BROOKINGS – When the clock ran out during Montana State’s 31-17 win over South Dakota State last season, there was plenty of disappointment. The Jackrabbits had made an incredible run, going from an unseeded team all the way to the FCS semifinals, and had come up short in making their second straight trip to Frisco.

SDSU was dejected as the Bobcats fans stormed the field. Celebrating their first trip to the national championship game since 1984, the Jackrabbits had a front-row seat, thinking about how they could be in this position this year.

While most of the team was seeing it from a first-person perspective, quarterback Mark Gronowski had a different point of view. On the tail end of his recovery from a severe knee injury suffered during the national championship game of the 2021 spring season, Gronowski spent the entire season on the sidelines.

“It was really tough,” Gronowski admitted during a media session earlier this week. “All of last year, I really just wanted to be able to do something for my team. I wish I could have helped in some way other than being a sideline cheerleader.”

Nearly a full year after that loss, Gronowski is getting his chance to contribute. The sophomore quarterback has had a solid season for the Jackrabbits – throwing for 2,555 yards, 21 touchdowns, and five interceptions and adding 299 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing – but the journey he took to get to this point has been a process.

During his true freshman season, Gronowski started 10 games and established himself as a dual threat. He threw for 1,565 yards with 15 touchdowns and three interceptions and added another 577 yards with seven touchdowns on the ground. He was named the Phil Steele FCS Freshman of the year and the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

The Jackrabbits thrived under Gronowski’s leadership, going 8-2 and making their way to the national championship game for the first time in school history. On the opening drive against Sam Houston State, Gronowski injured his left leg and attempted to warm up on the sidelines. After a couple of tosses, Gronowski couldn’t continue and the Jackrabbits fell 23-21.

The torn ACL kept Gronowski out for the entire 2021 fall season. Gronowski watched from the sidelines as the Jackrabbits fell to Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa in Brookings. He watched as South Dakota stunned the Jackrabbits with a Hail Mary. Then he watched as the Jackrabbits raced through the playoffs only to come up short against Montana State.

Gronowski had to wait his turn to contribute and it came as the Week 1 starter against Iowa but there was still something missing. The SDSU offense struggled against the Hawkeyes, generating just 120 yards of total offense and Gronowski looked particularly rusty, completing just 10-of-26 passes for 87 yards. While he said he felt good coming into the game, getting used to the game on the field was a work in progress.

“You can kind of watch from the sideline and understand coverages,” Gronowski explained. “But when you’re on the field, it’s a completely different view.”

Gronowski’s struggles continued as he threw for just 110 yards and two interceptions in a win over UC Davis but things started to come together the following week against Butler. Gronowski threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns while adding eight carries for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Bulldogs.

The following week, he threw for a season-high 319 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Missouri State but the consistency wasn’t quite there.

In wins over Western Illinois, South Dakota and North Dakota State, Gronowski failed to clear 200 yards of total offense but at some point in the season, offensive coordinator Zach Lujan noticed a change in his quarterback and rushed to SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier to relay the news.

“I don’t remember when it was or what week it was,” Stiegelmeier admitted. “But I remember…feeling good when he said that because of what he did especially in his [freshman] year during the spring.”

While it can’t be confirmed when that conversation happened, Gronowski appeared to turn the corner in a win over North Dakota. Gronowski threw for 197 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more touchdowns on his way to MVFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Over his next three games, Gronowski completed 70 percent of his passes while averaging 259.6 passing yards with nine total touchdowns and two interceptions.

“Eventually as the season progressed, I feel like I’ve been able to see [coverages] better,” Gronowski said. “It’s really helped me [to] make reads running the ball and throwing the ball.”

With his recent resurgence, Gronowski has regained his status as one of the top quarterbacks in the FCS. While he doesn’t get as much publicity as Montana State’s Tommy Mellott or Holy Cross’s Matthew Sluka, Stiegelmeier believes that Gronowski is in the same conversation as the other standouts.

“I believe there’s a number of factors,” Stiegelmeier said. “He’s a dual-threat quarterback. He can run and he can throw. But I think his greatest quality is his leadership and his confidence. That allows you to make great decisions and play up to your potential because of your preparation and that’s why I believe he’s one of the top quarterbacks in FCS football.”

That’s led Gronowski to this moment. Gronowski remembers how difficult that afternoon in Bozeman was and even remembers going up to Mellott after the game. Gronowski admitted that he usually doesn’t go up to the opposing quarterback, but he offered his congratulations.

A few weeks later, Mellott suffered a knee injury on the opening drive of the national championship game against North Dakota State. Surgery followed and Gronowski offered his condolences through an instant message on Instagram and the two have messaged back and forth ever since.

“It was kind of just wishing him luck in surgery because I know exactly how that feels going down early in the championship game and not being able to help your guys out,” Gronowski said. “But it will be fun to get a chance to play against him.”

After all, this is what Gronowski has worked for and he gets a chance to show the results on Saturday afternoon.