Jackrabbit Illustrated

Writing "Rants & Raves" after a loss is never fun.  Writing them following a loss to USD is something I knew that eventually, I would have to do but I didn't believe that yesterday was the day.  I still feel somewhat stunned. However, I'm choosing to write now instead of tomorrow because this game needs to get put behind the team as quickly as possible.  The bracket will be announced today and there is zero time to wallow in self-pity.  This team has all the talent in the world.  The road to getting to Frisco will be tough but this team can do it. Rave: Mikey Daniel was in my "What to Watch" and he did not disappoint.  He had 125 yards and 1 TD off of 17 attempts.  In my opinion, he wasn't used enough!   He was gashing the USD defense, especially in the second half.  However, once the team was down two scores it became tough to run the ball with limited timeouts.   Rave: Christian Rozeboom's talent was on full display as he finished

This week the chatter surrounding SDSU at USD has been pretty quiet.  The usual trash talk hasn't really been happening.  That could be because USD is so down or it could mean that SDSU fans are just hoping that it is a cleanly played game with no cheap shots and no injuries from dirty play.  Whatever the case, it has been weird! 1. As has been the story this season, if SDSU can take care of the ball they will likely win.  Fumbles and untimely interceptions have played a major role in all three losses this season.  Can the Jacks replicate their effort from last week?  If they do, I think the defense is able to contain USD's powerful offense.  2. Evan Greeneway vs. Darrin Greenfield is an important matchup to watch.  Last year Greenfield was held in check and he finished with just 3 tackles and one QBH.  If Greeneway is able to replicate that effort the Jackrabbit offense will be in a great position.  3. I'm curious to see the USD skill at the wide receiver and tig

The Jacks come home to Frost Arena tonight after nearly two weeks on the road. This week will feature two home games Nov. 19 and Nov. 24 against North Alabama and Mississippi Valley State, respectively. In between the two games will be a road contest against a Pac-12 opponent in the University of Arizona Nov 21. Here’s what we can expect out of the week’s opponents: North Alabama The Lions have had a similar schedule to the Jacks that has included two Power-5 schools, including Indiana, who the Jacks will play next week. UNA ( 2-2) includes three double-digit scorers, all of who are guards.  Jamari Blackmon was the team's top scorer from last season and is averaging 10.8 points per game. C.J. Brim has been a consistent scorer who averages 11.8 ppg.  North Alabama came into the season ranked sixth in the Atlantic Sun preseason poll and is coming off a 10-22 season in 2018-19.  Don’t expect to see a lot of scoring as the Lions average 69 ppg, but they do have 41 st

The Jackrabbits (8-3, 5-2) are coming off a big win to face their in-state rival the University of South Dakota Coyotes (4-7, 3-4).  The Coyotes have had a disappointing season but a lot of wrongs could be made right with a victory over the Jacks.  For their part, the Jackrabbits could lock-up a top 8 seed and a first-round bye with a victory.  The Yotes are led by Bob Nielson who is now in his fourth year at the helm. There has been a lot of turnover in his assistant coaching staff in the past two years.  USD has a powerful offense but the defense has struggled mightily at times in 2019.    USD leads the conference in penalties and is hit with about 8 for 81 yards per game.  Furthermore, those who play USD, are also penalized at the highest rate in the conference.  Having watched a number of USD games this year as I've scouted other MVFC teams, the Yotes are chippy and they are good at baiting their opponents into dead ball penalties.  The Jacks will need to keep their compos

This is always my most popular blog and it is definitely a lot more fun to write coming off of a big win.  Believe it or not, I enjoy writing the raves more than the rants!  The recruits who were in the house were witness to a beat-down and a great celebration of our seniors! Rave: Congratulations to our seniors for not letting an emotional day get in the way of taking care of business.  I'm certainly not saying that emotions are bad but it has to be a tough thing knowing this COULD be the last time they run out of the tunnel and into the stadium.  Thank you, seniors, for your leadership and all you have given to the program!  I plan to record a podcast after the season focusing on you all. Rave: I know the fans and coaches have been hard on the offensive line this year.  They have been inconsistent this season but yesterday was easily their best performance since the University of Minnesota game.  They only allowed one sack and held the duo of Elerson Smith and Jared Brink

This week has flown by and I'm okay with that. Tomorrow at 2:00 pm (central) the Jacks take on the Panthers.  These games are always physical.  I still feel good about this one.  As Brendan and Ben pointed out on the Splitting Hares podcast, the Jacks haven't lost back to back games since 2015.  They are just a handful of plays away from being 10-0 but instead will look to move to 8-3.  1. The Jacks better have a plan to block UNI's defensive end Elerson Smith.  He has 12 sacks already this season.  The Jacks tackles have struggled to block the top tier of MVFC defensive ends so far this season.  Johnson and Greeneway will have to win some one-on-one matchups but they will need help in obvious passing situations.  If the Jacks are keeping an extra back or tight end in to block then the Jackrabbit wide receivers will have to win their matchups too.  In my opinion, the best way to beat a good pass rush is to run the ball effectively.  2. If Isaiah Weston plays, I think

This is baked Noodles and Cheese. The perfect connection going into cold game season. I would bake this sucker before I leave to tailgate on Saturday and then wrap it in sprayed foil to keep it warm, but that is only if your travel time is just across town. Makes 16 - 1 Cup portions 1 lb. medium size shell noodles 1 lb. bacon, diced 6 tbs flour 2 tbs powdered mustard 6 C 2% milk 1 C yellow onion, finely diced 2 bay leaves 1 tsp of smoked paprika 2 large eggs 8 oz Kasemeister Creamery’s Jalapeno Cheddar (hand Shredded) 8 oz Dimock Dairy Bacon and Onion (Hand Shredded) 8 oz Farm Life Garlic Cheddar Cheese Curd (Small chop) 2 tsp kosher Salt TT Black Pepper Topping 6 TBS Butter 2 cup panko bread crumbs. Directions: 1) Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. 2) In a large pot of boiling, small dash of salt, cook the pasta noodles to al dente. (Tip cook boiling for 2 minutes and then shut your water off. This will slow down the cooking process and help prevent getting yo

Welcome to the first of many weekly blog posts about the South Dakota State men’s basketball team. In my first post, the Jacks get their first look at Power 5 opponents this week as they play at USC on Nov. 13 and travel to Nebraska Nov. 15.  Here’s what we can expect out of these two opponents: USC After finishing a disappointing 16-17 overall last year following two consecutive 20+ win seasons, the Trojans, who were ranked fifth in the PAC-12 preseason poll, are 2-0 to start the 2019-20 season.  USC hasn’t had much of a challenge yet when it comes to competition, however, they did beat No. 10 Villanova in an exhibition game Oct. 18.   Okongwu Onyeka leads the way for the Trojans as a force inside the paint, averaging 20 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. The 6’9” 245 llb freshman already has nine blocks on the season. Isaiah Mobley, a 6’10” forward, is averaging 11 PPG and 7 RPG. Like the Jacks, USC has a lot of new faces. The 2019 recruiting class, includi