South Dakota State and Montana both have experience heading into Sundays FCS national championship.
Its two different types of experience though. The Jackrabbits will be playing in their third national title game in the past four seasons. Montana will be playing in its eighth championship game, but the first one since 2009.
Grizzlies head coach Bobby Hauck took Montana to three title games in his first stint as head coach from 2003-09 and lost all three of those games.
This will be Jimmy Rogers first national championship game as a head coach as this is his first season as the head man for the Jackrabbits. He was the defensive coordinator in the Jacks two previous championship appearances. Rogers said hes thought a little bit about how much of an accomplishment it is to make the national championship in his first season but its more about the players.
I think its a special moment to look at and reflect that it is my first year, but I didnt get into coaching to make things about myself. My emotions stem from the experience that our players have. Im blessed to coach here and blessed to have this team in place, Rogers said.
He added that having been to Frisco before will help him and his team as they prepare to attempt to win back-to-back championships.
I think the routine part is a big deal, just because I believe in routine and habits. I dont know if its an advantage, but well feel comfortable having been down there a couple of times, Rogers said.
The Jacks are a senior laden group as 18 of their 22 starters are seniors. All but one of SDSUs starters have played in a championship game with the lone player not having championship experience being freshman wide receiver Griffin Wilde.
This will be the third national championship for senior linebacker Adam Bock and he said theres definitely a benefit of having played in this game before.
I think [being in Frisco last season] takes away the uncertainty of what its like being down there, being down there a couple times. We know the schedule by now and are going to have a pretty similar schedule to last year, so it will definitely be nice, Bock said.
With having so many seniors, this will be the last game for many of them. Sixth-year offensive lineman Mason McCormick said he and a lot of his teammates are looking forward to taking in their final college football game.
I think its cool to soak it all in and take in the moment. Were blessed to be in this position and want to take it all in and absorb, for me and some other guys, our last hoorah, McCormick said.
One of the starters that isnt a senior is junior quarterback Mark Gronowski. Gronowski has started two national championship games but has only finished one. In the 2021 spring season Gronowski started the title game against Sam Houston State but was unable to finish the game due to a knee injury that caused him to miss the whole 2021 fall season as well.
SDSU went on to lose that game to Sam Houston, but Gronowski got his chance at redemption last season as the Jacks returned to Frisco to take on North Dakota State. Gronowski made the most of his opportunity as he went 14-of-21 for 223 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 57 yards and had a 44-yard touchdown run that helped the Jacks win their first ever title.
Gronowski said he will always be excited for the opportunity to play in Frisco for a national championship.
I think [having been to Frisco] takes away the big awe factor, and we tried to minimize that as much as possible [last season], but obviously when the fans are all there youre kind of in awe a little bit. This year we know what its going to take and know whos going to be there. Personally, I dont feel any difference. Im like a kid in a candy store. Im so excited for this game and ready to go back down there, Gronowski said.
Having not been to the title game since 2009, no Montana players have any FCS championship game experience. Hauck said he thinks the Jacks will have an advantage with experience, but he thinks his team is ready for the moment.
I think [SDSU] having been there a year ago, theres certainly some benefit to that. I think the experience of being down there and knowing the process and the venue, everything from knowing where the locker room is and how the lead up to the game times out, thats a benefit to those guys. We didnt have that, but well try to mitigate that as a lot of us have played [in a game] like this before, Hauck said.
One of the unique caveats of playing in the title game is there is three weeks between the semifinals and championship game. Hauck said the lay off is good for teams because it allows them to have extra time to prepare and his coaching staff has been in situations like this before.
One of the things about this game is, weve had the ability to not rush into our preparation. Our preparation will be better. Were working on the prep and a lot of coaches have coached teams and prepared them for bowl games and the preparation for this is very similar, Hauck said.
The Jackrabbits are certainly used to the big game feel and the environment of Toyota Stadium for the national championship, but Montana is used to playing in front of large crowds and big time atmospheres. Montana had an average of just over 25,000 fans at home games this season and played in back-to-back overtime games to get to the championship. Hauck said the crazy environment and close games helped prepare his team for the moment they take the field on Sunday.
Weve played in a lot of big games over the past few seasons and I think a lot of games that we have played in have prepared us for this game. Even in recent weeks, weve played against highly ranked teams in huge games, Hauck said.
Whether its experience in championship games with players or coaches, theres going to be a lot of people that will rise to the occasion in Frisco on Sunday.
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