The Jackrabbits made the long bus trip to Cedar Falls and came away with a really solid 41 to 15 win. We had documented all week that UNI was a different animal at home vs on the road but the Jackrabbits appeared ready. Was it a perfect game? Absolutely not but it was maybe the most complete game the Jackrabbits have played since the bye. With some of the other upsets that occurred yesterday, it was extremely important that the Jacks took care of business.
Rants & Raves
Rave: The Jacks were on a business trip with this one. After the first quarter, I had zero doubt in my mind that the Jacks would get the win. I just hoped that the team would bury them. I think seeing the team play like this and remembering how they played at Illinois State, makes the loss to UND just more maddening.
Rave: I think the guys who were hurt in 2025 are returning to pre injury form. Chase Mason has looked really solid the last two weeks. His willingness to run is good but his quickness and explosiveness seemed to have also returned. Chase Van Tol is playing better and better. Reis Kirschenman is heating up and recorded his first sacks of the season last year. Kenyon BigBow is playing more and more. Finally, Lofton O’Groske had easily his best game of the season yesterday, finishing with 3 receptions for 69 yards and field stretching 37 yard reception.
Rave: I’m pumped that Tristan Alvano was able to connect on a pair of long field goals attempts (50 and 42 yards). His previous long was 45 yards which he set against Murray State a few weeks ago. He appears to be heating up too!
Rant: I was disappointed in the illegal formation penalties on the punt team. It’s too late in the season to be making those type of mistakes.
Rave: I thought the trio of Noah Thompson, Amaje Parker, and Max Stanard did a fine job filling in for Dontay Johnson. The guys at the game reported that Dontay Johnson was there in street clothes but was not wearing any visible brace.
Rave: With the early injury to Paul Kim, we saw more of Ife Current. I thought Ife had a solid game as well.
Rave: The Jackrabbit running back room continues to impress. Josiah Johnson had 14 carries for 109 yards and 2 TDs and James Basinger had 9 carries for 102 yards and a big 63 yard touchdown run. Their styles are each distinct enough that it seems like defenses really really struggle to adjust. Plus…
Rave: The #605Hogs are also playing pretty well. Kenyon BigBow played the most he has all season and while there were a few rough moments, his power and physicality was also evident. This group allowed zero sacks and paved the way for a 7.4 yard per carry average.
Rant: The UNI Dome renovations look really nice on TV but it is evident that the field and turf is awful. The Jacks suffered more injuries in this one than they have all season. On the tv broadcast you could see the ripples around midfield. Coach Jackson brought it up unprompted in his post game interview as well.
Rave: I absolutely love seeing the emergence of Brayden Delahoyde. He’s a player who physical ability has always been evident but it was the mental side and maturity of putting it all together that led people to wonder if we’d ever see Brayden reach his true potential. He appears to be turning the corner. In the past two games he has 4 receptions for 63 yards and 2 TDs. There are few defenders who can match his athletic profile.
Rave: I know we keep saying this but Bergan Tetzlaff is going to be a monster. Yesterday due to the injury of Rhett Schaeffer, he played a bit more and had 4 total tackles and a sack.
Rave: Myles Green has done a really nice job these last two weeks in the punt return game. This is two games in a row he has had a field tilting punt return, this time for 28 yards.
Rant: Although not malicious, the roughing the passer penalty on Krcil was frustrating. If he had been the only one called this season, you’d shake it off and write it down as bad luck/learning moment, etc. However, this isn’t the first time and I think that is why the fanbase is upset.
Rave: Overall, this was a terrific performance by the defense. 74 yards rushing. 186 yards passing. 5 for 17 on 3rd down conversions. 3 for 6 on 4th down. Those are winning numbers! All that was missing was the turnovers. I’d love to see the Jacks snag one of those tipped balls but they just seemed to deflect away from the Jackrabbit defenders. Overall, a great performance by the entire defense! It was hard to recognize just one person for the gameball.
Rave: I touched on him very briefly but I think Chase is playing really well. He ended the day 10 of 18 for 181 yards and 2 TDs. I believe there were 2 drops in there as well. He also rushed for 21 yards too. He just looks in command of the offense right now.
Rave: Shoutout to Alex from the JI team for completing his bet for the 2025 Scared Money Don’t Make Money show. The wizard outfit was excellent.
Rave/Rant: Shoutout to Chad from the JI team for his hideous whistle that people from both teams ready to strangle him.
Game Balls
Offense: Josiah Johnson
Defense: Chase Van Tol
Special Teams: Tristan Alvano
Go Jacks!
Matt
