USA TODAY International Edition
Freshmen leading way for top- seeded Jackrabbits
BROOKINGS, S. D. – There were a dozen individual performances that were key to South Dakota State’s 31- 3 first- round playoff win over Holy Cross, but three stood out.
Quarterback Mark Gronowski threw a career- high three touchdown passes.
Isaiah Davis rushed for a career- high 156 yards.
Adam Bock led the defense with nine tackles.
They are all freshmen.
That the top- seeded team in the Football Championship Series playoffs is being carried in part by rookies is rare and impressive. It’s also a sign that the Jackrabbits may only be on the cusp of the heights they can reach as a program. But as tempting as it is to speculate about the future of a team loaded with talented underclassmen, the Jacks are now two wins away from their first trip to the national championship game.
They aren’t thinking about the future, and they aren’t using their youth as an excuse to lower their sights. If South Dakota State makes it to Frisco, Texas, it will be because a handful of teenagers helped to get them there.
“Those guys came in in the fall and worked their butts off,” said senior linebacker and captain Logan Backhaus. “Mark earned his spot over a couple other quarterbacks and has been leading the offense all season. Isaiah came in and it seems like every time he gets the ball he falls forward for a couple extra yards. And Adam Bock is just a force to be reckoned with. He’s flying around the field making plays.”
Gronowski is the Missouri Valley Football Conference offensive player of the year, freshman of the year and newcomer of the year. Davis and Bock were named to the all- newcomer team. And that was before their spectacular performances in the playoffs.
Bock now has 47 tackles, good for second on the team. Davis has rushed for 528 yards, just one fewer than AllAmerican Pierre Strong’s 529. Gronowski has rushed for 398 yards and six scores and thrown for 1,204 yards and 11 touchdowns.
But those three aren’t the only freshmen making an impact. Linebacker Graham Spalding, defensive tackle Jarod DePriest, tight end Tucker Kraft, safety Cale Reeder, defensive end Randy Keumogne, linebacker Caleb Francl and wide receiver Canyon Bauer have all contributed. And the sophomore class includes a dozen other major contributors, including receivers Jaxon and Jadon Janke, tight end Zach Heins, offensive line starters Mason McCormick and Garret Greenfield, pass rushers Reece Winkelman, Cade Terveer and Quinton Hicks and safeties Chase Norblade and Isaiah Stalbird.
Yes, that means the Jacks can count on being a contender beyond this fall. It also means they’re recruiting and developing a caliber of athlete they can ask to help them win games early in their careers.
“Seldom am I disappointed in a young man’s performance – many times am I surprised and amazed,” said head coach John Stiegelmeier.
“And that’s what I’m going to continue to do with these guys. Be surprised, amazed and challenge them to get better every day. The cool thing about those guys and really our whole football team is they’re never content, and that’s a fun group of guys to be around.”