Well, I admit it.  I was wrong in my thinking that the Jacks would come out and trounce the Penguins again.  YSU you has clearly improved and the Jacks were sloppy in their execution in the first half.  However, the Jacks were able to right the ship after being down 17 to 7 at halftime and showed some real resilience along the way.  It wasn’t the prettiest win (35-30) but at the end of the day, it is a road win over a ranked opponent; something the selection committee considers in it’s decision making.

Rants & Raves

Rave:  I think we have to start with the rushing attack.  The Jacks were able to grind out 211 yards on 40 carries.  Julius Loughridge himself had 176 net yards and 4 TDs.  It seemed like the #605Hogs found their groove in the second half and really dominated the line of scrimmage. When Loughridge is running like that, he’s a hard man to bring down.

Rave: Speaking of the #605Hogs, I (we) have been tough on them and their struggles this season.  For the most part, they played a really good game surrendering just 1 sack and 2 QBHs.  Just watching the game live, it seemed like Chase had plenty of time and the downhill running game with Shane Willenbring and Nate Adams pulling through was really fun to watch.

Rant: YSU had  our defense off balance for much of the night.  156 rushing yards and 275 passing yards allowed simply aren’t good enough.  In particular, I thought this is the worst our secondary has looked all season and we really didn’t have an answer for Max Tomczak who finished with 8 receptions for 92 yards and a TD.  Tomczak is a very good receiver but he’s not Bryce Lance or Daniel Sobkowicz.

Rave: He hasn’t gotten to punt in two games but Max Pelham was sensational.  On 4 punts he had a 49.8 yard average with a long of 59 yards.  On one punt, he almost was able to land the ball at the one and spin it backwards but it BARELY touched the line and was ruled a touchback.

Rave: Alex Bullock had a really really nice night with 10 receptions for 162 yards.  He seems to have real chemistry with Chase and is his go-to target when O’Groske is out.  This has been just an absolute homerun of a transfer for the Jackrabbits!

Rant: The Jacks have to get more production from their number two running back.  I know the guys behind Julius are young but yesterday Basinger finished with 3 carries for -7 yards and those three plays were ugly.  Begeman is out for awhile and Blair Jr. has been hurt the past two weeks.  There just has to be some production on the ground outside of Juice.

Rave: The Jacks were better again on 3rd down going 6/14 (42.9%).  This still isn’t great but its better.

Rave: The Jackrabbit defense was excellent on 3rd down allowing YSU to convert just 4 of 13 opportunities (30.7%).

Rant: One thing I didn’t love on the 3rd downs was the play selection on the 3rd downs before the Jacks went for it on 4th down.  Both 3rd downs were 3rd and 3.  On both plays the Jacks had incomplete passes which left them with 4th and long.  If we thought this was a situation where we MIGHT go for it on 4th down, then run the ball on 3rd down and see if you can get it a little closer.  All this is easy to say in hindsight.

Rave: I think Grahm Goering has really stepped up this season.  His consistency has really ticked up and he’s been doing a great job of run blocking.  Hopefully he gets a few more opportunities.

Rave: Joe Ollman had another big night finishing with 7 total tackles and a sack.  I just love his story and how he is performing.  I’m glad he wasn’t booked for targeting as initially called.  He seemed to do everything he could to make the play while protecting himself and Tomczak.

Rave: The Jackrabbits may have found their short yardage back in Andrew Gustad.  Those fullback dives looked great!

Rant:  This game was the first game this season where we have seen Chase Mason be inaccurate for a long stretch of the game.  It was a reminder that he is still learning and that there will be ups and downs this season.  He completed just 48% of his passes for 189 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT.  We’ve seen better and this was hopefully just a blip.

Rave: Loved the uniform combination! Looked super clean and looked great on TV.

Rave: I love the fire Cullen McShane plays with.   He led the team in tackles again with 12 total.

Rant: I hate the fire Cullen McShane plays with.  He cost the team another 15 yards on a stupid penalty.

Rave: Ryan Harrington continues to dominate.  YSU has an excellent returner in “Flash” and between Harrington’s excellent placement and the hangtime on his kicks, “Flash” was snuffed out.

Rave: If we wanted to make sure the team was locked in and focused for Hobo Day, this is the result we wanted to see.  An incomplete performance but a victory none the less.  I fully expect the Jackrabbits to be locked and loaded, even with all the festivities that surround Hobo Day.

Rave: I loved how this team handled the adversity of being down 14-0.  This game could have gone downhill really quickly but ultimately this team responded and found a way to get the win.  That’s the story from this one.

Game Balls

Offense: Julius Loughridge

Defense: Joe Ollman

Special Teams: Max Pelham

Go Jacks!

Matt