South Dakota State: Christian Rozeboom

Christian Rozeboom is a mean, lean tackling-machine for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The junior linebacker has been a staple in the South Dakota State defense since his redshirt freshman season in 2016. The immediate impact was showcased in the Jackrabbits’ box scores. In his 13 starts as a redshirt freshman, Rozeboom led the team in tackles with 132. The Sioux Center, Iowa native followed up the stellar first season by leading the team in tackles with 127 in his redshirt sophomore campaign. Rozeboom will be a pivotal piece to the Jackrabbit defense with his knack for tackling, considering Iowa State running back David Montgomery features an ability to shake off tacklers.

Iowa State: David Montgomery

The Iowa State offense starts with David Montgomery. With a reshuffled offensive line from last year, Montgomery will be leaned on to cover some of the blemishes on the line. Opponents exposed the South Dakota State rush defense last season. In 2017, Jackrabbit opponents averaged 170.8 yards per game and 4.6 yards per carry. Along with creating his own yardage, Montgomery can also be key in the pass blocking aspect of the Iowa State offense by picking up blitzing linebackers, like Rozeboom. If Iowa State wants to kick off the season with a win, Montgomery needs to wear down the Jackrabbit defense throughout the game.