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South Dakota State University Athletics
SIX JACKS RECEIVE PHIL STEELE RECOGNITION
6/4/2021 10:37:00 AM | Football
Four South Dakota State football players were honored on Football Championship Subdivision All-America teams selected by Phil Steele, while the Jackrabbit freshman offensive duo of Mark Gronowski and Isaiah Davis received additional postseason recognition.
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Both of the Jackrabbits' first-team All-America selections came from the offensive side of the ball as junior running back Pierre Strong, Jr. and sophomore offensive lineman Garret Greenfield were honored.
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A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong rushed for 707 yards (78.6 yards per game) and three touchdowns during the 2020-21 spring season. He also ranked third on the team with 20 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown.
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Greenfield, a right tackle from Rock Valley, Iowa, was selected for his fifth All-America team this season for his role in helping pave the way for an offensive unit that averaged 29.2 points and 403.1 yards of total offense per game. He also has been honored on All-America squads selected by Stats Perform, The Associated Press. Athlon and the American Football Coaches Association.
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Honored on the Phil Steele All-America Third Team were linebacker Logan Backhaus and cornerback Don Gardner.
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A senior from Spirit Lake, Iowa, Backhaus tallied 72 tackles in 10 games, including a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss with two sacks. He also intercepted a pass and forced a fumble in helping lead a Jackrabbit defense that allowed only 15 points per game en route to reaching the Football Championship Subdivision national title game.
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Gardner, a senior from Chicago, led the team with seven pass breakups and added an interception during the spring season. He also ranked fifth on the squad with 44 tackles, including three for loss.
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Gronowski was selected by Phil Steele as the 2020-21 Spring FCS Freshman of the Year. A true freshman from Naperville, Illinois, he finished the season with 1,565 passing yards and 577 rushing yards., while accounting for 22 touchdowns — 15 passing and seven rushing — against only three interceptions. He rushed and passed for 100-plus yards in the same game three times en route to being named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
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Davis, a true freshman from Joplin, Missouri, was named co-Spring FCS Playoff MVP with Sam Houston wide receiver Jequez Ezzard. In four playoff games, Davis rushed 43 times for 444 yards (10.3 yards per carry) with five touchdowns. He topped the 100-yard mark twice for rushing in the postseason, including a 178-yard, three-touchdown performance in the national championship game, in which he finished with 305 all-purpose yards (178 rushing, 114 kickoff returns, 13 receiving).
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For the season, Davis finished as the team's leading rusher with 818 yards (81.8 ypg) and 10 touchdowns.
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South Dakota State made its ninth consecutive appearance in the FCS playoffs during the 2020-21 spring season and finished with an 8-2 overall record in reaching the national championship game for the first time in program history. The Jackrabbits earned a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title with a 5-1 league record.
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Both of the Jackrabbits' first-team All-America selections came from the offensive side of the ball as junior running back Pierre Strong, Jr. and sophomore offensive lineman Garret Greenfield were honored.
Â
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Strong rushed for 707 yards (78.6 yards per game) and three touchdowns during the 2020-21 spring season. He also ranked third on the team with 20 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown.
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Greenfield, a right tackle from Rock Valley, Iowa, was selected for his fifth All-America team this season for his role in helping pave the way for an offensive unit that averaged 29.2 points and 403.1 yards of total offense per game. He also has been honored on All-America squads selected by Stats Perform, The Associated Press. Athlon and the American Football Coaches Association.
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Honored on the Phil Steele All-America Third Team were linebacker Logan Backhaus and cornerback Don Gardner.
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A senior from Spirit Lake, Iowa, Backhaus tallied 72 tackles in 10 games, including a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss with two sacks. He also intercepted a pass and forced a fumble in helping lead a Jackrabbit defense that allowed only 15 points per game en route to reaching the Football Championship Subdivision national title game.
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Gardner, a senior from Chicago, led the team with seven pass breakups and added an interception during the spring season. He also ranked fifth on the squad with 44 tackles, including three for loss.
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Gronowski was selected by Phil Steele as the 2020-21 Spring FCS Freshman of the Year. A true freshman from Naperville, Illinois, he finished the season with 1,565 passing yards and 577 rushing yards., while accounting for 22 touchdowns — 15 passing and seven rushing — against only three interceptions. He rushed and passed for 100-plus yards in the same game three times en route to being named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
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Davis, a true freshman from Joplin, Missouri, was named co-Spring FCS Playoff MVP with Sam Houston wide receiver Jequez Ezzard. In four playoff games, Davis rushed 43 times for 444 yards (10.3 yards per carry) with five touchdowns. He topped the 100-yard mark twice for rushing in the postseason, including a 178-yard, three-touchdown performance in the national championship game, in which he finished with 305 all-purpose yards (178 rushing, 114 kickoff returns, 13 receiving).
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For the season, Davis finished as the team's leading rusher with 818 yards (81.8 ypg) and 10 touchdowns.
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South Dakota State made its ninth consecutive appearance in the FCS playoffs during the 2020-21 spring season and finished with an 8-2 overall record in reaching the national championship game for the first time in program history. The Jackrabbits earned a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title with a 5-1 league record.
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-GoJacks.com-
Players Mentioned
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