The South Dakota State Jackrabbits defeated the North Dakota State Bison 45-21 to claim the 2022 FCS Championship on Sunday.
It’s the first-ever Division I national championship for the Jackrabbits, who finish the season 14-1 overall. South Dakota State also won the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) championship this season after finishing a perfect 8-0 in conference play.
Quarterback Mark Gronowski led the Jackrabbits in the FCS Championship victory over the Bison by completing 14-of-21 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Gronowski also scored a touchdown on a 51-yard scamper.
SDSU’s Jaxon Janke led all receivers with two touchdowns (three receptions for 60 yards overall), while his twin brother Jadon Janke caught five passes for 61 yards.
Running backs Amar Johnson and Isaiah Davis both eclipsed 100-yards on the ground for South Dakota State, rushing for 126 yards and 103 yards, respectively. Both backs also scored a touchdown in the victory.
North Dakota State quarterback Cam Miller threw two touchdowns, but also had two interceptions in the loss. He finished 18-of-29 for 260 yards. Wide receiver Zach Mathis was Miller’s primary target, catching seven passes for 123 yards. Eli Green and Joe Stoffel caught the touchdown passes for the Bison.
On the ground, the Bison were led by Cam Miller (13 carries for 64 yards) and Kobe Johnson (11 carries for 63 yards and one touchdown). Johnson also lost a fumble, which gave the Bison three turnovers overall compared to none for the Jackrabbits.
The 2022 FCS Championship game was played at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The announced crowd for the game was 18,023, which was just short of the venue’s capacity of 20,500.