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Trojan Football shatters 29 new school records

December 18, 2017

DSU TROJAN FOOTBALL SCHOOL RECORD BOOK

MADISON, S.D. – The Dakota state (S.D.) University football set a total of twenty-nine (29) new school records after one of the most successful seasons in 2017.  The Trojans finished their season with an overall record of 8-3 and 6-2 record in the North Star Athletic Association conference (second-place in the standings), most victories since 1998.  DSU also ranked No. 23 in the final NAIA Football Coaches' regular-season Top 25 national poll last month.

The Trojans had set 20 different new school records in 2017, as well as 9 new team school records.

Jacob Giles, 2017 North Star Athletic Association Football Offensive Player-of-the-Year and two-time NSAA All-Conference First Team, had set 12 different new school records (9 different new records in the passing categories)  He set the following DSU Football school records (old school records listed in parenthesis):

  • 1,152 career pass attempts (1,133 pass attempts – Justin Thielke from 1997-2000)
  • 40 pass completions in a single-game versus Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) on Aug. 24, 2017 (Giles previously held the single-game school record of 32 pass completions twice – vs. Mayville State, N.D. on Oct. 29, 2016 and vs. Saint Ambrose (Iowa) on Sept. 10, 2016)
  • 243 pass completions in a single-season (234 pass completions in a single season by Brandon Large in 2012)
  • 664 career pass completions (619 career pass completions by Thielke)
  • 452 passing yards in a single-game versus DWU on Aug. 24, 2017 (432 passing yards in a single-game versus Minot State, N.D. by Thielke in 2000)
  • 3,133 passing yards in a single-season (2,883 passing yards in a single-season by Large in 2012)
  • 8,736 career passing yards (7,617 career passing yards set by Thielke)
  • 39 touchdown passes in a single-season (Giles previously held the school record of 28 touchdown passes in 2016)
  • 96 career touchdown passes (58 career touchdown passes by Thielke)
  • 468 net offense yards in a single-game versus Dakota Wesleyan on Aug. 24, 2017 (428 net offense yards set by Thielke versus Minot State in 2000)
  • 3,311 net offense yards in a single-season (2,946 net offense yards set by Large in 2012)
  • 9,354 career net offense yards (7,431 career net offense yards set by Thielke)

Giles also tied the DSU school record for most touchdown passes in a single game versus Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) at Trojan Field on Aug. 24.  He threw seven touchdown passes in the game, tying with his previous record of seven touchdown passes versus Saint Ambrose (Iowa) on Sept. 10, 2016.  He also threw the third most touchdown passes in a single-game with six (6) versus Mayville State (N.D.) on Sept. 16, as well as tied for fourth-most touchdown passes with five (5) three times in 2017 – at Mayville State on Nov. 4, versus Waldorf (Iowa) on Oct. 7 and at Briar Cliff (Iowa) on Sept. 9.

Giles registered the third most single-season attempts with 384 in 2017 (Large holds the school record with 405 pass attempts in 2011).  Giles also tied the fourth-most pass completions in a single game at Presentation (S.D.) with 31 completions on Nov. 11 (Cole Whisenhunt at South Dakota Mines on Oct. 26, 2013; Large twice at Concordia, Neb. on Oct. 1, 2011 and at Valley City State, N.D. on Sept. 17, 2011 and Daryl Fletcher in 1970).

Austin Opdahl – 2016 NAIA Football All-American Second Team recipient and two-time NSAA Football First Team All-Conference selection – set four (4) different new receiving school records for Dakota State.  He set the single-game school record with 333 receiving yards versus Dakota Wesleyan on Aug. 24, previously held by Mark Maples with 231 receiving yards versus Mayville State in 2001.  Opdahl's 333 receiving yards is the most single-game receiving yards in the NAIA this year.

Opdahl also set a Trojan Football single-game school record of 17 catches versus DWU.  He previously held the school record of 15 receptions versus Saint Ambrose on Sept. 10, 2016.

Opdahl set a single-season school record of 1,121 receiving yards for DSU.  He broke the old record of 1,097 receiving yards set by former NAIA All-American wide receiver Tommy Hofer with 1,097 receiving yards in 2005.

Opdahl broke a new DSU Football career record with 42 touchdown receptions from 2014-17.  Zach Ely (2011-14) and Hofer (2002-05) previously held the career school record with 26 touchdown catches.

Opdahl recorded the second-most career receiving yards with 3,202 yards (Hofer holds the school record of 3,456 receiving yards).  Opdahl also recorded the second-most touchdown receptions in a single-season with 14 (he still holds the school record of 16 touchdown receptions in 2016).

He is also second in the Trojan Football school record in the scoring category – 42 career touchdowns (Jeff Rodman holds the school record with 45 touchdowns from 1973-76) and 252 points (Rodman with 274 career points).

Brywn Ractliffe set two new school records in kicking category for DSU.  He set a new single-season record of 55 PAT extra-point kicks made in 2017, breaking the previous old record of 39 PAT extra-point kicks by Nic Behrens in 2015). 

Ractliffe also set a new single-season record of 67 points in kicking for the Trojans (55 PATs extra-point kicks and made 4 field goals), previously held by Tanner Hubbard with 60 points in 2014.

Ractliffe tied the DSU single-game school record of eight (8) PAT extra-point kicks made with Mitch Lynch versus Mayville State in 2004.  Ractliffe converted eight PAT extra-points three times in 2017 – versus Dakota Wesleyan on Aug. 24, versus Waldorf on Oct. 7 and at Presentation on Nov. 11.  He also tied for the fifth-most PAT extra-point kicks with seven (7) at Briar Cliff on Sept. 9 (Don Simon with 7 PAT extra-point kicks versus Trinity Bible, N.D. in 1993).

Brendon Waldner set a career record of 46 punt returns at Dakota State from 2013-17.  Charlie Flohr held the previous old school record of 24 punt returns from 1997-2000.

Kaden Hight posted the second-best punt average in a single-game for the Trojans.  He averaged 48.7 yards per punt versus Mayville State on Sept. 16.  He also recorded the second-best punt average in single-season with 38.8 yards per punt – 38 total punts (40.3 yards per punt by Don Simon in 1993 – 37 punts).

Dakota State had set nine (9) team records in 2017.  The following new Trojan Football school records are set (with previous old record in parenthesis):

  • 426 points in a single-season (368 points in 2015)
  • 260 first downs in a single-season (257 first-downs in 2015)
  • 410 passing attempts in a single-season (408 passing attempts in 2012)
  • 40 pass completions in a single-game versus DWU on Aug. 24 (32 pass completions versus Mayville State on Oct. 29, 2016)
  • 257 pass completions in a single-season (239 pass completions in 2012)
  • 452 passing yards ins a single-game versus Dakota Wesleyan on Aug. 24 (446 passing yards versus Jamestown, N.D. on Oct. 23, 2010)
  • 3,311 passing yards in a single-season (3,022 passing yards in 2012)
  • 642 total offense yards in a single-season versus DWU on Aug. 24 (566 total offense yards versus Black Hills State, S.D. in 1973)
  • 5,308 total offense yards in a single-season (5,035 total offense yards in 2015)

Dakota State also listed the second-most pass completions in a single-game with 35 at Presentation on Nov. 11.

The Trojans racked up a total of 628 offense yards at Briar Cliff on Sept. 9, which is the second-most offense yards by a team.  DSU also recorded the third-most offense yards with 576 versus Dickinson State (N.D.) on Oct. 28 and fifth-most offense yards with 564 yards versus Waldorf on Oct. 7.

DSU produced the third most first-downs in a single-game with 32 versus Dakota Wesleyan on Aug. 24 (35 first-downs is the school record for most first downs in a game – versus Saint Ambrose on Sept. 10, 2016).  The Trojans also tied for sixth-most first-downs in a single-game with 30 at Presentation on Nov. 11 and ninth most first-downs with 29 at Briar Cliff on Sept. 9.

Josh Anderson surpassed former head coach Gary Roach for most victories as the head coach at Dakota State.  Anderson guided the Trojans to four consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1970's, racking up a total of 33 victories at DSU.  Roach had 30 victories as the head coach for the Trojans from 1989-95.

Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director

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