BROOKINGS South Dakota State and Montana will play for a national title on Sunday in Frisco, Texas, as the Jackrabbits and Grizzlies are set to play in the FCS National Championship at Toyota Stadium at 1 p.m.
SDSU is looking to win back-to-back championships and the Grizzlies are hoping to win their first title since 2001. Its the third time in the past four seasons that the Jackrabbits have made it to the championship game and its the first time since 2009 that Montana will play for a title.
SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said he and his team are excited to be going back to Frisco but theres still one more job that needs to get done.
I feel like weve played our best football up until this point and we need to carry it over into the national championship game. This team has done everything that we expected to do and wanted to do, but we have one game left to finish. Were excited for the challenge, Rogers said.
SDSU comes into Sundays matchup having won 28-straight games, which is the third longest win streak in FCS history. The Jacks are coming off of a dominating 59-0 win over UAlbany in the semifinals.
GAME DETAILS
What: FCS national championship
When:1 p.m. Sunday
Where:Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas
The series (ninth meeting): The Grizzlies have won all eight previous meetings. The last game between the two teams came in 2015 and it was a 24-17 Montana win.
2023 records: SDSU 14-0; Montana13-1
TV: ABC
Radio: AM 910 KJJQ
Game notes: This is the third time in the past four years that SDSU will play for a national title. Its the first time since 2009 Montana has made the FCS Championship.
The Jacks have a 28-game win streak and the Grizzlies have won 10 in a row.
Montana has a win streak of its own heading into the championship game as the Grizzlies have won 10 in-a-row and their last loss came on Sept. 23 to Northern Arizona. They beat North Dakota State 31-29 in double overtime in the semifinals.
Montana head coach Bobby Hauck is making his fourth appearance as a head coach in a championship game. He led the Grizzlies to three national title appearances in his first stint at Montana from 2003-09, but they lost all three games. He returned to Montana in 2017 and holds a 116-34 record as the head coach of the Grizzlies.
SDSU is top 10 in the country in most all statistical categories heading into the game. The Jacks hold the top defense in scoring (9.7 points per game) and total defense (257.1 yards per game). Hauck said the numbers back up what hes seen on film.
Theyve been elite all year. Elite. When you look at the numbers, theres nobody else in the country thats close. Theyre an absolute elite defense. Theyre the best in the FCS. Theyre physical, tough and their weight room is not broken. Im glad we have two weeks to find a hole in their defense because there arent many, Hauck said.
Montanas offense ranks 39th in total offense, averaging 382.9 yards per game. The Grizzlies are 21st in rush offense (186.1) and 68th in passing (196.8).
They are led by senior quarterback Clifton McDowell who is a transfer from Central Arkansas. He does a lot of his work on the ground as he has run for 751 yards and nine touchdowns. Through the air he has 1,861 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 59% of his passes.
Senior wide receiver Junior Bergen has been the hero for the Grizzlies for the past two games. He returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown against Furman in the quarterfinals and then took a punt back for a touchdown against NDSU. Hes also been dynamic in the passing game this season with 766 yards and five touchdowns.
Rogers said his defense needs to know where Bergen is on the field and doesnt want the game plan to be just to not kick it to him in the special teams game.
Hes dynamic. We need to be aware of where hes at on offense because he is a big play threat every time he touches the ball. But we have to do our best. To say you cant just kick it to somebody, he may have the ball at any point, so we have to tackle, Rogers said.
SDSUs top playoff performer has been Isaiah Davis once again. The senior running back has run for 416 yards and three touchdowns in the three playoff games this year and has eclipsed the century mark in seven straight playoff games.
A lot of his damage is done because of the SDSU offensive line, which has four seniors on it. Montana is 12th in the FCS in rush defense this season, giving up 102.8 yards per game. Sixth-year offensive guard Mason McCormick said the Grizzlies front seven could make things tough on the Jacks.
We have to be ready for a lot of looks. They are very multiple with their box and their line. They play super hard and thats one of the most impressive things. Week-to-week you think teams play hard but these guys play extremely hard and you can tell its coached. They fly around and play physical ball and were excited for the task, McCormick said.
SDSU junior quarterback Mark Gronowski will be playing in his third national championship game. He was the starter for the Jacks in the 2021 spring season when they played Sam Houston State but was unable to finish the game due to a knee injury. He helped SDSU get back to the title game last season and led the Jacks to a 45-21 victory over NDSU.
With this being the third time he will go through the emotions of playing in a national championship, Gronowski said the build up and excitement feels just like the first time.
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.
Gronowski has thrown for 2,883 yards, 28 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 68.5% of his passes this season. He also has run for 349 yards and seven touchdowns. Gronowski is up for the Walter Payton Award, which is given out to the top offensive player in the FCS.
Rogers said hes not surprised with the success that Gronowski has had throughout his career so far.
Hes a winner. He doesnt ever feel like hes down and doesnt feel like the moment is ever too big for him and doesnt get rattled. Hes a great leader, worker and teammate. The guys love him and that was from day one, Rogers said.
This will be the ninth meeting between SDSU and Montana and the Grizzlies have won the previous eight games between the two schools. The past two matchups have been in the FCS Playoffs in 2009 and 2015. In 2009 it was the Jacks first FCS playoff game as a program and they blew a 48-21 lead and fell 61-48.
McCormick said the past history between the schools has no bearing on the outcome of Sundays game
Weve heard of [the history with Montana]. I dont think weve dived too much into it just because I dont think it plays a role in [this years game]. None of us were here for it. Theres no extra motivation. Its the national championship. If you cant get up for that, what can you get up for? Were going to be ready to play our best and were excited, McCormick said.
Sunday will be the final game at SDSU for many of the Jackrabbits starters. The senior class brought SDSU its first national championship and will be the winningest class in program history. Rogers said he wants to make sure they end their careers with another trophy under their belts.
This senior class is special because of the years of work that has gone into this. It means the world to me to lead this senior class. Its one last game and we need to finish on the right note, Rogers said.
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