'Reminders of falling short': SDSU has used motivation to fuel its goal of a championship all season
Dec. 19—BROOKINGS — The vision was simple for South Dakota State — a championship.
Coming into the season, there were no if, ands or buts. The Jacks were focused on winning a championship. Fast forward four months and they're just one win away from hoisting a trophy that's proved elusive since they made the jump to Division I in 2008.
Four of the past five seasons, they'd made it to the semifinals — it's something quarterback Mark Gronowski and running back Isaiah Davis were both acutely aware of prior to the season — and they even made it to the national title game once.
Still, there was no trophy to show for it. But that didn't stop the Jacks from focusing on it before the year.
"If a team talks about a national championship and they fall short, there will be some people second-guessing. ... How do you not get somewhere if you don't have a target?" SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier said at the team's media day prior to the season in August. "We're going to be bold; we're going to be confident. We're going to try to play our best football."
The boldness and confidence has shown through for the Jacks, who responded to a season-opening loss against FBS opponent Iowa with a program record 13-game winning streak that they carry with them to Frisco.
There's been motivation along the way for SDSU, too. For instance, the Jackrabbits came into the season ranked No. 2 in the country — one spot behind North Dakota State, the team they'll be battling with on Jan. 8, 2023. That one spot gave SDSU the first chip on its shoulder of the year, before the season even kicked off.
"I wish they ranked us even lower," tight end Tucker Kraft said about the No. 2 ranking preseason. "It's obviously going to take us to win a national championship to be ranked first on one of those lists. ... I believe we have a pack of natural born leaders on this team. And we're going to take each other far."
While it will take a national championship to retain that No. 1 ranking, it didn't require a national title to get it. The Jacks ascended to No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history after beating the Bison 23-21 in Fargo on Oct. 15.
"I think when we became No. 1 by vote, that first week there were some emotions. There were some unique feelings by our program," Stiegelmeier said in a press conference prior to the quarterfinal game against Holy Cross.
But SDSU didn't dwell on the top ranking.
"And then we got over it," he added.
Against Holy Cross, though, came another chip on the shoulders of the Jackrabbits — namely the defense. Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka ran for 213 yards on a defense that was surrendering just 70.8 rushing yards per game. It was a "wake-up call," according to defensive tackle Caleb Sanders.
"It definitely upset us," Sanders said of the poor performance in the quarterfinals.
SDSU answered the "wake-up call" by allowing a season-low 52 rushing yards to a Montana State team that led the FCS in rushing going into the semifinals.
And while this season — regardless of the outcome in Frisco — will more than likely be viewed as one of, if not, the greatest in program history, there's still a chance to complete what the SDSU set out to do just over four months ago.
And if the Jacks can get it done, there will be a spot for a new trophy, that would hold perhaps more meaning than any of the others.
"All the hardware around here is reminders of falling short," Stiegelmeier said before the season. "We don't have the national championship trophy. Right up the road (in Fargo), they do."
