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BEMIDJI — Jarrett Gronski was tasked with setting the tone on Saturday.
The Superior, Wis., native — making his first collegiate start and against his hometown team, no less — rushed 11 times for a career-high 90 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bemidji State football team to a 41-16 victory over injury-ravaged Minnesota Duluth.
“The coaches told me, with me being the bigger back in the room, take the ball right away and set the tone,” said the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Gronski. “We were preaching physicality all week, so just get me running downhill and show Duluth they’re in for a physical game.”
The Beavers (6-2), winners of six straight, are now in the driver’s seat for the NSIC North Division title and should have a strong case to make their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance should they win out.
“This was my first collegiate start, and it was quite awesome,” Gronski said. “It was awesome to get out here, especially on our field and beat the Bulldogs.”
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And it was even better to do it in front of friends and family, including his father John, a BSU alum.
John Gronski congratulated his son postgame before adding some friendly ribbing, saying “Doggone it, how come you didn’t score earlier?”
Forgive the elder Gronski for having high standards. In 1987, he rushed for a Bemidji State-record 319 yards with four touchdowns on 30 carries in a win over Southwest Minnesota State at the very same location as Saturday.
Jarrett Gronski said the Bulldogs also showed interest in him coming out of high school.
“My dad was actually really good about my recruitment and told me to keep an open mind about wherever I went,” Gronski said. “It just so happened that I fell in love with Bemidji.”
And the Beavers will continue to love him if he keeps turning in performances like Saturday.
“I’m starting to find my role in this offense and I’m enjoying it,” said the do-it-all Gronski, who is listed as sophomore tight end/fullback.
BEMIDJI STATE TD: Jarrett Gronski with the dagger.
— Micah Friez (@micahfriez) October 22, 2022
He goes right up the gut and rushes in for a 22-yard TD rush. Bemidji State leads 41-16 with 3:41 left in the fourth quarter.
This game is over.
After rallying to win in Duluth for the first time since World War II last fall, the Beavers have now won two straight over the Bulldogs in a series that is looking more and more like a real rivalry these days.
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“This was definitely a huge game,” Gronski said. “We knew we had to come out and make a statement, and I think we did that.”
Injury bug bites Minnesota Duluth
UMD backup quarterback Kyle Walljasper, making his first collegiate start in place of injured senior Garrett Olson, finished 12-for-21 passing for 106 yards and no touchdowns. He led the Bulldogs with 25 rushes for 95 yards and a touchdown.
“We needed to be better rushing the football,” Minnesota Duluth head coach Curt Wiese said. “Bemidji is the first team that held us on first down consistently, and that takes us out of our game plan really quick.”
Wiese said linebackers Brad Dati, Drew Hennessey, Cole Refsnider and Andrew Klopp didn’t play due to injury, and fellow linebacker Michael Empting had to leave the game.
“We don’t have an inside linebacker left on our roster,” Wiese said.
So who’s playing inside linebacker?
“Defensive ends and safeties,” Wiese said.
The Beavers’ game plan was to take it to the Bulldogs to the tune of 464 yards while topping 40 points for the fifth straight game. Bemidji State was 4-for-8 on third downs and 3-for-3 on fourth downs, often from healthy distances.
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“You don’t wish injuries on anybody,” BSU head coach Brent Bolte said. “That was a shell of the Duluth teams we’re used to seeing.”
