FRISCO, Texas – As 14-point favorites, the first half of the 2024 FCS championship game was puzzling for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
In uncharacteristic fashion, they coughed the ball up twice, once on an interception and once on a punt return, entering the break with just seven points to show. They were in a slugfest with the Montana Grizzlies, who were looking to get head coach Bobby Hauck his first championship trophy in four tries.
But it didn’t matter because the SDSU defense, which is much less heralded than the offense, allowed a single field goal in the first half; that ended up holding for the entirety of the game. The Jacks washed away any halftime concerns with a dominant second half, keeping things status quo by winning their second-consecutive championship and 29th-straight game by a final score of 23-3.
It put the final touches on a postseason run where they outscored opponents 146-15.
“That’s that no-name defense, you know?” mocked SDSU linebacker Isaiah Stalbird, who finished with five tackles and a sack in his final game as a Jackrabbit.
Playing with a chip on its shoulder, the SDSU defense proved that their defensive side of the ball is just as good as the highly touted offense, and it all came together as the game advanced.
“Overall, if they can’t score points, they can’t beat you and we stayed consistent with that,” SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said. “We knew if we gave our offense enough opportunities, success would come, and we got it going in the third quarter.”
The switch seemed to flip in the third quarter when Jacks quarterback Mark Gronowski, just the third FCS QB to win back-to-back championship game MVPs, joining former NDSU signal-callers Brock Jensen and Carson Wentz, improvised to convert on a long play for the first time.
Rolling out left, he found his tight end Zach Heins for a third-down conversion. The long gain eventually led to Gronowski scoring with his feet from 10 yards out. That opened the floodgates, as the next possession led to a common connection between Gronowski and Jadon Janke for a 23-yard score.
Later, they added a field goal from kicker Hunter Dustman for the last points of the game. It was set up by a fumble-causing sack from Cade Terveer and scooped by Dawson Ripperda. Soon thereafter, the Jacks entered winning formation to an eruption of celebration from their well-traveled fans.
“It’s pretty awesome, looking out there at a sea of blue, everybody on the field,” said Adam Bock, SDSU linebacker. “That first one (2023) is going to be really special, just being the first one, but the emotions are great for both of them. Just knowing you worked so hard, and you accomplished what you set out to do.”
The game could have had a different result if Montana had converted on its first-half opportunities, but despite two forced turnovers and two red zone trips, the Griz could only muster three points.
On a 4th and inches at the goal line, the Jacks made an incredible tackle of UM running back Eli Gillman, who was ripped down by the arms short of breaking the plane, unable to reach the ball over. Later, they had to settle for a field goal.
Then to open the third quarter, Montana was driving before wide receiver Aaron Fontes lost a fumble following a long catch-and-run.
To boot, it was a down game for QB Clifton McDowell who had brought a much-needed extra element to the Griz offense all year long. However, it was often his legs that opened things up for the passing game and on Sunday, he registered just two yards on 10 carries.
His unusual reluctance to run the ball on rollouts raised skepticism as to his health status, but head coach Bobby Hauck denied those rumors post game; he pointed towards other reasons for their offensive struggles.
“In terms of evaluating how they won the game, and we didn’t, It’s the critical things that are critical in every football game,” Hauck said. “When you have good teams on each sideline, you can’t turn the ball over, you can’t get behind the chains and take negative plays. You’ve got to run the ball better than we did, and you can’t turn it over. Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers will cost you games, and that was a big factor today.”
In total, they had six turnovers – three turnovers on down, one interception and two lost fumbles.
But the season was not for naught as the Grizzlies continue to chase the “RTD” – return to dominance – mantra that Hauck coined upon his return for a second stint in 2018. They believe they are on the right track for more success as they push forward.
“The guys that we have in this locker room right now, they’re a bunch of real stand-up dudes – they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t,” said senior center AJ Forbes. “The message I would send to them (returning players) is demand more from yourself than others do of you. If you continuously demand excellence from yourself, you’re going to be fine.”
That advice suits the situation well – it’s the same way the back-to-back champion feels, so it must be right.
Just moments after the final whistle blew, the Jacks started thinking of getting the next one; Happy, but never satisfied.
“That’s who I am by nature, man,” Rogers said about a comment he made last year where he said that when he woke up the day after the championship, he didn’t feel anything. “I’m going to enjoy this one tonight. My mind races to the next one pretty fast though.”