Welcome to the 2019 FCS Kickoff Jersey Countdown.
The regular season begins Saturday, Aug. 24 with Samford vs. Youngstown State in the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff along with Villanova playing at Colgate.
[divider]MORE FCS FOOTBALL:
- FCS Home
- The Best Player in FCS Who Wears Each Number, 1-99
- Preseason Top 25 Poll
- Preseason All-American Teams
- Team By Team & Conference Previews
[divider]
HERO Sports is going to count down each day by highlighting the best player in the FCS who wears the jersey number equal to the number of days until kickoff. You can find the running list of top players here.
*Note: Jersey numbers are from the 2018 season.
[divider]
20: Pierre Strong Jr., RB (So.) — South Dakota State
Strong burst onto the scene last year as a redshirt freshman. He rushed for 1,116 yards and 11 touchdowns off of 117 carries. That's 9.5 yards per carry. And the scary part about his breakthrough season was most of his damage was done in November and December.
Strong had a 95-yard performance in early October against Indiana State, but his other games in the first two months of the season saw 40, 40, two, six and 17 yards. Due to some injuries in the backfield, Strong got a bigger workload starting in November, and he took off.
RELATED: 2019 SDSU Season Preview
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder had over 100 yards rushing in five of the last six games. The one game he was south of that mark was 92 yards in a second-round blowout win against Duquesne.
Strong racked up numerous awards, including HERO Sports Freshman All-American, MVFC Freshman of the Year and a spot on the MVFC All-Newcomer Team.
As just a sophomore, he is looked at as a top running back in the conference and the FCS. Strong is on the Preseason MVFC First Team and is a HERO Sports Preseason First Team All-American.
Spring Football: Freshman All-American Pierre Strong Jr. recaps his strong rookie campaign and previews how the running backs group can improve behind new running backs coach Jimmy Beal. #GoJacks pic.twitter.com/zRuUbjX0uo
— SDSU Football (@GoJacksFB) April 9, 2019
[divider]
NEXT: The Best Traditions in the FCS
SUBSCRIBE: HERO Sports FCS Podcast
