Well, this is coming to you a little later than normal. Yesterday was consumed by travel and today has been spent getting caught up. Thanks for your patience! I don’t think I did a “Rants & Raves’ last year after the National Championship because I didn’t know what to say. It was such an emotional victory to finally get over the hump and win one. This year it was so expected that it would have been way more emotional to NOT win it. This one felt good because it was proof that it wasn’t a fluke. The statement from 2022 was indeed the standard.

Rants & Raves

Before the game:

Rave: The first thing to note is the Jackrabbit crowd. Frisco, The Colony, Fort Worth Stockyards, and everywhere inbetween was full of Jackrabbits for the entire weekend. It was incredible that no matter where my wife and I went, we soon met other Jackrabbits. There were certainly more Jackrabbits there than last year and that contributed to the larger crowd and overall atmosphere of the weekend.

Rave: The Local was insane every time I was there. It was again, so much fun to see that many Jackrabbits all together having a good time! Every establishment I went to in either Frisco or The Colony was really fantastic and welcoming. I know many don’t love Toyota Stadium but the surrounding area just does an awesome job in hosting! It’s hard to imagine it NOT in Frisco at this point.

Rant: We are really sorry about the sound for our live show on Saturday. Obviously, that isn’t how we planned it. Thank you to everyone that turned out and thank you to everyone that stuck around in an attempt to listen and support our work. Thank you to Thomas Dunn for his work preparing for the show and for helping us make the most out of a bad situation with the sound. If we are lucky enough to make it back to Frisco in future seasons, we will do better.

Rave: The alumni event was excellent. Again, how cool to see so many Jackrabbits together. The venue was perfect and those who ate or drank seemed to be satisfied. Thank you for a great event!

Rave: Thank you to everyone who came out to the tailgate on Sunday. Ben absolutely hit it out of the park in the planning and execution of the event. Thank you to everyone who donated and to the businesses who sponsored. This is an event we literally could not have done without you. If you enjoyed the event, drank some beer or ate some food, please be sure to make a donation to the JFPA or the newly launched collective.

In the Game:

Rave: The atmosphere in the stadium was absolutely electric! Having now watched the game back on replay, it really showed through on TV. Griz fans and Jackrabbit fans alike made plenty of noise for a majority of the game.

Rave: The opening drive for the Jackrabbit offense was terrific. Mark was on point, the offensive line really protected him and the Jackrabbit pass catchers did what they needed to do. Zach Lujan had a beautiful opening script in this one!

Rave: Adam Bock’s play at the goal line will be an iconic play/image for many Jackrabbit fans. As Tanner Castora tweeted, the play seemed to defy physics. It had to have been a frustrating season for Bock but that moment alone showed how truly special of a player he is.

Rant: The INT that Mark threw early was maybe his worst interception of his Jackrabbit career. However, it looked more like a poorly thrown ball than a bad decision. He certainly made up for it with solid play the rest of the way.

Rave: I’m really going to miss Isaiah Davis. I think he will have a solid NFL career given his work ethic and talent level. I’m eager to see what he runs for his 40.

Rave: Same goes for Jadon and Jaxon Janke. They are just special and their swag at the wide receiver position was something we hadn’t seen before. Their blocking, their run after the catch, and their spectacular catches will be missed.

Rave: I was really impressed with how Gus Miller handled Montana’s nose guard. Sure, Gubner made tackles (he’s too good to shut out) but he didn’t make any game wrecking type plays. It was announced before the game that he had won the Remington award and Sunday certainly showcased why.

Rave: Congrats to Dalys Beanum for tying the career interception record at SDSU. Charlie Clarksean’s record has stood for a long time and there is a good chance Beanum breaks it next fall.

Rave: Quinton Hicks has been phenomenal down the stretch. He had 4 sacks in the playoffs after having just 1.5 during the regular season. I’m going to miss seeing the joy that Quinton played with. Also, I learned on Saturday that he was the 3rd ranked intern that Northwestern Mutual had last summer and will be starting his career working for them. Good luck, Q!

Rave: Matthew Durance was hit by the ball on one of the poorest punts I have ever seen. Montana recovered the fumble and would eventually score their 3 points. After that point, Durrance provided absolutely smothering punt coverage. Junior Bergen had no choice but to fair catch Dustman’s punts because Durrance was right there ready to hit him. Phenomenal effort.

Rave: Raved deleted due to clarification that Dontay Johnson wore #19 on during the championship game.

Rave: Hunter Dustman was out of this world with his punting! Multiple punts inside the 10 yard line and Bergen never had a chance to return them. Also, his double clutch field goal make after a difficult/snap hold was something else. Great job Hunter!

Rave: The Jacks haven’t used the transfer portal or transfers in general much over the years. However, Isaiah Stalbird, Jason Freeman, John O’Brian, and Brian Williams all proved how valuable a transfer can be. I’m so grateful that these four decided to call SDSU home and help bring TWO championships to Brookings. Stalbird has a chance to play on Sunday’s and I’m excited to see what his future brings.

Rant: The NDSU fans sitting behind me got tiring. They had a negative comment for everything and it didn’t matter if it was the Griz or the Jacks or the halftime performances. I really wish they had sold their tickets to somebody else and stayed home.

Rave: Zach Heins catch and run felt like a bit of a game changing moment and it felt like a back breaking play for the Griz. I can’t wait to see him lay some devastating blocks and make TD catches on Sundays.

Rave: Shoutout to the Pride for just being awesome and for their halftime performance. Also, I enjoyed that they continued to play after the awards presentation.

Rave: Overall, I’m really going to miss this group of graduating players. All year I told readers and listeners to enjoy this team because we will never see another one like it. Never. The COVID season gave this roster a boost it probably didn’t need and these players all chose to stick together. However, with NIL and the transfer portal it will be hard to expect this ever again. This team, their talent, and their personalities came together to form something truly special and it brough joy to so many over the last four to six years. When I interviewed many of these guys when they committed to SDSU, they had one goal in mind… to win a National Championship. They won not one but two. They are legends at SDSU, in Brookings, and in South Dakota.

Game Balls

Offense: Gus Miller

Defense: Adam Bock

Special Teams: Hunter Dustman

Go Jacks!

Matt