Fourth-quarter surge sends No. 1 South Dakota State past No. 8 Holy Cross, into FCS semifinals

Dec. 10—BROOKINGS — For three quarters, South Dakota State got everything it wanted and then some from No. 8 seed Holy Cross in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals.

But in a form not often required of the Jackrabbits this season, the No. 1 seed in the Football Championship Subdivision fired off a resounding final salvo, pulling away in the fourth quarter in a 42-21 win over the visiting Crusaders on Saturday afternoon at Dykhouse Stadium.

Saturday shared little similarities with the playoff matchup between the two schools 20 months ago during the spring 2021 season. On that April afternoon, the Crusaders looked overmatched in nearly every facet in a 31-3 defeat.

But this time around, Holy Cross (12-1) held a four-minute edge in time of possession, matched the number of conversions on third and fourth down, outgained SDSU (413 yards to 393) and achieved more first downs (23 to 19).

"I thought we held our own and I thought we belonged," said Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney. "I don't love the end score because the game was a lot closer than what that shows."

But when the best of the top-ranked Jackrabbits was required, their best was offered, as SDSU controlled the final 15 minutes to put up 21 straight points to end the game.

"I think it was good for us to feel some additional pressure and have to press a little harder," said SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier.

Holy Cross quarterback Matthew Sluka was the man primarily responsible for making the heavily-favored Jackrabbits push as hard as they had to. The 6-foot-3 junior signal caller was a terror for the normally stingy SDSU defense, using his legs as well as his arm to account for 335 of the Crusaders' 413 total yards.

Following a missed 42-yard Hunter Dustman field goal on the game's opening possession, Sluka promptly gave the visitors an early lead, finding a seam and sprinting 56 yards for a touchdown.

Then, after Dustman connected on a pair of kicks from 23 and 29 yards to pull SDSU within one point after 15 minutes of play, the Crusaders got creative on a fourth-and-1 in Jackrabbit territory. Running back Tyler Purdy acted as if he was going to run up the middle, but popped up at the last moment and lofted a pass to a wide-open Sean Morris for a 27-yard score and a 14-6 lead.

SDSU responded with Davis barging in for a 3-yard touchdown and the following two-point conversion to knot the game at 14.

With a chance for Holy Cross to regain the lead just before halftime, a Sluka pass slipped through the grasp of a receiver and into the expectant arms of linebacker Jason Freeman, who raced 37 yards to put SDSU ahead for the first time with 68 seconds remaining before the break.

But a second-half breakaway didn't follow for SDSU, as the lone score of the third quarter was a 1-yard plunge by Holy Cross running back Peter Oliver that capped an 11-play, 83-yard drive and put the Crusaders back on level terms at 21-all.

While the defense had been the unit SDSU leaned on to steady the game when situations got choppy all season, it was the offense's turn with Sluka and company keeping Holy Cross in lockstep with the Jacks.

After a 39-yard Holy Cross field-goal attempt sailed wide left to start the fourth quarter to keep the game tied, SDSU's offense, which had only produced one touchdown drive through three quarters, finally came alive.

SDSU marched 78 yards in nine plays, with Jaxon Janke ripping free from a would-be tackler and falling backward into the endzone for an 18-yard score that restored a touchdown lead at 28-21. A stop on the ensuing Holy Cross possession put SDSU in a commanding position and the Jackrabbits took advantage. The Jacks put together a drive covering 68 yards in seven plays, the last of which saw all 11 Crusaders on defense bite on a fake handoff, leaving SDSU quarterback Mark Gronowski all alone to walk in for the game-clinching 18-yard score.

"We could have finished [drives] better, but it feels good that the defense has picked us up all year and then when they needed us most we showed out," Davis said.

A turnover on downs gave SDSU a final possession deep in Holy Cross territory, which resulted in a 21-yard strike from Gronowski to Jadon Janke to place the final margin at 42-21.

Gronowski went 12-of-22 passing for 177 yards and two scores, tacking on 55 yards and a third touchdown with his legs. Davis was the Jacks' leading ball carrier, finishing with 154 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts, while Jaxon Janke paced the receiving target with four receptions for 82 yards.

Sluka finished with 213 rushing yards — three times SDSU's top-ranked run defense allowed per game coming into the game — and a 56-yard first-quarter touchdown on 26 attempts, adding 122 yards through the air.

"Someone had alluded to us slowing their quarterback down, but I'm not sure that's the correct terminology," Stiegelmeier said. "He had 200 yards rushing and he's a phenomenal player, one heck of a player."

Peter Oliver also had 57 rushing yards, while Jalen Coker was the Crusaders' leading receiver with five catches for 63 yards.

SDSU (12-1) advances to face off with No. 4 Montana State in the FCS semifinals for the second-straight season. The Bobcats won 31-17 in Bozeman last December. This season's rematch will be in Brookings, with a time and date to be determined.