BROOKINGS — You could say Mark Gronowski hasn't quite been the same quarterback this year he was in leading South Dakota State to back-to-back FCS national championships in 2022 and 2023.
Plenty of people have.
And the statistics are down a tad this year.
But in Saturday's playoff opener for the Jackrabbits in the second round against Montana, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner delivered a performance that should silence and maybe even embarrass anyone who's been down on the senior signal-caller.
In leading SDSU to a 35-18 win over the Grizzlies that wasn't nearly that close (it was 35-3 when Gronowski was given the rest of the day off), 'Captain 11' completed eight of his first nine throws, two for touchdowns, and finished 12-of-16 for 151 yards and four total touchdowns as the Jacks advanced to the quarterfinal round, where they'll host Incarnate Word. He even caught a 21-yard pass from H-back Kevin Brenner that should've been ruled a touchdown (he was ruled down at the 1-yard line).
Maybe those numbers don't jump off the page, but in person Gronowski couldn't have been much more impressive. His passes were on time, on target and had the kind of heat on them that close observers have noticed Gronowski putting on his best throws since the summer.
"Everything was clicking," Gronowski said. "I was seeing things well and the O-line was giving me time back there, so I was able to make those reads and Griffin was making the plays."
That would be Griffin Wilde, the second-year wideout who spent last year behind the Janke twins and this year was thrust into the role of No. 1 on the depth chart and on opposing secondary's scouting reports. The former Sioux Falls Jefferson standout had six catches for over 100 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone, finishing the day with seven receptions for 114 yards. For the season he now has 63 catches for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But Wilde wasn't the only face in a new role this year. New starters on the O-line, a new offensive coordinator, no Isaiah Davis or Zach Heins — the continuity of the previous years wasn't there back in September, so was it really that surprising that Gronowski and the offense (particularly the passing game) had some hiccups along the way?
There was a 24-3 win over Augustana in which he threw for just 141 yards on 27 attempts with two picks, and a week later he was 7-of-17 for 65 yards and an interception (though they won that game 41-0). Four games into the season, Gronowski had thrown five interceptions, equaling his total for all of 2023.
He's thrown just one in the nine games since.
"It just takes time to work with a different set of people and that's what he's done," said coach Jimmy Rogers. "He was really sharp today and made a ton of huge plays and threw the ball really accurately. Our O-line gave him time to throw and those wide receivers came down with the ball. I'm excited about how he's progressed with the group of players he's been working with."
That goes for Wilde and running backs Amar Johnson and Angel Johnson, all three of whom had some mini-slumps midseason but are firing on all cylinders now.
If the Jacks didn't look much like the team that went 15-0 last year without being seriously tested, they're starting to now.
"That team last year was just better than everyone else," said Montana coach Bobby Hauck. "But (this team) is finding ways to win. They're finding yards."
Hauck didn't sound too disappointed in how his defense played. They played hard. They were in position. They just had trouble containing SDSU's elite athletes, and slowing down a quarterback who once again looks like one of the best players in the nation.
"He's a good quarterback," said Grizzlies defensive back Trevin Gradney. "He spins it well, he can run. We just didn't do a good enough job in the back end. He's good."
He's good and now the games mean more than ever. It isn't just the playoffs where it's win or go home, for Gronowski and the other seniors, it's win or be done as a Jackrabbit. Unless NDSU gets upset in next week's quarterfinals, the upcoming game against Incarnate Word will be the final game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, and if you don't think those kind of stakes are going to bring out the best in the winningest quarterback in South Dakota State history, you don't know Mark Gronowski.
"It's kind of like a new season when you get to the playoffs," Gronowski said. "It's win or go home at this point. For us seniors it could be our last game if we don't play well. We'll come out next week with a little more extra juice."
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