LB Bock heads into title game with fresh outlook
When the 2023 South Dakota State football season started, senior linebacker Adam Bock was as excited as anyone to get back to work in Brookings.
Bock had a breakout sophomore season in 2021 when he was named a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist, a HERO sports FCS All-American and Stats Perform FCS All-America Second Team, but his junior season was marred by injury. The Iowa native played in only 11 games in his junior campaign, but still performed well enough to earn All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First Team honors. He finished the 2022 season with 76 total tackles and 7.5 tackles for a loss.
After laboring through that difficult junior season, Bock was ready to start fresh and hit the ground running in 2023. But on Aug. 10, only days into fall camp, he suffered a season-altering hit.
“I'm just thinking like, ‘Oh, that didn't feel right' but just went to go get an X-ray just to see if everything was all right,” Bock said during FCS championship media day Friday. “I was kind of expecting everything would be good.”
But at the time, it wasn't good. Bock fractured his fibula for the second straight season, this time during a routine practice.
“Definitely one of the hardest years of my life so far,” Bock said. “Especially doing it two years in a row, having an injury that keeps you out of the game. You just want to be out there and playing and doing what you love. But it definitely puts everything into perspective.”
Bock returned to action for the Jackrabbits' first conference game of the season and looked like his old self. He ended the night with 10 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, but the joy of his outstanding performance was short-lived. After the game, he felt discomfort in his leg. There was a lot of sensitivity around the fibula after not walking on it for weeks.
He missed the next two conference games against Illinois State and Northern Iowa.
“You come back, you think you're going to be ready to go right away and then having to miss a couple other games was tough,” Bock said. “But I'm glad we did what we thought was best and now I'm feeling really good.”
Bock leaned on his teammates and training staff during one of the most difficult times in his life. He credits associate athletic trainer Charlie Miller and their daily morning rehab sessions with keeping him motivated to return to full strength. His teammates checked in on him and made sure he was in good spirits too.
“What impressed me so much is he never hung his head for a second,” senior offensive lineman Garret Greenfield said. “He took it for what it was, and he's like, ‘I can't control what happened, but I control how I go forward from it.'”
Since returning, Bock has made an undeniable impact on the South Dakota State defense, even if his stats aren't exactly where they were two years ago. He looked in prime form in the FCS quarterfinals against Villanova though, when he had 11 total tackles and a quarterback hurry.
Jackrabbits head coach Jimmy Rogers called Bock a special talent and a special leader. The senior linebacker has the football IQ to manage the team's defense and make lastsecond support calls.
“I'm excited for him because I wasn't sure if we were going to get him back this season,” Rogers said. “He's turned the corner. Can't say he's 100%, but he's good enough. He's going to play this game.”
After going through the ups and downs of a season derailed by injury, there's no better way for Bock to close out his senior year than playing in a game for all the marbles when the Jackrabbits take on Montana.
“I'm definitely blessed to be able to recover fully and have a shot to play for a national title,” Bock said. “It definitely puts it into perspective when you start the season kind of at your lowest point with the tough injury and then finish it off hopefully with the highest point that you could (ask for.)”