SDSU (8-0) imposed their will on USD (6-2) in a game that was never close after the first quarter. The Jacks looked like the better team in all three phases and it wasn’t particularly close. In a day that saw another handful of upsets across the FCS landscape, SDSU again showed that they are the team to beat.
Rants & Raves
Rave: We need to start with the defense. The JI team said in “What to Watch” that we needed to limit the explosive plays of USD. The Jackrabbit defense said, “Nah, we’ll do you one better and just eliminate them.” USD had exactly ZERO explosive plays on the day. They got close, with a 19 yard reception but that was it.
Rave: Continuing on with the defense… They allowed just 183 yards total (50 rushing, 133 passing), had 2 INT, had a sack, and didn’t allow USD into the Red Zone the entire game. PHENOMENAL!
Rant: Not a fan of the dead rabbit being thrown onto the field. That crap can stay in D2 and I hope the SDSU students don’t throw a dead yote next year. I’m all for hunting, varmint control, etc. but throwing them on to the playing surface just makes us all look bad.
Rave: All week the Jacks heard about this trio of superstar running backs that USD has. The Jackrabbit defense did their part in stopping them. Theis had 9 carries for 29 yards (3.2 avg), Pierre had 7 for 25 (3.6 avg) and Thomas had just 1 carry for 5 yards. Boom!
Rave: On the flip side, the Jackrabbits have their own trio of talented running backs. Davis had 17 carries for 69 yards (4.1 avg), Amar had 8 carries for 66 yards (8.3 avg) and 2 TDs, and Angel had 7 for 52 (7.4 ypc) and 1 TD. Pretty impressive output!
Rave: The #605Hogs had a frustrating start but righted the ship and DOMINATED a talented front 7 for USD. The tight end group (Zach Heins, Mike Morgan, Kevin Brenner) also look terrific in moving people off the line of scrimmage. Again, that is a good front 7 for USD so I am impressed how the #605Hogs just took care of business.
Rave: Isaiah Stalbird continued his hot streak of play! Leading the team with 7 total tackles and earning an INT. He can do so much for this defense and he seems to do it all really really well. He’s playing the best football of his career for the Jacks right now.
Rant: I did not like all of the false starts. The guys have to hold their water a bit more. Those are silly penalties that we can control.
Rave: After looking a bit flustered early in the game, Mark really was in control for the final 3 quarters. When he is passing and running the ball, he seems to just find his rhythm as a passer. He ended the day 13 of 19 for 207 yards and added another 43 on the ground.
Rave: It was clear that USD wanted to get its tight end, JJ Galbreath, involved in this one. Whatever adjustments the Jackrabbit defense made after the first drive, kudos!
Rave: Congratulations and thank you to the legion of Jackrabbit fans that made the trek to Vermillion during the first taste of winter in the upper Midwest. The pictures I’ve seen from tailgating were great and seeing all the blue in the dome was fun too.
Rant: There is no law about how you have to report attendance but USD clearly lying about its actual attendance is a WEIRD look. Anyone who watched the broadcast could see all of the empty red seats. Why lie about it? What difference does 9,400 make in your total vs. 8,500? I’m sure one of you will tell me.
Rave: Hunter Dustman had another great game. His lone punt traveled 49 yards and he made field goals of 49, 22, and 47 yards. What a weapon!
Rave: On a day when NFL prospects Myles Harden and DyShawn Gales were on the field, Dalys Beanum was the best cornerback in the game. I’m not sure if he shadowed Carter Bell but he sure lined about across from him a lot and was in the vicinity when they did attempt to get him the ball. Bell finished with just the one reception for 19 yards. Beanum finished with a pair of PBUs and he appears to be playing with some real confidence.
Rave: Cade Terveer had another sack and was so close to adding to his career interception total. This guy is playing really really well right now too. The Chaingang only had the one sack but they were disruptive and sped Bouman up significantly.
Rave: The MVFC contests played out how I expected yesterday and it sets up an exciting final three weeks across the conference to get the playoff field sorted out. This is why I love FCS football! Every game matters and it is fun to become more knowledgeable about the other teams we play against yearly but also the new ones that we get to face in the playoffs.
Game Balls
Offense: Amar Johnson
Defense: Dalys Beanum
Special Teams: Hunter Dustman
Go Jacks!
Matt
6 Responses
Rave….MarkG can block! Love seeing that from our QB
Neither a Rant or Rave, how about the coaching staff going for points before halftime? It shows the team and fans, they are all in and will do what it takes to get the Win!
Re. the reported attendance rant, I suspect the desire to avoid documenting less than sellout attendance three years after they renovated might be part of it.
Another aspect could be that attendance trending downward could decrease the likelihood future renovations (e.g., replacing the roof) would be fully funded by BoR.
I’d love to have someone go on record explaining their attendance reporting and the rationale for doing so in the manner they do
Why no mention of the wide receivers?
What part do they play in taking pressure off the backs? Have you heard of the Janke twins?
I loved our last series where Chase Mason bulldozed over the Yotes and then we put an explanation point on the scoreboard!!!!
Almost all stadiums/arenas report “paid attendance” rather than “turnstyle attendance” so they report the number of tickets sold rather than how many people actually show up. It’s easier to track and also looks better.