After a 3-0 start but with plenty of things to sharpen during last week's bye week, South Dakota State checked a lot of boxes and rolled through its check list on Saturday in the 51-7 win over Mercyhurst:

• 3rd down conversions — The Jackrabbits were 26% coming in but 69% against the Lakers (9 of 13)
• Red Zone conversions — SDSU was 8 for 8, although settling for three field goals in the first half wasn't awesome
• Explosive plays — Chase Mason threw four passes of 28 yards or more, including a 52-yarder
• Getting more receivers beyond Lofton O'Groske involved — Mason connected with seven different receivers, and four of them had at least three grabs
• Place kicking — Eli Stader, benched in the Drake game after missing his first four field goals of over 30 yards (over the span of those three games), made all three of his attempts
• Defense — Well, there wasn't too much to complain about, but some things did improve

In his weekly chat with Happy Hour host John Gaskins, SDSU coach Dan Jackson explained WHY all of these things improved in time for the Jacks' MVFC opener at No. 24 Youngstown State on Saturday. What about the Penguins would make a road win a hard-earned win, particularly from YSU's quarterback?