware Fightin Blue Hens on May 8, 2021 in Brookings, South Dakota. (Photo by Dave Eggen/Inertia)© Dave Eggen/Inertia, via SDSU athletics
Of all the Jackrabbits with Iowa ties, Bock is the one getting the most attention. He’s the best player on the SDSU defense, and hails from Solon, which is just 11 miles north of Iowa City, in Johnson County. Bock said he’s been fielding interview requests all week as he prepared for his homecoming, and doesn’t deny it’ll be special to suit up at Kinnick Stadium and play in front of and against the black and gold. He’ll have a huge cheering section of friends and family at Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 11 a.m.

More: Seven last-minute things to know about the 2022 season for South Dakota, SDSU football

“I’m excited,” Bock said. “Growing up 15 minutes away I was always a Hawkeye fan, going to all the games, going to the camps and stuff. That’s where all my family and friends are, and I’m excited to play in front of them. This one has been circled on the calendar for awhile.”
Bock was a star at Solon High, starring at running back, linebacker and punter, while also playing baseball, basketball and even competing in track and wrestling. The Hawkeyes were certainly aware of him. But they didn’t recruit him.

To say that was a mistake or something Coach Kirk Ferentz regrets might be an overstatement. After all, all three of Iowa’s current starting linebackers are on the watch list for the Butkus Award, given to the top linebacker in Division I.

But Bock, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior, was a freshman All-American in the spring season, a first-team all-conference pick last fall and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan award as the top defensive player in all of FCS. He had 125 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and a touchdown.

More: How to watch, what to know about South Dakota State football vs the Iowa Hawkeyes

“Being so close they came in and watched me a little but I never got much interest from them,” Bock said of the Hawkeyes. “The Hawkeyes were my team, so yeah, that puts a little chip on your shoulder. I can’t wait.”


It isn’t like that for all of SDSU’s Iowa natives. It’s a big state, after all, and Iowa City is way over on the eastern side, nearly six hours from the western border. SDSU, USD, Augustana and USF have all heavily recruited northwest Iowa over the years, and for many of those kids, the Hawkeyes didn’t mean as much. But they’re still aware of Saturday’s significance.


Offensive tackle Garrett Greenfield looks for someone to block during a drill at South Dakota State's first practice of the season, Friday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
Offensive tackle Garrett Greenfield looks for someone to block during a drill at South Dakota State's first practice of the season, Friday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.© Matt Zimmer
“I didn’t grow up a huge Hawkeye fan, or an Iowa State fan,” said Greenfield, a former Rock Valley standout. “I mean, I was five hours away. But it’s definitely going to be cool. To play at Kinnick, in that environment in front of all those people, that’s exciting. We all get a little more juiced up for FBS games, no matter who it is. It’s a more electric atmosphere and we’re all excited for that. But at the end of the day, the field is the same dimensions there. It’s still just a football game. There will just be a few more people than we’re used to.”

More: Mark Gronowski's return from injury highlights South Dakota State's FCS title pursuit

The Jacks are underdogs, of course (the line opened at 15.5 offshore and at 20.5 in Iowa on Thursday), and they understand that. But they’ve never shied away from challenging FBS opponents, walloping Colorado State last year, putting a scare into Minnesota in 2019 and competing admirably with most of the major conference foes they’ve played.

For defensive tackle Ryan Van Marel, a Sheldon native, there’s room for acknowledging the special nature of taking on the Hawkeyes while still coming in with confidence they can beat them if they play their best.

“It definitely means something playing there – it’s going to be a really fun environment,” Van Marel said. “It’s obviously not just another game but we have to do our best to treat it like one. What we did last year against Colorado State, a couple years ago in Minnesota – that gives us confidence. It shows we can compete at a very high level. We just have to go in there and be ourselves.”
 
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Now I'm not expecting a "journalist" to do any homework but this statement is a nice homer opinion. (Really, John? Better than the 6th-ranked Huskers who beat you 17-3 in 2010? Or the 2019 Gophers that finished the year 11-2 and ranked No. 10 after winning the season opener 28-21 over SDSU?)

2010 Huskers finished 10-4. Sound familiar? Also those goofs happened to lose one of those two games to the team the Jacks are playing today. Not really a reach.
 
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