BROOKINGS — Mason McCormick and Garret Greenfield will be playing at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium for the final time on Friday night. It will be the 53rd straight game that both will start on the offensive line for South Dakota State and the two are hoping that the night ends with them celebrating a third trip to Frisco, Texas, in their careers.

Both players came back to SDSU for a sixth season after winning the program’s first national championship last year. Heading into Friday night’s FCS Semifinals matchup against UAlbany, McCormick said he’s started to think about how it will be the last time he plays a football game in Brookings.

“I’ve somewhat thought about it. For sure. The emotions are starting to set in a bit. I just have to take full advantage of what I have left and just be in the moment. Be in the moment and enjoy the small things. It’s been a hell of a ride,” McCormick said.

Greenfield added that it’s special to know for sure that it will be his final game in Brookings because not a lot of players have that opportunity.

“[I’ve thought about it] a little bit, obviously. It’s kind of weird. Six years here and it all comes down to one game at Dana J. So, just kind of looking at it, it’s just special. It’s kind of an honor that you know for a fact that this is your last home game, win or lose, and that kind of takes the pressure off of [the game]” Greenfield said.

Both players redshirted during their freshman seasons in 2018. McCormick played in the final 12 games of the season in 2019, including starting the final two games of the season. Greenfield would see action in seven games in his redshirt freshman season.

During the 2020 season, which was moved to the spring of 2021 because of COVID, the two would start all 10 games and help lead the Jacks to their first ever trip to the national championship. Ever since the beginning of the 2021 season the two have held it down on the left side of the line, with Greenfield starting at left tackle and McCormick at left guard.

The two have combined to be selected to 18 All-American teams over the past three seasons and will likely be selected to many more All-American teams this year. Being in the same recruiting class and playing next to each other for so long, the two have developed a relationship both on and off the football field.

“It’s been really cool,” Greenfield said. “Looking back to six years ago, when we came in as freshly graduated high schoolers and we were young. Now, six years later, looking back at all of the things we’ve accomplished together, it’s just really cool to be able to share all of this with him. Knowing that he’s been here from the very beginning and we started the same time and have been through everything together, it’s just been a real honor. I love playing next to him and he’s one of my really good friends.”

McCormick said having Greenfield break the huddle with him for the past 53 games has developed a friendship that will last a long time.

“It’s been amazing. To go through so many things with the same guy, it just forms a bond that we can always lean on. I’m going to miss him here in a month or so, but we’ll be in touch. He’s a hell of a teammate,” McCormick said.

One thing that the two have in common other than never missing a game, is their leadership skills. Last season McCormick and Greenfield were the only returning starters on the offensive line and they had to make sure the unit came together as the season went on.

They did just that. Over the past two seasons SDSU has rushed for 5,686 yards and 70 touchdowns with the help of McCormick, Greenfield and the rest of the “605 Hogs”. SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said both players have done a great job of instilling confidence in the other guys on the offensive line and making sure that they’ll be ready when their time comes.

“Both [Greenfield and McCormick] have done a great job of developing the guys behind them and being patient and pushing them at practice,” Rogers said. “Showing them the right way [to play], showing them the right technique and how they work. I don’t know if there’s a better leader, Mark Gronowksi is a great leader, but as far as the day-to-day and the grind it takes to play O line, I don’t know if I’ve seen a better leader than Mason. He surely will be missed. … The impact that Mason and Garret have had on our whole O line is a culture thing.”

They’ve also helped out junior quarterback Mark Gronowski, who is the finalist for the Walter Payton Award this season, which is given out to the best offensive player in the FCS. Gronowski, who has had McCormick and Greenfield on the offensive line in every game that he’s started, said he’s enjoyed having such great leaders that have had his back throughout his career so far.

“They’ve made things so much easier. Mason was one of the first guys that truly believed in me when I was a freshman coming in. It’s just been really cool to see how much they’ve helped me try to learn protections more and try to be a better quarterback, and then also being great leaders for the rest of the guys on the offense when I can’t speak or I’m doing my own thing talking to someone else,” Gronowski said.

After SDSU won its first ever national championship last season several players had to make a decision on whether or not they would use their COVID year of eligibility and come back for another season. For McCormick and Greenfield it was an easy decision. They both wanted to have one last ride with their teammates and improve their draft stock.

“Why would we ever give up any eligibility?” McCormick said. “This is such an amazing place. The community, our coaches, everybody around. The impact they’ve had on us and the amount of fun that we’ve had, why would anybody change that for the world?”

When looking back on this final season, a season in which the Jacks went undefeated for the first time in program history, Greenfield said he can confidently say it was the right decision to come back.

“[This final season] has 100% lived up to what I thought it would be. This is a special place and there’s a lot of special people in this building and in this program. That was kind of the biggest factor for me. I wanted to keep getting better and wanted to be a part of this team for one more year. All of my best friends are on this team and they’re friends that I will have for the rest of my life,” Greenfield said.

Whether or not SDSU wins on Friday and wins its second straight title in Frisco on Jan. 7, one thing will be for sure. McCormick and Greenfield will go down as two of the most impactful and successful offensive lineman in program history. For McCormick, it’s more than the accolades though. It’s about the relationships he’s developed and how his career at SDSU has shaped him as a person.

“[My career has meant] so much more [than I thought it would be]. I thought this would be a cool experience, but it’s changed my life and it’s impacted me in so many ways. I wouldn’t change it for anything,” McCormick said.