As I have said countless times this season, and over the last handful of years, the Jackrabbits took care of business on Saturday. Again, this contest against the University of the Incarnate Word was never in doubt. The most nervous I was the entire day was right before kickoff. I should have known to trust the team and that they, this senior group of players, were definitely not losing to the Cardinals on Saturday.
Rants & Raves
Rave: The Jackrabbit defense was terrific on Saturday against one of the best offenses in the FCS. The Jacks were good on every down but forcing UIW to go 1 of 6 on 4th down was incredible.
Rave: The #605Hogs again played really reallly well against a talented defensive line. UIW came in with a whopping 38 sacks on the season. For the most part, Mark had little pressure in his face on his 16 attempts and he was never sacked. In addition, the Jacks averaged 6.5 ypc on 42 rushing attempts!
Rave: His stats aren’t flashy but I thought Mark played another great game. He was just 7 for 16 for 174 yards and 3 TDs with an INT but it felt like he was in command the entire game. More on the INT in a bit.
Rant: Chase Mason, welcome back! Hang on to the ball.
Rave: UIW put up some yards through the air (258 to be exact) but it felt like there were a lot of empty yards there. I loved how our secondary approached this game and limited any deep shots that UIW tried. There longest pass play of the day was just 21 yards. For a team like UIW that loves the homerun plays, this was HUGE.
Rave: The Jackrabbit secondary deserves a ton of credit for this. They were physical from the start and the cornerback trio of Dalys Beanum, Steven, Arrell, and Colby Humphrey played maybe their best collective game of the season. They tackled well and really made sure that the UIW pass catchers felt them.
Rave: Shout out to the facilities and field crew for having the stadium and field in such good shape with the weather we have had in the area the last few weeks.
Rant: I wasn’t super thrilled with all the extra curriculars between players. I thought the referees were super patient and that there could have been multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both teams at different times.
Rave: An absolute shoutout needs to go to the Pride of the Dakotas. I remember when the Pride used to call it a season in November. Now they continue to perform until the last home game of the season. It just adds so much to the atmosphere.
Rave: Amar Johnson has been on fire over the last 6 weeks (since the USD game). Over that time period, he has 81 carries, 607 yards rushing, a whopping 7.5 ypc, and 6 TDs. I know the Gronowski-Wilde connection is hot right now but I don’t think anyone is playing better than Amar!
Rave: Congratulations to South Dakota prep legend Brendan Begeman for earning his first career TD. Overall, I thought the second and third string offense looked pretty good yesterday!
Rant: I’m not going crazy on it but I just want to say that I’m bummed by the crowd size. I know it’s a busy time of year with youth sports and Christmas parties and everyone’s financial picture is different and the weather did not help but the crowd size looked awful on TV. I’m not going to bad-dog anyone for not being there but it is disappointing that we can’t showcase our fanbase better on national TV.
Rave: However, those who were in attendance helped make it an awesome atmosphere!
Rave: The way the Jackrabbits rallied to the football really impressed me. UIW is probably a faster team but the Jacks did such a good job of turning and sprinting and hunting down the ball carrier.
Rave: Likewise, the #ChainGang was nasty yesterday. They controlled the line of scrimmage and were able to sack Calzada 3 times and pressure him consistently throughout the day. I’m always so impressed with how hard Kobe Clayborne plays.
Rant: The INT that Mark threw appeared to off an RPO and it appeared that Griffin thought it was going to be a run. I’m not worried about their connection though and think it was just a blip…
Rave: Because Mark and Griffin have been virtually unstoppable. In the last 5 games, Griffin has 22 receptions, for 510 yards, and 8 TDs. Tremendous production!
Rave: I know there is lots of hand wringing about having a second option after Griffin but Lofton O’Groske is so dang reliable. He had 3 catches yesterday for 48 yards and it felt like every single one of those was difficult and contested. He may not have the stats right now but I guarantee Mark trusts him wholeheartedly.
Rave: One thing that has steadily improved this season is the downfield blocking from the wide receivers and tight ends. The Janke’s and Zach Heins were so dominant in this area for so long that it was jarring to see the new pass catchers struggle with it so much to start the year. That is no longer the case and they are badass downfield blockers now.
Rant: I’m nervous about the number of injuries that popped up yesterday. Francl’s ankle injury didn’t look great. Mason didn’t look fully healthy. Davin Stoffel limped off but did return. Angel was unexpectedly out. Hopefully the Jackrabbits can get a few of these guys back for the game in Fargo.
Rave: The Jackrabbit special teams was dominant. Hunter Dustman did whatever he wanted, the kick coverage and punt coverage were suffocating. Special teams were struggling towards the end of the season but it is back performing at a really high level again.
Rave: I’m glad David Alpers was able to show his catch and run ability yesterday. He’s been pretty effective in the tight end screen game with Jon Bell later in games but yesterday he was able to connect with Mark and he looked like a pretty smooth mover on his 59 yard touchdown catch and run.
Rave: Kentrell Prejean’s catch on the 4th down conversion was sensational. He’s a really fun player and I’m excited for his future.
Rave: Proud of this team and that they are playing with such focus. Back in August when we did the MVFC preview episode, this is exactly what Brendan and I predicted. The Jacks would lose the regular season battle to the Bison and then return in the playoffs playing much better ball. We’ll find out in a week!
Game Balls
Offense: #605Hogs- Domination across the board
Defense: Steven Arrell- So physical! Forced fumble was picture perfect!
Special Teams: Dontay Johnson (Terrific on kick and punt coverage)
Go Jacks!
Matt
8 Responses
I agree that the crowd looked paltry on TV, but they sounded loud! Go Jacks!
The defense was fantastic yesterday. Calzada is a special athlete. I felt bad for him. He was the only consistent one on his team. When they needed yards, he ran and got them early on. As soon as the defense took that away from them, they had lost the game. His receivers let him down on a few throws as well.
Lots of fun storylines potentially in the next few weeks. Gronowski with a chance at the all-time wins record against the team, whose player has the record. A chance to avenge the loss in the regular season to the bison. And a potential of seeing USD in the championship. GBGBGJ!!!!
The reference of Pride of the Dakotas truly includes the Band AND the Team of Men playing their hearts out for us in the stands and in front of our TVs across the nation!
I was standing behind the bench when Francl got hurt he was showing the trainers how he rolled his lower ankle. They taped him up and did some warmup drills, but didn’t go back in. Hopefully he can still go next week.
I don’t see the Hogs manhandling the Bison front. They will need tight end production in the passing game.
Enough already with the fan shaming about yesterday’s attendance please! The roads were iffy at best. I know many made the drive from out of town and it was “fine” for them. But it was questionable, icy and slick. Our family of four (two adults, two young school age kids) was so excited all week to drive up for the playoff and cheer for our beloved Jacks in a winter playoff game. We were so bummed to stay home, but we just couldn’t justify the risky drive/potential for accidents/injury. Every Jacks fan made the best decision they could for themselves. But there was a road fatality on the interstate yesterday in Sioux Falls. Safe travel conditions were not a given. We appreciate all you do, we are dedicated fans of Jackrabbit Illustrated. But please remember that attending a game in December is not just a matter of prioritizing or making the time. It’s often a matter of personal safety.
I don’t know how you can say this is shaming. No names were called. It just is what it is.
This is good stuff. I was getting nervous about the starters, but I think it was fine.
It wasn’t too cold, but my diabetic feet are still cold! Ha!