BROOKINGS – There’s a lot on the line as South Dakota State runs through this year’s FCS Playoffs. The Jackrabbits are seeking their third straight national championship and they’re doing so with a roster that’s much different than it was a year ago.

This is not something that’s different than other teams in college athletics – especially with the advent of the transfer portal. But there’s something that comes with having a player or two that’s been there before.

For SDSU, the duo of Mark Gronowski and Adam Bock have not only been there, they’ve been there frequently. Mainstays of the past two national title teams, both players know what it takes to get to Frisco, Texas for the national championship and have been on the stage but this year has a unique feel after defeating Montana 35-18 on Saturday afternoon.

For Bock, it’s been a long road to get to this point. After a redshirt season in 2019, Bock broke out with 74 tackles (5.5 for loss) and a pair of sacks while leading the Jacks to the national championship game in the 2021 spring season and had an encore with 125 tackles (9.5 for loss) with 2.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions while helping SDSU reach the national semifinals in 2021.

While the 2022 and 2023 seasons were impacted by a foot injury, he still was a key cog in SDSU’s defense, logging 76 tackles (7.5 for loss) and four sacks in 2022 and 65 tackles (2.5 for loss) and two sacks in 2023 on the way to back-to-back national championships.

Bock has stayed on the field this season, logging 83 tackles (eight for loss), three sacks and two interceptions and played in his 15th career playoff game on Saturday, 

“I’d say this year’s a little different,” Bock said on Saturday. “I mean, [you go into] a lot of playoff games, knowing it [could] be the seniors’ last game. But now you’re stepping into that role and you’re the senior now [and] It could be your last game. I think we’ve just been kind of playing it like a regular season game and there’s a bit more to it, but nothing crazy.”

Bock’s still heartbeat during the playoffs is similar to that of Gronowski. Last spring, Jackrabbit fans held their breath wondering if Gronowski would return amid rumors of leaving for an FBS program and celebrated when he channeled Michael Jordan with a social media post that simply said “I’m back.”

That celebration was warranted considering what Gronowski has done for SDSU. In his freshman season, he led the Jacks to the national title game – a game SDSU may have won if he hadn’t suffered a knee injury on the opening drive. Gronowski missed the 2021 fall season due to the injury but returned to lead SDSU to back-to-back national championships each of the past two seasons.

You can’t talk about SDSU’s titles without mentioning Gronowski and you can’t talk about the Jacks’ first playoff win without pointing out Gronowski’s performance, completing 12-of-16 passes for 151 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

But as a veteran of 13 playoff games, it was more about the process even with his SDSU career on the line.

“It’s kind of like a new regular season once it gets to the playoffs,” Gronowski explained. “It’s win or go home at this point…[but] for us seniors, this could be our last game if we end up not playing as well as we can.”

It may feel like a “Been there. Done that.” mentality that SDSU had on the way to their second national championship a year ago. But it’s also how the entire team handles it on a weekly basis during the season and during the gap between the end of the regular season.

“I think it’s huge on how to handle the breaks when you have the first-round bye,” SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said of Bock and Gronowski’s experience and how it affects the team. “You know how to manage your body and stay in shape. Although we give the guys off from Wednesday at noon to Sunday night, they get back and lift on their own. I think that part is huge, just making sure that they’re sweating and getting ready for what is to come because there are no more breaks at this point.”

From there, it’s the weekly preparation that has helped SDSU sustain a championship standard.

“The focus that it takes week-in and week-out, knowing that you’re playing what could be your last game, I think that comes with a little bit of anxiety as a player, especially as a senior,” SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said on Saturday. “The fact that we have several players [like Mark and Adam] at those key positions that have gone through [the playoffs], that they know what goes into the preparation and they know how to handle the emotions of the game, those are huge, key players in our success and really the rise of South Dakota State being able to win multiple championships.”

You could see it on the field as Bock, Gronowski and other seniors including Dalys Beanum, Gus Miller and Jarod DePriest impacted the game. 

You could even see it in the postgame press conference on Saturday as Bock sat next to wide receiver Griffin Wilde, who was grinning from ear to ear after catching seven passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns in his first playoff game as a starter after spending last year behind another pair of SDSU veterans Jadon and Jaxon Janke.

The Jacks may not have the experience they had a year ago, but what they have is top-shelf quality and it’s something that not only has the seniors fighting for their careers but their teammates fighting for each other.

“I don’t know if the group thought it would never be the last game and hopefully this group is growing in that sense,” Rogers said. “But they don’t take it for granted, the moments that they get with one another. Because when you finish college athletics, it means something to believe as a champion, but also five years from now, you’ll remember the locker room and the laughter and the joy you had one week at a time with guys. Those are the things you’ll miss more than you’ll ever remember about being a stat leader…or an All-Conference or All-American player. My focus is on trying to give our best as a coaching staff to our players and make sure that they’re well-equipped and can leave [SDSU] on that stage in Frisco, Texas.”