BROOKINGS — When Mark Gronowski took the field two years ago against Iowa, it was his first game back after missing an entire season due to a knee injury. The Jackrabbits lost that game 7-3, but since then Gronowski has won 29 games in a row.

Over the past two seasons Gronowski has become a better passer and, heading into his fourth season on the field and his fifth with SDSU, coaches and players alike believe this is the sharpest he’s looked.

“This is the best Mark has looked,” said head coach Jimmy Rogers. “He’s taken another step in his game. He’s become more of a complete passer and he’s been really good at manipulating the defense with his eyes and how he’s been able to go through progressions quickly and get the ball out quickly and be really accurate. I’m excited to see what he can do. Practice is practice and he has to turn it on during the game.”

After the Jacks won their second-straight national championship in January there was a question as to whether or not Gronowski would return as he had opportunities to go to bigger programs or even enter the NFL Draft. He made the decision to come back and hit the ground running in spring practice.

Then in the summer Gronowski attended the Manning Passing Academy, which is held in Thibodaux, La., and 45 of the best college quarterbacks attended. Newly appointed SDSU quarterbacks coach Danny Freund said when Gronowski came back from the camp he took his game to another level.

“He came back from that camp with a little bit of a different look in his eye. He’s really driven to play at the next level and really driven at winning a third national title here in Brookings and going out the right way,” Freund said.

Fruend joined the Jackrabbit staff in the spring after spending the past six seasons as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at North Dakota. He had coached against Gronowski three times before becoming his coach and said he thought he knew what to expect, but what stood out to him when he got to Brookings was how Gronowski had command of the offense, not just on the field.

“I knew [South Dakota State] had a guy at the quarterback position that had won a couple national titles and had played in another one, so watching from afar, I think you see the ability on the field and you know he’s a talented player, but when you get here the things that stand out are the intangibles. The leadership. The abilities to make players better just by being around them. I think when he gets in the huddle he instills confidence in other people and around the building too,” Freund said.

For the past four seasons former SDSU quarterback Zach Lujan was Gronowski’s quarterbacks coach. Gronowski said he thought it would take a little bit for Freund to get comfortable in the QB room, but that wasn’t the case. He said Freund stepped right in and the two of them have developed a relationship that has allowed him to learn a lot this offseason.

“I think some people get caught in learning the same way over and over again, and I think it’s been huge for me to learn in a different style. [Freund and I] have really been drawing up plays a lot so I can almost picture the play as I hear it and I can see it as I go up to the line. He’s also helped me a lot with throwing on the run and throwing accuracy. We didn’t really work on that in the past and I think that’s going to be a huge aspect of my game this year,” Gronowski said.

To no surprise to Jackrabbit fans, Freund is realizing how smart Gronowski is. He said the fifth-year senior, who is going to graduate school for engineering, is constantly trying to learn and get better.

“He’s a very analytical kid. His process pre-snap of seeing coverage, identifying the front and talking protections, I think he’s really found a good balance of seeing a lot pre snap and then letting his instincts take over. … I think a lot of that is on him and the work he has put in and [the coaching staff] has tried to help give him bits and pieces and he’s always taking notes. He’s a guy that’s never going to not take notes during meetings even though he’s a guy that you would be okay with not taking notes,” Freund said.

Many players improve throughout their college years, especially if you’ve started 40 games like Gronowski. But heading into his 41st start in a Jackrabbit uniform, Gronowski said this is the most confident and comfortable he’s felt as he goes to take the snap from the center.

“I think as the years go by and the more experience you get every year, you continue to grow that confidence. Being able to make the plays on the field, but being able to see a lot more things and recognize a lot more coverages. Those pre-snap plans come in handy because then you almost know what you’re going to do before the play even starts. That’s how it feels right now. The game is moving really slow for me and continuing to have that happen for me throughout the season is going to be very beneficial,” Gronowski said.

SDSU will need that confidence on Saturday as the Jackrabbits will look to take down the No. 17 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, Okla. Freund said having a quarterback with that much experience certainly gives the Jacks a much better chance to pull off the upset.

“I think [having a guy like Gronowski] is huge because it gives you a certain confidence. If you’re confident and you’re prepared, and you know you’re going to have a guy under center that’s prepared, it’s going to give your team a chance. … When I was at North Dakota we went down to Nebraska and had a veteran quarterback and we hung in there with them. I really think it helps calm the nerves, and if you can settle into the game and play well early, not necessarily score, but believe and realize it’s just football, [that makes things easier],” Freund said.