The Jacks lost to the Coyotes 23-20 on a last second Hail Mary on Saturday. The team is now 6-3 and is in a must win against UND to make the playoffs.
My final tweet of Saturday night pondered 3 things and that will be where Rants & Raves start because so many folks seemed to take exception to it.
- Colorado State feels like 100 years ago. Yeah, it has been a long fall. The team we all watched in Fort Collins was flying around the field, they were executing at an incredibly high level, and the game plan felt fresh, crisp, and creative. After the CSU game, this Jacks team felt invincible and that the momentum from the spring season had carried over. Much of that feels gone now. Again, long season.
- Where is the offensive firepower? The offense has so much talent but unless Pierre is breaking a long run it seems like moving the ball consistently and sustaining drives is really a challenge for this team. Yesterday, with Pierre bottled up for much of the game, the team struggled to find a counter. When I pondered about the return of Isaiah Davis, that was NOT a knock on Pierre but an acknowledgement that he and Davis are entirely different running backs with different styles. Pierre is a great back and one of the best to do it but it is not his strength to ram between the tackles 20+ times per game.
- How can we stop the mental mistakes from the coaches and players? The end of the first half was maybe a precursor for what was to come. Coach Stig prides himself on the “key moments” of the game but that didn’t happen yesterday. In terms of players, throwing a punch/slap/shove when you are standing along your opponents sideline is just one example.
I don’t think any of these are controversial. I don’t think asking about any of these makes me, or anyone else, less of a fan. These are legitimate concerns that have been voiced regularly throughout the season and have not been cherry picked and saved for after the losses. If I’m a fair-weather fan or “not loyal” because I have questions/critiques/concerns than so be it.
Allow me some personal reflection for a minute. So many folks have taken exception to “Rants and Raves” or comments on Twitter this year that it makes me wonder if they are new to reading it or just more sensitive given all that we’ve been through as a society in the last two years. I have always tried to be fair and objective and I think that is what makes it a popular read. However, this year I’ve received messages from two prominent university officials objecting to my comments. Now there are parent players and former players that are taking exception and other Jackrabbit fans have labeled me as “fair weather.” What is going on? Have my words become that much crueler or off base? In the previous four years, this happened once with a coach and he sent me a camera angle that proved I missed something. I appreciated that and learned from it. Regardless, this has definitely stifled my passion for writing, researching, and podcasting about the Jacks. I and the team, do this for free as we try to fill in the gaps. It is how I have chosen to give back to the university. However, with three little kids at home I know that there are much better ways to invest my energy.
Rants & Raves
Rave: Adam Bock played a heck of a game on Saturday, finishing with 14 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 PBU. It felt like he was all over the field again. The Jacks run of outstanding linebacker play is just amazing.
Rant: The MVFC officiating has been so inconsistent this fall and Saturday was just a continuation of that. They called holding twice on Aron Johnson but missed the hands to the face by the USD defender on one of them. Oh, and they also missed the 20 times Tolu was held throughout the game. The two targeting penalties were football plays. There was no intent to harm, it wasn’t malicious, there was no launching. They were football plays. I have no idea how they put a second back on the clock which resulted in the Hail Mary. If the referee sees the same video angles that we do, he guessed. You never see the ball land. It was a guess and there has to be indisputable video evidence to overturn a play.
Rave: The Janke twins were again so so good. Jaxon finished with 7 receptions for 105 yards while Jadon had 5 for 62. This duo is able to really do it all but it is their downfield blocking that has grown the most over the past two years.
Rant: The USD defensive line, and front 7, is good but the Jacks made them look extraordinary. They looked stronger, faster, and hungrier than the #605Hogs for much of the game. Pierre getting over the century mark is impressive given the lack of lanes he had for much of the contest.
Rave: The Jackrabbit special teams were the less heralded unit coming into this matchup but were MUCH better in this area throughout the game. Cole Frahm was perfect on his field goals, the coverage units were exceptional, and Dustman booted both of his punts 42 yards.
Rant: USD fans are still trash. It sounds like flags and flagpoles of SDSU fans were stolen and/or damaged during the games. I’ve heard from numerous other fans at the game that USD fans chose to jaw and try to instigate fights inside the Dakota Dome. Just a trashy trashy fanbase.
Rant: Semi-related to the previous rant… SDSU still doesn’t treat this like a rivalry. I thought they would following the loss in 2019 but it is still not there. USD on the other hand really does. This game matters a ton to them and it is apparent in the pre and post-game comments.
Rave: The DyShawn Gales interception to open the game was beautiful! The INT was setup by the great pressure from the #ChainGang but DyShawn still made the play.
Rave: Speaking of pressure, Caleb Sanders should repeat as first team All-MVFC, right? The man now has 5.5 sacks and 25 tackles on the season to go along with constant disruption. Impressive production from someone on the interior defensive line.
Rave: I really love the short yardage play with Tucker Kraft under center. That is a near impossible play to stop.
Rant: USD has two really strong running backs. One is a freshman and the other is a sophomore. The arm tackling that we saw yesterday will not work and it will not bring these two down. That must be improved.
Rave: The Jacks have another chance to right the ship and prove that they deserve to make the playoffs against UND next Saturday. This is still a great team; they just have to play like it. Make the playoffs and anything can happen. Run the table!
Game Balls
Offense: Jaxon Janke
Defense: Adam Bock
Special Teams: Cole Frahm
Go Jacks,
Matt
0 Responses
Matt:
I really enjoy your rants/raves, please do not stop as there are far more fans of yours than critics! I also look forward to the weekly podcast, you guys do a great job!
Go Jacks!
You and the team are by no means “fair-weather fans.” I enjoy all the content you guys put out and am happy you guys devote your time to this. A fair-weather fan would never create a site like this and would not create a team of fair-weather fans. You guys are in the world of journalism where you sometimes need to be critical of what you’re passionate about. Some people may not like what you put out, but it’s hard to please everyone. I can’t say I agree with everything JI has put out, but I’m still a huge fan. Don’t let the voice of a few discourage you from the mountain of fans behind you. Yesterday was a hard day for Jackrabbit Nation. The team and fans will get past it together, and JI will help us get there. GO JACKS!
Keep up the good work. We all must learn from mistakes. I enjoy reading other view points. Thanks!
I really enjoy the insight you give to the game. Living in Fargo it’s hard to get to the games so your reviews give a more personal feel for what’s happening.
Thank you for writing this….the vast majority of us appreciate it.
Matt – Keep up the good work and don’t give in to the haters. JI Rants and Raves is the best independent game recap of the Jacks games. I look forward to it every week. It is objective and in my opinion, the rants are almost 100% legitimate. People who can’t handle criticism need to do some self-examination. If there is an argument to be made then they need to respond with the evidence, not with accusations. I don’t see how anyone could think that you’re somehow not “supporting” the Jacks.
Matt- You do a great job and I am thankful for the job you do. You are honest, realistic and don’t sugar coat things. You are a die hard Jack fan but you aren’t crazy and totally see everything through blue and gold glasses.
Anyways, it may be a sign of the times if people get offended by what you say. Personally I’ve always felt our football fans were soft. We have really been a basketball school for a long time in my opinion so we are still learning the ins and outs of being a football school as well. We are still so new, in the grand scheme of things, to being a helluva football program. A lot of fans don’t understand how hard it’s been to go from mediocre to Top 10 consistently, all while doing it in the Missouri Valley. While I never played I think the die hard fans realize this and we care so much that we don’t want to see us plateau without winning a NATTY. Even though we are at a point where we can reload rather than rebuild you want to take advantage of every opportunity. It’s ok to criticize when you care deeply for something and nothing I have seen from you has been out of line. GO JACKS!
The fact that a prominint university official reached out to you complain is completely pathetic. Between that and Cade Johnson crying about how hard football is no wonder this program hasn’t won a natty. Soft, soft, soft.
Keep up the good work even if the team can’t.
Please don’t be discouraged by the few who are looking for negatives. There’s always gonna be people out there looking to discredit or bitch. You guys do an awesome job and provide a lot of insight to us less knowledgeable fans. Any fan/coach/player who thinks you’re not loyal and supportive hasn’t spent much time listening/watching/reading your work. Thanks for all the effort!! We appreciate you guys and you’re doing a great job..