The Jackrabbits enter week 4 with a 2-1 record. The UNI win was impressive. The UND loss was deflating. The win against WIU was expected but it still felt like the offense figured some things out and the defense got back to bullying the opponent. YSU is a step up from WIU so we will see how much the Jacks have improved. In his weekly press conference, Coach Stig mentioned that the team is getting healthy. We love to hear that and look forward to seeing Xavier Ward and Deyon Campbell out there this week. We hope Blake Kunz is more comfortable in his second week back, along with the return of swiss army knife Mike Morgan. Hopefully the team maintains focus on going 1-0 this week because this YSU team is talented and is hungry for it’s first victory of the season.
The Return of Peas & Carrots
This one is the obvious one and its boring. We get it. YSU wants to run the ball and they enter this week averaging just 108.3 yards per game but last week against SIU were able to run for 203 after totaling just 51 and 71 against NDSU and UNI. Running back Jaleel McLaughlin and quarterback Mark Waid accounted for 197 yards and 3 TDs on the ground on 49 attempts. McLaughlin is a shifty back who has the potential for the big play while Waid is a powerful runner and overall good athlete. Similar to the game plan the Jacks used against UNI, it is imperative they stop the run on 1st and 2nd down and force YSU into uncomfortable passing situations on 3rd down. On the season YSU is converting on just 42% of its 3rd down opportunities. We’d love if the defense could keep it even lower than that!
Hands Off
Through 3 games the Jackrabbit cornerbacks have been called for a number of holding and pass interference penalties, some legit and some imaginary. Regardless, the players have to adjust to the way MVFC officials are calling downfield contact this year. The corners need to keep their hands off, look for the ball, and not turn and see if the official has thrown the flag after every incomplete pass. We hope to see growth in this area with no more free yards for opponents.
Steady As She Goes, Special Teams
The Jackrabbits had an okay start on special teams against UNI, a terrible game against UND, started poorly against WIU but rebounded and finished the game in strong fashion. We’d love to see them have just a rock solid complete game. It doesn’t have to be spectacular, just don’t hurt the team. And for goodness sakes, no more fake punts allowed.
Maintain Balance
Last week the Jackrabbits had a great mix of run and pass and this kept WIU continually chasing. We hope that the Jacks are able to maintain this balance through the air and on the ground. Through the first half the Jacks were nearly in perfect balance as they ran out to a 42-10 halftime lead. After that they only attempted a handful of second half passes which makes the attempts appear so lopsided (44 runs to 22 passes). The #605Hogs had maybe their best game of the season and gave Gronowski plenty of time to pass and created highways for the running backs (and quarterback) to pick up big chunks of yardage. The passing game featuring the Janke twins appeared unstoppable but we’d still like for a third threat to emerge whether that is at WR or TE we don’t care.
T.O.P.
Time of possession is crucial in any matchup but YSU is holding the ball for nearly 32 minutes per game. Last week against SIU, they held the ball for nearly 38 minutes! That can’t happen this week. This “what to watch” item aligns with maintaining offensive balance and stopping the run. If the Jacks do those two things, the time of possession should take care of itself.
Should be another beautiful March Saturday in Brookings. Be there!
Go Jacks!
Ben, Brendan, Dallas, Kyle, and Matt
