Rants & Raves: WIU
Wow! What a game for the Jackrabbits coming away with a 52-24 victory. I certainly had my doubts but the Jacks proved me wrong. That was the offense we saw in the second half against MSU and that was the defense that we had hoped for heading into the season.
3 Matchups to Watch Review
1. Jackrabbit defensive line vs. WIU running game
The Jackrabbit defense did a good job for the most part taking away the run; only allowing 130 yards on 22 attempts. Yes, they allowed the 39 yard run to McShane but the defensive line did a good job of stringing him out. The Jacks just needed to tackle better. Overall, this was a win for the Jacks as they held WIU to 42 less yards than their season average.
2. Jackrabbit passing game vs. WIU cornerbacks
This was a huge victory for the Jackrabbits. The WIU corners were outmatched in speed and athleticism throughout the day. This game felt like 2016 in regards to the receivers running free in the secondary.
3. Jackrabbit offensive line vs. WIU defensive end Khalen Saunders
Overall the Jackrabbit offensive line got a win vs. Saunders. Saunders finished with 3 tackles, a knocked down pass, and a quarterback hit but didn't make any plays that changed the game. He is a load but the Jacks did a good job of containing him.
Rants & Raves
Rave: That is the fast start that the Jackrabbits wanted! Scoring a touchdown and forcing WIU to kick a field goal is a near perfect start (forcing a punt is better). This Jacks team is tough to beat if they score first.
Rave: I love that the Jacks were able to run the ball when they wanted to. Brady, Mikey, and Isaac are all such different backs but all are successful when their number is called. When the Jacks can run the ball, they are absolutely lethal.
Rant: The officials were too unsure for my taste. Too many times they had long debates about calls and then the head official gave poor explanations. Example: The illegal formation that was called on WIU in the 3rd quarter. The easy explanation is, "The two receivers were both on the line of scrimmage." However, he butchered it in some sort of complicated explanation.
Rave: Taryn played a near perfect game from his quarterback position. Had it not been for the early interception, I would say it was perfect.
Rave: It was great to see the primary and secondary receivers have big days. Dallas and Jake certainly impressed but so did Anderson, Lewis, Brown, Hart and Johnson. It was great that so many guys got involved and made an impact on the game. Again, their downfield run blocking was superb!
Rant: I love how Dalton Cox plays, the physicality and effort, but anytime he gets matched up 1 on 1 with a running back like McShane, it is a huge mismatch against the Jacks. When this happened on Saturday it resulted in a 47 yard touchdown catch for McShane.
Rave: The offensive line impressed me. Again, I prefer the lineup that either had Eddie Miller or Tyler Weir at guard with Greeneway playing right tackle but I thought all three combinations of the lineup performed well overall. They didn't allow a sack after struggling with the 3-4 defense two other times this season.
Rave: Kudos to the defensive coaches for designing a gameplan that limited Jaelon Acklin. Whether it was Jordan Brown shadowing him or using Chris Ballster as linebacker, or another corner it was an impressive showing. Acklin finished with just 6 receptions and 59 yards which is his lowest output of the season and only the 3rd time this year he's been held out of the end zone.
Rant: The one penalty that really gets me from yesterday is the unsportsmanlike conduct on Jackrabbit offensive guard Sepestiano Pupungatoa. He knocked the defender to the ground and then hit him again. Unless he said something, this was a totally legal play. Furthermore, the ruling was that the infraction happened after the play which was incorrect. The replay showed that the ball had barely left Taryn's hand when the penalty was called. Just a super bizarre penalty and enforcement.
Rave: Kudos to the Jacks for handling back to back road trips. Neither MSU or WIU provide great atmospheres and WIU is a tough place to get to. Both games went about as well as the Jacks could have hoped with only a couple injuries.
Game Balls
Offense: Taryn Christion (26/41 passing, 386 yards passing, 5 TDs, 1 INT and 37 yards rushing)
Taryn was dialed in. Jake's touchdowns were beautiful fade passes from Taryn. He distributed the ball to running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers. He also showed good command when the Jacks went uptempo. Taryn bounced back from the early INT. It is a lot to ask, but this is the type of performance the Jacks will need from him for the remainder of the season.
Defense: Christian Rozeboom (10 total tackles, interception, fumble recovery)
He just does it all, week in and week out. His on field demeanor and maturity is that of an upperclassmen. It will be exciting to watch him continue to grow the next few years.
Go Jacks!
-Matt
HIGHLIGHTS: @GoJacksFB comes away with a big win at Western.https://t.co/qxfbD502sw— #GoJacks (@GoJacksSDSU) October 29, 2017
3 Matchups to Watch Review
1. Jackrabbit defensive line vs. WIU running game
The Jackrabbit defense did a good job for the most part taking away the run; only allowing 130 yards on 22 attempts. Yes, they allowed the 39 yard run to McShane but the defensive line did a good job of stringing him out. The Jacks just needed to tackle better. Overall, this was a win for the Jacks as they held WIU to 42 less yards than their season average.
2. Jackrabbit passing game vs. WIU cornerbacks
This was a huge victory for the Jackrabbits. The WIU corners were outmatched in speed and athleticism throughout the day. This game felt like 2016 in regards to the receivers running free in the secondary.
3. Jackrabbit offensive line vs. WIU defensive end Khalen Saunders
Overall the Jackrabbit offensive line got a win vs. Saunders. Saunders finished with 3 tackles, a knocked down pass, and a quarterback hit but didn't make any plays that changed the game. He is a load but the Jacks did a good job of containing him.
Rants & Raves
Rave: That is the fast start that the Jackrabbits wanted! Scoring a touchdown and forcing WIU to kick a field goal is a near perfect start (forcing a punt is better). This Jacks team is tough to beat if they score first.
Rave: I love that the Jacks were able to run the ball when they wanted to. Brady, Mikey, and Isaac are all such different backs but all are successful when their number is called. When the Jacks can run the ball, they are absolutely lethal.
Rant: The officials were too unsure for my taste. Too many times they had long debates about calls and then the head official gave poor explanations. Example: The illegal formation that was called on WIU in the 3rd quarter. The easy explanation is, "The two receivers were both on the line of scrimmage." However, he butchered it in some sort of complicated explanation.
Rave: Taryn played a near perfect game from his quarterback position. Had it not been for the early interception, I would say it was perfect.
Rave: It was great to see the primary and secondary receivers have big days. Dallas and Jake certainly impressed but so did Anderson, Lewis, Brown, Hart and Johnson. It was great that so many guys got involved and made an impact on the game. Again, their downfield run blocking was superb!
Rant: I love how Dalton Cox plays, the physicality and effort, but anytime he gets matched up 1 on 1 with a running back like McShane, it is a huge mismatch against the Jacks. When this happened on Saturday it resulted in a 47 yard touchdown catch for McShane.
Rave: The offensive line impressed me. Again, I prefer the lineup that either had Eddie Miller or Tyler Weir at guard with Greeneway playing right tackle but I thought all three combinations of the lineup performed well overall. They didn't allow a sack after struggling with the 3-4 defense two other times this season.
Rave: Kudos to the defensive coaches for designing a gameplan that limited Jaelon Acklin. Whether it was Jordan Brown shadowing him or using Chris Ballster as linebacker, or another corner it was an impressive showing. Acklin finished with just 6 receptions and 59 yards which is his lowest output of the season and only the 3rd time this year he's been held out of the end zone.
Rant: The one penalty that really gets me from yesterday is the unsportsmanlike conduct on Jackrabbit offensive guard Sepestiano Pupungatoa. He knocked the defender to the ground and then hit him again. Unless he said something, this was a totally legal play. Furthermore, the ruling was that the infraction happened after the play which was incorrect. The replay showed that the ball had barely left Taryn's hand when the penalty was called. Just a super bizarre penalty and enforcement.
Rave: Kudos to the Jacks for handling back to back road trips. Neither MSU or WIU provide great atmospheres and WIU is a tough place to get to. Both games went about as well as the Jacks could have hoped with only a couple injuries.
Game Balls
Offense: Taryn Christion (26/41 passing, 386 yards passing, 5 TDs, 1 INT and 37 yards rushing)
Taryn was dialed in. Jake's touchdowns were beautiful fade passes from Taryn. He distributed the ball to running backs, tight ends, and wide receivers. He also showed good command when the Jacks went uptempo. Taryn bounced back from the early INT. It is a lot to ask, but this is the type of performance the Jacks will need from him for the remainder of the season.
Defense: Christian Rozeboom (10 total tackles, interception, fumble recovery)
He just does it all, week in and week out. His on field demeanor and maturity is that of an upperclassmen. It will be exciting to watch him continue to grow the next few years.
Go Jacks!
-Matt
I like that the Jacks ran the ball well. I would love it if they kept on running it especially when ahead and kept the D off the field. It's not a slight on them because I think if you go back through many games you'll find they've performed better than most reactionary folks seem to think. But a D is perfect when they aren't on the field. A great offense should provide its own defense with clock management. Watch YSU and UNI over, until you can't. When the wheels fell off we had been running reasonably effectively. I love the passing attack, but patience is a virtue.
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