BROOKINGS It will be a national championship rematch on Saturday at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium as South Dakota State will host Montana in the second round of the FCS Playoffs at 1 p.m.
The Jackrabbits took down the Grizzlies in the FCS title game last season to win their second-straight championship. SDSU led 7-3 at halftime and then outscored Montana 16-0 in the second half to make the final 23-3.
Now, SDSU (10-2) comes into Saturdays matchup as the No. 3 seed and the Grizzlies (9-4) are No. 14. Montana pulled away from Tennessee State in the first round for a 41-27 victory.
Were really excited about this opportunity to play Montana, said SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers. Theyre a really good football team coached well by coach [Bobby] Hauck. Obviously there is some history there with playing them in the national championship game. This will be a huge matchup for us and a tough matchup for us.
Rogers said one of the bigger differences between this year and last year for the Grizzlies is the quarterback position. Montana has played two quarterbacks in all but three games this season.
Fresno State transfer Logan Fife usually starts the game for the Griz. Hes thrown for 1,890 yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Redshirt freshman Kealii Ah Yat has thrown for 890 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. The two quarterbacks have run for over 100 yards and combined for 12 rushing touchdowns.
Rogers said the quarterbacks both present challenges with their legs and their arms.
I think theyre a little bit different. Obviously they are both dual threat-type quarterbacks. I feel like Fife does a good job of keeping his eyes down field and making throws. Hes closing in on 2,000 yards passing, which I dont think is easy. At the same time, Ah Yat has done a really good job of making plays with his legs. Hes really explosive. He doesnt back down from the competition. The one commonality between them is that theyre both competitors and theyll both present their own challenges throughout the game and we need to be locked in to minimize explosive plays, Rogers said.
Sophomore running back Eli Gillman leads the Grizzlies rushing attack with 1,092 yards and 15 touchdowns. Graduate senior Nick Ostmo also has 769 yards and three touchdowns.
Montanas x-factor both on offense and special teams is senior wide receiver Junior Bergen. Hes caught 46 passes for 525 yards and three touchdowns this season, and returned two punts for touchdowns in Montanas win over TSU this past weekend.
For his career he has eight punt return touchdowns, which is tied for the FCS all-time record. In last years championship game Bergen didnt break free for a touchdown and the Jacks kept him bottled up for most of the game. Rogers said Bergen can take over a game, especially in the playoffs, and his team is aware of what they need to do to keep him in check.
Hes good, Rogers said. Hes pretty much killed everyone theyve played and has been really special in the last playoff game, but also last years playoff games. He kind of took over and was a big impact in how they ended up in last years National Championship. Were very aware of what hes capable of.
I believe the opening kickoff versus us he had too big of a return. Were well aware of him. Hes a great player. He does a good job at wide receiver too. Hes a threat.
Montanas defense ranks 56th in the FCS, giving up 355 yards per game. The Grizzlies rank 58th in pass defense (214.7) and 42nd in rush defense (140.3).
SDSU has won five-straight games since losing its second game of the season to North Dakota State on Oct. 19. In those five games the Jacks have held their opponents to 9.8 points per game. For the season, SDSU is No. 1 in the FCS in scoring defense (12.4 points per game) and No. 4 in total defense (272.9 yards per game).
Jackrabbit defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit said hes seen his defense ascend from week to week.
I think weve continued to grow as the year has gone on. Weve had guys that have stepped into key roles and havent had much drop off. We just continue to grow and grow and grow, and Im really proud of the whole defense. From the front line to the back end, weve had a ton of success and guys are just doing their jobs, Bobbit said.
On the offensive side of the ball the Jackrabbits have averaged 39.2 points per game over the past five games. SDSU senior quarterback Mark Gronowski and Rogers talked about how in the first half of the season SDSUs offense was trying to find a connection as it had to replace six NFL players on that side of the ball.
Rogers said he feels like the offense has come along at the right time and there is still room for them to reach their ceiling in the playoffs.
I think [the connection between Gronowski and the other players on offense] has grown, Rogers said. Obviously hes had the most connection with [Griffin] Wilde, Graham Goering, [Kentrell Prejean], Lofton OGroske. I mean, its still growing, just because some of those guys havent been playing for two to three years. I was happy to see the ability to disperse the ball to the tight ends a little bit more because those guys are great players.
We have great skill. Not only at tight end and wide receiver, but also running back. To go into the playoffs as close to healthy as youre going to be for the remainder of the season, that excites me because I dont think we have yet to live up to the potential of this football team, but the last five games have been pretty dominating.
You can watch Saturdays game on ESPN+ or listen to the game on AM 570 WNAX. The winner between SDSU and Montana will play either No. 6 seeded Incarnate Word or No. 11 Villanova on Dec. 14.
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