No. 3/3 Montana St. at No. 1/1 South Dakota St. Capsules
No. 3/3 Montana St. at No. 1/1 South Dakota St.
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.: TV — ESPN2; Web — ESPN+; Radio — Bobcat Radio Network.
Where: Dana J Dykhouse Stadium (19,340, AstroTurf)
Records: Both teams are 12-1.
When the Bobcats have the ball: It starts with sophomore quarterback Tommy Mellott, who is up to 1,118 rushing yards; continues with fellow QB Sean Chambers, who has rushed for 850 yards and 18 touchdowns; and now includes running Isaiah Ifanse, who has run for 100-plus yards in both his games back from knee surgery. Mellott has thrown for 1,521 yards and 10 scores; he and Chambers have combined for 2,136 yards and 18 TDs passing. Willie Patterson continues to be the top receiver — nine of his 39 catches (for 568 yards) have gone to the house.
When the Jackrabbits have the ball: Sophomore Mark Gronowski is back at QB after missing 2021 with injuries; he’s thrown for 2,555 yards and 21 touchdowns and run for 10 scores. His main targets are twins Jaxon (54 catches, 723 yards, seven TDs) and Jadon Janke (45-695, 6 TDs) and Tucker Kraft. Kraft missed the first six games of 2022 and has 21 catches for 249 yards and two scores, but is rated an NFL-caliber tight end. He had 65 catches a year ago. Isaiah Davis (1,190 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing) has filled in capably for the graduated Pierre Strong, and Amar Johnson backs up Davis.
Notable: As of Thursday the temperature at kickoff is expected to be 11 degrees. … Ifanse has averaged 109.5 rushing yards over seven FCS playoff games. … The Cats’ only previous trip to Dykhouse Stadium was a 45-14 loss in the 2018 preseason, and the Jacks are 124-34 at home all-time under Coach Steigelmeier. … SDSU is 4-4 against Big Sky foes in the playoffs, including a 1-1 mark against MSU and an 0-2 record against Montana. … Four SDSU kickers have combined to convert 122 PATs. … SDSU lost 2021 coordinators Jason Eck (offense; Idaho) and Brian Bergstrom (co-defense; Winona St.) to head coaching gigs. … Home teams are 18-2 in the 2022 FCS playoffs.
The Pick: Cats 28-14.