FCS national championship: Mark Gronowski's winning ways are South Dakota State's ace in the hole
FRISCO, Tex. — Of all the accolades, all the touchdowns, all the awards and all the numbers Mark Gronowski has compiled as the quarterback of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, the only ones that really matter — the ones that truly sum up his worth, are the wins.
Gronowski has been the SDSU starting quarterback for three seasons. They've reached the national championship game in all three.
Technically he's 36-3 as the SDSU starter, but of those three defeats, one came in a game where he played only one series before suffering a torn ACL (the 2020/21 national championship), and the other was his first game back from that injury against the Iowa Hawkeyes. In starts against non-FBS opponents where he didn't get hurt, Gronowski is 36-1. That's a .973 winning percentage.
Quarterback is the most over-dramatized and over-analyzed position in all of sports. That they get too much credit when the team wins and too much blame when it loses is an overwrought cliche because it's true.
But Gronowski embodies those cliches so strongly they cease to become cliches. They're the traits that make him the Jackrabbits' most important and valuable player. There are plenty of reasons to favor the top-ranked and defending champion Jackrabbits in Sunday's title game against No. 2 Montana — like a defense holding opponents to 9.7 points per game and unstoppable running back Isaiah Davis — but there's probably no bigger weapon in blue and yellow than No. 11.
"It's pretty obvious the player we have in Mark," said senior wide receiver Jadon Janke. "The leadership and confidence he brings to this team is second to none. Without him we wouldn't be where we are."
It started when he was a true freshman, winning over the veterans on a team that had just started getting used to J'Bore Gibbs after four years of Taryn Christion, widely regarded as the best quarterback in Jackrabbit history. Little did anyone know the rookie was about to embark on a career that would rival Christion's for that title.
Gronowski was freshman of the year and offensive player of the year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference that year, throwing 15 touchdown passes and rushing for seven more scores as the Jacks went 8-2 and reached their first-ever national championship game.
After the ACL injury wiped out his 2021, Gronowski returned last year to throw for 2,967 yards and 26 touchdowns while rushing for another 408 yards and 12 scores to guide SDSU to their first championship.
He's taken another step forward this season, completing 69 percent of his passes for 2,883 yards and 28 touchdown passes with just four interceptions and another seven touchdowns on the ground. He shared the Valley offensive player of the year award with Davis, his teammate.
In last week's 59-0 semifinal win over Albany, Gronowski was nearly perfect, competing 15-of-19 throws for 265 yards and three touchdowns. He'll be looking to keep that momentum at Toyota Stadium, where last year he was named title game most outstanding player after throwing for 223 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another 57 yards, including a 51-yard score.
The Grizzlies, 13-and-a-half point underdogs, have been impressed by what they've seen of Gronowski.
"He's efficient," said Montana linebacker Braxton Hill. "He doesn't turn the ball over and he's comfortable in their scheme. He's the man in charge. He does a good job leading their entire team."
That's an impression gleaned from watching some film. SDSU coaches, players and fans have been soaking up Gronowski's influence for four years, three of which ended with him taking them to Frisco. The appreciation for him is accordingly off the charts.
"The 'it' factor is Mark," said coach Jimmy Rogers. "He's a winner. He doesn't ever feel like he's down and the moment is never too big for him. He doesn't get rattled. I think that's a rare trait. It's hard to find and if you try to look for it you'll fail more often than not.
"He's taken advantage of every opportunity that's been presented to him and he's ran with it, and I'd say he's probably the greatest quarterback that's ever played at South Dakota State, because he wins, and we're blessed to have him."
