It’s hard to believe but the college football season is already half over.  The Jackrabbits overall have been terrific and are 6-0 when I think many expected them to either be 5-1 or 4-2.  It is astonishing to me that this program lost so much in the portal and an entire coaching staff and has pulled it together in a way that is almost unbelievable.  With that in mind, there is still room for improvement.  I think that is the fun part.  We don’t want our Jackrabbits to be peaking right now.  Lots of season and many important games left.  Here are my grades for the position groups at the halfway mark.

Offense

Quarterbacks: B+
Chase Mason has taken every meaningful snap at QB this season.  He has passed for 1,350 yards, 11 TDs, and completed 65% of his passes and he has only tossed 1 INT.  Maybe we haven’t seen as much of his running ability as we thought but that is probably due to Coach Eidsness recognizing and emphasizing Chase’s importance to this years Jackrabbit squad.  The next step for Chase is just to be consistent with his mechanics which will lead to greater consistency with his passes and result in more completions.  In limited action, it is clear to see what the staff likes about NIU transfer Luke Marble.

Running Backs: B
Julius Loughridge was a late transfer but got to Brookings as soon as he could.  He’s currently the active leading career rusher in the FCS.  He’s an absolute beast and his power runs have been terrific.  Coach Jackson has emphasized that this is a totally difference scheme for “Juice” and there have been some growing pains.  However, he still leads the team with 626 yards and 6 TDs on a 5.2 ypc average.  The tragic passing of Nate White has certainly required the younger backs to grow up fast.  James Basinger has shown some flashes and seems to be steady.  Corey Blair Jr. certainly flashed in his limited action but injuries have caused him to miss the last two weeks.  Brenden Begeman getting hurt just as he was having his best game also stinks.  We’ll see if he is able to return this season.

Tight Ends: B-
The Jackrabbits are known as tight end university but they have struggled to truly incorporate them into the offense in 2025.  Greyton Gannon leads the way with 9 receptions for 110 yards and 2 TDs.  Brayden Delahoyde has just 1 reception and it was the game winner vs. Montana State.  Coaches are high on his potential and he is starting to see more time on the field.  Maybe his production will grow.  David Alpers recorded his first reception of the season against UNI after heating up in the passing game to end last season.  Alpers is the best run blocker of this group and he did a really good job of that in the UNI game.  Gannon and Delahoyde will have to improve in this area. Maybe the biggest revelation in this group has been Andrew Gustad who is more of an H-Back than tight end.  He has 2 receptions for 2 TDs and has 5 carries for 14 yards and more importantly 5 first downs.  This group will get a boost with the return of Sac State transfer Coleman Kuntz.

Wide Receivers: A
The Jackrabbit wide receiver room has been outstanding.  Prior to his injury, Lofton O’Groske was Mason’s most trusted weapon.  In just 4 games he has 25 receptions for 312 yards and 3 TDs.  It sounds like Lofton will be back soon.  Since Lofton went down, Alex Bullock has really emerged and leads the team with 34 receptions for 411 yards and 2 TDs.  Grahm Goering has improved his hands and has really been consistent.  He has 18 receptions for 251 yards.  Jack Smith has emerged as a terrific run blocker and also has 9 receptions for 115 yards and a TD.  Isaiah Garcia Castaneda and Sammy Dresie have not had much opportunity but have performed really well when given the chance.  I personally would love to carve out a few more reps for Dresie.  Maybe an area for improvement for the entire group is their consistency in run blocking.

Offensive Line: C+
This may seem harsh but hear me out.  The Jackrabbits have allowed 15 sacks already this season.  They allowed 38 total in the previous 3 seasons combined.  Against Montana State and Sac State it appeared our tackles were struggling with the speed of the defensive ends but that seems to have been remedied.  In other games, including most recently against UNI our interior offensive line was dented repeatedly causing our run game to struggle.  The bright spots are the performance in the second half against YSU and not allowing any sacks against Mercyhurst or Drake.  I believe the young trio on the interior is improving and will continue to gel with more and more reps.

Defense

Defensive Line: A-
The Jackrabbit defensive line has been about as expected in 2025.  Kobe Clayborne receives a ton of attention and that has freed up Logan Green and others to be really disruptive.  Kobe has 2 sacks and 15 total tackles but it is clear he is well respected across the league with how much he has to deal with inside.  Green was maybe a surprise vote as a captain and he has been outstanding now that he is seeing the most extensive action of his career.  He has 8 tackles and 3.5 sacks and is the perfect player to pair with Clayborne.  Obviously, Reis Kirschenman was a huge loss as he was on his way to an All-MVFC type season.  However, Dawson Ripperda has been everything we thought he would be with 14 tackles and 2 sacks.  Nick Wells has been a huge surprise this season as I didn’t expect him back until about now.  He has just 7 tackles but his relentless effort make him a problem.

Kevin Spellman and Blake Leiferman have been very good in their reserve roles at end.  They’ve combined for just 7 tackles but they are both really physical.  Spellman is only here for a year but Blake has a really bright future.   Aaron Wolfcale has been really solid so far and has 10 stops.  He’s always been an active player but its just about keeping him healthy.   On the interior, it sure is nice having Mason Broseau and Jace Sifore back.  They are huge men and can really clog up the middle allowing some more flexibility with where the Jacks can play Clayborne.  Mac Mueller also deserves a shoutout for his contributions this season in a reserve role.  Overall, this group has been very good against the run (3.6 ypc) but I would love to see a little more pass rush from the front four (just 8 from the defensive line).

Linebackers: A+
What’s not to love about this crew?  Cullen McShane has consistently shown a relentlessness that is up there with Rozeboom, Freeman, and Rogers.  He leads the team in stops with 33 solos and 49 overall tackles.  He’s a perfect combination of size and speed.  Chase Van Tol was hyped for two seasons and it is fun to finally see him get his share of playing time.  He has made so many highlight plays this season and has 27 tackles, 4 sacks, an INT, and a fumble recovery.  He’s just a tenacious football player that I think could play any position and be successful.  Joe Ollman may be the perfect steady presence between these two.  He’s not the biggest or the most athletic but he just keeps making plays.  He is second on the team with 36 tackles and 3 sacks, 2 QBHs, and he has 3 forced fumbles already.  The reserves of Kytan Fyfe, Matt Goehring, Bryce Johnson, and Casey Larson have been really good as well.  A lot of their contributions have been on special teams along with Boden Schiller.  I’m excited for this group!

Cornerbacks: B+
The Jackrabbits are deep here.  Isaiah Johnson (1 INT, 3 PBU) seems to have cemented himself into one starting spot while the other has been a bit of rotation with Myles Taylor (1 INT, 1 PBU), Aydan Dauterman (1 PBU), and Jayden Oliver (2 INT) all seeing plenty of action.  The nickel cornerback has been Noah St-Juste (12 tackles, 1 sack, 1 FF) and he has been absolutely terrific.  His game against Taco Dowler was outstanding.  Myles Green (1 INT) looks like a future super star in his limited action.  The group did struggle against Mike Tomczak of YSU and the receivers from Drake.  This group could easily have an A but it just needs to improve its down to own consistency.

Safeties: B
Again, this is a position of depth.  Jalen Lee has been very good in his first consistent and significant action on the defense.  His understanding of every position just makes him the perfect QB for the defense.  He has 19 stops, 2.5 TFL, and an INT.  Kobe Bretz has caught on quickly to the defense and has 13 tackles and 4 PBUs.  Noah Thompson has made the most out of his expanded role this season and has 7 tackles, a PBU, and an INT.  Dontay Johnson has again dealt with injury this season and has 10 tackles and a PBU.  When right, he is a weapon.   This grade could be higher but I have some really poor angles in run defense and there have been a few too many dropped INTs from this group.  Both are correctable!

Special Teams: B
Yes, there have been some negatives.  The missed field goals, the blocked punt, and the long kickoff return against Montana State being the three things that are most noticeable.  However, Max Pelham has been outstanding as the punter and has a 47.35 yard average.  That is an NFL type average!  Ryan Harrington has been outstanding on kickoffs and is placing the ball perfectly on the hash between the goal line and the 5 yard line.  The coverage teams for both have been smothering for the most part as opponents have just a 5 yard average on punts and just 19 yards on kickoffs with long of 35 yards coming against Montana State.  Field goals certainly need to be improved and we have to start seeing the ball go through the uprights.

The Jackrabbit return game has been pretty good when given the opportunity.  Myles Taylor has a 14 yard average on punt returns but only has 3 returns.  Isaiah Garcia-Castenada has been good on kickoffs when given the chance and he has 5 returns for a 25 yard average.  Again, like most of the team, it is just about improving consistency!

Overall Grade: A-
The Jackrabbits are 6-0.  How do you complain about that?  There are just small things that I believe can take this team to the next level.  Down to down consistency is an absolute theme. That is to be expected for how many new starters this team has and how many new players were brought in via the portal out of necessity.  I am loving where this Jackrabbit team is headed!

Go Jacks!
Matt