(Stats Perform) -- The most important matchup in Sunday's FCS championship game figures to be waged along the line of scrimmage when South Dakota State has the ball.
It's where the Jackrabbits' stout run game will collide head-on with Sam Houston's stingy rush defense -- strength versus strength.
South Dakota State's physical offensive line, anchored by first-team right tackle Garret Greenfield and averaging 6-foot-5, 301 pounds per starter, has opened holes for Jackrabbits ball carriers to average six yards per carry, which ranks second in the FCS, and 230.9 rushing yards per game, ranking seventh. The Jackrabbits are the nation's only team with three players over 500 rushing yards, running backs Pierre Strong Jr. (650) and Isaiah Davis (640) and quarterback Mark Gronowski (567).
Conversely, Sam Houston is allowing only 78.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks fifth among FCS teams that played more than two games, on just 2.2 yards per carry, which is second among those teams. Ugly playoff exits in recent years prompted the Bearkats to build their defensive line for playoff matchups against teams such as SDSU, with 6-1, 300-pound defensive tackle Joseph Wallace their run stuffer in the middle and defensive end Jahari Kay a first-team All-American.
"They really just get in your face," Gronowski said. "Defensive line is just really great and really aggressive bunch. We're just going to try to attack their aggressiveness."
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Said Kay: "As far as them running the ball, with the play-action behind it, it keeps us on our toes a lot."
Top-seeded South Dakota State (8-1) lost to North Dakota in the only game in which it had more pass attempts than rush attempts, its 26 carries and 96 rushing yards season lows. In the last five seasons, the Jackrabbits are 43-7 with more than 100 rushing yards and 3-9 when below 100.
Sam Houston, the No. 2 playoff seed, hasn't allowed an individual 100-yard rusher in 20 straight games since the 2019 season opener. The Bearkats (9-0) regularly get into the opposing backfield, dropping ball carriers 95 times behind the line of scrimmage.
Game at a glance
The Matchup - No. 1 seed South Dakota State (8-1, 5-1 Missouri Valley) vs. No. 2 seed Sam Houston (9-0, 6-0 Southland)
Site - Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas
Kickoff - 1 p.m. CT
TV Coverage - ABC (play-by-play Dave Pasch, analyst Andre Ware and sideline reporter Kris Budden)
Series - First meeting
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Coaches - South Dakota State: John Stiegelmeier (174-106, 24th season); Sam Houston: K.C. Keeler (68-22, seventh season; 242-95-1, 27th season)
3 Players to Watch - South Dakota State: QB Mark Gronowski (107 of 186, 1,549 yards, 15 TDs, 3 INTs; 567 rush yards, 7 TDs), RB Pierre Strong Jr. (116 carries, 650 yards, 3 TDs; 18 receptions, 167 yards, 1 TD), LB Logan Backhaus (69 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 INT); Sam Houston State: QB Eric Schmid (174 of 288, 2,599 yards, 17 TDs, 9 INTs; 382 rush yards, 8 TDs), WR/PR Jequez Ezzard (28 receptions, 753 yards, 26.9 ypc, 7 TDs; 120.8 all-purpose ypg, 10 total TDs), LB Trevor Williams (79 tackles, 14 TFL, 3 sacks, 4 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery)
The Background - South Dakota State is making its ninth straight and 10th overall FCS playoff appearance, reaching the final for the first time with an 11-9 all-time playoff record. Sam Houston is 22-11 over 12 appearances in the FCS playoffs, losing to North Dakota State in the 2011 and '12 championship games. With seven straight victories, the top-seeded Jackrabbits have matched their 2016 and '17 squads for the longest winning streak in their Division I era (since 2014). With 10 straight wins since their final game in 2019, the Bearkats have seven streaks of at least six consecutive victories since 2010. Both teams are battle-tested: SDSU, which earned the Missouri Valley Football Conference's automatic bid after earning a share of the title, are 5-1 against nationally ranked opponents; Southland champ Sam Houston is 6-0 in such games.
South Dakota State - The Jackrabbits, roughly five-point favorites, are flat-out physically punishing with their run game and defense. They average six yards a carry (No. 2 in the FCS) and 230.9 rushing yards per game (No. 7), and are the only FCS team with three players over 500 rushing yards - Strong, Gronowski and freshman RB Isaiah Davis, who's averaged 7.8 yards while rushing for 640 yards and seven TDs. Gronowski, a true freshman, has accounted for three touchdowns (whether pass, run or reception) in each of the squad's three playoff wins. The offensive line, anchored by RT Garret Greenfield, has allowed 10 sacks, including zero in five different games. The big men's work gives Gronowski the time to locate twin wide receivers Jaxon and Jadon Janke downfield (11 combined TDs). Perhaps most telling with the defense is it has allowed only a field goal in three of the last five games (twice in the playoffs). Overall, the Jackrabbits are surrendering 14.1 points per game, which is second-best among FCS teams that didn't opt out of a spring conference schedule. DE Reece Winkelman is coming off a career game (8 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks) in a semifinal round rout of Delaware. LBs Backhaus (69), Adam Bock (66) and Preston Tetzlaff (64) rank 1-2-3 on the team in tackles, while FS Josh Manchigiah has four of the defense's 12 interceptions. On special teams, SDSU has blocked four kicks, but allowed opponents to block three. Cole Frahm is 13 of 18 on field goal attempts, with a long of 52; punter Ben Dinkel averages 41.3 yards.
Sam Houston - Keeler led Delaware to the 2003 national championship, and seeks to become the first coach to guide two different programs to FCS titles. Long an offensive juggernaut, the Bearkats have been even better on defense over the last two seasons. It starts with a D-line that has been all but impossible for opponents, featuring DEs Kay and Jevon Leon and DTs Joseph Wallace, Trace Mascorro and Scean Mustin. Opponents are averaging just 2.2 yards per carry (second-lowest among FCS teams that played more than one game), and the Bearkats have lived in opposing backfields, totaling 95 tackles for 373 yards in losses (37 are sacks). CB Zyon McCollum (10 career INTs) has been an anchor in the secondary for a long time and an improved linebackers unit has been an overlooked key defensively. The offense remains explosive, producing 28 of the team's 34 plays of at least 30 yards (21 pass, seven rush). Ezzard is the gamebreaker, averaging 22.2 yards per touch via a run, reception or return, and he turned around the semifinal against James Madison with a 69-yard TD catch and an 80-yard punt return score in the third quarter. Schmid also starred with three overall TDs (two run, one pass), but he's found playoff defenses to be tough, averaging 192.7 passing yards per game after it was 330.2 in the regular season. WR Cody Chrest leads the team with 40 receptions and Ife Adey is a downfield threat at 20.6 yards per catch. Ramon Jefferson (656 yards, seven TDs) leads the team in rushing, while fellow RB Noah Smith (27 receptions, 4 TDs) is a pass-catching threat. The kicking is strong with Seth Morgan 11 of 13 on field goals (a long of 44 yards) and Matt McRobert averaging 43.4 yards on 139 career punts.
Prediction - It's easy to feel these two programs have been the most deserving of winning their first FCS title over the last decade. South Dakota State 28, Sam Houston 20
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FCS National Awards to air
(Stats Perform) - The announcement of the Walter Payton and Buck Buchanan award winners will highlight the FCS Football National Awards show that will air across Bally Sports Regional Networks and affiliates, beginning Saturday night.
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The Payton Award, in its 34th year and honoring the offensive player of the year in college football's Division I subdivision, will be decided by quarterbacks Eric Barriere of Eastern Washington and Cole Kelley of Southeastern Louisiana and running back Julius Chestnut of Sacred Heart. There were 16 finalists.
Linebackers Colby Campbell of Presbyterian and Stone Snyder of VMI and defensive end Jordan Lewis of Southern are up for the Buchanan Award, in its 26th season and honoring the FCS defensive player of the year. There were 18 finalists.
Also being honored are UIW quarterback Cameron Ward, the 10th Jerry Rice Award recipient for national freshman player of the year; VMI's Scott Wachenheim, the 34th Eddie Robinson Award recipient for national coach of the year; and North Carolina Central defensive end Jessie Malit, the sixth Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award recipient.
Former Northwestern State and two-time Super Bowl-champion linebacker Gary Reasons will host the hour-long show. Over 115 airings are scheduled across the networks.
Bally Sports North will air the show at 10 p.m. Saturday, May 15.
A 40-member national media panel voted on the four longstanding FCS awards following the unprecedented 2020-21 regular season, which spanned the fall and spring semesters. The Doris Robinson Award was selected from nominations by the 13 FCS conferences.
