Chase Mason's athleticism adds another twist to the Jackrabbits' offense

BROOKINGS — Without Hobo Day, South Dakota State's 63-13 victory over Youngstown State might have been known as “The Chase Mason Game.”

While Mason had been shuffled into packages through the first five games, Saturday's win felt like a complete revelation. Mason was used sporadically in the first half and managed touchdown runs of 38 and 48 yards. As the game spiraled out of control, Mason entered the game at quarterback and completed a 69-yard run that led to a four-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

“It was just a lot of fun to play in that game,” Mason said. “I think everyone’s energy…I just fed off of it and they fed off of me too. When I'm there, I know there's a lot of hard work ahead of me. Lots of learning. It’s just nice to have an opportunity like this.”

With 166 rushing yards and three total touchdowns, it felt like the Jackrabbits had unlocked a secret weapon in their offense. But for Mason, it was an opportunity to use his elite athleticism to make a long-awaited impact.

Saturday's game wasn't the first time Mason had a great performance at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. In 2019, as a junior at Viborg-Hurley, he amassed 400 total yards in a 50-24 win over Bon Homme, leading the Cougars to their first 9AA state championship.

Mason's performance was a small sample of his junior year, when he threw for over 2,000 yards and ran for over 1,000 yards while earning All-State honors, but that wasn't the only place he stood out.

As a basketball player in the winter and a diver on the track team in the spring, Mason's biggest influence may have been on baseball karate. Perfect Game ranked Mason as the No. 33 outfielder and 205th overall player in the Class of 2021, and when Mason suffered a torn ACL during his senior year of football, the thought of a professional baseball career became more attractive.

While Mason returned to sprints during the track and field season, he committed to play midfield for Nebraska and was ranked as the No. 6 freshman prospect in the Big Ten. Mason's future in baseball was bright, but his heart remained on the field. After spending a semester in Lincoln, Mason never played an inning for the Cornhuskers and enrolled at SDSU in January 2022 to focus full-time on football.

“It’s not that I didn’t like baseball, I just didn’t love it,” Mason said. “That’s what you have to do at this level. You have to love what you do every day.”

Mason was on his way to the Jacks when he tore his right ACL for the second time. While the injury was a setback, Mason credits SDSU athletic trainer Charlie Miller and his previous experiences rehabilitating from the injury for his survival.

But he also developed a relationship with starting quarterback Mark Gronowski, who suffered a torn ACL in the championship game of the spring 2021 season during his freshman season.

Gronowski used his experience to encourage Mason to “fall in love with the monotony of the process” by entering the training room and setting small goals along the way.

“Those days get really boring, but if you set these small goals, you can see success over time,” Gronowski remembers. “He did that throughout his entire process and he came back even quicker and looked more athletic than before.”

While Mason admitted the injury was initially disappointing, he also believes it helped him in the long run. His relationship with Gronowski grew as he served as a sideline signal caller during the 2022 season, a role that helped him understand the playbook before serving as Gronowski's backup the following year.

“I feel like he could rely on me and I could talk to him,” Mason said. “It was like we could relate to different things. We just have our knee injuries and have to sit out the season. Of course it sucks…but sitting out a whole year is a whole different story. But I could just sit there and learn behind him.”

Mason saw increased playing time toward the end of games in 2023, completing 16 of 26 passes for 267 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde in a national semifinal victory over UAlbany, and adding 16 carries for 184 yards and one Add touchdown.

When Gronowski returned to SDSU this spring, it seemed like Mason would have to wait his turn to make an impact. But the Jacks' offensive staff began developing game plans to include him.

In six games, Mason was 6-for-8 passing for 51 yards and one touchdown while carrying the ball 24 times for 256 yards and four touchdowns.

“He’s too good to sit on the sidelines and we have to take advantage of him,” SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said of Mason after Saturday’s win over the Penguins. “We did a really good job offensively in terms of the offensive team and being ready to play at the right moment. For one thing, he is In general, he’s hard to beat, but when you have a guy who can throw the ball like that, he’s really a dual threat.”

Whether this means fans will see more of Mason remains to be seen. Rogers didn't say Mason's role would increase further Saturday, acknowledging there was some risk in putting him on the field.

“I think it's our job to get the best players on the field to succeed and also protect him because he's such a valuable part of our team,” Rogers said Tuesday. “If anything happens to Mark, we'll go to Chase. So we have to make sure we look at the big picture and not just be out there trying to mess things up.”

Rogers said Montana State had a similar dynamic to its playbook last season, adding starter Tommy Mellott and backup Sean Chambers to lead the Bobcats to a 6-1 start. But MSU used that momentum too often and Chambers faded toward the end of the year, causing the Bobcats to lose three of their final five games.

“If you look at what happened to the Montana State team last year … if you lose one, you lose part of your game plan,” Rogers said. “We have to make sure that this week we are committed to doing the fundamental things right and executing the things that we can do with great technique. Will he play a role in this game? Surely. How much? We’re still just getting through it.”

Even if Mason doesn't play a big role in Saturday's game against the Bison, he will certainly still play some role. Gronowski raves about how Mason has developed in the three years he has spent on campus and Mason is ready to take over the starting role if Gronowski leaves.

It defies the saying that if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one. But even then, that's not what the Jackrabbits do.

Right now, SDSU has a quarterback and a really good athlete who is relishing his opportunity to contribute — and perhaps add another performance known as “The Chase Mason Game.”

“I just want to be out there to help the team in any way I can,” Mason said. “Whether that’s the lineup at running back, tight end, quarterback, whatever it is. I just want to be out there and help.”