South Dakota State football dominates on offensive, defensive line in rout of Delaware

Michael McCleary, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·4 min read

South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski was "surprised." It had been more than two years since he had a run as long as his 55-yard burst up the middle in the first quarter of the Jackrabbits' 42-6 FCS Playoffs second-round rout of Delaware Saturday in Brookings. Gronowski, who emerged as a star as a true freshman during SDSU's run to the FCS National Title game in the 2021 Spring Season in part because his ability to run the ball, hasn't run the ball as much this year, he admitted. But Saturday he got eight attempts and a whole lot of space. Saturday was "fun."

"It was just really great to get back in that running game a little bit," Gronowski said. "It's really exciting to see how big of a hole the linemen created for me."

Delaware’s Amonte’ Strothers attempts to tackle South Dakota State’s Mark Gronowski during a playoff game on December 3, 2022, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
Delaware’s Amonte’ Strothers attempts to tackle South Dakota State’s Mark Gronowski during a playoff game on December 3, 2022, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

And that's how most of the game went. SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier didn't feel it was "a given," that the Jackrabbits would get to the second level, but parts of Saturday Delaware had no answer for the Jackrabbits front line as South Dakota State rushed for 6.0 yards per carry. It was that way on the defensive side of the ball, too, with three sacks and five tackles for loss as Delaware rushed for just 64 yards. When Delaware and South Dakota State in the 2021 Spring Season FCS Playoffs — a dominant 33-3 win for SDSU — the Blue Hens were pushed around just as they were Saturday. And Delaware admitted as much: It wasn't ready.

More:South Dakota State football routs Delaware in FCS playoffs

This season's matchup was supposed to be different, but instead the Jackrabbits dominated the Blue Hens up front as it has almost every FCS team it's matched up with this year.

"That was one of their best games," Gronowski said of the offensive line. "And it was really cool to see how much movement they're getting every single time."

South Dakota State’s Isaiah Davis runs the ball during an FCS playoff game against Delaware on December 3, 2022, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
South Dakota State’s Isaiah Davis runs the ball during an FCS playoff game against Delaware on December 3, 2022, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

Left guard Mason McCormick said that Delaware's "really good pass defense" sort of forced the Jackrabbits to go to the run, but once it got going, it didn't stop. Gronowski had thrown just two passes as the game reached a few minutes into the second quarter, one of them being a forward pitch to wide receiver Jadon Janke that gained 17 of the Jackrabbits' 25 passing yards at the time.

While Delaware was pounded on a few rushing attempts to start the game, SDSU seemingly walked passed the first holes its offensive line opened itself up. Isaiah Davis, one of the best second-level rushers in FCS football, had no issues getting there Saturday to accumulate 104 yards and two touchdowns. Nor did Gronowski (73 rushing yards and a touchdown), nor did running back Amar Johnson (40 rushing yards), nor redshirt freshman running back Angel Johnson when he entered for a carry, either.

Stiegelmeier said Delaware has a "tough scheme," but the most consistent opening in the passing game was on the outs and the quick passes to the outside, trying to find "soft spots" based on where the Blue Hens defense lined up. So, for that reason, most of Gronowski's season-low 15 passes didn't go vertical — they were thrown in single-read situations that got the Jackrabbits' playmakers in space, where they thrive.

"We thought coming in that's something we could do," McCormick said.

So, South Dakota State poured on and on. The Blue Hens got a field goal early in the game to go up by three off of a Janke muffed punt, and then added another one before halftime, but for practically the entire remainder of the game, they were stuffed.

Delaware’s Kyron Cumby carries the ball during an FCS playoff game against South Dakota State on December 3, 2022, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.
Delaware’s Kyron Cumby carries the ball during an FCS playoff game against South Dakota State on December 3, 2022, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings.

For as dominant as the Jackrabbits were, defensive tackle Caleb Sanders said in the first half, the pressures it got weren't "enough." Midway through the third quarter, Delaware was already trending out of the game after the Jackrabbits’ fourth rushing score, but was starting a drive still with plenty of time to claw back. The Blue Hens looked to pass, so sophomore quarterback Ryan O’Connor dropped back. Within a little over a second, Sanders burst through the line. O’Connor dropped back again, and defensive end Reece Winkelman burst through then, too, dropping O’Connor at the line of scrimmage.

The Blue Hens, already in a bad spot, wound up with a fourth down around the 10-yard line and needed to just punt it away. So, Delaware snapped and it went straight through its punter's punters hands. South Dakota State, as it had done all game, exploded through the line again. Five SDSU players surrounded the ball in the end zone. No one on Delaware had a chance. South Dakota State safety Matthew Durrance fell on top of the ball, securing the touchdown, pushing the Blue Hens down both literally and figuratively, again.

"In the second half, we really just picked it up," Sanders said. "I knew that we're gonna have to get some sacks if we wanted to really (put) the game away."

Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: SDSU football dominates up front in FCS Playoffs win over Delaware

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