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South Dakota State University Athletics
DAVIS, GRONOWSKI AMONG PAYTON FINALISTS
11/21/2023 11:41:00 AM | Football
CHICAGO — South Dakota State running back Isaiah Davis and quarterback Mark Gronowski were named Tuesday as two of the 30 finalists for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented by FedEx Ground and given annually to the top offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.
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The winner will be selected by a national voting panel and will be announced at the FCS National Awards Banquet in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 6 — the eve of the FCS championship game.
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Davis, a senior from Joplin, Missouri, tallied a Missouri Valley Football Conference-best 1,075 rushing yards in 11 regular season contests while averaging 6.6 yards per carry with 11 touchdowns. He added 18 receptions for 159 yards and another score to finish the regular season leading the league with 112.2 all-purpose yards per game. Davis crossed the 100-yard mark five times en route to his second 1,000-yard season in a row and topping 4,000 rushing yards in his career.
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A junior from Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski ended the regular season leading the FCS ranks in passing efficiency with a 184.08 rating after completing 68.5 percent (159-of-232) of his passes for 2,359 yards and 23 touchdowns against only three interceptions. He has rushed and passed for touchdowns in the same game seven times this season in helping lead the Jackrabbits to an undefeated regular season and No. 1 ranking.
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South Dakota State, 11-0 overall, has earned the top seed for the FCS playoffs and will host a second-round game Dec. 2 against the winner of this weekend's first-round matchup between Gardner-Webb and Mercer. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
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The winner will be selected by a national voting panel and will be announced at the FCS National Awards Banquet in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 6 — the eve of the FCS championship game.
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Davis, a senior from Joplin, Missouri, tallied a Missouri Valley Football Conference-best 1,075 rushing yards in 11 regular season contests while averaging 6.6 yards per carry with 11 touchdowns. He added 18 receptions for 159 yards and another score to finish the regular season leading the league with 112.2 all-purpose yards per game. Davis crossed the 100-yard mark five times en route to his second 1,000-yard season in a row and topping 4,000 rushing yards in his career.
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A junior from Naperville, Illinois, Gronowski ended the regular season leading the FCS ranks in passing efficiency with a 184.08 rating after completing 68.5 percent (159-of-232) of his passes for 2,359 yards and 23 touchdowns against only three interceptions. He has rushed and passed for touchdowns in the same game seven times this season in helping lead the Jackrabbits to an undefeated regular season and No. 1 ranking.
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South Dakota State, 11-0 overall, has earned the top seed for the FCS playoffs and will host a second-round game Dec. 2 against the winner of this weekend's first-round matchup between Gardner-Webb and Mercer. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
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