The Jackrabbits played a good game overall but had moments that made me want to pull my hair out in their 34-18 loss to Northwestern of the Big Ten.  The game was right there for the taking and there were a ton of good things. We currently have two data points for this team.  We know that they are WAY better than FCS bottom feeder Stetson but not quite as good as FBS mid-tier Northwestern.  They are certainly closer to the Northwestern end of the continuum but we don’t actually know where they would plot for sure. Of course we will find out as the season goes along but once again, this feels like a missed opportunity against a Big Ten foe who is ripe for the upset.

Rants & Raves:

Rave: The Jackrabbit crowd that was in Evanston was awesome.  They were noisy throughout the game and it was great to see so much blue throughout the stadium.  There were rare crowd shots that didn’t continue someone in blue.

Rave: The Jackrabbits have something in their running back duo of Josiah Johnson and Corey Blair.  Both again looked phenomenal.  Johnson had 79 yards and a TD on a 4.2 yard average.  Blair had just 7 carries for 28 yards but they were some tough runs.

Rant: Too many drops.  Yes, Northwestern has a good secondary but I think the receivers and tight ends will tell you that they needed to come down with more of the passes that were thrown their way.  It was a point of emphasis by Coach Bengtson in the practice I attended in August but unfortunately it didn’t show up tonight.

Rant/Rave: Overall, I thought Chase Mason had a good but not great night.  He was 23 of 48 for 285 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT.  However, there were numerous drops that deflated the completion percentage.  In these FBS matchups, you need your QB to be special if you want to pull the upset.  That just didn’t happen tonight.  Chase was a bit wild early and threw a few too many rocket balls for my liking but seemed to settle down as the game went along and he gave his receivers opportunities to make plays.  I do wonder if we will see him run the ball more later in the season.  He’s such a weapon at it but I know we have to preserve him.

Rant: I get it.. long season but as I watched SportsCenter this morning, I saw highlights of other quarterbacks from across the country use their legs to go win games.  Chase carried the ball 13 times for 39 yards but few (if any) of these runs, outside of the QB sneaks, were designed runs.  Let’s use him to his full capabilities!

Rave: I thought the #605Hogs played a really good game.  147 rushing yards against a Big Ten defensive line and just 2 sacks (1 on the final play of the game) is impressive to me.

Rant: Going 1 of 7 in the redzone simply isn’t good enough and it is downright bad.  You have to take advantage of your opportunities in these games.  The Jacks didn’t period.  I don’t like the decision to go pass-happy on a few of these visits and the penalties in the redzone are just killers.

Rave: I thought the #Chaingang did a really solid job of harassing Chiles throughout the night.  They also recorded 2 sacks.  Blake Leiferman’s sack in the first half was awesome.  The ends that rotated through were simply relentless; Dawson Ripperda in particular appeared to be playing with his hair on fire.  However, there were certainly some cracks in the run defense in the second half but in my initial viewing of the game it looked more like run fit issues from linebackers and safeties than defensive line weakness.

Rave: Chase Van Tol was an animal tonight.  6 solo tackles and a pass defended.  I know he had the pass interference late in the game but it was a heck of a throw and was completed anyways.  He is so dynamic out there.  Just zone in and watch him play for a few plays in a row.  He’s just a madman!

Rant: How the heck do we forget to guard Griffin Wilde on the opening play of the game?  I don’t understand it.  This feels inexcusable because he was one of the only returning/known weapons on that offense.

Rant/Rave: This was a big bump up in competition for Jes Krcil, Ife Current, and Carter Sitzman.  All had their moments of brilliance and all had their moments where they’d like another crack.  Current’s missed tackle at the goal line was the most glaring but this game will be a learning moment for all three and make them better in MVFC play.  I’m very glad they are on our team.

Rave: On initial viewing I was super impressed with the game Noah St-Juste played.  Some big hits and open field tackles and a big pass defended.  Glad to see he is playing with so much confidence.

Rave: Outside of the missed field goal, the Jackrabbit special teams played a great game and was certainly better than Northwestern.  Max Pelham getting some shine during the broadcast was great as well.

Rant/Rave: I thought SDSU showed good discipline throughout the game.  There were no “dumb” penalties that I can recall.

Rant: It’s time to eliminate duplicate numbers.  Having two #6’s on the field on Jr Mckinney’s long kick return is something that just can’t happen going forward.  Leave nothing to chance is a team moto.  Having duplicate numbers leaves something to chance.

Rave: I loved how involved Goose was in this game.  It was also fun to hear the TV broadcast announcers so aware of who he was.

Rave: The Jacks were the more physical team.  They went toe to toe with Northwestern and for much of the game were the hammer.

Rant: And that is the frustrating part… we came up short against a Big Ten foe… again.  This team has nothing to do with those past failures but as a fan its maddening! Haha

Rave: However, ultimately, this game does not matter.  FBS losses do not hurt your playoff resume, they can only help.  This team still has EVERYTHING to play for.  They have two more non-conference game and a full slate of MVFC action.  As I said at the beginning, we have two data points for this team and I think we are really going to like where we end up.  This team is really really good.  The eye test tells us that.  Are they great? I believe so but that is why they play the game.

Game Balls

Offense: Josiah Johnson

Defense: Chase Van Tol

Special Teams: Max Pelham

Go Jacks!

Matt