BROOKINGS Theres the old cliche that you want to be playing your best football at the end of the season. For South Dakota State, it seems as though the Jackrabbits are doing just that with the FCS Playoffs right around the corner.
SDSU (10-2) lost to North Dakota State on Oct. 19 and since then the Jacks have won five-straight and all but one of those victories have been by more than 30 points.
I think weve gotten better [since that game], said head coach Jimmy Rogers. I think weve grown. As much as everyone was asking who are we going to be? I think weve shown that were getting better. Offensively for sure and then defensively weve been pretty steady the whole season.
One of the question marks near the middle of the season was the Jackrabbit offense. SDSU scored nine points in the loss to NDSU and then followed that up with 20 points in an overtime victory over South Dakota.
Since that overtime win over the Coyotes, the Jacks have put up point totals of 52, 38, 41 and 45. Theyve averaged 500 yards of offense in that four-game span and have been moving the ball up and down the field with ease.
Its no surprise to senior quarterback Mark Gronowski that the SDSU offense has hit its stride over the past month. He acknowledged that the Jacks had a lot of talent to replace from last season and it just took some time to get everyone in sync.
I really like how the offense has responded [since the loss to NDSU]. Our confidence continues to grow. I feel like Ive been playing at a better level than I did in that game and I feel more comfortable with the guys around me. Our offensive line has been playing really well, I think theyve only given up two sacks since that game. If they continue to do that and give me time in the pocket were going to be able to make plays, Gronowski said.
Rogers added that getting players back from injury as they head into the playoffs will be key.
I think [offensively] its just been working with different people and continuing to try to find the best depth and then when we do that, well only get more healthy as we move on. Were going to get Greyton [Gannon] back. Were going to get Graham [Goering] back and then having Lofton [OGroske] have the experience in which he was forced into and did well when it was his time, I think [is great for us]. And well be getting Chase [Mason] back, Rogers said.
The Jackrabbit defense put up historic numbers last season as they gave up just nine points per game. Many thought that those numbers would not be attainable again and although theyve been right, the Jacks have not been far off in 2024.
SDSU is giving up 12.4 points and 272.9 yards per gam this season, which rank first and fourth, respectively in the FCS. Senior linebacker Adam Bock said him and his teammates didnt have a goal to be as good as last year. They wanted to be remembered as a separate unit.
There was a lot of talk of that preseason with who we lost and what the defense lost, Bock said. We just kind of took it as were our own team and were going to write our own story. We knew we had the guys to put up those numbers as well.
It wasnt so much of that we needed to be on pace with [last years defense], it was lets go out there and play our best football and however it shakes out, it shakes out. Like you said, weve been putting up great numbers and the improvement every week has been great.
The Jacks head into the FCS Playoffs as the No. 3 seed and will get a first round bye. Theyll play the winner of No. 14 seeded Montana and Tennessee State on Dec. 7. Although the Jackrabbits are happy with how theyre playing, they feel like many people are forgetting that theyre the two-time defending champions.
I feel like weve been a little disrespected, Gronowski said. You saw with us getting the three-seed and we were hoping we were going to get the two. We have a lot of new guys and a lot of new faces on this team and theres not national names like the Jankes or Mason McCormick. I think the guys are starting to get on the national stage, Griffin Wilde is a name that youre starting to hear everywhere. I think these playoffs are going to start putting a lot of names to faces this year.
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