Mercer University
9-4 , 6-2
South Dakota State
12-0 , 8-0
No. 17 Football Has Historic Season Ended At No. 1 South Dakota State
12/2/2023 7:54:00 PM | Football
The result snapped a 5-game win streak for the Bears (9-4) who saw their historic 2023 season – one which included their first NCAA postseason berth – come to an end in the second round of the FCS Playoffs. South Dakota State (12-0) pushed the nation's longest active win streak out to 25 games, and also extended its home win streak out to 19 games.
| THE BASICS |
| SCORE: South Dakota State 41, Mercer 0 RECORDS: Mercer 9-4, 6-2 SoCon; South Dakota State (12-0, 8-0 MVFC) LOCATION: Brookings, S.D. (Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium) |
| HOW IT HAPPENED |
| 1ST QUARTER |
South Dakota State put together a methodical 10-play, 56-yard scoring drive on the opening possession of the afternoon, but saw its progress stuffed inside the 10-yard line. Regardless, the Jackrabbits went in front for good on a 26-yard field goal from Hunter Dustman. SDSU 3, MU 0
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| 2ND QUARTER |
| The hosts bridged the first and second quarters with a 13-play, 74-yard touchdown drive that drained more than 7-1/2 minutes off of the game clock. Mark Gronowski completed all three of his passing attempts for 48 yards, but it was Isaiah Davis that finished off the possession with a 4-yard sprint up the middle. SDSU 10, MU 0 The Jackrabbits held the Bears to negative yardage to force a 3-and-out on the ensuing possession, and then went to work after setting themselves up near midfield. The hosts kept the drive alive with a key 3rd down conversion midway through, and capped the possession with Mark Gronowski's 7-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Janke. SDSU 17, MU 0 South Dakota State used a pair of big plays to key a 66-yard touchdown drive on its following possession. Mark Gronowski found Jadon Janke on a 28-yard gainer on the opening play of the drive, and then found Jaxon Janke for a 23-yard pass-and-catch three plays later. Isaiah Davis inevitably capped the possession with a 6-yard touchdown run. SDSU 24, MU 0
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| 3RD QUARTER |
The Jackrabbits picked up right where they left off in the second half. After doing enough to keep Mercer out of the end zone on the opening possession for either side in the second stanza, SDSU strung together a 6-play, 68-yard scoring drive that was capped on a 42-yard scoring scamper by Isaiah Davis. SDSU 31, MU 0
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| 4TH QUARTER |
| South Dakota State used the third and fourth quarters to stage a 6-play, 80-yard scoring drive that ultimately ended with another field goal by Hunter Dustman, this one from 19 yards away. Amar Johnson galloped 54 yards to move the hosts inside the 40-yard line, but the Black & Gold ultimately stalled the possession at the 2-yard line. SDSU 34, MU 0 The Jackrabbits put the final points of the afternoon on the scoreboard with just less than six minutes left to play. Angel Johnson shouldered all of the load himself, scooting around right tackle and then racing 80 yards for a touchdown. SDSU 41, MU 0
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| INSIDE THE BOX SCORE |
| + Freshman Reice Griffith averaged 41.7 yards on seven punts against the Jackrabbits. Two of his kicks were downed inside the 20-yard line. + Senior Lance Wise Jr. led Mercer's stop unit with 10 tackles on the afternoon, including a pair of solo stops. + Redshirt junior Ken Standley (interception) and TJ Moore both produced a takeaway in Saturday's outing It was the second career pickoff for Standley, and the first career forced fumble for Moore. |
| NOTABLES |
| + Saturday's loss snapped a 5-game win streak for the Bears who finished off the historic campaign with wins in seven of their last nine outings. The 5-game win streak matched the longest winning skein for the program who also won five consecutive games during the 2013 and 2022 campaigns. + The Bears registered 23 of their 25 takeaways on the season over the course of their last nine games. Mercer forced multiple turnovers in six of their 12 games. |
| UP NEXT |
| Season complete. |
| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow Mercer Football on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Football on Facebook. |
| SUPPORT THE BEARS |
| Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, visit SupportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu. |
Team Stats
MER 0, SDS 3
SDS - Dustman,Hunter 26 yd field goal 10 plays, 56 yards, TOP 04:54
MER 0, SDS 10
SDS - Davis,Isaiah 4 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 13 plays, 74 yards, TOP 07:35
MER 0, SDS 17
SDS - Janke,Jaxon 7 yd pass from Gronowski,Mark (Dustman,Hunter kick) 8 plays, 49 yards, TOP 03:55
MER 0, SDS 24
SDS - Davis,Isaiah 6 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 6 plays, 66 yards, TOP 02:10
MER 0, SDS 31
SDS - Davis,Isaiah 42 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 6 plays, 68 yards, TOP 03:39
MER 0, SDS 34
SDS - Dustman,Hunter 19 yd field goal 6 plays, 80 yards, TOP 02:33
MER 0, SDS 41
SDS - Johnson,Angel 80 yd run (Dustman,Hunter kick), 1 plays, 80 yards, TOP 00:13
