Rants & Raves: UNH
Well that was a fun win. I love the playoff crowds for Jackrabbit football. Those of you who choose to attend bring the noise and create an awesome atmosphere. The team gave us plenty to cheer about and played a complete game in all three phases of the game.
3 Matchups to Watch Revisited
1. Jackrabbit interior offensive line vs. #72 Rick Holt and #71 Ryan Sosnak
This had been billed as the "matchup to watch" for most of the week by others, as well as myself. The Jackrabbit offensive line dominated. Holt and Sosnak both finished with just 3 total tackles, 0 sacks, 0 quarterback hits, and 0 tipped passes. The Jacks rushed for 265 yards and only gave up 1 sack. This was a HUGE win for the Jackrabbits.
2. Jordan Brown vs. #82 Neil O’Connor
Brown did what he has done all season, shutdown the opponents top wide receiver. O'Connor finished with just 4 receptions for 38 yards and 0 TDs. The only fault to Brown on the day would be the dropped interception to start the second half. He likely would have had a touchdown if he had hung on. Another win for the Jacks.
3. Ryan Earith vs. UNH tackles
As Coach Stig said in the posgame interview with Merriam and Struck, "Ryan Earith just gets better every day." Earith finished with 6 total tackles and a sack. He also had an additional quarterback hit and consistently pushed the UNH tackle back in the quarterback's lap. Win for the Jacks.
Rants & Raves
Rave: Another great start for the Jackrabbits. During this seven game winning streak, the Jacks have started fast on offense in all but the USD game. New Hampshire made a big mistake giving the Jacks the ball to start the game.
Rave: As I mentioned above, the offensive line was dominant. Playing without starting guard Tiano Pupungatoa, the Jacks still moved the ball on the ground and provided adequate pass blocking that allowed Taryn to scan the field. #72, who admitted he had the game of his life last weekend, got very frustrated and started jawing with his coaches and was benched after his late hit on Taryn. On an individual note, I thought Tyler Weir had a very good game. I'm also excited to watch the career of Eddie Miller. He appears to be very good, even as a true freshman.
Rant: I didn't like that the offensive starters played so late into the game. Taryn took two nasty hits on the final drive. One was the late hit/roughing the passer call and the other was along the sideline on a short quarterback run. With Dallas already going down to injury and his status uncertain, it would have not been good to lose another offensive weapon. We will need everyone ready for the semi-final clash vs. JMU.
Rave: How much of a weapon is Cade Johnson? Every time he catches it, I feel like it could go to the house. The Jacks devote a ton of time to special teams during the week so it isn't a huge surprise that the individual units have improved, but having the speed and explosiveness of Johnson is a huge weapon that the Jacks haven't had in a long while.
Rant: The busted coverage that allowed UNH's 75 yard TD completion was weird. I haven't necessarily seen the Jacks align that way before. Jordan Brown was back at safety, Logan Backhaus was up near the stack of receivers, and Anthony Washington was granting about a 10 yard cushion on the stack. I'm not sure what happened as there was NO ONE near the UNH wide receiver, Kieran Presley, when he caught the ball. Hopefully the Jacks either get rid of that play or clean up the execution.
Rave: The end around to Wieneke was a brilliant call. When Taryn starting running to the left in a weird way, I questioned out loud with a "What the???" Clearly this play also caught UNH off-guard as well. I don't know if I have ever seen the Jacks run this play. It ended up being Wienke's first rushing touchdown and the execution by the entire offense was perfect. The folks around me also got a good chuckle at my initial reaction to the play.
Rave: The Jackrabbit running game was dominant over a UNH defense that came into the game known as a really good run defense. It didn't matter who was rushing the ball, they had success. Brady is so shifty, Mikey runs with tremendous effort and power, and Isaac is continuing his recent surge of success. On the post-game show, Struck brought up the fact that maybe Isaac is a little fresher right now because of the reduced workload he saw during the regular season. Whatever is happening, he looks great right now!
Rave: It has been fun to see the growth of Marshon Harris this year. As just a red-shirt freshman he has shown great maturity and an ability to bounce back from disappointing plays. He has that "short term memory" that defensive backs need to have as they battle throughout the game. After being called for a pass interference that allowed a UNH drive to continue, he later delivered a beautiful leaping interception that he nearly returned for a touchdown. Marshon finished with 3 tackles, 2 passes broken up, and the interception.
Game Balls
Offense: Jake Wieneke (9 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TDs, 1 rush attempt, 48 yards, and 1 TD)
How lucky have we been to watch this guy play for four years? Jake has been making plays since he first stepped on the field as a redshirt freshman playing against Missouri. Jake has had a down year statistically, by his standards, but you wouldn't know it when you watch him. He set the MVFC record with 273 career receptions and now owns every major receiving statistic in MVFC history. Jake also went over 5,000 career receiving yards in this game which places him third all-time in FCS history.
Defense: Ryan Earith (5 solo tackles, 1 assist and, 1 sack)
As I said earlier, Earith has been on a tear in the second half of the season. He is very good against the run and is really improving against the pass. I remember all of the coaches being very high on him in fall camp and he is rewarding their praise with a great season.
Go Jacks!
-Matt
Defense.
3 Matchups to Watch Revisited
1. Jackrabbit interior offensive line vs. #72 Rick Holt and #71 Ryan Sosnak
This had been billed as the "matchup to watch" for most of the week by others, as well as myself. The Jackrabbit offensive line dominated. Holt and Sosnak both finished with just 3 total tackles, 0 sacks, 0 quarterback hits, and 0 tipped passes. The Jacks rushed for 265 yards and only gave up 1 sack. This was a HUGE win for the Jackrabbits.
2. Jordan Brown vs. #82 Neil O’Connor
Brown did what he has done all season, shutdown the opponents top wide receiver. O'Connor finished with just 4 receptions for 38 yards and 0 TDs. The only fault to Brown on the day would be the dropped interception to start the second half. He likely would have had a touchdown if he had hung on. Another win for the Jacks.
3. Ryan Earith vs. UNH tackles
As Coach Stig said in the posgame interview with Merriam and Struck, "Ryan Earith just gets better every day." Earith finished with 6 total tackles and a sack. He also had an additional quarterback hit and consistently pushed the UNH tackle back in the quarterback's lap. Win for the Jacks.
Rants & Raves
Rave: Another great start for the Jackrabbits. During this seven game winning streak, the Jacks have started fast on offense in all but the USD game. New Hampshire made a big mistake giving the Jacks the ball to start the game.
Rave: As I mentioned above, the offensive line was dominant. Playing without starting guard Tiano Pupungatoa, the Jacks still moved the ball on the ground and provided adequate pass blocking that allowed Taryn to scan the field. #72, who admitted he had the game of his life last weekend, got very frustrated and started jawing with his coaches and was benched after his late hit on Taryn. On an individual note, I thought Tyler Weir had a very good game. I'm also excited to watch the career of Eddie Miller. He appears to be very good, even as a true freshman.
Rant: I didn't like that the offensive starters played so late into the game. Taryn took two nasty hits on the final drive. One was the late hit/roughing the passer call and the other was along the sideline on a short quarterback run. With Dallas already going down to injury and his status uncertain, it would have not been good to lose another offensive weapon. We will need everyone ready for the semi-final clash vs. JMU.
Rave: How much of a weapon is Cade Johnson? Every time he catches it, I feel like it could go to the house. The Jacks devote a ton of time to special teams during the week so it isn't a huge surprise that the individual units have improved, but having the speed and explosiveness of Johnson is a huge weapon that the Jacks haven't had in a long while.
Rant: The busted coverage that allowed UNH's 75 yard TD completion was weird. I haven't necessarily seen the Jacks align that way before. Jordan Brown was back at safety, Logan Backhaus was up near the stack of receivers, and Anthony Washington was granting about a 10 yard cushion on the stack. I'm not sure what happened as there was NO ONE near the UNH wide receiver, Kieran Presley, when he caught the ball. Hopefully the Jacks either get rid of that play or clean up the execution.
Rave: The end around to Wieneke was a brilliant call. When Taryn starting running to the left in a weird way, I questioned out loud with a "What the???" Clearly this play also caught UNH off-guard as well. I don't know if I have ever seen the Jacks run this play. It ended up being Wienke's first rushing touchdown and the execution by the entire offense was perfect. The folks around me also got a good chuckle at my initial reaction to the play.
Rave: The Jackrabbit running game was dominant over a UNH defense that came into the game known as a really good run defense. It didn't matter who was rushing the ball, they had success. Brady is so shifty, Mikey runs with tremendous effort and power, and Isaac is continuing his recent surge of success. On the post-game show, Struck brought up the fact that maybe Isaac is a little fresher right now because of the reduced workload he saw during the regular season. Whatever is happening, he looks great right now!
Rave: It has been fun to see the growth of Marshon Harris this year. As just a red-shirt freshman he has shown great maturity and an ability to bounce back from disappointing plays. He has that "short term memory" that defensive backs need to have as they battle throughout the game. After being called for a pass interference that allowed a UNH drive to continue, he later delivered a beautiful leaping interception that he nearly returned for a touchdown. Marshon finished with 3 tackles, 2 passes broken up, and the interception.
Game Balls
Offense: Jake Wieneke (9 receptions, 140 yards, 2 TDs, 1 rush attempt, 48 yards, and 1 TD)
How lucky have we been to watch this guy play for four years? Jake has been making plays since he first stepped on the field as a redshirt freshman playing against Missouri. Jake has had a down year statistically, by his standards, but you wouldn't know it when you watch him. He set the MVFC record with 273 career receptions and now owns every major receiving statistic in MVFC history. Jake also went over 5,000 career receiving yards in this game which places him third all-time in FCS history.
Defense: Ryan Earith (5 solo tackles, 1 assist and, 1 sack)
As I said earlier, Earith has been on a tear in the second half of the season. He is very good against the run and is really improving against the pass. I remember all of the coaches being very high on him in fall camp and he is rewarding their praise with a great season.
Go Jacks!
-Matt
Defense.
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