Story by
The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Matt Zimmer: Exhale, Jackrabbit fans, Chase Mason will be back
- Story byThe Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
- Matt Zimmer: Exhale, Jackrabbit fans, Chase Mason will be back
Sep. 22—BROOKINGS — Chase Mason did not tear his ACL. The injury that knocked him out of Saturday's 27-20 win over Youngstown State will not end his season.
Take a deep breath, Jacks fans.
Mason has already torn an ACL twice in his football career, so it made sense that the South Dakota State quarterback, his teammates, coaches and fans feared the worst when he limped off the field late in the first half of Saturday's game.
Advertisement
The look on Mason's face suggested concern, to say the least, though it was encouraging to see him jog — jog, not walk — back out onto the field from the locker room just before the second half kickoff.
Jackson was cautiously optimistic in the postgame press conference, and when I texted him Sunday night he said Mason felt even better, and optimism was ticking upward.
But they still couldn't rule out those dreaded three letters.
Monday, they got about the best news they could've hoped for. The team isn't giving out details of the injury (because, in their defense, they don't have to), and while Mason definitely won't play this week against Eastern Illinois , he's rehabbing with the intent of returning for the following week's showdown with Illinois State .
Advertisement
The Jacks have a bye after that, so if Mason can't go against the Redbirds he should have a good chance of playing Oct. 17 at North Dakota .
While this is good news for South Dakota State, and good news for Mason in the big picture, it's still a tough break. The poor kid just hasn't been able to stay healthy. Not only the two ACL tears (that cost him his senior year of high school and his first season at South Dakota State, in 2022), but, of course, there was last year's foot injury that cost Mason five games and significantly impacted the Jacks' season (they went 1-4 without him).
Remember, Mason was playing Big Ten baseball for Nebraska , and all indications are that he was going to be an impact player for the Huskers. He walked away from that to come to SDSU , just to sit behind Mark Gronowski for three(!) years so he'd have two to be the Jacks' starting quarterback.
And he's been struck down by injury in both. The football gods haven't really rewarded Chase for his loyalty.
Advertisement
But sometimes sports and life aren't fair. Ask Byron Buxton or Greg Oden.
But it obviously could be worse. Mason will be back.
And in the meantime, SDSU is much more prepared to deal with his absence than they were a year ago.
Last year when Mason went down SDSU turned to a pair of redshirt freshmen in Luke Marble and Jack Henry . Marble struggled and got dinged up himself, while Henry wasn't really ready.
That's not the case anymore.
Henry has grown by leaps and bounds, and he's not even the QB2. That's Josh Holst , a transfer from Northern Illinois, the same school Marble came from.
Advertisement
But unlike Marble (who now plays for West Georgia) Holst actually played when he was at NIU, and played pretty well. The 6-4, 210-pound junior played in 14 games for the Huskies, throwing for 1,281 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for 385 yards. He started three games in 2024, including NIU's bowl game, where he threw for 182 yards and rushed for 65 to earn Potato Bowl MVP honors.
Holst didn't look great throwing the ball in relief of Mason on Saturday but he kind of got thrown in on short notice and the Jacks were content to run the ball (to the tune of over 300 yards). Jackson is excited to see what Holst can do with a full week of practice taking reps with the starters, and there's a possibility Henry could get some reps, too, especially this week against an Eastern Illinois team the Jacks shouldn't have too much trouble with (I say that remembering what happened against Indiana State last year).
So things are about to get awfully interesting.
USD is off to a tremendous start under first-year coach Matt Vitzthum, and the Halloween game between the Jacks and Yotes in Brookings is shaping up to be epic.
A Chase Mason vs. Austyn Modrzewski battle is what this state deserves, and thankfully, it looks like we're gonna get it.
