South Dakota State offense thrives in Danny Freund's return to Alerus

GRAND FORKS — For the first time since joining South Dakota State football as a co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in January, Danny Freund was back at the Alerus Center.

He watched the Jackrabbits roll to a 38-7 win Saturday over UND from the coaches’ box, a familiar spot for Freund, who coached at UND for 13 years.

Freund isn’t calling plays for the Jacks this season, but his new head coach likes what he’s seeing from his new addition.

Jackrabbits offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Ryan Olson is in charge of playcalling, but “Danny’s done a really good job of working with Olson up top and has really spearheaded, but it’s been Ryan Olson this season,” Jackrabbits coach Jimmy Rogers said.

Still, as the quarterbacks coach, Freund — a former UND quarterback — spends much of his time working with Mark Gronowski, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner, an honor given to the best FCS offensive player.

Gronowski went 11-for-19 passing for 193 yards and three touchdowns in Saturday’s win.

The three scores, of 25, 39 and 47 yards, were all hauled in by sophomore Griffin Wilde.

“Just the consistency,” Rogers said. “We’re getting better at passing the ball. It’s one of those things that didn’t show up in the North Dakota State game — being able to take downfield shots and Mark having his feet underneath him and delivering the ball with accuracy. He was poised when he got pressured.

“UND blitzes as much as any team that we’ll face in the country, so to be able to see the pressures, be able to work at that, and our O-linemen execute the communication that it takes to pick up some of those things, I thought that was really positive.”

Wilde ended with five catches for 140 yards – more than UND’s receiving corps combined.

The Jackrabbits heard all about Alerus Center magic and the Hawks’ success at home, but SDSU didn’t let that impact the game.

They might be back-to-back FCS national champions, but Rogers emphasizes the same messaging to his team, no matter the opponent the Jackrabbits are facing.

“This is a completely different team and a bunch of different personnel,” he said. “We’re focused on one game at a time, maybe more than anything else.

“It’s about being present in the moment and not letting things slip on your end. You only get 12 games guaranteed, and it’s really important to try to maximize it in every way, whether that be your intensity or your focus and the preparation. That can’t change based off who you’re playing because you only get so many of them. We work year-round for – what is 60 minutes, 12 times? It goes by really quick, although it feels at times like a lifetime. Try to get the guys to cherish the moment and enjoy being around each other and developing a culture that they want to stick and compete for one another.”

Freund brought experience to South Dakota State, but his mentality has stuck out to Rogers. It fits into what the Jackrabbits are trying to create, Rogers said.

“He’s just a great coach,” Rogers said. “Having Danny and his family in our program is maybe the biggest impact. Just who they are and what they’ve done as far as the spirit they bring, and they make everybody more positive being around them.”