šA Look at the Offense of the Only Undefeated FCS Team
Nov 02, 2023 1:01 pm
Coach ,
Our College Team of the Week is #1 ranked South Dakota State. They are the only undefeated FCS team left in 2023.
Head Coach Jimmy Rogers 
Jimmy Rogers was introduced as the 21st head football coach in South Dakota State University history on Jan. 20, 2023, continuing his long association with Jackrabbit football that began as a student-athlete and has continued through the coaching ranks.
Coach Rogers played an integral role in the Jackrabbits winning their first national title in football during the 2022 season by directing a defense that led the Football Championship Subdivision in rushing defense, tied for the FCS lead with 18 interceptions and also ranked second in total defense, and third in scoring defense (15.8 points per game) and fourth in turnovers gained (26).
The Jackrabbits finished the 2022 season on a school-record 14-game winning streak enroute to the national championship.
Coach Rogers was honored as the 2022 FCS Coordinator of the Year by FootballScoop.com.
When he became the head coach, he turned the reins of the defense over to Jesse Bobbit.
Coach Bobbit returned to the South Dakota State football program in February 2022 and coached the team's safeties during the Jackrabbits' national championship campaign.
Coach Jesse Bobbit
The defense continues to dominate. In 2023, They are the #1 ranked defense in total yards (257.0 ypg), and scoring (11.38 ppg), and their offense is performing in the top 25 in many categories. The high production of both sides of the ball make them a team to be reckoned with as we get into the late season.
However, today we take a look at the Jackrabbit offense.
The Offensive Coordinator - Zach Lujan
Zach Lujan, who helped lead the Jackrabbits to three consecutive Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths as a player, is in his sixth season as an assistant coach on the offensive side of the ball at South Dakota State University. Coach Lujan has served as the teamās quarterbacks coach since 2019, after serving as running backs coach his first season. He was named the Jackrabbits' offensive coordinator following the 2021 season.
Coach Lujan took over play-calling duties in 2022 and directed a balanced offensive attack. Two of SDSU's top-three yardage totals came in their final two postseason games, 473 yards versus Montana State and a season-high 506 yards en route to their victory over North Dakota State in the national championship game.
Overall, SDSU averaged 34.2 points and 384.6 yards of total offense per game en route to the program's first national title.
The offense continues to perform well under Coach Lujanās guidance. They are a top 25 offense in many statistical categories going into this weekend:
#1 3rd Down .603
#1 Red Zone .967 27 of 29 scores are Touchdowns
#3 Passing Efficiency 166.43
#4 Scoring Offens e 39.0 ppg
#6 Rushing 243.4 ypg
#9 Total Offense 447.9 ypg
#19 Passing yards per completion 13.41
Coach Lujan put together a series of presentations sharing how they do it on offense. Letās take a look at several aspects of how the Jackrabbits do it.
Game Planning
Their game planning starts together with the staff watching the last game and then they break up. Coach Lujan likes to avoid group think, so they work on their own and then bring their ideas together in a collaborative effort.
It allows them to find the best answers and make it as easy and consistent as possible for the players. He explains their thought process in this video:
Gap Schemes
The game plan starts with the run game, and a big part of that is in their downhill gap scheme attack. Duo (power without a puller) allows them to get their double teams vertical and get movement to open up lanes. Coach Lujan explains their main coaching points in this video:
A good run game lends itself to a strong play action game. Play action is a key to excelling in pass efficiency (SDSU is #3 Passing Efficiency 166.43) and yards per completion because big voids are open in play action (#19 Passing yards per completion 13.41). Both serve to move the chains and score points.
In addition they like to use top-down convertible reads. An example is their Sail Concept. Coach Lujan explains their Sail pass in this video:
Drop Back
A high performing offense requires a strong passing game to keep the chains moving. SDSU is #1 on 3rd down conversions at .603. A favorite drop back concept is W Cross. It is their version of the Air Raid Y Cross. It is what they classify as a book read or a full field progression. He explains the approach and read in this video:
Thatās just a sampling of what Coach Lujan and the offensive staff have put together.
With a strong offense and defense, the Jackrabbits looks poised to make another run at an FCS National Championship.
Their offense is definitely worth studying. The link to the complete series Coach Lujan put together is here:
South Dakota State Offense Complete Series
Have a great weekend and enjoy all the games!
Coach Grabowski