South Dakota State defended its home advantage against Incarnate Word in its first game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on Saturday, defeating the Cardinals 45-24.
The Jackrabbits rebounded from a 44-20 loss to Oklahoma State in Week 1, a defeat that ended their 29-game winning streak, and had to really fight to earn Saturday’s victory over Incarnate Word in a game that was much closer than the final score suggests.
The score was tied at 17-17 eight minutes into the third quarter before an 11-yard touchdown pass from South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski to Griffin Wilde put South Dakota State ahead for good. Gronowski completed 21 of his 32 passes in the game, scoring four touchdowns and 285 yards. Wilde was the top receiver with 106 yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions.
Here are some takeaways from SDSU’s first win of the season.
Griffin Wilde is set for a great season
After the Janke twins left and graduated, it was widely assumed that sophomore Griffin Wilde would take on a more prominent role.
It didn’t take long to confirm this.
Wilde played 15 games as a true freshman last season, rushing for 399 yards and six touchdowns on just 20 pass catches. In his first game of the 2024 season against Oklahoma State, he rushed for 150 yards on seven pass catches and scored a touchdown. In Saturday’s game against Incarnate Word, the Jefferson High School graduate was Gronowski’s favorite target in the first half. In the first 30 minutes of the game, he had six pass catches – twice as many as any other receiver – for 53 yards. He extended that lead in the second half, making seven more pass catches than the next receiver.
Wilde finished the game with 10 catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
South Dakota State’s tight ends are already making an impression
Rogers has been singing the Jackrabbits’ tight ends’ praises since the spring game in April, and it appears he’s right. South Dakota State’s two biggest passing plays showcased the dynamic in that room. The first was a 41-yard touchdown pass to Gannon that gave SDSU a 10-3 lead in the second quarter.
And late in the third quarter, Gronowski threw a short pass to Brody Gormley, but the sophomore charged down the sideline, showing lightning speed for his size. Gormley nearly made it to the goal, but had to settle for a 55-yard pass after being tackled just short of the end zone.
The offense relied heavily on passing distance
The numbers may not reflect this (the Jackrabbits amassed 230 rushing yards and 285 passing yards), but it certainly felt like South Dakota State relied heavily on its passing game on Saturday night.
SDSU’s longest run of the game was just 18 yards, and many of their running stats came when the game was decided. Their next two longest runs were 16 and 13 yards. That certainly felt like a stark difference from last year, when they had a plethora of running backs consistently getting free for long runs.
Next
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits will host Augustana on Saturday, September 14 at 6 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
