The Drake Bulldogs came in looking for the upset and the Jacks did enough to come away with a two score win. A 37-21 win is not the usual result that we have become used to when we play a Pioneer League team. I do think Drake is going to be a really good team and make a 3rd straight appearance in the FCS playoffs. However, the Jackrabbits have plenty they can improve upon during their bye week. At this point I am just happy being 3-0. The mistakes we are seeing made are all correctable. It’s not a physical thing and I truly do believe this team has the potential to get to Nashville and compete for another national championship.
Rants & Raves
Rave: We can put to rest the question about if Chase Mason is going to be any good as a passing QB. He finished 18 for 25 for 225 yards and 1 TD through the air. Those aren’t eye popping numbers but he didn’t make any big mistakes AND he made some eye popping throws that we truly haven’t seen a Jackrabbit quarterback make before.
Rave: The Jackrabbit kickoff and coverage team have been outstanding outside of one return at Montana State. Last night, Ryan Harrington gave them NOTHING. This week he was placing the ball perfectly in the front corner of the endzone just begging the Drake returner to bring it out. Along with the kickoffs, I was happy to see Ryan get his shot at field goals and that he was able to make a 39 yarder.
Rant: As happy as I am with Chase the passer, I am less happy with Chase the runner. Every time he lowered the shoulder to truck a Drake defender, I held my breath. I don’t want to eliminate running from his repertoire because that is who he is but I just hate to see him lower the shoulder.
Rave: The attendance, especially by the students was outstanding! It’s wild to think that a crowd of over 19,000 is no longer a shoe-in to be a top-10 attendance game.
Rave: Congratulations to Julius Loughridge, Alex Bullock, James Basinger, and Corey Blair for scoring their first touchdowns as Jackrabbits in this one! We only get Loughridge and Bullock for the rest of this season but for Basinger and Blair, I think this is the first of many. They are extremely talented!
Rant: After Montana State I shared how impressed I was with the discipline of the team and how they limited penalties. This week was a different story as the team had 7 penalties for 68 yards. What really hurt from these penalties is that it put the Jacks in 3rd and long situations or it extended drives for Drake.
Rave: I’m going to start banging the drum for Cullen McShane to get some more attention nationally. Yes, he had a bad penalty this week BUT he is playing at a very high level right now. He again led the team in tackles. He reminds me of Christian Rozeboom and Jason Freeman and the fire that they played the game with. He is a sound tackler that can really run.
Rave: Joe Ollman has always been playing at a ridiculously high level as well. He’s now at 3 forced fumbles in 3 games. He also had two sacks this week and just seemed to be all over the place again. What an awesome story!
Rant: The Jackrabbits must be better in short yardage situations and in the redzone. The Jacks were 3 of 9 on 3rd down, 1 for 4 on 4th down and were just 6 for 8 on redzone scores. They have to start figuring out how to finish these drives.
Rave: Shout-out to the gameday operations crew at SDSU. I think they heard us and made some changes. Security seemed to go much smoother. They walked around the tailgate lot with wristbands instead of walking around, checking for wristbands, and then making people walk to the wristband stand. I thought concessions were better also and lines seemed to move quickly. I haven’t had any complaints about running out of food or anything like that.
Rave: Last week I expressed how I wanted someone to step up opposite of O’Groske and I think they did this week. Goering had 3 catches for 65 yards and would have had 40+ more and a TD if he hadn’t been interfered with. Bullock had 5 for 39 and his TD and Jack Smith caught a 20 yard rocket from Chase on a deep out. I think this group will be just fine as the season progresses.
Rant: The defense has to tackle better going forward. It’s weird because they didn’t struggle with this against Sac State or Montana State, two teams with supposedly better athletes.
Rave: I also want to shout out the guys who stepped in with Kirschenman being out. Blake Leiferman has been playing really well for just a redshirt freshman as has Nick Wells who is playing at a very high level for coming off of a knee injury. Kevin Spellman looks like a guy who has played a lot of football and just has a savviness to his game. I don’t know how long Reis will be out but I think these 3 can hold it down while he is.
Rave: Noah Thompson had an INT go through his hands in the first half but he was able to get one in the second half on a tip drill. I love that for Noah!
Rave: Congratulations to Isaiah Johnson for getting his first start as a Jackrabbit at corner. The former Bemidji State star had battled injuries through fall camp so its good to see him healthy and playing at a high level.
Rave: Good job by Juice’s pants for holding it together this week. His celebration on the first touchdown was hilarious. If you missed it, he checked his hips with his hands and then gave two big thumbs up. His mom later replied to my tweet that she had her sewing kit ready just in case. ha!
Game Balls
Offense: Chase Mason
Defense: Joe Ollman
Special Teams: Ryan Harrington
Go Jacks!
Matt
