Jackrabbit Illustrated

This is one of my favorite Jackrabbit sports days of the year.  The season opener, Hobo Day, and when players report for fall camp are probably the only days that rank higher for me. Here are the players who SDSU football signed today.  This group started to come together in June after Prospect Camp and then filled in until now.  Tucker Kraft was the first verbal and Jarod DePriest was the most recent.  I would expect the Jacks to add 3-5 more student athletes on the February 6th signing period.  A priority position has got to be running back.  It is a position where you want to bring in a player or two every class.  Regardless, lets celebrate the kids who committed today.  Plenty of change can happen between now and graduation but this is an exciting day today for these student athletes.  Welcome to the Jackrabbit family! *Please note, offers listed are from what student athletes either posted on Twitter or told me. Offense Keaton Heide - Quarterback- 6'3, 190- Plymouth,

It is weird sending this out on a Thursday and not its usual scheduled Friday time.  This has just been a weird week.  However, I'm glad the game is almost here because of how anxious I feel.  Not sure I could stand another day.  With that said, here are the matchups SDSU must win to ensure a victory.  3 Matchups to Watch 1. SDSU defense on 3rd Down vs. Easton Stick SDSU has some playoff demons in Fargo related to 3rd and long.  In the same breath, SDSU struggled on 3rd down earlier this season in Fargo.  Stick rushed 15 times for 63 yards and a TD.  If the Jacks are able to limit Sticks effectiveness on 3rd down (with his legs especially) then they give themselves a great chance to win.  If the Jacks can keep Stick in the pocket so that he has to make the plays with his arm I think the chances of SDSU go up significantly. 2. Evan Greeneway vs. Greg Menard In the first matchup this season, Greeneway did great for most of the game but struggled on one possession .  Menard

The Jacks are back to the semifinals for the second consecutive year after a gutty win against Kennesaw State University in a constant rain and cool temperatures.  They face the old familiar foe, the North Dakota State University Bison.  The Jackrabbits have lost to the Bison in the playoffs three times since the duo moved up from D2 ten years ago.  If not for the Bison, the Jacks almost certainly would have an FCS Championship or two.  The Bison have won 6 championships in that span.  The head coach who has brought three of those championships to Fargo, Chris Klieman, was named the head coach at Kansas State University.  Klieman will coach NDSU until they are done in the playoffs.  This is a classy move by Chris but also for NDSU administration for allowing him to do this.  The Bison will be extra motivated (if they weren't already) to send him out on a high note. In September the Jacks lost in Fargo by a score of 21-17.  The Jacks held the lead going into the 4th quarter bu

Well this is an unexpected blog post to be writing.  As I shared on twitter, I had a preview written for Towson and the Fighting Tom Flacco's.  However, they went out with a whimper on Saturday in the  rain.  Their air assault was grounded and their defense wilted under the punishing runs of AJ Hines. So now the Dukes of Duquesne (9-3) return to Brookings for the second year in a row.  The Jacks won their season opener in 2017 against the Dukes 51-13.  In that game the Jacks scored the first 34 points of the game and walked into the locker room at halftime with a 34-7 advantage.  However, the players who scored every touchdown of that game are now gone. My preview for the last game highlighted a tough team that liked to run the ball and had the ability to play tough hard nosed football.  The 2018 version is much the same.  They rely on the run to setup the pass and then milk the clock.  Rinse and repeat. Offense The Dukes offense favors the run (186 ypg) but is capable o

Photo by Larry Sellers The Jacks took care of business in Atlanta with a 27-17 win and are now headed to Fargo for a rematch of an early season loss.  The game on Saturday wasn't pretty.  The conditions prevented each team from show casing what truly makes them special.  It was a test of wills and the Jacks prevailed KSU and the rain.  It was a tremendously gritty effort by the Jackrabbits.    Rants & Raves Rave: Jackrabbit fans, please please please appreciate Taryn Christion.  Whether he has one or two games left, this man has done so much for the Jackrabbit football program.  Watching Maine and Weber St. play with very limited quarterback play should give every Jackrabbit fan a glimpse of what it is like to play without an elite quarterback. We have been pretty spoiled over the years with the quality of our passers.  Taryn's numbers were limited on Saturday because of the weather but his mobility, levelheadedness, and decision making were on full display.  There

This week I've attempted to learn all I can about the triple option.  We don't see it often in the MVFC, I didn't play against it in high school, and I don't really watch it on TV as I tend to shy away from Georgia Tech games.  It's an interesting offense that has its limits but when it clicks is very dangerous.  I'm sure the defensive staff has had some long days working to prepare for this matchup.. 1. Brandon Snyder vs. Chandler Burks There are lot of methods to stopping the option but using a safety as a deeper middle linebacker appears to be one of the best and most common ways of limiting the triple options effectiveness.  Snyder is great running down hill and smacking the ball carrier.  If the ends are sweating the quarterback Snyder will potentially have a field day making plays in the backfield.  Snyder is the exact type of player you want to have for a triple option team; fast, instinctual, and a sound tackler. 2. #605Hogs vs. KSU Front 7 The

The Jacks are back in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs after a dominant 51-6 victory over a plucky Duquesne Dukes squad.  SDSU will travel to Atlanta to take on the Kennesaw State University (KSU) Owls for a 1pm kickoff. KSU is a great story as their first football game in program history was just in 2015.  That is also the season they opened their stadium, Fifth Third Bank Stadium, and have gone 22-3 in that venue since.  KSU is also unique because they run a triple option offense, something the Jackrabbits rarely encounter.  The last time the Jackrabbits faced a pure triple option team was 2016 when they were upset by Cal Poly, 31-38.  We'll talk more about that later. The Owls are coached by Brian Bohannon who has been at the helm since the start.  He is part of the Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech) coaching tree so the triple option comes naturally to him.  Offense KSU is a triple option offense that averages 46 ppg.  They average 356.3 yards per game on the ground bu

The Jacks played a great game on Saturday.  In less than ideal conditions they still put up 51 points while limiting the Dukes to 6.  The offense relied on the run due to the snow and wind but the passing game was good enough early on while the weather was decent.  I'm excited for the Jacks to take this show on the road and see how they do against a very good Kennesaw State squad.    Rants & Raves Rave: Mikey Daniel has been patiently waiting for a game like this for much of the season.  On Saturday he reached 100 yards rushing and scored his 10th TD of the season.  The junior from Brookings is considered the "big back" and receives the bulk of his carries in goal line and short yardage situations.  Saturday he showed he can be a complete back.  Rave: The #605Hogs deserve a lot of credit for the success of the Jackrabbit running game, both on Saturday and throughout this season.  Mikey is the 4th running back to reach the century mark in 2018.  I'll admit