South Dakota State football non-conference report card

SIOUX FALLS — The Jackrabbits are right where they hoped and expected to be heading into Missouri Valley Football Conference play and their bye week, or as former coach John Stiegelmeier coined it, ‘Improvement Week’.

The top-ranked and defending national champions are 3-0, having won two buy games against Division II Western Oregon and non-scholarship Drake, sandwiched around a major victory over No. 3 Montana State.

Has it been perfect? No, but expecting perfection is unrealistic, especially for a team working under a rookie head coach and having not yet enjoyed the services of perhaps the best player on their defense.

The goal for this season is obviously to win another national championship, and the Jacks did what they needed to prior to conference play to be in position to accomplish that goal.

So as they prepare to host No. 14 North Dakota let’s get out our red pens and grade the Jacks through the first month.

Offense
Mark Gronowski has been excellent. Sharp as a passer, effective (and smart) as a runner with the same leadership qualities that have made him so important to the entire program. And Chase Mason has been (unsurprisingly, when you think about it) a revelation as the backup quarterback. SDSU has a weapon at QB2.

The Jacks have mostly protected star running back Isaiah Davis and the Janke twins, but with the emergence of freshman Griffin Wilde the passing game has excelled anyway.

The offensive line has been good, with center Gus Miller playing the best football of his career, but it feels like they can still reach another level.

The first half against Montana State showed this offense can still be slowed down when they lose focus or face some adversity, but their response in the second half was impressive and important.

Grade: A-

Defense
The Jacks have allowed only 30 points in three games, which includes holding the No. 3 team in the country to 16 points. Hard to argue with that, especially with star middle linebacker Adam Bock having not yet taken the field due to a foot injury.

But there are some causes for concern. They have not recorded a sack. Not one. Zero, even with two of their three opponents being essentially sub-Division I teams. That’s a red flag. Illinois State has 18 sacks. USD has 12.

They also gave up more than 200 rushing yards against Montana State, at times being unable to stop the Bobcats even when they were basically holding up a sign before every play saying ‘We’re running quarterback power again’.

The Jacks’ use of a deep rotation to turn their defensive line into a dominant unit has been one of the most important keys to their rise from fringe contender to national champion, but they’ve also graduated some really good ones in recent years, and now they need someone to step up the way Caleb Sanders and Reece Winkelman did last year.

The back half has been more consistent, as it appears the depth at linebacker and the secondary is going to be a major strength again this season, though the near-catastrophe on the final play against Montana State gave fans some nightmares about another last-second pass play from their recent history.

Grade: B

Special teams
Head coach Jimmy Rogers was openly excited about his staff featuring a full-time special teams coach for the first time in program history this year, so when the Jacks had a brief-but-crucial special teams meltdown against Montana State that almost cost them the game it was a glaring development.

Laying that at the feet of Pat Cashmore would be premature, however, as he’s only a few weeks into his new job, and Rogers has made reference to the ongoing process of figuring out personnel for the Jacks’ various coverage and return teams. It’s a process that figures to continue to come into focus, and while major mistakes on special teams are always magnified, they’ve perhaps overshadowed how dynamic the Jacks’ return game has been. SDSU averages 23.2 yards on punt returns and 30.8 yards on kickoff returns, and while yes, they accumulated most of those in the blowout wins, they’ve shown their Valley opponents that they’re dangerous in the return game.

Hunter Dustman has gotten the job done on punts and kickoffs, and the hunch here is that he’ll be get into a rhythm as a placekicker with a more consistent workload.

Grade: C+

Coaching
The transition from Stiegelmeier to Rogers has been seamless. The spirit and culture of the program remains the same, though Rogers’ more intense and hard-edged personality is palpable. That’s universally regarded as a good thing within the program. Rogers’ no-nonsense style and willingness to hold his team accountable shows maturity beyond his 35 years, while the young staff he’s assembled hasn’t looked ill-prepared for the pressure of taking over a team where anything short of a return to Frisco will feel like a disappointment.

The Jacks have appeared to improve incrementally in each game so far and the staff pushed all the right buttons in their non-conference games when it came to getting their starters enough reps while still shielding them from injury. That also enabled them to give important experience to younger and inexperienced players.

SDSU’s second-half rebound against Montana State indicates this is still a staff well-equipped to make mid-game adjustments and lead the players through adversity.

Grade: A

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.