Hello darkness my old friend… ah, just kidding, but I’m guessing most of us were close to feeling something like that last night.  The Jacks finally return the Marker to NDSU after four straight Dakota Marker victories.  The seniors for NDSU finally got to experience winning the Marker in a 13-9 victory over SDSU.  I have said for a majority of the year that this offense isn’t quite right and that a good defense will create problems if they limit the run.  NDSU did what I said they would and made SDSU prove that they could pass the ball.  For much of the night, the Jackrabbits air  attack could not get off the ground.  We’ll break it down a little more here in a bit.

Rants & Raves

Rave: The Jackrabbit 3rd down 0ffense was pretty good last night, converting on 50% of their opportunities.

Rave: The Jackrabbit rushing attack was definitely good enough.  In total they had 215 net yards on 36 carries (6 ypc).  Even if you subtract out the 66 yard Chase Mason strike, they still averaged 4.26 ypc which is good enough, especially against a solid defense.

Rant: The offensive passing game stinks and the Jacks finished with just 112 total passing yards.  I have been saying for weeks that the Jacks have to find balance in their offense and establish a consistent passing game because a great defense (like NDSUs) would force them to pass.  We don’t have access to the all-22 tape so there are lots of questions we can’t answer but here is what may be going on.

• Nobody is open: Either the route concepts aren’t good enough or the routes are not being run correctly.  Speed is not an issue.  It’s baffling to me that NDSU can play with 7 or 8 guys in the box routinely and nothing is open over the top.  Again, we’ll never know as the camera and replays rarely showed what happened down field.
• Too many drops:  Yes, it looks like Grahm Goering 100% got his foot in bounds.  No, it doesn’t look like he secured the catch to the ground.  There have been too many drops this season in big moments that 100% kill the momentum of the team.  This was the latest example of it.

• Mark doesn’t trust his OL. Throughout the game, Mark continually rolled right, right into pressure.  Stepping up into the pocket was the better route and would have provided access to the entire field instead of narrowing it as he got closer and closer to the sideline.
• The offensive coordinators haven’t found their identity yet.  For two years with Zach Lujan we didn’t have to worry about play calling.  It just seemed to always fit together and it felt like one playing was building into the next or setting something up for down the road.  This year it feels like we are throwing darts at the wall. AND…
• Untimely penalties are keeping the offense from fully clicking.  The OC’s didn’t tell Chase Mason to pass the ball 5 yards past the LOS.  They didn’t tell Ethan Vibert to hold on a big run.  The didn’t tell Quinten Christensen to false start.  All of those things put the team behind the sticks.  Last year we were good enough to overcome these penalties.  This year we are not (at least right now).
• Mark’s deep ball accuracy is off: Yes, Mark missed a wide open Davin Stoeffel for a touchdown in the 4th quarter.  If he connects on that  pass, the game is likely very different.

• The offensive line is struggling.  I personally don’t believe this one.  I think they are an above average FCS offensive line and are an ascending run blocking line.  I didn’t see “quick pressure” last night that was right in Mark’s face right away.  There was time and Mark didn’t get sacked but was hurried 5 times.
• Griffen Wilde disappears at times. I don’t understand this one.  He torched an FBS secondary but now goes full halves of games without being targeted or touching the ball.  If he is bracketed, shaded, doubled or whatever the coaches have to get creative and get him the ball. Bubble screens, tunnel screens, end arounds, and reverses are all plays that are at their disposal to get him the ball.
• The rotation at tight end is causing issues, just not how we thought.  The thinking at the tight end position was that each of the guys has the ability to do something a little different so they would sub frequently.  The heavy rotation may be part of the reason why Mark has developed zero chemistry or trust in these guys.  Someone needs to emerge and become THE guy! Early in the season we were questioned about why we were so stuck on getting the ball to these guys.  The answer is simple, the Jackrabbit offense is best when a tight end is involved.
• Let Chase Mason pass the ball. I keep waiting for the counter punch to the QB power. It happened finally but Chase was 5 yards down field when he threw it.  Chase needs more reps actually passing the ball in an actual game so that he is more comfortable doing it when needed.
• I’m sure I’m missing something else that may be the cause of the anemic passing game but for now, 10 possibilities and observations feels like enough.

Rave: The Jackrabbit defense came to play.  Allowing 13 points should almost always allow you to win the game.  At times, the Jackrabbit offense and special teams put them in less than idea spots and they still stood up and got the job done.

Rave: I’m very interested in the use of Lofton O’Groske at wide receiver. The true freshman out of Coon Rapids, MN did not have prolific production in high school like most division one recruits but he was stuck in a run heavy offense and made plays when he needed to.  I believe he was a walk-on but he has now used 3 of his 4 games this season for the freshman redshirt rule. He had a huge catch in the first half for a first down.

Rant: The soft coverage at the end of the game got the defense in trouble. It gave the NDSU offense some confidence and seemed to put us on the back foot.

Rave: I loved how our linebackers played.  Adam Bock, Caleb Francl, and Graham Spalding were outstanding.  All three of them were fast, physical, and made plays when the team really needed it.

Rant: Special teams had a rough first half.  Any field goal kick over 50 yards, especially in college football, are a crap shoot.  Hunter can make that kick and we needed it.  The punt snap that was dropped resulted in a 13 yard punt and gave NDSU the ball at midfield.  It should have resulted in points but our defense stood up!  The blocked extra point is inexcusable and needs to be fixed.

Rave: Special teams was better in the second half.  Punt coverage (outside of a stupid kick catch interference), kick coverage, and the obvious 42 yard field goal were all excellent.  The only other BIG negative was the holding call on Kusler on the final return attempt that negated a nice return by Angel Johnson.  Overall, it was a good half to half rebound for the Jacks.

Rave: The Jackrabbit run defense held NDSU to just 112 yards rushing.  If you had told me that going into the game, I would have taken it.

Rant: Unless he’s hurt, Dalys Beanum should not be coming off the field on defense.  Rotate the other cornerback position if you must but leave Beanum on the field.

Rave: Colby Huerter was terrific in coverage and in his run support.  He is such a good, reliable tackler!

Rave: This probably all seems harsh but the sun will come up today.  The Jacks still have as good of a chance as anyone at a top-4 seed in the FCS but they now may be on the road in the semi finals.  Next week is a good chance to take out some frustration on USD back at home.  If the offense can finally get the passing game going, they can beat anyone in the FCS.  I still believe in this team and their chances to 3-peat.

Game Balls

Offense: Nobody

Defense: Bock/Spalding/Francl.  They were excellent!  I can’t pick one.

Special teams: Brody Gormley

Go Jacks!

Matt