BROOKINGS If it werent for Hobo Day, South Dakota States 63-13 win over Youngstown State may have been known as The Chase Mason Game.
While Mason had been mixed into packages during the first five games, Saturdays win felt like a full unveiling. Mason was used sporadically in the first half, ripping off touchdown runs of 38 and 48 yards. When the game got out of hand, Mason came in at quarterback, ripping off a 69-yard run that set up a four-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
It was super fun just playing in that game, Mason said. I think everybodys energy I just fed off of it and they fed off me too. When Im in there, I know theres a lot of hard work coming. A lot of learning. So its nice just to have an opportunity like that.
With 166 yards rushing and three total touchdowns, it felt like the Jackrabbits unlocked a secret weapon in their offense. But to Mason, it was an opportunity to use his elite athleticism to make a long-awaited impact.
Saturdays game wasnt the first time Mason had a big performance at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. In 2019, he was a junior at Viborg-Hurley racking up 400 total yards in a 50-24 victory over Bon Homme to lead the Cougars to their first 9AA state championship.
Masons performance was a small sample of his junior year as he threw for over 2,000 yards and ran for over 1,000 yards while earning All-State honors but it wasnt the only place that he stood out.
A basketball player in the winter and a jumper on the track & field team in the spring, Masons biggest impact may have been on the baseball diamond. Perfect Game ranked Mason as the No. 33 outfielder and the 205th overall player in the Class of 2021 and when Mason tore his ACL during his senior year of football, the thought of a professional baseball career became more appealing.
While Mason returned to run sprints during the track season, he committed to play center field for Nebraska and was ranked as the No. 6 incoming freshman in the Big Ten. Masons future in baseball was bright but his heart remained on the football field. After spending a semester in Lincoln, Mason never played an inning for the Cornhuskers and enrolled at SDSU in January 2022 to concentrate on football full-time.
Its not like I didnt like baseball, I just didnt love it, Mason said. Thats what you have got to do at this level. Youve got to love what youre doing every single day.
Mason was on way to joining the Jacks when he tore his right ACL for a second time. While the injury was a setback, Mason credits SDSU athletic trainer Charlie Miller and his previous experience rehabbing the injury for getting through.
But he also built a relationship with starting quarterback Mark Gronowski, who suffered a torn ACL during his freshman season in the 2021 spring season championship game.
Gronowski used his experience to encourage Mason to fall in love with the monotony of the process, entering the training room and making small goals along the way.
Those days get really boring, but if you set those little goals, you can kind of see the success as you keep going on, Gronowski recalled. Thats kind of what he did throughout his process and he came back even faster and seems like more athletic than he was before.
While Mason admitted the injury was disappointing initially, he also believes it helped him in the long run. His relationship with Gronowski grew when he served as the signal caller on the sidelines during the 2022 season and the role helped him grasp the playbook before serving as Gronowskis backup the following year.
I feel like he could rely on me and I could talk to him, Mason said. It was like we could relate to different things. Just having our knee injuries and having to sit out the season. Obviously, it sucksbut sitting out a whole year is a whole different story. But I was just able to kind of sit there and learn behind him.
Seeing extended time late in games in 2023, Mason completed 16-of-26 passes for 267 yards including a 71-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde in a national semifinal win over UAlbany and added 16 carries for 184 yards and a touchdown.
When Gronowski returned to SDSU this spring, it appeared that Mason would have to wait his turn to make an impact. But the Jacks offensive staff started devising game plans to get him involved.
Through six games, Mason is 6-for-8 passing with 51 yards and a touchdown while carrying the ball 24 times for 256 yards and four touchdowns.
Hes too good to sit on the sidelines and weve got to utilize him, SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said of Mason after Saturdays win over the Penguins. Weve done a really good job offensively, as far as an offensive staff and [SDSU offensive coordinator Ryan Olson] calling it at the right times. For one, hes hard to bring down, just in general, but when youve got a guy that can throw the ball like that, hes truly a dual threat.
Whether this means fans will see more of Mason remains to be seen . Rogers stopped short of saying that Masons role would continue to grow on Saturday and admitted there was some risk to putting him on the field.
I think its our job to put the best players on the field to have success and also protect him because he is such a valuable part of our team, Rogers said on Tuesday. If something were to happen to Mark, were going to Chase. So weve got to make sure that were thinking big picture and were not just out there trying to scramble.
To Rogers point, Montana State had a similar dynamic to its playbook last season with starter Tommy Mellott and backup Sean Chambers mixing in to lead the Bobcats to a 6-1 start. But MSU used that dynamic too often and Chambers wore down toward the end of the year, causing the Bobcats to lose three of their final five games.
If you look at what happened last year to Montana States team if you lose one, you lose a portion of your playbook, Rogers said. Weve got to make sure that were locked into doing the basic things right this week and executing the things that we know how to execute with great technique going into [the NDSU game on Saturday]. Will he have a role in this game? Surely. How much? Were still getting through it right now.
Even if Mason doesnt have a massive role in Saturdays game with the Bison, hes still sure to have some involvement. Gronowski raves about how Mason has grown in the three years hes spent on campus and Mason has put himself in line to take over as the starter when Gronowski leaves.
Its defying the adage that if you have two quarterbacks, you dont have one. But even then, thats not what the Jackrabbits are doing.
For now, SDSU has a quarterback and a really good athlete who is relishing his opportunity to contribute and perhaps add another performance known as The Chase Mason Game.
I just want to be out there in whatever way possible to help out the team, Mason said. Whether thats lining up at running back, tight end, quarterback, whatever that is. I just want to be out there helping.
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