Rants & Raves: UNI Playoffs



What a beautiful day!  As many fans have noted, it was just a fun atmosphere on Saturday.  Most fans that I visited with were confident in the win and that the Jacks were going to redeem themselves and get revenge on a good UNI team.  The fans that were in attendance were active and engaged.


3 Matchups to Watch Revisited

1. Jordan Brown vs. #10 Daurice Fountain
This matchup was a battle. All. Day. Long.  Fountain finished with 3 receptions for 28 yards and 1 TD.  The touchdown catch was a terrific play by Fountain as him and Brown were both battling fiercely for the ball.  However, Fountain was held without a reception for the entire second half. This was a big win for Jordan and a big win for the Jacks defense.

2. Charlie Harmon and Tyler Weir vs. #99 Adam Reth and #7 Rickey Neal
This matchup was much more even than the first matchup.  Reth was his normal uber-active self, finishing with 8 tackles, 2.5 for loss, and a sack.  Neal was held to 5 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.  All-in-all a good day statistically for these two, but it didn't seem like they had the same impact on the game as in the previous matchup.  Most of the time, Taryn had a nice clean pocket to throw from. Harmon and Weir also played penalty free I believe.  I give a slight edge in this matchup to the Jacks.

3. Dallas Goedert vs. UNI secondary
UNI really didn't have an answer for Dallas or for the Jackrabbit passing game for much of the game.  Dallas finished with 6 receptions, 83 yards, and another touchdown catch to add to the highlight reel.  As I called for in the initial blog, the other receivers stepped up with Wieneke, Brown, Johnson, and Lewis having a big impact in the passing game.  This matchup goes to the Jacks. 


Rants & Raves
Rave: That was a great start for the Jacks yesterday.  Going up 10-0 early had to have given the team confidence.

Rave: Cade Johnson has just been electric for the Jacks this season.  After UNI's first score, I tweeted that the Jacks needed to respond.  Johnson did immidiatly with a kick return that crossed midfield.  The offense went 3-and-out but Vinatieri's 55 yard goal make was setup by Johnson's big return.

Rave: I thought the fans in attendance did a great job of making noise when the Jacks were on defense.  I don't think UNI did a lot of audibles at the line, but it would have been difficult for them with the noise that the fans were making.

Rant: It surprised me that there were only two concession areas open in the whole stadium.  There were fans who missed the second half kickoff because they were still standing in line for their halftime beverage and snacks.

Rave: Ryan Earith continued his path towards becoming a dominant defensive end in the Valley.  His early pressure and hit on UNI QB Eli Dunne set the tone for the rest of the day.  Earith finished with just the 1 sack but he had two other quarterback hurries to his credit.

Rave: How about that kick by Chase Vinatieri?  A career best 55 yard made field goal.  Chase consistently makes this type of kick, and longer, in practice.  I'm guessing that kick would have been good from a couple more yards.

Rant: The chippiness of the UNI players towards the end of the game was less than ideal.  I am just glad that the Jacks got out of the game without any penalties that would have cost playing time or injuries because of a dirty hit.

Rave: The Jackrabbit defense was phenomenal through 3 quarters.  They only gave up 131 first half yards and then only 181 at the end of the 3rd quarter.  They are certainly playing great at the right time of year.

Rant: The Jacks have to stop turning the ball over.  Taryn's interception and Mikey's fumble were just not needed.  New Hampshire is coming in to Brookings having forced 4 turnovers in both of their playoff games so far.

Rave: I loved the aggressive play calling and that the Jacks went for it on 4th down in the first half.  Great calls by Coach Eidsness and great execution by the players!

Rave: I love how the offense and defense complimented each other throughout the day.  When the offense needed to control the ball, they did.  When the defense needed to make a stop, they did.  35 minutes and 43 seconds in time of possession usually equals a win in playoff football.

Game Balls
Offense:  Taryn Christion (19/28 passing, 237 yards, 3 TDs passing, and an additional 57 rushing yards and 1 TD. Besides a few passes that seemed to sail on him, Taryn had an excellent day.  He is just so in control of the offense and makes the right call when to tuck and run and when to try and make a play from the pocket.

Defense: Logan Backhaus (8 solo tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, and 2 pass breakups)
It felt like Logan was everywhere yesterday making tackles, batting down passes, and obviously the nice strip for the fumble.  It is hard to believe he is just a redshirt freshman and that he isn't totally healthy.  Big things in Logan's future!   

See you next weekend in Brookings!  (That is pretty fun to say).

Go Jacks!
Matt 

Comments

  1. JacksAnaonymousDecember 4, 2017 at 9:30 AM

    Great write up as always. UNI was,is and always will be “chippy” with Farley involved. That’s him.
    Jacks Football was high effort and fairly consistent. It had a plan that it executed. It was calculated in its aggressive decisions. It established new benchmarks for the road ahead.
    I think 3 didn’t as much overthrow guys early as he made a conscious decision not to risk a turnover early. He put the ball where only his guy had a play. He simply put it out of reach but he kept things rolling. Look at where he drilled it in after a lead was established. In my book that was exceptional maturity and patience. If he needed to he’d have threaded some needles with the first passes. He probed that D and the game plan did too. All the weapons were in play and meshing well. I smell 3 TDS for that Minnesota kid this week.
    Backhaus seems to have an exceptional day and he did. He’s been amazing rewatch some Montana State video. It was “possible” because The Boom was almost ”Lambertesque” stalking sideline to sideline. Big guys were strong too. I’ve felt criticism of he D early was unjust. This is a unit of playmakers and they are becoming a defense now. 55 Yard’s and it would have made 58 for sure 60 might have bounced in off the crossbar. Talk about stretching the red zone. He’s not a kicker he’s a tremendous football player that scores by kicking. Ladies and gentlemen this is Championship football.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jackrabbit IllustratedDecember 4, 2017 at 11:15 AM

      Thanks for the comment! This is great. The players of the game were tough to give out as it just seemed like a great team effort.

      Delete

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