BROOKINGS, S.D.
Mark Gronowski led the South Dakota State Jackrabbits to a convincing 55-14 victory over Incarnate Word on Saturday, showcasing his dual-threat capabilities by throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for two. This win secures the Jackrabbits, the two-time defending champions, a place in the FCS semifinals, where they will face off against North Dakota State, who advanced by defeating Mercer with a score of 31-7.

Gronowski had a sluggish start in the first half, completing just 4 of his 11 passing attempts. However, he made those completions count, as two resulted in touchdown passes to Griffin Wilde. Adding to the scoring, Gronowski had short touchdown runs of 3 and 1 yards, contributing significantly to the team’s dominant performance.

The Jackrabbit defense was stifling, allowing only 121 yards in the first half, which helped pave the way for an impressive 31-0 lead by halftime. Matthew Durrance’s interception led to a quick touchdown drive, and Tucker Large’s recovery of a fumble resulted in a field goal, further solidifying their cushion at the break.

In the third quarter, Gronowski extended the lead by connecting with David Alpers on a 59-yard catch-and-run touchdown, bringing the score to 38-7.

UIW managed to score consecutively on two possessions, narrowing the gap to 38-14, but South Dakota State quickly reasserted control with a field goal and additional 1-yard touchdown runs from Kirby Vorhees and Brenden Begeman in the final quarter.

Gronowski concluded the game with 174 passing yards, completing 7 out of 16 attempts. In addition, Amar Johnson had a standout performance on the ground, rushing for 133 yards. Overall, the Jackrabbits amassed a total of 477 yards on offense.

For UIW, quarterback Zach Calzada completed 37 of 51 passes, tallying 249 yards and a touchdown. The team finished with 337 yards of offense but struggled with third downs, converting only 4 out of 15 attempts, and was 1 for 5 on fourth down conversions.

Earlier in the season, South Dakota State also won against UIW, finishing that matchup with a score of 45-24. Notably, all three of UIW’s losses came against teams from the Missouri Valley Football Conference, with two of those defeats at the hands of South Dakota State and one against Southern Illinois.