Gibbs leads big 2nd quarter, South Dakota State wins 42-23

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — J’Bore Gibbs fired three touchdown passes in the first half, Pierre Strong Jr. rushed for two scores and South Dakota State clobbered Indiana State 42-17 on Saturday, setting up a first-place Missouri Valley Conference showdown in a week.

South Dakota State (6-1, 3-0), the third-ranked team in the STATS FCS poll, crashes into top-ranked and undefeated North Dakota State (7-0, 3-0) next Saturday. NDSU blanked Missouri State 22-0 Saturday for its 28th-straight win.

Indiana State’s Keawvis Cummings intercepted Gibbs, setting up the Sycamores (1-2, 3-4) for a 28-yard TD pass from Kurtis Wilderman to Matae Thomas, forging a 7-7 tie.

That’s when the Jackrabbits took off, scoring four touchdowns on their next five possessions before halftime and a 35-10 lead at the break.

South Dakota State’s defense had a season-best eight sacks as Wilderman had a net minus 35 yards rushing. Gibbs went 18 of 28 for a season-high 274 yards. The Jackrabbits held a 452-338 yard advantage in total offense.