The Jackrabbits closed out the regular season with a big 24-21 win against the University of North Dakota which likely secured their seat in the FCS playoffs for the 10th consecutive year. Before we get into too much playoff talk, lets get into the Rants & Raves for this game.

Rants & Raves

Rave: I really thought Bo Donald and Jason Titus filled in admirably along the offensive line with Aron Johnson out. At times we saw what four out of the five spots along the line in 2022 may look like. From left to right it went Greenfield, McCormick, Genant, G. Miller, and Donald. Outside of Genant, the other four will be back next fall. On the first possession it appeared Donald was a bit slow out of his stance but he adjusted and it didn’t look like problem the rest of the way out.

Rave: This is one that I’ve been sitting on for weeks now but it is now the right time… After being HEAVILY criticized during the 2019 season and tailgate, UPD has been phenomenal this year. This fall they have been present and visible but certainly not overbearing. I haven’t heard a single story of someone in the backyard or in the library area having an issue with a UPD officer, even during the NDSU game when the tailgating crowd was huge. Kudos to their new approach in managing the game day party!

Rant: The MVFC officiating has sure been frustrating this fall. I get that it is hard to find officials now so I try to not be too hard on them but the inconsistency is mind blowing. The Jacks finished with just 4 penalties for 35 yards. Another unsportsmanlike conduct….UGH…. but that’s not the point. UND finished with ZERO penalties, yes zero. The amount of holding that UNDs offensive line was getting away with was crazy and so blatantly obvious. It felt like it has been open season for holding penalties this year. Finally, I know the replay wasn’t great on Chris Oladokun’s QB sneak but it sure seemed like we could infer that the ball broke the plane of the goal line. Last week the officials made a call off of replay when there wasn’t clear, undisputable video evidence why couldn’t they do the same this week?

Rave: Speaking of Oladokun… I thought that was his best game of the season yesterday outside of Colorado State. He was more decisive and he really showed off his accuracy. He finished 19-26 for 239 yards and 3 TD and he likely would have had 60 more yards and a TD on a deep shot play that was dropped.

Rave: It sure was nice to have the 1-2 punch of Strong and Davis back together. I had heard that Davis would be on a pitch count and I knew that we would likely see him on the third series of the game. I didn’t expect him to bust a 22 yard run on his first touch. That was awesome! The game was a reminder about why Strong and Davis are such a good compliment to one another, their styles are so different that it really can catch a defense by surprise with their pursuit angles.

Rant: The Jackrabbit defense was horrendous on 3rd down yesterday allowing UND to convert on 13 of 19 attempts and then on 2 of 2 fourth down attempts. This was the main reason why UND won the time of possession battle by six minutes. There wasn’t won thing that was wrong either. At time rush lane discipline was poor, on other plays coverage broke down or was beat, and other times tackling was the issue. The really strange thing is that these issues really didn’t happen on 1st and 2nd down throughout the game. Again, it was weird but it must be better in the playoffs!

Rave: The Jackrabbit pass catchers just continue to impress as both blockers and receivers. Tucker Kraft showed yesterday on a single play why he is the best tight end in the MVFC. Zach Heins proved how reliable he continues to be when the Jacks need a first down. Jaxon Janke continues to show his playmaking ability, going over 100 yards receiving in 4 of the last 5 games. While Jadon Janke is just so explosive. It is a fun group to watch!

Rave: This is another RAVE that I’ve had for weeks but have forgotten to add in. After a few years where it seemed like their numbers were diminished, the Pride of the Dakotas is looking and sounding great with the added members. Maybe it is the prospect of getting to march in the Macy’s Day Parade that has increased the numbers or maybe it is just students looking for a post-COVID connection or outlet. Whatever the case, it is nice to see the Pride with an increased number of members.

Rant: The Jacks look like a defense that sure could have used the bye this year in the playoffs. They just look wore down. It’s always a long season in the MVFC and we may finally be seeing the effects of the spring season, especially on our defense.

Rave: The Jackrabbit special teams was shaky to start the year but has gotten better as the year has gone along. Cole Frahm nailed a huge kick yesterday, Tyler Feldkamp had the best kick return of the year, and the coverage units were both really good. This group is certainly rounding into shape at the right time of year!

Rave: The Jackrabbit defensive line got so much pressure on Tommy Schuester on Saturday. Coming into the game he had only been sacked 5 times on the season and the Jacks got to him 3 times and could/should have had more. Cheers to their relentless pursuit.

Rave: Kudos to Jackrabbit Nation for excellent home attendance throughout the season. Even yesterday’s crowd wasn’t bad and was into the game throughout, especially in the 4th quarter. On the year, the average attendance was 14,166 which I believe is the record. It wasn’t too long ago when 14,000 fansf had Coughlin bursting at the seams for maybe one game per year. Same with the students, their engagement and attendance has been great througout the year.

Rave: Thank you to the 21 seniors who went through the Senior Day ceremony. You were the first class that I started covering when Jackrabbit Illustrated started. After the season I will look back on your class and the initial assessment and how it panned it. Thank you for all you have done to elevate the program, your dedication, and sacrifice in your SDSU careers.

Game Balls

Offense: Chris Oladokun- 19-26 for 239 yards and 3 TD

Defense: Cade Terveer- 3 tackles, 2 sacks (HUGE plays!!!)

Special Teams: Cole Frahm- 3/3 on XP and game winning 38 yard field goal

Playoffs

The Jackrabbits likely clinched their 10th consecutive trip to the playoffs. The selection show will air this morning at 11:30am on ESPNU. The Jackrabbits are a longshot to get a seed but there is still a chance the committee will recognize the quality wins and the injured players who are now back in the lineup. Here is what we know about the 24 spots and what I can guess about how the field will be filled out.

Automatic Qualifiers:

• AQ7: Sam Houston
• Big Sky: Sacramento State
• Big South: Kennesaw
• CAA: Villanova
• MVFC: NDSU
• NEC: Sacred Heart
• OVC: University Tennesee Martin
• Patriot: Holy Cross
• Pioneer: Davidson
• Socon: Eastern Tennessee
• Southland: Incarnate Word

Likely Seeds

• Sam Houston
• NDSU
• JMU
• Montana
• EWU
• Sacramento State
• Villanova

Questionable Seeds

• Montana State
• ETSU
• Missouri State
• Kennesaw State
• South Dakota State

In the Field as AQ but not a Seed

• Sacred Heart
• UT Martin
• Holy Cross
• Davidson
• Incarnate Word

Other Teams under consideration to make the field

• UC Davis
• Rhode Island
• William & Mary
• SIU
• UNI
• USD
• Mercer
• Southeast Louisiana
• Stephen F. Austin
• Florida A&M

So this is 27 teams for the 24 team playoff field. As you can see from this list, their is a MAJOR tilt to the western United States. Further complicating things is that teams who played in the regular season cannot play again in the first round of the playoffs. The NCAA says they don’t have a “regional” policy but they do prefer the max of a four hour bus ride. I don’t think Mercer, Rhode Island, or UNI really deserve to make the field.

I think SDSU will not get a seed and will play next weekend. They will likely host one of the automatical qualifiers who are not a seed. None of them are really close to Brookings so it could be any of them. After that, I have no idea how the bracket will look as so many of the seeds will be to the west.

It should be fun to see it unfold at 11:30am this morning!

Go Jacks!

Matt