Rants & Raves MSU

Wow! What a game in Brookings on Saturday.  I was nervous heading in, mostly because of the weather but also because Missouri State's offense can put points on the board.  However, the Jacks put together their most complete game of the year and dominated from start to finish.

Rants & Raves
Rave: The Jackrabbit defense was awesome but it started with the front four.  Ryan Earith was everywhere and when he wasn't applying pressure Elijah Wilson, Austin Smenda, Krockett Krolikowski, Xavier Ward, Thomas Stacker, Spencer Hildahl, Reece Winkelman, Caleb Sanders, or Tolu Ogunrinde were in the face of Huslig.  It didn't matter who was in the game, there was pressure on the MSU quarterback.  It was the best performance from a Jackrabbit "front four" that I have seen in the 12 years I have been closely following Jackrabbit football. 

Rave: Sticking with the theme of winning in the trenches... the #605Hogs controlled the line of scrimmage.  Taryn was hit on the first 3rd down of the game but I can't remember him getting hit after that.  Throughout the game they provided an excellent pocket for Taryn to move around in.  In the run game they provided ample room for the team to rack up

Pockets don’t get much cleaner than this. MSU even brought an extra rusher. https://t.co/rliyUuiXKi

— Jackrabbit_Illstrtd (@JackIllustrated) November 4, 2018

Rant: My biggest rant from the day is actually against the MSU coaching staff.  In the second quarter, Jordan Brown was called for a pass interference, after the play it looked like MSU's strength coach had something to say to JB.  Christian Rozeboom walked over and the coached seemed to have something to say to him to.  I've since learned what the coach said to them and I don't feel like repeating it here.  On the very next play Rozeboom made his interception and stared at the side lines looking for the coach who was jawing with him and Brown.  So my rant is this... IF I was a head coach or in a position of authority, I would have sent that assistant coach to the locker room.  Players can jaw but when a professional staff member participates in it, they can take a hike.

Rave:  Cade Johnson is eventually going to get MVFC defensive coordinators to respect his speed.  You'd think that 8 games into his sophomore season they would have it figured out by now.  However, it doesn't seem like they have accepted that they will have to respect his ability to get down the field.  On Saturday he added another 5 receptions for 130 yards, and 2 TDs.  This bumps his season totals up to 42 receptions for 816 yards and 11 TDs.  He should be a 1st Team All-MVFC receiver if he finishes the last two games strong.

Rant: Minor critique here.  The Jacks need Chase Vinatieri to be more consistent.  He makes the kicks in big pressure situations so it is hard to be too critical but his 27 yard miss in the 4th quarter is a "gimme" for Chase and he needs to knock that through and I'm guessing he will most times.  Additionally, the kicks out of bounds have to stop.  It just gives the opponent too good of field position.  At the point in the game when these mistakes were made the outcome was decided but again, with the playoffs coming, every yard matters.

Rave: Pierre Strong had a coming out party of sorts on Saturday.  His two TD runs of 54 and 55 yards were Zenner-esque.  He made one hard cut and showed surprising speed to outrun the defenders.  With Mikey Daniel delivering thundering blows to the defenders, Pierre was the lightning that  sparked the Jackrabbit offense.  It sure will be fun watching Pierre and CJ Wilson  carry the rock the next three years.  PLUS the Jacks still have Mikey for another season!

Slow this clip way down and watch it frame by frame. Notice the SUPERB blocking. Shout out to 51 and 56. Also watch how the action in the backfield holds the backers. Only one man had a chance to make the tackle and Pierre beat him. This is outstanding! https://t.co/gzVvZYCUpF

— Jackrabbit_Illstrtd (@JackIllustrated) November 4, 2018

Rant: It was a good week when you want to complain about the parking but that is where I am this week.  The parking lot to the backyard was almost completely empty an hour before the game but the student attendant (NOT their fault) was still turning vehicles away if they didn't have a pass.  This is becoming a big missed opportunity for athletics.  There are plenty of fans who don't want to tailgate for the whole 5 hours the lot is open.  There are some who just want to come partake for an hour or two and be with their friends or family in the backyard.  In my opinion, they should open the lot to anyone 2 hours before kickoff.  They could charge $10 for people who don't hold a tailgating pass for the backyard.  I think it would be revenue neutral as that person likely parks elsewhere on campus but it would be more of a service to fans. This seems to make sense to me.  Anyone else?

Rave: I've mentioned before that I hope Jackrabbit fans don't take Taryn Christion for granted but I am starting to feel the same way about Christian Rozeboom.  He is so dang good.  Saturday he finished with just two tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception but he impacted so many plays in ways where a statistic isn't kept.  Fast, physical, and incredibly instinctual coupled with great size make him one of the best defenders to wear the yellow and blue.  It will be very interested to see where he ends up when he wraps up his collegiate career.

Rave: Speaking of future NFL Jackrabbits, did anyone else find it interesting that MSU seemed to target Jordan Brown?  He allowed 1 reception and had one penalty called on him but he had 2 passes defended (I thought he had more) and 1 interception.  In the past two years I haven't seen a team take this approach with Jordan and I'm not sure it yielded the results MSU was hoping for.  I am really hoping that Jordan gets an invite to the Senior Bowl so he can show his talents against FBS competition.  I've seen Jordan with as high as a 3rd round grade and I think a strong showing in Mobile would launch him even higher.

Rant: The only glaring flaw in the Jackrabbits game was the number of penalties.  They finished with 9 penalties that resulted in a loss of 66 yards.  Nothing major but it added up.  The team will need to show greater discipline in the playoffs when every yard matters.

Rave: One statistic that truly highlights the domination by the Jacks is the yards per play.  MSU ran 70 plays while the Jacks ran 67.  MSU had 183 total yards while the Jacks gained 547 resulting a 2.6 yards per play average for MSU and 8.2 ypp average for SDSU.  Crazy domination!

Game Balls
Offense: Pierre Strong (9 attempts, 136 yards, 2 TD)
I remember last fall talking to coaches and hearing how excited they were about Pierre.  That momentum continued into the spring and then into this season.  With the injuries to Isaac Wallace and CJ Wilson, Pierre is getting a chance to shine.  His two touchdown runs set the tone early for the Jacks.

Defense: Ryan Earith (5 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 QBH)
Seemed to live in the backfield on Saturday.  Known for his work ethic, Earith used his speed and athleticism to defeat the MSU offensive tackles on Saturday.  Should make an All-MVFC team this season after getting snubbed in 2017.

Special Teams: Marshon Harris
Marshon has had an up and down season as the Jackrabbit punt returned following the injury to Marquise Lewis.  This week he performed admirably given the wet conditions and used sound judgement determining how to handle each punt return.  He didn't try to do to much and averaged 4.3 yards on 3 attempts.  A turnover on special teams in those type of conditions would be easy to have and possibly devastating.