Week one uneventful but SDSU/Montana State highlights intriguing second week

Sep. 5—SIOUX FALLS — Week one of the Missouri Valley Football Conference season was an uneventful one.

There were no upsets of FBS teams. There were several predictable blowouts.

Week two is different. While Murray State, Indiana State, Youngstown State and Southern Illinois all face FBS opponents this week, there are some interesting matchups, with none bigger than the showdown coming to Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on Saturday night.

The top-ranked, defending national champion Jackrabbits will host No. 3 Montana State in what some are calling the FCS game of the year (the Bison-Jackrabbit game on Nov. 4 ought to be pretty big, too), a rematch of two teams that have faced off in the FCS semifinals in each of the last two seasons.

The Bobcats won in 2021 in Bozeman. The Jacks won last year in Brookings.

For a game this early in the season, the stakes are certainly high. Whoever loses could already find themselves out of the picture when it comes to locking down the No. 1 seed in the FCS playoffs. It’s a chance for SDSU to reaffirm that last year’s 39-18 whipping of the Bobcats was no fluke, weather-influenced or otherwise. For the Bobcats, who got blown out by NDSU in the 2021 national championship after beating SDSU, it’s a chance to prove they’re still a threat to SDSU and NDSU atop the FCS ranks.

But more on that game in the coming days.

Here’s a closer look at the opening week and what else is in store for week two.

SDSU

Beat Western Oregon 45-7

The Jacks got in and out without anyone getting hurt, though they were without linebacker Adam Bock, who was wearing a boot and seems unlikely to play against the Bobcats. The starters looked good, the reserves were a mixed bag, but there was little to complain about in a season-opening tune-up. The biggest challenge will be ramping up the intensity from a Division II opponent to…

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