The Jacks (4-0) appeared dominant (as they should) on Saturday in a 51-7 win over Mercyhurst (1-4). It went as expected with the Jacks really clicking in all three phases for the first time this season. The Lakers showed some of the fight that I thought we’d see but eventually the ridiculous travel they have had the last three weeks (@Sac State, @Montana St, and @SDSU) coupled with the Jacks relentless play just became too much.
Rants & Raves
Rave: The Jackrabbits appeared well rested and ready in this one. It was clear the “improvement week” was constructive as some of the errors we have seen to open the season were much more contained. 3rd down efficiency was at 69.2%. Redzone scoring was at 100%. Zero sacks were allowed. These were all things I wanted to see improved.
Rave: Chase Mason continues to look unreal. His arm angles and quick release are something else. On Saturday he was 21 for 29 for 321 yards and 3 TDs. He just looks like he is in complete control out there. I really liked his decision making in the RPO game and I think it speaks volumes about how much coach Eidsness trusts him to use the RPOs so prominently.
Rant: I know the extra security bag checks, boot checks, and hat checks are annoying. Unfortunately everyone I have visited with in the athletic department feels like their hands are tied by the South Dakota legislature and the conceal carry law on campus that was passed in 2024. Don’t like it? Contact your elected official (if you live in South Dakota) and have them revisit the bill. And that is as political as I will ever get on this blog. I promise.
Rave: The depth of the Jackrabbit wide receiver room really showed up on Saturday. Lofton O’groske, Alex Bullock, Grahm Goering, Jack Smith, Isaiah Garcia-Casteneda, and Sammy Dresie all had receptions greater than 19 yards! I thought coach E’s route designs were awesome and allowed these guys to catch the ball in space.
Rave: Two guys from that group I want to highlight a little more are Grahm Goering and Alex Bullock. This was Grahm’s best game as a Jackrabbit (7 receptions for 101 yards). He caught the ball cleanly and was able to use his explosive speed to get some YAC. Bullock’s ability to make adjustments and contort his body to make tough catches is really impressive. Many of Bullock’s targets were either behind or on the opposite shoulder of where he was expecting them. He was able to twist his body to make the tough catch repeatedly on Saturday and it was really impressive. He ended the day with 6 receptions for 75 yards and a TD.
Rant: The redzone offense in the first half still had too many mental errors that resulted in negative plays and led to field goals instead of touchdowns. However, they righted this ship in the second half but I still wish we could find a way to unlock the tight end position in the redzone. It just seems like it is an afterthought right now.
Rave: I want to shoutout the things SDSU has done to make the concession lines better. At least on the east side, they were really well staffed yesterday and the grab and go beer lines are great as well.
Rave/Rant: I thought the #605Hogs played okay yesterday. SDSU was able to get whatever it wanted in the passing game pretty much whenever it wanted. Chase had a clean pocket for a majority of the day. The Hogs did great in this area. However, I still am concerned with the run game. On 37 carries the Jacks averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. This is not fine as the Jacks will face much stouter defensive fronts going forward. There was too much quick penetration that led to plays going sideways or for minimal gain. Later in the game, the second string offensive line seemed to play really well but I just want more from this starting group.
Rave: I loved the play designs that got Chase moving to his left and allowed for some really easy catch and runs. I believe O’groske and Smith (and almost Dresie) both scored off of these play designs. The defense was completely outmanned.
Rave: I loved that the Jacks were able to get James Basinger some extended run. I thought he ran really hard this week and ground out some tough yards. The Jacks held Juice back and he had just 11 carries but Basinger had 15 attempts for 53 yards and 2 TDs. He also caught 3 passes out of the backfield for 32 yards.
Rave: Overall, the offense was dominant. 26 first downs, 469 total yards, 6.8 yards per play, zero turnovers, and nearly 37 minutes of time of possession. Oh and zero punts for the second straight game.
Rave: As good as the offense was, the defense may have been better. Just 154 yards of total offense for a team that came in averaging close to 300 yards per game. 2 interceptions, 3 sacks, and allowing the Lakers to convert on just 3 of 10 on 3rd down opportunities really says something.
Rave: Scotty Kwas mentioned it on the radio on the way home but a whopping 27 Jackrabbits got in on tackles yesterday. That is incredible that many guys got to play and were swarming the ball.
Rave: Huge congratulations to Luke Krempges for getting his first sack as a Jackrabbit. What an exciting moment for him!
Rave: Noah St-Juste, probably the smallest Jackrabbit player on the field, earned a sack on a corner blitz that saw him take an aggressive angle and then have to pursue the Lakers QB for a bit. It was a nice play by Noah.
Rave: I think a big question coming into the season was depth at defensive end. Losing Reis Kirschenman for the season certainly hurts but I think Blake Leiferman is playing at a really high level right now. He ended the day with 2 tackles but he’s just a redshirt freshman and spent most of last season as a tight end. Bright future for Blake!
Rave: Jayden Oliver and Myles Taylor had some nice INTs and returns in this one. I thought there might be a chance to pick off a few in this one and the Jackrabbit defense certainly took advantage of his willingness to throw it up.
Rave: The Jackrabbit special teams were again really solid. Outside of one long return, the Jackrabbit kick coverage has been incredible. Casey Larson and Cody Cotton made huge tackles in this one that pinned Mercyhurst inside of their 20 yard line. Myles Green had a nice tackle earlier in the game too.
Rave: I thought the punt return team did the best they could with some of awful punts that the Lakers were sending their way. Myles Taylor seemed to do a good job communicated with his blockers where the ball was at and getting them away from it.
Rave: Eli Stader steadied the ship and went 3 for 3 on field goals. Hopefully this is the start of his turnaround. He’s talented and has the proven track record of making big kicks. Glad he has a perfect day!
Rant: It was damn hot in the stands. I imagine it was even warmer on the field. Shout out to the players and training staff for being properly hydrated. I don’t think I saw a single instance of a player down on the field cramping up.
Rave: Yesterday was a great day. Hopefully you were able to enjoy it at tailgating and at the game!
Game Balls
Offense: Chase Mason
Defense: Kobe Clayborne and his relentless pressure
Special Teams: Casey Larson- Kick coverage demon
One Response
RANT: Computers and software and technology in general…The SDSUFans.com board is down (hopefully only for a few days). A move to a new hosting account (because of the increased bandwidth being used by all y’all Jackrabbit fans) pretty much blew up in my face, requiring me to call in the experts to fix it. And since it’s Sunday morning…a good time to do computer stuff, but a bad time to get **help** doing computer stuff…well…RANT!
(Sorry for the imposition here at JI, you guys are doing great stuff!)