The Jackrabbits sent the Bears packing to the FBS on Saturday with a walloping, much like the Jackrabbits have in their previous matchups. The 45-9 beatdown really wasn’t close and the Jacks certainly could have broke the 50 point threshold. For the Bears, its not really a goodbye but more of good riddance to this awful program.
Rants & Raves
Rave: Once again the defense was absolutely suffocating. Once again, the Bears were unable to find the endzone and had to settle for field goals. On the season SDSU has allowed just 14 touchdowns. 8 of them came in the first two weeks vs. Oklahoma State and UIW. That means that in the ten games since, they are allowing less than 1 TD scored per game. Again, suffocating!
Rave: I really believe the passing game is back on track. Mark and Griffin have a chemistry right now that seems like it is unstoppable. Mark passed for 258 yards and 2 TD and Griffin had 4 receptions for 139 yards and a TD reception. The complimentary pieces are doing their part and keeping the defense honest. Logan O’Groske and Kentrell Prejean have been making the plays when called upon. S
Rave: Shoutout to Kevin Brenner for making one heck of a catch. It’s always great to see Kevin getting in on the passing game and on Saturday he maybe had the catch of the day on this way to the endzone.
Rant: Special teams has to figure it out… Simply put you can’t gift wrap your opponent the ball at the five yard line. I’m wondering what happened to this third of the game because early on in the season they looked great!
Rave: Also on the offensive side of the ball, Evan Beerntsen has had one heck of a season at his guard position and we probably have highlighted that enough. The man plays with a ton of physicality and his movement skills on pulls are really impressive. His pull and pancake on Amar’s first TD were a thing of beauty. He should be an All-American along with Gus on the offensive line.
Rave: Speaking of Amar, I thought he had a nice game and has really showed a burst over the past few weeks once he makes his cut. He ended the day with 58 yards and 2 TDs and just 12 carries. Really a solid day.
Rave: Did we clone Caleb Francl and Tucker Large this week because it felt like they were everywhere! Large finished with 5 tackles and 3 PBUs while Francl had 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 PBU, and 1 QBH. Holy smokes!
Rant: I thought the #605Hogs did just okay pass blocking on Saturday. Missouri State has a good pass rush and they did get 2 sacks and 4 PBUs in this one. There will be better pass rushing teams in the playoffs and they will need to perform a little better.
Rave: The #ChainGang for the Jacks was sensational yesterday and made Jacob Clark feel them all day long. The Jacks finished with 5 sacks and Bock, Depriest, Wolfcale-Holsten, Hawthorne, and Kirschenman all got in on the party. The Jacks ability to push a pocket and collapse around opposing QBs is terrific. Clark was never really able to get comfortable in the pocket all day long. There were also a few other plays where Clark barely got the ball back to the line of scrimmage to save a sack.
Rave: Likewise, they were EXCELLENT in the run game. Mo State finished with just 34 total rushing yards and rarely were able to crack through the initial line of scrimmage.
Rave: I loved how the 2’s and 3’s performed. No points allowed and a touchdown while still going against Missouri State’s starters. Heck yeah!
Rave: Again, the Jackrabbits were very good on 3rd down on both sides of the ball. They converted on 7 of 13 and held the Bears to just 2 of 14. Really impressive!
Rant: This one has nothing to do with the actual game but it annoys me to know end that these FBS conferences are growing by going for “Markets” vs. quality of programs. There is no way Missouri State should be going FBS before SDSU or NDSU (or many other MVFC programs). However, they have this perceived “market” when in reality, very few in Missouri really care about the Bears. Plaster Stadium is mostly empty on Saturday afternoons. Why will a Tuesday or Wednesday night be any different?
Rave: Shoutout to Bryce Johnson for being an athlete and fielding those two kickoffs in a confident way!
Rave: I really enjoyed the Missouri State broadcast crew and I think I said that two years ago. They were knowledgeable and very complimentary of the Jackrabbits.
Rave: I’m glad Kirby Voorhees is healthy as I think his short yardage ability will be needed. The guy is really really tough to tackle and he almost always is falling forward.
Rave: I loved the Jackrabbit drive to tend the first half and put up points. 24-9 at the break feels much different than 17-9.
Rant/Rave: The selection show will be held at 11:30am this morning on ESPNU. No matter the outcome, I hope that Jackrabbit fans show that we are an intelligent fanbase. Again, there are reasons for NDSU, USD, and SDSU to all be ranked as the #2 seed in the FCS playoffs. The committee will sort it out. I think the Jacks earn the #2 seed due to how NDSU collapsed yesterday and how they are playing right now as the playoffs start. If they Jacks aren’t the 2, I’d rather have them at the 4 and go to Montana State vs. Fargo. That’s just my preference. We’ll find out in a few hours.
Game Balls
Offense: Mark Gronowski
Defense: Caleb Francl
Special Teams: Hunter Dustman
Go Jacks!
Matt
One Response
Missouri State has to compete with Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State for players. By stepping up to FBS, Missouri State offers more exposure to its players. Also, the new conference will provide more TV money for Missouri State. With a win yesterday, the Bears would have shared the conference title, the program has improved since it first joined the conference, and we should be happy they have a chance to improve their program.
Why is the picture from the SIU game?