MISSOULA, Montana — In the aftermath of one of the most heart-stopping, thrilling games to ever occur in the 37-year history of Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Bobby Hauck was of course asked about the future.
First, he was asked about the previous evening, referencing No. 1 South Dakota State’s 59-0 decimation of No. 5 UAlbany to earn a spot in the FCS national title game for the second fall in a row. Had he seen the Jackrabbits on film? Any initial thoughts on the reigning national champs?
“No. I have not seen them” Hauck said sternly. “I know they are good. They won last night, huh?”
Although it was clear Hauck only wanted to focus on reveling in the glory of knocking off the Goliath of the Football Championship Subdivision — Montana’s 31-29 double overtime win over North Dakota State denied the Bison its 11th national title game appearance since 2011 — the line of questioning looking ahead to the second-ranked Grizzlies’ first trip to the FCS national title game since 2009 (and first trip to Frisco, Texas ever) continued.
The Griz have been to the national championship game seven times, including three under Hauck. This version of the Grizzlies has won 10 games in a row, including gutting out an overtime win over Furman in the quarterfinals and the double OT win over the Bison in the semis. Would the Griz be able to carry the momentum of the season and the recent torrid tear that also included wins over No. 6 Sac State, No. 5 Montana State and No. 11 Delaware since November began?
“There’s no drawback to it,” Hauck said when asked about the 22-day break between the NDSU win and the matchup in Frisco against No. 1 SDSU. “It was an unfair disadvantage for us the last time around. They moved the game, generally on Friday night. In 2008, we flew to the East Coast (to James Madison), fly back to Missoula, fly back (to Chattanooga, Tennessee), practice for a day, Tuesday morning in the snow here, then we would have to fly out Tuesday afternoon.
“Meanwhile, we would play teams from the East Coast (Richmond in 2008, Villanova in 2009) who were bussing in there, generally, getting an extra day of work. We never practiced for those games. It was logistically a nightmare. This is great for us. We get to practice. We get to sleep. We get to lift. We get a couple of days off for Christmas.
“This is an outstanding set up for us.”
The next time Hauck addressed the media, three days after the dust had settled and the No. 1 versus No. 2 national championship matchup had been set, Hauck reiterated that the time off would be a great advantage for his team as the Griz prepare to take on a Jackrabbits team that has won 28 games in a row and is in search of its second consecutive FCS national title.
“I shared with our team this morning, back when we’d done this before, we’d have our Wednesday practice on Tuesday, have lunch, then get on a plane and get ready to go play on Friday and they looked at me like that was the craziest thing they’ve ever heard,” Hauck said with a laugh on December 19.
The Griz practiced on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the week following the NDSU win then took nearly a week off. Hauck said many of his players were able to go home for Christmas.
“This is like a bowl prep,” Hauck said. “We have a bunch of guys on staff that have done a lot of that. It will be good preparation for it.
“Many of us have done this a bunch, including me, so I have all the old manuals and the plans we’ve used. I don’t know if there’s any perfect schedule, but we’ve all done it a bunch and we plan to build up more on that.”
This Montana team has emerged as Big Sky Conference champions and winners of 13 games overall despite low external expectations entering the season. In the preseason polls, Montana was picked to finish third by affiliated media and sixth by the league’s head coaches.
The Griz have done it by embracing an all-for-one mentality across their roster. Montana’s players constantly talk about “doing their 1/11th” and taking care of business as a collective unit.
“It shows the fabric of our team,” Hauck said. “We have a good team, a good team concept. These guys like each other and they like football. The freshman don’t listen but you tell them all they better enjoy it because it will be over before you know it and now the seniors are looking at most of it in the rear view mirror with one big one left.
“Everyone is enthused to be continuing on and having a chance to keep playing. The wear and tear on the bodies when you play this many games can be counter balanced by the enjoyment of preparing for one last game as a team.”
QUICK HITS
Nickname: Jackrabbits
Location: Brookings, South Dakota – population 23,577
Founded: 1881- South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. It is the state’s largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually operating university in South Dakota.
South Dakota State University is a land-grant university founded under the provisions of the 1862 Morrill Act. This land-grant heritage and mission has led the university to place a special focus on academic programs in agriculture, engineering, nursing, and pharmacy, as well as liberal arts. It is classified among “R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity”. The graduate program is classified as Doctoral, Science, Technology, Engineering, Math dominant.
Enrollment: 11,465
Endowment – $213 million
Stadium: Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium – The outdoor three-quarter bowl stadium has a capacity of 19,340. The field has a traditional north-south alignment at an approximate elevation of 1,620 feet above sea level.
The facility was funded through private gifts and long-term revenue streams, including expanded club seats, loge boxes, and a premium suite level. Lead gifts totaling $12.5 million from Sioux Falls banker Dana Dykhouse and philanthropist T. Denny Sanford were announced in October 2013 and the stadium opened in 2016.
Since opening, the stadium has hosted six crowds of 19,000 or more, including a stadium record 19,431 in a 33-16 win over North Dakota State.
Famous alumni: Pro Bowl kicker Adam Vinatieri, two-time Super Bowl champion Jim Langer, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem (plus two other former governors), Majority Leader of the Senate Tom Daschle.
Last meeting: The last time Montana and South Dakota State played, SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers was the linebackers coach and offensive coordinator Zach Lujan was the starting quarterback.
On November 28, 2015, Brady Gustafson threw a pair of first half touchdown passes and the Griz built a 24-0 halftime lead in Missoula. Taryn Christion, Goedert and the ‘Jacks came storming back but couldn’t really all the way, falling 24-17.
SDSU has advanced past the second round six times in the last seven years, including making the Final Four 2017, 2018 and 2021 and the championship round during the spring season (lost to Sam Hosuton State) and last season (beat North Dakota State 45-21) to send longtime head coach John Stiegelmeier riding off into the sunset.
Stiegelmeier was at SDSU from 1988 until last season, including serving as the head coach starting in 1997. The Jacks made the postseason just once (in 1979 in Division II) before its FCS debut in 2009 in Missoula.
That afternoon, South Dakota State built a 41-14 lead with 11:15 left in the third quarter and led 48-21 with 20 minutes left in the game. Montana scored 40 unanswered points on the way to a 61-48 win for the ages on the way to a national title game appearance.
“One of my daughters was telling me that was her favorite game,” Hauck said, referring to the 2009 first round triumph. “We were down by four touchdowns, I think. We crawled back into it and took a punt back for a touchdown and got ourselves back behind the 8-ball.
That run marked the last time UM played for the national championship until January 7. South Dakota State missed the playoffs in 2010 and 2011 but have been in the postseason since, winning a total of 18 playoff games along the way.
THE COACH
Jimmy Rogers, first year
Rogers has quite literally had one of the greatest rookie seasons by a head coach in the history of the FCS. It helps that he was handed a roster by John Stiegelmeier, his predecessor and the man he played college football for, that was stacked with experienced talent and coming off the first national championship in school history.
But Rogers has put his own spin on things as well, doubling down on the pride of the program and the priority of playing for something bigger than yourself.
Last season, Rogers was the American Football Coaches’ Association Coordinator of the Year after helping the ‘Jacks to 14 straight wins and a national title. This season, he won the Eddie Robinson Award as the National Coach of the Year at the FCS level.
Rogers was a standout linebacker at SDSU under Stiegelmeier’s watch, earning all-conference honors three times between 2006 and 2009 as the Jackrabbits transitioned to Division I. He was on SDSU’s first-ever FCS playoff team, a squad that lost 61-48 to Montana in the first round of the FCS playoffs in one of the craziest playoff games in the subdivision’s history.
Rogers was a graduate assistant at his alma mater for two years before spending two seasons as a GA at Florida Atlantic. He returned to South Dakota State ahead of the 2013 season and coached linebacker for the next six years. He was on the staff in 2015 when SDSU lost 24-17 at Montana, the last time the two programs played.
Rogers took over as the defensive coordinator in 2019. He’s helped coach several of the best lienbackers in SDSU history, including four-time first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference stud Christian Rozeboom, the Jacks’ all-time leading tackler (475 stops) who went on to win a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.
Rogers is 14-0 in his head coaching career.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – OFFENSE
QB Mark Gronowski (6-3, 225, junior) — Gronowski is smooth and athletic. He’s a great leader and a consummate field general. He has an excellent arm and he can move around the pocket.
He’s the second-highest rated passer in America as the FCS level this season. He has thrown 28 touchdowns against just four interceptions and he is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes.
None of that is as impressive as his most important measurable: Gronowski is 35-1 as a starter against FCS competition, including sporting an undefeated record during fall FCS football games. His lone loss came at North Dakota in the abbreviated spring season back in 2021.
“The it factor is Mark, he’s a winner,” Rogers said. “He doesn’t ever feel like he’s down and the moment is never too big for him and he doesn’t get rattled. That’s a rare trait. I think it’s really hard to find and if you try to look for it more than you end up right. Mark had all the intangibles. We got to know his family in recruiting. We thought he was the right fit. He’s just a well-rounded individual.
“He’s a great leader, worker, teammate. The guys love him and that was from Day 1. He’s had the moxie to lead this team with an extreme level of focus when he stepped on the field to change from friend to competitor. That’s rare. It’s really rare. Most young guys these days are caught up on how do I fit in rather than coming here for a reason and competing to be he best.
“And he did that and had the moxie to show an older team at that time that he was the right fit. With that, comes reps and reps are invaluable. He’s taken full advantage of the opportunity that’s been presented to him. He’s ran with it and I think he’s probably the greatest quarterback that’s ever played at South Dakota State just because he wins. And we are blessed to have him.”
The native of Naperville, Illinois has thrown for 7,415 yards, 69 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions during his career. He’s also rushed for 1,334 yards and 26 more scores, averaging 4.8 yards per rush.
RB Isaiah Davis (6-1, 220, Senior) — Davis is the next outstanding running back in the recent impressive history of tailbacks that dominated the FCS before making it to the NFL.
Zach Zenner rushed for more than 2,000 yards in 2012, 2013 and 2014, finishing his career as SDSU’s all-time leader in rushing yards and piling up 8,211 all-purpose yards to go with 69 touchdowns. He played for six seasons in the NFL.
Davis looks to be the next in line to advance to the NFL. But the bruising, bullish yet explosively fast back has one more game in his college career to add to his already impressive resume.
Pierre Strong piled up 4,527 rushing yards and scored 40 touchdowns between 2018 and 2021, including 1,686 yards and 18 scores as a senior. He was a fourth round draft pick by the New England Patriots and is currently averaging 4.6 yards per carry for the Cleveland Browns.
In 14 starts, Davis has eight 10-yard games, including three straight in the playoffs. The former Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year rushed 27 times for 192 yards and a touchdown in SDSU’s come from behind 23-12 win over Villanova. Davis has scored six of his 17 rushing touchdowns this season in the playoffs.
This season, he has 1,491 yards and 17 touchdowns, giving him 4,461 rushing yards and 49 rushing touchdowns in his illustrious career.
TE Zach Heins (6-7, 260, senior) — South Dakota State has produced a string of top-notch tight ends as well. It started with the pair of Cam Jones, a 6-foot-5, 255-pounder who’s NFL hopes were derailed by injuries, and Dallas Goedert, who eventually overtook Jones on the way to becoming an All-American, then a second-round NFL Draft pick. He caught 28 touchdowns at SDSU and has caught 21 touchdowns in the NFL among his 286 receptions over the last five-plus seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Then came Tucker Kraft, a behemoth of a man who had 65 catches for 780 yards and six touchdowns last season before becoming a third-round NFL Draft pick by the Green Bay Packers. He has 22 catches, 276 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season as a rookie.
Heins is next. While his draft stock isn’t quite as high, most believe he’ll play on Sundays. And like Goedert & Kraft, Heins is from South Dakota.
The Sioux Falls native has 25 catches for 369 yards and seven scores this season. He has 93 catches for 1,211 yards and 18 scores in his career.
OL Garrett Greenfield (6-7, 320, senior)
OL Mason McCormick (6-5, 315, senior) — Greenfield has been a rock and an anchor, starting 55 straight games. He has earned consensus All-American honors each of the last three years and is considered an NFL prospect who could get drafted next spring.
And McCormick is arguably SDSU’s best offensive lineman and perhaps the ‘Jacks’ best player. He’s started 57 consecutive games and is a three-time consensus All-American who is also a legitimate NFL prospect. He is one of the vocal leaders and spokesman for the team.
The duo is part of a unit that has helped average 230 yards per game on the ground and has given up just 10 sacks.
The Janke Twins — The natives of Madison, South Dakota have been fixtures in the Jackrabbit offense for the last four years. This season, they have been as good as ever.
Jadon Janke is SDSU’s leading receiver entering the national championship game. He has 52 catches for 891 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns. He rolled up 10 catches for 187 yards and a score against Missouri State and followed that up with six caches for 151 yards and another touchdown last week against UAlbany. He has 165 catches for 2,745 yards and 29 touchdowns in his career.
Jaxon Janke has 47 catches for 752 yards and five touchdowns this season, including a seven-catch, 106-yard day that included a TD against Mercer in the first round of the playoffs. He has 240 catches for 3,611 yards and 29 touchdowns in his career.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – DEFENSE
LB Adam Bock (6-1, 225, senior) — When asked about Bock’s legacy and playing his final game as a Jackrabbit, Rogers said that Bock will in fact be back next year. Still, he didn’t hesitate to say that Bock is one of the best linebackers to play at South Dakota State.
Bock is a two-time first-team All-American who would’ve had a chance for more if not for injuries impacting two other seasons. In 2021, the last time Bock played a full season, he rolled up 125 tackles and added 9.5 tackles plus 2.5 sacks and two picks.
Even with missing time each of the last two, he still had 76 and 54 tackles, respectively, and has 10 tackles for loss plus six sacks over the last two falls. Bock has 333 career tackles, including 25 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.
S Tucker Large (5-10, 180, sophomore) – The former walk-on has been one of the stars of the playoffs for the Jackrabbits.
Large had a pick-6 in SDSU’s 59-0 shellacking of UAlbany helped open up the flood gates. Large has four picks, tied for the top mark on the team. He’s also chipped in 43 tackles.
LB Jason Freeman (5-9, 215, senior) – Freeman was an NAIA standout at Olivet Nazarene University before transferring to SDSU.
He’s led the Jackrabbits in tackles for two years in a row, including rolling up 96 tackles this season. He has five tackles for loss and two interceptions for a defense that’s allowing 9.7 points per contest.
DE Cade Terveer (6-3, 255, senior) — South Dakota State has just 24 sacks, but Terveer has six of them. He also has 7.5 tackles for loss among the 67 tackles behind the line of scrimmage this year.
