Twins and Target Field to host National Champion South Dakota State University Football

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, MN – Bringing the best of college football to the region’s premier sports and entertainment venue, the Minnesota Twins and South Dakota State University (SDSU) today announced that the reigning national champion Jackrabbits football team will host Drake University on September 16 at Target Field. The contest between these two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) programs will be an SDSU home game; it also marks the third college football game in the 14-year history of the Twins’ home ballpark, and the second NCAA Division I contest.

Kickoff time and ticket information, including availability and on-sale date, will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The Minnesota Twins organization is thrilled to host SDSU football as the Jackrabbits continue defense of their first-ever national title right here at Target Field,” said club President & CEO Dave St. Peter. “We cannot wait to again revel in the pageantry and tradition of college football, and are beyond excited to welcome SDSU, Drake and their respective fans and communities to downtown Minneapolis and our beautiful ballpark.”

“We’re honored to partner with the Minnesota Twins organization and want to thank our counterparts at Drake for their cooperation in making this game at Target Field a reality,” said SDSU Director of Athletics Justin Sell. “This game provides us with a great opportunity to showcase Jackrabbit Football in a location with one of our strongest alumni bases and also a key area within our recruiting footprint.”

SDSU finished its historic 2022 campaign with a 14-1 record and the program’s first ever national title, capped by a victory over North Dakota State University in the FCS Championship Game on January 8, 2023.

Target Field College Football History

The SDSU-Drake matchup marks the third college football game played at Target Field, and the second NCAA Division I contest. The Twins’ home ballpark first welcomed a then-record Division III crowd of 37,355 for the University of St. Thomas’ 20-17 victory over St. John’s University on September 23, 2017; the venue then hosted 34,544 fans on August 31, 2019 as North Dakota State University defeated Butler University by a score of 57-10.

Nestled into downtown Minneapolis, the award-winning Target Field – home to Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins – is one of the premier sporting and entertainment venues in the Upper Midwest, and one of the most unique and spectacular ballparks in the game. The 2011 Sports Business Journal Sports Facility of the Year, the ballpark was recognized as having the best game day experience in all of sports by ESPN The Magazine in 2010. Known as the “Greenest Ballpark in America,” Target Field was awarded LEED Platinum certification in 2022 and is the only MLB venue to earn five separate LEED honors. Since its opening in 2010, Target Field has hosted MLB’s Postseason (2010, ’19 and ’20), the 2014 MLB All-Star Game, numerous high school and college baseball games, 17 concerts, two college football games, an international soccer match and the 2022 Discover NHL Winter Classic®.