2022 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team

The 2022 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led John Stiegelmeier in his 26th and final season as head coach, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 14–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the MVFC title. South Dakota State received the MVFC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where after a first-round bye, the Jackrabbits defeated Delaware in the second round, Holy Cross in the quarterfinals, Montana State in the semifinals, and fellow MVFC member North Dakota State in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game to win program's first national title. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.

2022 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football
NCAA Division I champion MVFC champion
NCAA Division I Championship Game, W 45–21 vs. North Dakota State
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 1
FCS Coaches	No. 1
Record	14–1 (8–0 MVFC)
Head coach	John Stiegelmeier (26th season)
Offensive coordinator	Zach Lujan (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Jimmy Rogers (4th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
Seasons ← 2021 2023 →

2022 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 South Dakota State $^		8	–	0					14	–	1
No. 2 North Dakota State ^		7	–	1					12	–	3
No. 20 North Dakota ^		5	–	3					7	–	5
Youngstown State		5	–	3					7	–	4
Northern Iowa		5	–	3					6	–	5
Illinois State		4	–	4					6	–	5
Southern Illinois		4	–	4					5	–	6
Missouri State		3	–	5					5	–	6
South Dakota		2	–	6					3	–	8
Indiana State		1	–	7					2	–	9
Western Illinois		0	–	8					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	11:00 a.m.	at Iowa*	No. 2	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA	FS1	L 3–7	69,250
September 10	6:00 p.m.	UC Davis*	No. 2	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD	MidcoSN/ESPN+	W 24–22	15,182
September 17	6:00 p.m.	Butler*	No. 2	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD	MidcoSN	W 45–17	16,414
September 24	2:00 p.m.	at No. 6 Missouri State	No. T–2	Robert W. Plaster Stadium Springfield, MO	ESPN3	W 28–14	13,189
October 1	2:00 p.m.	Western Illinois	No. 2	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD	MidcoSN2	W 34–10	15,237
October 8	2:00 p.m.	South Dakota	No. 2	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (rivalry)	MidcoSN/ESPN+	W 28–3	19,332
October 15	2:30 p.m.	at No. 1 North Dakota State	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Dakota Marker)	MidcoSN/ESPN+	W 23–21	18,603
October 22	3:00 p.m.	at No. 20 North Dakota	No. 1	Alerus Center Grand Forks, ND	MidcoSN+/ESPN+	W 49–35	11,067
October 29	2:00 p.m.	Indiana State	No. 1	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD	MidcoSN/ESPN+	W 49–7	19,041
November 5	4:00 p.m.	at Northern Iowa	No. 1	UNI-Dome Cedar Falls, IA	MidcoSN2/ESPN+	W 31–28	9,449
November 12	2:00 p.m.	Illinois State	No. 1	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD	MidcoSN2/ESPN+	W 31–7	8,160
December 3	3:00 p.m.	No. 23 Delaware*	No. 1	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (NCAA Division I Second Round)	ESPN+	W 42–6	6,117
December 10	11:00 a.m.	No. 7 Holy Cross*	No. 1	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (NCAA Division I Quarterfinal)	ESPN/ESPN+	W 42–21	6,549
December 17	3:00 p.m.	No. 3 Montana State*	No. 1	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (NCAA Division I Semifinal)	ESPN2/ESPN+	W 39–18	7,195
January 8, 2023	1:00 p.m.	vs. No. 4 North Dakota State	No. 1	Toyota Stadium Frisco, TX (NCAA Division I Championship Game)	ABC/ESPN+	W 45–21	18,023
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1][2]

Roster

2022 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 17 Jeff Becker Fr QB 16 Jon Bell  Fr QB 11 Mark Gronowski So QB 13 Keaton Heide Sr QB 7 Chase Mason  Fr QB 2 Rudy Voss So RB 28 Josh Buri  Fr RB 22 Isaiah Davis Jr RB 33 Justin Harris Fr RB 21 Angel Johnson  Fr RB 24 Derrick Johnson Fr RB 3 Amar Johnson So RB 39 Isaac Kracl Fr FB/TE 34 Michael Morgan Sr TE 83 David Alpers Fr TE 12 Regan Bollweg  Fr TE 88 Greyton Gannon Fr TE 89 Brody Gormley Fr TE 87 Zach Heins Sr TE 85 Tucker Kraft Jr TE 91 Hayden Muirhead  Fr TE 80 Nate Sullivan Jr. So OL 66 Brady Beck Jr OL 61 Evan Beerntsen Jr OL 79 Jharett Bloomenrader Jr OL 62 Derrick Brown  Fr OL 70 Colby Christensen So OL 69 Quinten Christensen Fr OL 76 Bo Donald Jr OL 74 Garret Greenfield Sr OL 71 J. T. Gulbraa Fr OL 54 Jalen Lee So OL 67 Brennan Leines Fr OL 60 Mason McCormick Sr OL 50 Gus Miller So OL 78 John O'Brian Jr OL 77 Michael Reed  Fr OL 75 Dawson Rudd Fr OL 64 Ethan Vibert Jr WR 4 Canyon Bauer Jr WR 15 Devon Cole Jr. So WR 19 A. J. Coons So WR 8 Tyler Feldkamp So WR 81 Rhett Foster Fr WR 18 Grahm Goering  Fr WR 82 Jason Harris Fr WR 86 Patrick Hoffmann So WR 1 Jadon Janke Sr WR 10 Jaxon Janke Sr WR 84 Daxon Lindholm  Fr WR 36 Dane Miller Fr WR 5 Landon Wolf Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 32 Adam Bock Jr LB 47 Michael Drotzmann Jr LB 9 Caleb Francl Jr LB 47 Kytan Fyfe Fr LB 11 Jason Freeman Jr LB 49 Bryce Johnson Fr LB 45 Kaden Johnson Fr LB 40 Aaron Kusler So LB 43 Adam Kusler So LB 0 Daeton Mcgaughy Jr LB 46 Cullen McShane Fr LB 41 Joe Ollman Fr LB 38 Trevor Scott Fr LB 30 Payton Shafer Sr LB 29 Graham Spalding Jr LB 2 Isaiah Stalbird Sr LB 42 Davion Sterner So LB 6 Saiveon Williamson Sr DE 44 Kevin Brenner Jr DE 48 Quinton Hicks Sr DE 53 Caden Johnson Jr DE 50 Noah Jessup  Fr DE 90 Randy Keumogne Jr DE 58 Aidan Murphy Fr DE 94 Cade Terveer Sr DE 95 Zac Wilson Jr DE 97 Reece Winkelman Sr DT 93 Max Baloun So DT 59 Grant Conaway Jr DT 52 Jarod DePriest Jr DT 51 Logan Green Fr DT 99 Caleb Sanders Sr DT 91 Jace Sifore Fr DT 98 Ryan Van Marel Sr DT 57 Levi Vanden Bos  Fr DT 92 Brian Williams Jr DT 55 Aaron Wolfcale-Holsten  Fr CB 26 Steven Arrell So CB 7 Dalys Beanum Jr CB 15 Timothy Croskey  Fr CB 13 Aydan Dautermann  Fr CB 5 DyShawn Gales Sr CB 17 Abe Hoskins III So CB 31 Jalen B. Lee Fr CB 1 Malik Lofton Sr CB 20 Myles Taylor  Fr S 23 Matthew Durrance  Fr S 14 Colby Huerter So S 3 Dontay Johnson Fr S 37 Tucker Large  Fr S 35 Chase Norblade Sr S 19 Max Polischuk Fr S 25 Cale Reeder Jr S 34 Ryan Swoger  Fr S 27 Noah Thompson Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class PK 96 Zach Brummels Fr PK/P 10 Hunter Dustman Jr PK/P 97 Luke Fenton Fr PK 99 Jack Green  Fr LS 48 Jaden Mueller So	Head coach John Stiegelmeier Coordinators/assistant coaches Jimmy Rogers – Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers Zach Lujan – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Rob Erickson – Special teams coordinator/cornerbacks Josh Davis – Passing game coordinator/wide receivers Ryan Olson – Run game coordinator/offensive line Christian Smith – Defensive run game coordinator/defensive line Andre Crenshaw – Running backs Chris Meyers – Tight ends Jesse Bobbit – Recruiting coordinator/safeties Mark Kubacki – Assistant defensive line Jonathan Shaeffer – Director of Football Operations Chuck Case – Graduate assistant – offense Matt Jacobs – Director of strength & conditioning Sean Hupke – Video coordinator Evan Traxler – Graduate assistant – defense Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Ranking movements

Main article: 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	2 (2)	2 (2)	2 (2)	2 т (5)	2 (3)	2 (3)	2 (7)	1 (51)	1 (51)	1 (53)	1 (48)	1 (47)	1 (45)	1 (54)
Coaches	3 (1)	3 (1)	3	3	3	3	3	1 (26)	1 (25)	1 (25)	1 (21)	1 (23)	1 (24)	1 (26)

Game summaries

At Iowa

See also: 2022 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

No. 2 South Dakota State at Iowa

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Jackrabbits	0	3	0	0	3
• Hawkeyes	3	0	2	2	7

• Date: September 3
• Location:
  Kinnick Stadium
  Iowa City, IA
• Game start: 11:05 a.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:32
• Game attendance: 69,250
• Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
• Referee: Michael Cannon
• TV announcers (FS1): Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)

• Source: Box Score

Scoring summary

1	1:11	Iowa	Aaron Blom 46-yard field goal	Iowa 3–0
2	0:20	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 44-yard field goal	Tied 3–3
3	4:09	Iowa	Safety, Isaiah Davis run for -1 yard	Iowa 5–3
4	4:04	Iowa	Safety, Mark Gronowski sacked in end zone by Joe Evans	Iowa 7–3

^[3][4]

Statistics	SDST	IOWA
First downs	6	10
Total yards	120	166
Rushing yards	33	57
Passing yards	87	109
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	29:44	30:11

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	10/26, 87 yards
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	18 rushes, 50 yards
	Receiving	Isaiah Davis	5 receptions, 32 yards
Iowa	Passing	Spencer Petras	11/25, 109 yards, INT
	Rushing	Leshon Williams	24 rushes, 72 yards
	Receiving	Arland Bruce IV	5 receptions, 68 yards

UC Davis

See also: 2022 UC Davis Aggies football team

UC Davis at No. 2 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	10	0	12	22
• No. 2 Jackrabbits	7	10	0	7	24

• Date: September 10
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 6:05 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:09
• Game attendance: 15,182
• Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), Sunny, Wind NW 10 mph (16 km/h)
• Referee: Aaron Adams
• Television network: MidcoSN/ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

     

Scoring summary

1	8:45	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 7–0
2	10:53	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 41-yard field goal	SDSU 10–0
	9:33	UCD	Lan Larison 68-yard pass from Miles Hastings (Isaiah Gomez kick)	SDSU 10–7
	4:08	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 5-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 17–7
	0:01	UCD	Isaiah Gomez 36-yard field goal	SDSU 17–10
4	9:04	SDSU	Tyler Feldkamp 7-yard pass from Mark Gronowski	SDSU 24–10
	3:21	UCD	Justin Poerio 9-yard pass from Miles Hastings (conversion failed)	SDSU 24–16
	2:03	UCD	McCallan Castles 25-yard pass from Miles Hastings (conversion failed)	SDSU 24–22

^[5]

Statistics	UCD	SDSU
First downs	17	18
Total yards	322	250
Rushing yards	49	140
Passing yards	273	110
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	26:09	33:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UC Davis	Passing	Miles Hastings	26/43, 273 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Ulonzo Gilliam	11 rushes, 33 yards
	Receiving	Ulonzo Gilliam	8 receptions, 80 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	13/21, 110 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	25 rushes, 112 yards
	Receiving	Jaxon Janke	3 receptions, 36 yards

Butler

See also: 2022 Butler Bulldogs football team

Butler at No. 2 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulldogs	7	0	0	10	17
• No. 2 Jackrabbits	14	14	3	14	45

• Date: September 17
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 6:05 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:02
• Game attendance: 16,414
• Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), Sunny, Wind SW 15 mph (24 km/h)
• Referee: Rick Warne
• Television network: MidcoSN

• Source: Box Score

      

Scoring summary

1	11:06	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 7–0
	7:49	Butler	Luke Wooten 56-yard pass from Bret Bushka (Luka Zurak kick)	Tied 7–7
	5:02	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 7-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 14–7
2	12:08	SDSU	Jadon Janke 17-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 21–7
	1:03	SDSU	Zach Heins 28-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 28–7
3	6:34	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 27-yard field goal	SDSU 31–7
4	14:55	SDSU	Angel Johnson 2-yard run (Jack Green kick)	SDSU 38–7
	11:30	SDSU	Rudy Voss 2-yard run (Jack Green kick)	SDSU 45–7
	5:38	Butler	Luka Zurak 33-yard field goal	SDSU 45–10
	1:56	Butler	Bret Bushka 2-yard run (Luka Zurak kick)	SDSU 45–17

^[6]

Statistics	BUT	SDSU
First downs	13	25
Total yards	264	463
Rushing yards	53	184
Passing yards	211	279
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	27:49	32:11

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Butler	Passing	Bret Bushka	18/31, 211 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Bret Bushka	9 carries, 29 yards, TD
	Receiving	Luke Wooten	4 receptions, 79 yards, TD
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	17/25, 279 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	11 carries, 74 yards
	Receiving	Jadon Janke	5 receptions, 87 yards, TD

At No. 6 Missouri State

See also: 2022 Missouri State Bears football team

No. 2 South Dakota State at No. 6 Missouri State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 2 Jackrabbits	7	0	7	14	28
No. 6 Bears	0	0	14	0	14

• Date: September 24
• Location:
  Robert W. Plaster Stadium
  Springfield, MO
• Game start: 2:03 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:09
• Game attendance: 13,189
• Game weather: 90 °F (32 °C), Sunny, Wind W 7 mph (11 km/h)
• Referee: Andrew Speciale
• Television network: ESPN3

• Source: Box Score

   

Scoring summary

1	2:25	SDSU	Jadon Janke 3-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 7–0
3	10:00	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 13-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 14–0
	6:34	MSU	Jacardia Wright 15-yard run (Jose Pizano kick)	SDSU 14–7
	2:55	MSU	Raylen Sharpe 67-yard pass from Jason Shelley (Jose Pizano kick)	Tied 14–14
4	7:59	SDSU	Zach Heins 21-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 21–14
	2:30	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 40-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 28–14

^[7]

Statistics	SDSU	MSU
First downs	25	13
Total yards	475	258
Rushing yards	156	73
Passing yards	319	185
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	34:55	25:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	22/29, 319 yards, 4 TD
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	20 rushes, 83 yards
	Receiving	Zach Heins	7 receptions, 127 yards, TD
Missouri State	Passing	Jason Shelley	19/29, 185 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jacardia Wright	13 rushes, 63 yards, TD
	Receiving	Raylen Sharpe	1 receptions, 67 yards, TD

Western Illinois

See also: 2022 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

Western Illinois at No. 2 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Leathernecks	0	3	0	7	10
• No. 2 Jackrabbits	10	7	3	14	34

• Date: October 1
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 2:05 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:13
• Game attendance: 15,237
• Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), Sunny, Wind SE 17 mph (27 km/h)
• Referee: Aaron Adams
• Television network: MidcoSN2

• Source: Box Score

    

Scoring summary

1	10:17	USD	Isaiah Davis 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 7–0
	0:57	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 27-yard field goal	SDSU 10–0
2	11:51	WIU	Mason Laramie 35-yard field goal	SDSU 10–3
	4:11	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 11-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 17–3
3	10:26	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 25-yard field goal	SDSU 20–3
4	11:41	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 19-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 27–3
	7:27	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 12-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 34–3
	5:54	WIU	Jay Parker pass from Henry Ogala (Mason Laramie kick)	SDSU 34–10

^[8]

Statistics	WIU	SDSU
First downs	11	28
Total yards	220	458
Rushing yards	19	270
Passing yards	201	188
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	18:34	41:26

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Illinois	Passing	Clay Bruno	10/20, 129 yards, INT
	Rushing	Jaylen Reed	8 rushes, 22 yards
	Receiving	Naseim Brantley	4 receptions, 107 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	17/33, 188 yards, TD
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	27 rushes, 199 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jaxon Janke	9 receptions, 94 yards, TD

South Dakota

See also: 2022 South Dakota Coyotes football team

South Dakota at No. 2 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Coyotes	3	0	0	0	3
• No. 2 Jackrabbits	0	14	7	7	28

• Date: October 8
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 2:05 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 2:56
• Game attendance: 19,332
• Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), Sunny, Wind W 13 mph (21 km/h)
• Referee: Marcel Kerr
• Television network: MidcoSN/ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

 

Scoring summary

1	11:18	USD	Eddie Ogamba 37-yard field goal	USD 3–0
2	9:29	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 28-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 7–3
	2:43	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 47-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 14–3
3	10:26	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 5-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 21–3
4	14:21	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 28–3

^[9]

Statistics	USD	SDSU
First downs	6	22
Total yards	136	344
Rushing yards	92	208
Passing yards	44	136
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	26:09	33:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota	Passing	Carson Camp	5/12, 44 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Travis Theis	13 rushes, 73 yards
	Receiving	Javion Phelps	1 reception, 17 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	12/20, 136 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	15 rushes, 108 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Jaxon Janke	4 receptions, 76 yards, TD

At No. 1 North Dakota State

See also: Dakota Marker and 2022 North Dakota State Bison football team

No. 2 South Dakota State at No. 1 North Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 2 Jackrabbits	7	0	10	6	23
No. 1 Bison	14	7	0	0	21

• Date: October 15
• Location:
  Fargodome
  Fargo, ND
• Game start: 5:20 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 2:45
• Game attendance: 18,603
• Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Indoor
• Referee: Rick Warne
• Television network: MidcoSN/ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

    

Scoring summary

1	11:07	NDSU	DJ Hart 22-yard pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa kick)	NDSU 7–0
	4:21	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 24-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	Tied 7–7
	3:02	NDSU	Cam Miller 6-yard run (Griffin Crosa kick)	NDSU 14–7
2	11:08	NDSU	Hunter Luepke 30-yard pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa kick)	NDSU 21–7
3	10:47	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 31-yard field goal	NDSU 21–10
	3:03	SDSU	Amar Johnson 16-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	NDSU 21–17
4	10:25	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 38-yard field goal	NDSU 21–20
	3:49	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 18-yard field goal	SDSU 23–21

^[10]

Statistics	SDSU	NDSU
First downs	18	17
Total yards	359	354
Rushing yards	207	127
Passing yards	152	227
Turnovers	0	1
Time of possession	34:35	25:25

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	16/21, 152 yards
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	14 rushes, 114 yards
	Receiving	Jadon Janke	7 receptions, 83 yards
North Dakota State	Passing	Cam Miller	17/22, 227 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Hunter Luepke	15 rushes, 58 yards
	Receiving	DJ Hart	4 receptions, 59 yards

At No. 20 North Dakota

See also: 2022 North Dakota Fighting Hawks football team

No. 1 South Dakota State at No. 20 North Dakota

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 1 Jackrabbits	7	7	21	14	49
No. 20 Fighting Hawks	14	7	0	14	35

• Date: October 22
• Location:
  Alerus Center
  Grand Forks, ND
• Game start: 3:06 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:42
• Game attendance: 11,067
• Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Indoor
• Referee: Jason Perkins
• Television network: MidcoSN/ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

        

Scoring summary

1	12:20	UND	Bo Belquist 10-yard pass from Tommy Schuster (Brady Stevens kick)	UND 7–0
	8:06	UND	Quincy Vaughn 1-yard run (Brady Stevens kick)	UND 14–0
	4:20	SDSU	DyShawn Gales 31-yard interception (Hunter Dustman kick)	UND 14–7
2	5:28	UND	Tyler Hoosman 2-yard run (Brady Stevens kick)	UND 21–7
	1:55	SDSU	Tucker Kraft 32-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	UND 21–14
3	11:48	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 10-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	Tied 21–21
	7:11	SDSU	Zach Heins 2-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 28–21
	6:42	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 35–21
4	10:32	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 10-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 42–21
	6:44	UND	Tommy Schuster 9-yard run (Brady Stevens kick)	SDSU 42–28
	6:14	SDSU	Amar Johnson 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 49–28
	1:10	UND	Ma Vaughn-Jones 11-yard punt return (Brady Stevens kick)	SDSU 49–35

^[11]

Statistics	SDSU	UND
First downs	13	23
Total yards	308	365
Rushing yards	95	74
Passing yards	213	291
Turnovers	0	3
Time of possession	23:38	36:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	15/20, 197 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Amar Johnson	14 rushes, 71 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jadon Janke	5 receptions, 86 yards
North Dakota	Passing	Tommy Schuster	27/39, 291 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Tyler Hoosman	15 rushes, 44 yards, TD
	Receiving	Bo Belquist	6 receptions, 82 yards, TD

Indiana State

See also: 2022 Indiana State Sycamores football team

Indiana State at No. 1 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Sycamores	0	7	0	0	7
• No. 1 Jackrabbits	14	21	14	0	49

• Date: October 29
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 2:06 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:17
• Game attendance: 19,041
• Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), Sunny, Wind S 20 mph (32 km/h)
• Referee: Jason Berg
• Television network: MidcoSN/ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

Statistics	ISU	SDSU
First downs	15	24
Total yards	260	409
Rushing yards	106	162
Passing yards	154	247
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	29:18	30:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Indiana State	Passing	Cade Chambers	11/24, 114 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Justin Dinka	16 carries, 52 yards
	Receiving	Dante Hendrix	4 receptions, 41 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	22/28, 233 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Amar Johnson	10 carries, 75 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jaxon Janke	5 receptions, 82 yards

At Northern Iowa

See also: 2022 Northern Iowa Panthers football team

No. 1 South Dakota State at Northern Iowa

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 1 Jackrabbits	3	17	8	3	31
Panthers	0	14	7	7	28

• Date: November 5
• Location:
  UNI-Dome
  Cedar Falls, IA
• Game start: 4:06 p.m. CDT
• Elapsed time: 3:29
• Game attendance: 18,603
• Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), Indoor
• Referee: Marcel Keer
• Television network: MidcoSN/ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

^[12]

Statistics	SDSU	UNI
First downs	22	19
Total yards	427	358
Rushing yards	164	88
Passing yards	263	270
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	33:36	26:24

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	21/34, 263 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	24 rushes, 105 yards, TD
	Receiving	Tucker Kraft	4 receptions, 69 yards
Northern Iowa	Passing	Theo Day	16/30, 270 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Vance McShane	8 rushes, 62 yards, TD
	Receiving	Sam Schnee	4 receptions, 69 yards

Illinois State

See also: 2022 Illinois State Redbirds football team

Illinois State at No. 1 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
Redbirds	7	0	0	0	7
• No. 1 Jackrabbits	0	13	15	3	31

• Date: November 12
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 2:05 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 2:42
• Game attendance: 8,160
• Game weather: 21 °F (−6 °C), Cloudy, Wind NW 11 mph (18 km/h)
• Referee: Aaron Adams
• Television network: MidcoSN/ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

^[13]

Statistics	ISU	SDSU
First downs	7	23
Total yards	100	431
Rushing yards	45	148
Passing yards	55	283
Turnovers	1	1
Time of possession	20:26	39:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois State	Passing	Tommy Rittenhouse	9/20, 55 yards, INT
	Rushing	Tommy Rittenhouse	9 carries, 18 yards
	Receiving	Daniel Sobkowicz	4 receptions, 32 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	20/28, 283 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	16 carries, 50 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jadon Janke	5 receptions, 129 yards

NCAA Division I playoffs

See also: 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season § Postseason

No. 23 Delaware (second round)

See also: 2022 Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team

No. 23 Delaware at No. 1 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 23 Fightin' Blue Hens	3	3	0	0	6
• No. 1 Jackrabbits	7	14	21	0	42

• Date: December 3
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 2:02 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 2:56
• Game attendance: 6,117
• Game weather: 19 °F (−7 °C), Sunny, Wind S 13 mph (21 km/h)
• Referee: Kelly Holman
• Television network: ESPN+

• Source: Box Score

     

Scoring summary

1	8:06	Delaware	Brandon Ratcliffe 27-yard field goal	Delaware 3–0
	4:55	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 7–3
2	12:57	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 14–3
	4:22	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 1-yard run (Isaiah Davis run)	SDSU 21–3
	0:00	HC	Brandon Ratcliffe 27-yard field goal	SDSU 21–6
3	7:23	SDSU	Amar Johnson 2-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 28–6
	5:15	SDSU	Matthew Durrance fumble recovery in end zone (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 35–6
	0:30	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 4-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 42–6

^[14]

Statistics	DEL	SDSU
First downs	13	16
Total yards	192	353
Rushing yards	64	222
Passing yards	128	131
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	31:03	28:57

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Delaware	Passing	Ryan O'Connor	10/21, 104 yards
	Rushing	Kyron Cumby	10 carries, 23 yards
	Receiving	Thyrick Pitts	5 receptions, 57 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	11/15, 131 yards, TD
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	14 carries, 104 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jadon Janke	3 receptions, 48 yards

No. 7 Holy Cross (quarterfinal)

See also: 2022 Holy Cross Crusaders football team

No. 7 Holy Cross at No. 1 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 7 Crusaders	7	7	7	0	21
• No. 1 Jackrabbits	6	15	0	21	42

• Date: December 10
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 11:03 a.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 3:05
• Game attendance: 6,549
• Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), Cloudy, Wind W 11 mph (18 km/h)
• Referee: Nolan Dumas
• Television network: ESPN

• Source: Box Score

      

Scoring summary

1	7:15	HC	Matthew Sluka 56-yard run (Derek Ng kick)	HC 7–0
	3:07	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 29-yard field goal	HC 7–3
	0:00	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 23-yard field goal	HC 7–6
2	9:10	HC	Sean Morris 27-yard pass from Tyler Purdy (Derek Ng kick)	HC 14–6
	5:19	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 41-yard run (Isaiah Davis run)	Tied 14–14
	1:08	SDSU	Jason Freeman 37-yard interception return (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 21–14
3	8:59	HC	Peter Oliver 1-yard run (Derek Ng kick)	Tied 21–21
4	10:08	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 18-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 28–21
	2:39	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 18-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 35–21
	0:39	SDSU	Jadon Janke 21-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 42–21

^[15]

Statistics	HC	SDSU
First downs	18	22
Total yards	281	473
Rushing yards	52	281
Passing yards	229	192
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	29:00	31:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Holy Cross	Passing	Tommy Mellott	11/18, 174 yards
	Rushing	Isaiah Ifanse	7 carries, 28 yards
	Receiving	Clevan Thomas Jr.	4 receptions, 74 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	10/13, 189 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	16 carries, 158 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jaxon Janke	3 receptions, 74 yards

No. 3 Montana State (semifinal)

See also: 2022 Montana State Bobcats football team

No. 3 Montana State at No. 1 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Bobcats	6	3	3	6	18
• No. 1 Jackrabbits	14	14	8	3	39

• Date: December 17
• Location:
  Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
  Brookings, SD
• Game start: 3:08 p.m. CST
• Elapsed time: 2:54
• Game attendance: 7,195
• Game weather: 9 °F (−13 °C), Sunny, Wind NW 19 mph (31 km/h)
• Referee: Matt Overton
• Television network: ESPN2

• Source: Box Score

      

Scoring summary

1	12:17	SDSU	Tucker Kraft 36-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 7–0
	6:55	MSU	Sean Chambers 1-yard run (kick failed)	SDSU 7–6
	0:40	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 1-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 14–6
2	8:47	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 41-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 21–6
	1:03	SDSU	Amar Johnson 38-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 28–6
	0:00	MSU	Blake Glessner 37-yard field goal	SDSU 28–9
3	8:39	SDSU	Amar Johnson 5-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Jadon Janke pass from Mark Gronowski)	SDSU 36–9
	5:29	MSU	Blake Glessner 36-yard field goal	SDSU 36–12
4	11:41	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 21-yard field goal	SDSU 39–12
	8:08	MSU	Tommy Mellott 10-yard run (conversion failed)	SDSU 39–18

^[16]

Statistics	MSU	SDSU
First downs	18	22
Total yards	281	473
Rushing yards	52	281
Passing yards	229	192
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	29:00	31:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Montana State	Passing	Tommy Mellott	11/18, 174 yards
	Rushing	Isaiah Ifanse	7 carries, 28 yards
	Receiving	Clevan Thomas Jr.	4 receptions, 74 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	10/13, 189 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Isaiah Davis	16 carries, 158 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jaxon Janke	3 receptions, 74 yards

Vs. No. 4 North Dakota State (championship game)

Main article: 2023 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

No. 4 North Dakota State vs. No. 1 South Dakota State

Team	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 4 Bison	7	7	0	7	21
• No. 1 Jackrabbits	7	24	7	7	45

• Date: January 8, 2023
• Location:
  Toyota Stadium
  Frisco, TX
• Game start: 1:00 pm CST
• Elapsed time: 3:07
• Game attendance: 18,023
• Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), Sunny, Wind N 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
• Referee: Jeff Page
• TV announcers (ABC): Roy Philpott, Jay Walker and Paul Carcaterra

• Source: Box Score

      

Scoring summary

1	9:12	SDSU	Isaiah Davis 16-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 7–0
	6:31	NDSU	Joe Stoffel 27-yard pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa kick)	Tied 7–7
2	12:50	SDSU	Amar Johnson 32-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 14–7
	11:03	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 18-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 21–7
	3:30	SDSU	Michael Morgan 44-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 28–7
	2:03	NDSU	Eli Green 44-yard pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa kick)	SDSU 28–14
	0:00	SDSU	Hunter Dustman 30-yard field goal	SDSU 31–14
3	13:13	SDSU	Mark Gronowski 51-yard run (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 38–14
4	13:44	NDSU	Kobe Johnson 9-yard run (Griffin Crosa kick)	SDSU 38–21
	8:05	SDSU	Jaxon Janke 30-yard pass from Mark Gronowski (Hunter Dustman kick)	SDSU 45–21

^[17][18]

Statistics	NDSU	SDSU
First downs	21	22
Total yards	420	506
Rushing yards	160	283
Passing yards	260	223
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	28:00	32:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing	Cam Miller	18/29, 260 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Cam Miller	13 carries, 64 yards
	Receiving	Zach Mathis	7 receptions, 123 yards
South Dakota State	Passing	Mark Gronowski	14/21, 223 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Amar Johnson	9 carries, 126 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jadon Janke	5 receptions, 61 yards

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2023 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	78	Tucker Kraft	TE	Green Bay Packers