BROOKINGS, S.D. (AP) — Mark Gronowski threw for three touchdowns and ran for two in leading two-time defending champion South Dakota State past Incarnate Word 55-14 in an FCS quarterfinal.
Third-seeded South Dakota State will face No. 2 North Dakota State in the semifinals. In the first half, Gronowski completed only 4 of 11 passes but two of the completions were a pair of 35-yard touchdown throws to Griffin Wilde.
Gronowski also had touchdown runs of 3 yards and 1 yard. The South Dakota State defense allowed only 121 yards in the first half and set up the offense for 10 points. An interception by Matthew Durrance set up a short touchdown drive and a fumble recovery by Tucker Large led to a field goal that made it 31-0 at halftime.
Meanwhile,
VERMILLION, S.D. — Six forced turnovers, Aidan Bouman passing for 200+ yards for the fifth-straight game, and a pair of touchdown receptions from JJ Galbreath allows the No. 4-seeded University of South Dakota football team (11-2, 7-1 MVFC) to make history Saturday afternoon in front of the home crowd, advancing to the program’s first ever Division I FCS Semifinal appearance with a 35-21 win over No. 5-seed UC Davis (11-3, 7-1 Big Sky) for their eleventh win of the season.