Have you ever experienced such a beautiful November 18th? I don’t believe that I have! A large crowd was on hand to enjoy the tailgate, military appreciation day, senior day, and the game. The team took care of business in a game where they certainly were not at their best and on day where there were more than a handful of upsets across the FCS. It was just a good day!

Rants & Raves

Rave: I was really impressed with the Jackrabbit fanbase yesterday for the turnout and the noise. Sure, it would have been great to have it be another sellout but the 15K plus is nothing to sneeze at. One other thing that has me proud of our Jackrabbit fans is the awareness about the FCS playoff picture and scenarios that were playing out as the results of other games started to come in. Furman’s choke job, where will Idaho end up, could USD actually be the #2 were all discussions I had with fans. This would have been unheard of just a few years ago.

Rave: The gameday operations appeared pretty smooth. No issues getting in, bathroom lines weren’t terrible, concession lines moved quickly. Hopefully Sodexo can remember the lessons they have learned this year and apply it to next year!

Rave: The Jackrabbit offense was unstoppable for the early part of the game. The Jackrabbits clearly knew they could pass against the MSU secondary. Mark finished 16 for 23 for 323 yards and 2 TD.

Rave: Mark’s top target yesterday was again Jadon Janke who finished with 10 receptions for 187 yards and a TD. He is playing incredibly well right now. He rarely is tackled by 1 defender and it is weird to see it happen when it does.

Rant: After open with 3 straight TDs, the Jackrabbit offense seemed to go into turtle mode and just appeared a little more disjointed. Here is the drive sequence after the opening 3 TDs: fumble, missed fg, punt, TD, punt, and TD. Again, its hard to be critical when we score 35 points but it certainly didn’t feel crisp.

Rave: The Jacks played a pretty clean game with just 4 penalties for 40 yards. That is a huge improvement from last week and closer to what we need.

Rave: The Jackrabbit rush defense continues to be impressive allowing just 82 yards on the ground to the Bears. One thing that I haven’t highlighted before is how well Brian Williams pursues laterally down the line of scrimmage to make plays on the stretch/outside runs.

Rant: Tucker Large, catch the ball man! 🙂

Rave: The effort the chaingang plays with is always good but yesterday seemed exceptional. Van Marel, Terveer, Hicksn and others seemed to be getting consistent pressure on MSU’s quarterback.

Rave: I love the energy that Dontay Johnson is playing with on special teams. It’s easy to see why he was set to be in the rotation at safety prior to his injury as a true freshman.

Rave: On a day when the FCS seemed to be going crazy, I’m just impressed with how the Jacks took care of business. There is now no doubt that the Jacks will be the number 1 seed and that the road to Frisco goes through Brookings.

Rant: I didn’t love the late TD that the 2’s allowed. Yes, MSU still had their 1’s in the game but our 2’s had been doing a much better job bringing the energy this season. MSU went 75 yards, all but 6 of those yards coming through the air, in about 3 minutes.

Rave: Until that final MSU drive, the Jackrabbit defense had allowed less than 200 yards of passing. that is IMPRESSIVE vs. this offense. As usual, the Bears have plenty of skill at the wide receiver position.

Rave: Congratulations to Isaiah Davis for going over 1,000 yards on the season with yesterday’s 85 yard effort. Wherever he ends up in the NFL, that team will be fortunate to have such a talented and dedicated player and quality human being.

Rave: This one is personal but I’m grateful for the players for taking so much time to sign autographs. Usually I’m headed north as soon as the final whistle blows (if not a little before). Yesterday, I promised my 8 year old son that we could stay so he could get autographs. I think the experience exceeded both of our expectations. The players were incredibly gracious with their time and my son talked about each players autograph encounter for the entire 2 hour car ride home. Thanks, guys!

Rave: As we wrap up the regular season and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I just want to say how grateful I am for my team; Alex, Ben, Brendan, Chad, and Dallas. They put in a ridiculous amount of work as volunteers who are just passionate about the Jacks. I’m also thankful for all of you who read, listen, and interact with us either in person or through social media.

Game Balls

Offense: Jadon Janke

Defense: Ryan Van Marel

Special Teams: Jackrabbit punt and kick coverage units

Go Jacks!

Matt