3 keys to the FCS championship game between South Dakota State football and Montana

The South Dakota State football team looked at ease on Friday morning, walking through the red Toyota Stadium seats to pose for a picture ahead of their third consecutive FCS championship game appearance.

It was no accident that Mason McCormick, Garret Greenfield, Mark Grownowski, Jimmy Rogers, Isaiah Davis and DyShawn Gales, all key figures in the most successful period in South Dakota State football history, sat in the front row of the photo.

“A lot of these guys, they weren’t highly recruited,” Rogers said during his media availability Friday.  “They weren't. They were developed here. A lot in this group, especially the sixth years, several of them were walk-ons. Six out of the 10 six-year guys were walk-ons, and it's really a credit to them and them buying into the system and then buying into the culture of South Dakota State and then pushing it farther than it's ever been.”

The Jackrabbits will play for their second straight national title on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Here are three big things to watch out for in Sunday’s championship matchup against Montana:

The battle in the trenches

This game will be won at the line of scrimmage.

The Montana defense wants to pressure the quarterback and stop the run with blitzes, we know that. It'll be up to Greenfield, McCormick and the rest of the offensive line to offer protection for Gronowski and the team's running backs.

The Grizzlies' rushing defense is one of the best in the country, ranking 12th against the run. The team is allowing an average of just 102 rushing yards per game and only 3.35 yards per carry. Montana also ranks 13th in sacks with 34, led by edge rusher Riley Wilson who has 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for a loss.

McCormick said the Montana defense operates similarly to the Villanova team the Jackrabbits played in the FCS quarterfinals. They blitz often and can throw different looks at SDSU from play to play or from series to series. Similar to South Dakota State, the Griz defense plays an aggressive, physical style.

“They play very hard, they’re very well-coached and they have a lot of talent all over the field,” Greenfield said. “Whoever wins the line of scrimmage is really going to win the game.”

With both sides playing a similar aggressive style, Greenfield said the battle at the line of scrimmage will come down to preparation and focus and technique on each snap.

Communication will also be key. The front line will have to focus on what changes are being made at the line of scrimmage and adjust accordingly.

“All it takes is one guy up front to mess it up that they didn't hear the communication that's had from one end to the next end,” Rogers said. “We are well aware that Montana's going to get some plays on us, and we have to respond. It’s how we respond that makes the difference in the game.”

SDSU defense keyed in on Montana quarterback Clifton McDowell

The Montana offense has talent at every skill position. They have Junior Bergen and Keelan White at the wide receiver position and three players with 600+ rushing yards, including redshirt freshman Eli Gilman and senior Nick Ostmo.

But Rogers knows senior dual-threat quarterback Clifton McDowell is the one that makes the offense go.

“I think everything starts with the quarterback, the guy that touches the ball is dynamic,” Rogers said. “He can extend plays and kill you with his arm. So we have to do a good job of trying to manage that as much as possible.”

This season, McDowell helped lead Montana to the 68th-best passing offense in the FCS – the Griz passed for 196.8 yards per game – and the 21st-ranked rushing offense.

He averaged 132.9 passing yards per game, 53.6 rushing yards per game and he finished the season with 13 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns, but he’s stepped his game up in the playoffs.  In three postseason games, he’s raised his averages to 184.6 passing yards and 62 rushing yards per game.

McDowell’s best game of Montana’s playoff run was against Furman in the quarterfinals when he threw for 208 yards and rushed for 118.

Can Montana limit the South Dakota State offense?

Another big factor in this game will be just how much the Montana defense can limit SDSU’s juggernaut of an offense.

The Jackrabbits have proven impossible to stop for every FCS team they've faced up to this point. They rank third in scoring offense, averaging 38 points per game, sixth in total offense, averaging 456 total yards per game and first in red zone offense.

SDSU also ranks fifth in rushing offense, in large part because they have arguably the best running back in the FCS in Isaiah Davis. He's has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the team's three playoff games and ran for 192 yards on 27 carries against Villanova in the quarterfinals.

The Montana defense will try to stop the run and pressure Gronowski with a lot of blitzes, but South Dakota State has faced formidable pass-rushing teams in the past and dispatched them relatively easily.

Montana State and UAlbany, the two top teams in the FCS in sacks, both fell to the Jackrabbits by a combined 63 points.

But make no mistake about it, Gronowski will have to be at the top of his game, getting the ball out quickly, and the offensive line will have to do their part giving him protection and opening space for their running backs.

If they can follow that plan then the Jacks have a good shot to win their second FCS national championship.

Jonathan Fernandez covers high school and college sports for the Argus Leader. Contact him at jfernandez1@argusleader.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFERN31

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 3 keys to FCS title game: South Dakota State football vs. Montana