This week has actually gone surprisingly fast, all things considered. Maybe a blizzard will do that or maybe it is because of all the tailgate planning that we have been engaged in. Speaking of tailgating, we need to thank our sponsors again!
What to Watch
Turnovers
The @FCS_Stats account Tweeted out on Thursday morning about the Bison being a combined +12 in turnover margin in their previous 9 championship games. The Jackrabbits and Bison are tied at +13 on the season in turnover margin. The Bison secondary is excellent at taking the ball away but Mark Gronowski has not tossed an interception in two games vs. NDSU and has only tossed 5 interceptions on the year. Cam Miller has tossed 3 interceptions in 3 games vs. SDSU and has only 3 interceptions this season. Taking care of the ball is always important but in this game it feels even more so!
Protection
The Bison defensive line racked up three sacks in October and had a number of other quarterback hits on Gronowski. The #605Hogs MUST be better in pass protection and need to play closer to how they did since the NDSU game. On the season they have surrendered just 17 sacks. This game isn’t in the Fargo Dome but it will still be plenty loud which could cause issues. Likewise, the Jackrabbit defense must get some heat on Miller. He was not sacked in October and had little to no pressure on him in the 1st half of that game. The Jacks racked up 38 sacks this season and brought pressure from their front 7. Let’s add a few more sacks this week!
Early Down Efficiency
The Jacks were a terrific 7 for 13 on 3rd down vs. NDSU in October. They had some excellent conversions that ultimately led to their victory. It wasn’t luck but it took perfect execution to convert on some of those 3rd downs. The real problem was early down execution. The Jacks MUST be better on 1st and 2nd down than they were in October. Limit the pre-snap penalties, stay ahead of chains, and leave 3rd and manageable which does not allow the NDSU All-American, Spencer Waege, to tee off on his pass rush.
Injuries
The Jacks are as healthy as they have been all season. Tucker Kraft, Landon Wolf, Cale Reeder, and Chase Norblade did not play in the previous game while Daeton Mcgaughy went out early and Isaiah Davis suffered an injury midway through. On the other hand, NDSU likely returns All-American DT, Eli Mostaert and will have LB Cole Wisniewski who both missed the prior matchup. There is a ton of uncertainty about the other injuries NDSU is facing though because of the depth chart they released this week. Running back is particularly interesting because NDSU is already without Hunter Luepke and Dominic Gonnella. TaMerik Williams and Kobe Johnson, NDSU’s two leading rushers, are both questionable. The top healthy back is TK Marshall and he has just 54 carries on the season. The other injury to watch is wide receiver, Raja Nelson. The Bison are thin at the position already and Nelson is a reliable target who also does a great job as a kick returner. Ultimately, who plays and who doesn’t really doesn’t matter because the Bison recruit so well but it is interesting for fans to watch.
The Moment
This is the next biggest moment for Jackrabbit football. “Next” is the key word because this team continues to rise to the occasion and achieve its goals. It has been a slow and steady rise for the program and now it is here. Most folks believe SDSU is the better team, the health of the teams favors SDSU, and the Jacks did just win in October. However, it is well documented that NDSU considers Frisco to be “Fargo South.” The Bison have never lost in Frisco. Their fans expect to be there and buy tickets in August. Their players know what it is like to be in Frisco for a “normal” year. The Jacks have beaten NDSU in Fargo and in Brookings. Now it is time to do it in Frisco!
See you down there and be sure to stop by our tailgate!
Go Jacks!
Ben, Brenda, Chad, Dallas, Kyle, and Matt
