Date/Time/Location: Thursday, August 28 / 6 p.m. / Spearfish, S.D. / Lyle Hare Stadium

Parking: Implemented for the 2025 football season, both the Young Center Lot and the Creek Side Lot will now be paid parking. Both will be $10 and CASH ONLY. Yellow Jacket Club members must show their parking pass for a reserved spot in the Creek Side Lot. Lots will open three hours prior to kick off.

Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online at the link above or on gameday at will call located in the circle loop outside of the Young Center.

RMAC Network: Beginning in the 2025-26 season the RMAC Network will now move to Pay-Per-View. Fans can purchase a single game pass ($10), monthly ($25) or annual subscription ($130). Individuals with bhsu.edu or yellowjackets.bhsu.edu email address can still take advantage of the Peak Pricing Promotion by using the code Y26-RMACEDU.

KDSJ Radio: Black Hills State football continues to air live on KDSJ Radio with the voice of the Yellow Jackets, Steve Ammerman, giving the play-by-play for all the action.

Promotions: The season begins with “Cool Off & Kick Off” night at Lyle Hare Stadium, as fans are encouraged to beat the late summer heat with a number of water related activities. A dunk tank in the Young Center lot will be the center of attention for those tailgating. Tropical Smoothie Café is the game sponsor, and will be giving out 100 free smoothies gift cards to the first 100 students.

Thursday night marks the beginning of the 75th season of football played at Lyle Hare Stadium, and fans are encouraged to stick around following the game for a commemorative video on the videoboard, followed by fireworks.

Food Trucks: Six food trucks, including Black Hills Brats, Hangry’s, Kona Ice, Sergeant Poppers, CD’s Wings, and Hannas Twist, will be located around the track for fans to purchase food and drink items.

• Black Hills State went 6-5 (5-4 RMAC) in 2024, including a 4-1 record at home. The Yellow Jackets finished tied for fifth in the RMAC a year ago and are predicted to finish tied for fifth in the standings in 2025.
• The Green & Gold will celebrate 75 years at Lyle Hare Stadium on Thursday night, a place they have gone 7-3 since the start of the 2023 season. Of the three losses, two have occurred against top-10 nationally ranked opponents. The 4-1 mark in 2024 marked the best home record since they went 4-1 en route to the 2007 NAIA Football Playoffs.
• BHSU has won four straight home openers, defeating their opponents by an average of 36.8 to 19.0 since 2021.
• Black Hills State is coming off their third consecutive winning season, the extending the longest stretch for the program in their NCAA Division II era (2011-present) and marking the longest stretch since they posted six straight from 2005-10.
• The Yellow Jackets ended the 2024 season by winning three of their final four games, defeating their opponents by an average of 31.8 to 18.8.
• In 2024 BHSU’s offense ranked first in the RMAC and fourth in NCAA Division II in red zone efficiency as they scored on 91.7 percent of their possessions, which included 33 touchdowns compared to only four field goals.
• Luke Duby returns to lead the Black Hills State offense, starting all 11 games during the 2024 year and earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC. He completed 214-of-360 pass attempts for 2,238 yards and 15 touchdowns. In four games he passed for 250 or more yards, including a career-high of 320 against South Dakota Mines, and he also passed for two or more touchdowns in five games, which included a career-high of three against Adams State. Individually he ranked among the league leaders in several categories, ranking second in the RMAC and 21st nationally with 19.45 completions per game, second in the conference and 43rd nationally with 203.5 passing yards per game, third in the league and 36th nationally in total passing yards, and third in the RMAC and 59th nationally with 210.8 yards of total offense per game.
• Cameron Goods, a 2024 Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection, returns to once again lead the running back room after appearing in all 11 games last season and carrying the ball 125 times for 626 yards (5.0 yards per carry), and nine touchdowns. Additionally, he caught 20 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. His first multi-touchdown game of his career occurred in a rivalry-victory over Chadron State this past season, which included a game-winning 45-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes to secure the win. He ended the 2024 season with his first career 100-yard rushing game, totaling 178 yards (9.4 yards per carry) on 19 carries, finding the end zone three times in a win at New Mexico Highlands, earning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. With his performance against NMHU, he is one of just three players in program history since 2004 to rush for 150 or more yards and score three touchdowns on the ground in a single game.
• The Yellow Jackets get a boost at wide receiver this season with the return of 2023 Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection, TJ Chukwurah. While only playing in two games a year ago, he proved in 2023 he can provide a spark on the offense as he hauled in 33 receptions for 783 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 23.7 yards per reception. He is the only current receiver to post a 100-yard game for the Green & Gold, doing it three times in 2023, which included a career-best 149 yard outing against New Mexico Highlands as he found the end zone once and a 144-yard performance against Adams State when he notched three touchdowns.
• 2024 First Team All-RMAC offensive lineman, Jayson Rouse, will anchor a young offensive line in 2025. He started all 11 games at left tackle last season, helping provide protection up front for an offense that averaged 118.5 rushing yards, 219 passing yards, and 337.5 yards of total offense. The offensive line allowed only 18.0 sacks in 11 games, ranking second in the league with an average of just 1.64 sacks allowed per game, which included four games where they did not surrender a sack.
• The defensive line returns two key pieces with both 2024 First Team All-RMAC selection, Kellen Collier, and 2022 RMAC Defensive Freshman of the Year, Cooper Brown, back for their senior seasons. Brown is leading tackler returning for the defensive line with 37.0 a year ago, while also bringing back the most tackles-for-loss (9.5) and sacks (5.5). Collier was right behind brown with 36.0 tackles, 9.0 tackles-for-loss, and 4.0 sacks. During the Yellow Jackets NCAA Division II era, Brown currently ranks second (2022) and fourth (2024) for most sacks in a single season and holds the second-most sacks (14.0) in a career during that time span. Collier also ranks third during that time span with 9.5 sacks during his BHSU career.
• Sebastian O'Farrell is the leading returning tackler for the Yellow Jacket defense overall, totaling 66.0 a year ago while earning Honorable Mention All-RMAC at the linebacker position. Additionally, he added 6.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass break-ups and one quarterback hurry. He ranked 13th in the RMAC with 6.0 tackles per game. On six occasions he recorded five or more tackles, including tying his career-high of nine tackles on three different occasions against South Dakota Mines, No. 8/10 Western Colorado, and Adams State. O'Farrell also recorded a season-high of two tackles for loss against the Mountaineers.
• Maliik Edwards will lead the secondary, returning after posting a career-best 30 tackles in 2024, to go along with one tackle-for-loss and one fumble recovery. He twice recorded five or more tackles during the year, including setting a career-best of six at No. 4/7 Colorado School of Mines.
• Josh Breske enters his sixth season as the head coach at his alma mater and is now tied as the third-longest active tenured coach in the RMAC. Additionally, he will be just the tenth coach in school history to reach the 6-year threshold. His six wins in 2024 brought him into the top-10 all-time in Yellow Jacket history with a career record of 23-23 guiding the program, currently ranking ninth in victories.

• Sioux Falls went 8-3 (7-3 NSIC) in 2024, including a 4-2 record on the road. The Cougars finished tied for second in the NSIC a year ago and are predicted to fifth overall and third in the south division in 2025.
• Camden Dean lead the Cougars in both passing and rushing a year ago, completing 166-of-258 passing attempts for 2,194 yards and 23 touchdowns while rushing the ball for 671 yards and eight touchdowns. The Coo’s offensive player to watch in the league for 2025 earned Second Team All-NSIC last season after recording 200 or more passing yards five times and 100 or more rushing yards twice. He tossed a season-best 304 passing yards and four touchdowns in a win over No. 7 Minnesota State. He also notched four passing touchdowns in a victory over UMary.
• USF looks to replace their top running back, Dylan Rudningen, who rushed for 525 yards and seven touchdowns for Second Team All-NSIC honors, their top wide receiver, Carter Slykhuis, who recorded 829 receiving yards and nine touchdowns for First Team All-NSIC honors, and their top tight end, Mark Leonard, who notched 376 receiving yards and three touchdowns for First Team All-NSIC honors.
• At running back, Sioux Falls looks to Bubba Tann III as their top returning back, who only ran the ball 47 times for 283 yards and two touchdowns. In the season finale he rushed 12 times for a career-best125 yards and one touchdown in a win over Southwest Minnesota State.
• In the receiving core, Adonis Hutchinson, Hank Brown Jr. and Christian Janis will be the top returners, each having hauled in 246, 243, and 216 receiving yards respectively. Brown was second on the team with four receiving touchdowns, while Janis only had two and Hutchinson had one. None of the trio has yet to eclipse the 100-yard mark in a game, however, Brown notched performances of four receptions, 74 yards, and one touchdown against Minnesota State, and two receptions, 67 yards, and two touchdowns against UMary a year ago.
• Aidan Devolder, a 2024 First Team All-NSIC selection, and Ben Pederson, a 2024 Second Team All-NSIC selection, are both back for their redshirt senior seasons to provide experience on the offensive line. On four occasions The Coo rushed for 200 or more yards and five times they passed for more than 200 yards. The offensive line only surrendered 16.0 sacks a year ago, averaging just 1.5 per game.
• On the defensive line, Dawson Raabe and Preston Yahnke return to lead the position group. Raabe tallied the most tackles by a defensive lineman in 2024, notching 25.0 tackles while adding 3.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Yahnke was a Second Team All-NSIC selection a year ago, posting 18.0 tackles to go along with 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack. Alex Macksam is also back in the position group after ranking second on the team in both tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (2.0) during last season.
• Andy Henson, the redshirt sophomore linebacker will be the player to watch on the Sioux Falls defense, returning after being named the 2024 NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year to go along with First Team All-NSIC honors. He led the team with 63.0 tackles and was second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss. He also added one sack, one interception, one pass break-up, forced one fumble, and recovered one fumble. He twice eclipsed ten or more tackles in a game, first doing so with ten against Northern State and then three weeks later with a career-best 13 against Minot State. He opened the 2023 season with a career-best two tackles for loss in a win at St. Thomas.
• Leading the secondary will be returning Second Team All-NSIC safety, Garret Hoffman, who was third on the team with 58.0 tackles, and added two pass break-ups and one fumble recovery. He notched a season-best ten tackles against Minot State in 2024, reaching the ten tackle mark for just the second time in his two seasons at USF.
• Jim Glogowski enters his third season as the head coach at Sioux Falls, leading The Coo to an 11-11 mark in his first two years. Overall, he enters his 11th season as a collegiate head coach with a 48-54 record after spending eight years leading Simpson College from 2008-15.

• Thursday night will mark the 33rd meeting between the in-state foes, with Black Hills State holding a 20-12-1 advantage all time.
• Sioux Falls won their seventh straight game against the Yellow Jackets in their only other meeting since the split of the SDIC, winning 44-20 on October 15, 2011, at Bob Young Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.