3 Matchups to Watch: Illinois State


It has been a quiet week from both SDSU and Illinois State.  Both teams are coming off a loss and both teams realize the importance of this game in terms of holding out hope for a seed in the playoffs.  Whichever team walks away with a loss will then need to win-out to make the playoffs.  This game has plenty of meaning as the second half of MVFC play begins.

Matchups to Watch
Cade Johnson vs. the Redbird secondary
Last week, NDSU's Darrius Shepherd had a big week against this UNI secondary (6 rec. 126 yards).  Shepherd and Johnson play the same role for their offenses and are built similarly.  Johnson also had a big game last week (7 rec. 121 yards).  This could be a chance for Cade to build on his excellent 2018 (29 rec. 555 yards, 8 TD) against a young cornerback group. 

#605Hogs vs. ISU 3 man front
A week after struggling against a similar alignment, the #605Hogs will look to regain their dominance of the line of scrimmage.  Illinois State's three down linemen are young and inexperienced.  However, the Redbirds bring pressure from all over the field and want to get after the quarterback.  The Jacks will need to run the ball better then they did against UNI to at least keep the defense honest against the pass.

Jackrabbit defense vs. running back James Robinson
The Redbird offense goes through James Robinson.  If the Jacks can stop him, it will go a long way towards securing a victory.  On the season Robinson has 911 total rushing yards and 122 through the air.  This season the Jackrabbit defense has mixed against good running backs.  The absolutely held Tevin McCaster, Bruce Anderson, and Lance Dunn in check but struggled against Ja'Quan Keys and Marcus Weymiller.  If the Jacks can limit Robinson's impact then I like their chances to win.  I believe the secondary can limit the damage that Brady Davis does through the air.                 

Kickoff is at noon and you can watch it on ESPN3.

Go Jacks!
Matt 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Top 5 Favorite Jackrabbit Football Players

Image
Remember the great scene from "The Sandlot" where Benny wakes up to the ghost of Babe Ruth coming out of his closet?  If you remember, the boys from the sandlot were in a pickle.  A signed Babe Ruth baseball had been hit over the fence and into a junkyard that was roamed by a giant dog named "The Beast" and an old grouchy man who instructed the dog to eat intruders (or so the legend said) lived alone.  Anyways, the best part of the dream scene is Babe Ruth's advice to Benny, "Hero's get remembered, but legends never die." Who are the legends of Jackrabbit football?  What plays and contribution did they make that stand out?  I had this discussion on Twitter on my personal account a few months ago, but I decided I wanted to bring it to the blog.  We can debate all day who the BEST Jackrabbits are, but who are your FAVORITE Jackrabbits of all time?  Who are the legendary players to you?  I've been closely following the Jacks since the fa
Read more

What's Cookin': Dessert

Image
Alright, another year of Jackrabbit football is upon us. We are celebrating at Jackrabbit Illustrated, this our 5th season covering the team.  The players who we first covered as freshmen are now redshirt seniors. We hope you are as excited as us for this upcoming season. Chef Tim, a culinary instructor at Mitchell Tech and contributing writer, has some fun recipes for you this season.  He has committed to doing one a week. I have nothing but faith that he will get them turned in! We start the season celebrating with celebrations. Here are some fun baked goods that will lead to the healthy start to the season; Cherry-Chocolate Chunk Cookies ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour ¼ Cup Quick-Cooking Oats ½ Teaspoon baking Soda Pinch of Salt 2 tbs butter, melted and cooled 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla Extract 2 oz semisweet chocolate 1/3 cup dried cherries 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. 2) Combine Flour, Oats, baking soda, and salt in a
Read more

Guide to Fort Collins

Image
The Jackrabbit games about FBS teams are always fun.  It is a chance to take in a different town and watch the team prove themselves against a foe who is one classification higher.  This year the Jacks aren't playing a Power 5 team but are playing a Great 5 team, Colorado State.  We have a guest contributor today, Jackrabbit legend Austin Sumner.  Austin was the starting QB from 2011 to 2014.  .  Below are some of his recommendations for Fort Collins. Jacks Fans! I’m looking forward to seeing many of you Labor Day weekend as the Jacks take on Colorado State. I’ve lived here in Fort Collins for the last 6 years. Here are some recommendations for those visiting for the big game: Breweries – New Belgium and Odell Brewing Co (most popular) are great places to kill some time and enjoy some of the finest craft beers. Or keep it classy at the Anheuser-Busch brewery and grab yourself a Busch Light. Here is a list of the rest in town: Fort Collins Breweries | Local Colorado Craft Beer (visi
Read more