Rants & Raves: MSU

The Jacks (7-2, 4-1) left Missouri State (1-7, 1-4) with their 3rd MVFC road win of the year after defeating the Bears 35-14.  The Jacks looked pretty good on both sides of the ball as true freshman Keaton Heide made his first start at quarterback.

Rants & Raves

Rave: I think you have to start with the play of Heide who went 11-19 for 173 yards and 1 TD.  There was a bad drop (sun) that could have factored into that total as well and the two fumbles that resulted in an end to positive drives.  I thought Heide showed good pocket awareness, a strong arm, some toughness, and an ability to cycle through his reads.  This is all against a pretty decent Bear defense.  The future is bright for him and I am excited to see what he can do next week against a very talented Illinois State defense.

Rant: I realize I'm not a coach but I really disagree with the decision to play Nelson a series each half.  At this point, I think Heide needs all the reps he can get as the team prepares for the playoffs.  This isn't anything against Nelson but Heide is the QB that is going to take us to the championship.  He has a better arm and Stig shared after the NDSU game that Heide has a better understanding of the passing playbook.

Rave: The defensive line had an awesome game yesterday.  They sacked Huslig three times and had pressure in his face for most of the day.  Again, the depth at the position was key as they really turned up the heat in the second half.  Ryan Earith, Xavier Ward, and Quinton Hicks were especially active but everyone who cycled through the game for the #ChainGang was effective and disruptive.  In the next three weeks, they play some sub-standard lines and their play should have a HUGE impact on the game.

Rant: There were too many procedural penalties again.  Total, the Jacks finished with 9 penalties for 77 yards.  I disagree with a few of the flags in our secondary but those are judgment calls.  If a guy has a false start or jumps off-sides it is pretty obvious what happened.  We saw what happened when these penalties happen at critical times against NDSU.

Rave: I thought the #605Hogs had a great game overall.  In the first half, some of the blitzes and stunts seemed to be giving the group fits.  However, those first half body blows turned into second-half domination again as the Jacks ground the MSU front seven, and their limited depth, into a pulp.  This group will be challenged the next two weeks against Illinois State and UNI.  Good tests as the team rounds into shape for the playoffs!

Rave: I thought the Jackrabbit crowd was exceptional!  The Jacks obviously have recruited hard in recent years in Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas but it was really cool to see so much blue there was in Plaster, a road game.

Rave: How about the true freshmen?  Quinton Hicks, Diamond Evans, Keaton Heide, Chase Norblade, and Payton Shafer all played a significant role in securing the victory.  There is plenty of talent that has retained their redshirts and I'm excited to see how they integrate into the offense and defense in the next few years.

Rant: I'd love to see us be a little more efficient on third down.  For those of us who watched the ESPN3 broadcast, it was hard to tell what the actual down and distance was.  But the final stats show 4 for 11.  I know its hard, but I'd love to see that number closer to 50%; especially the short distances that some of those 3rd down attempts called for.

Rave: Ben Dinkel has become such a weapon for this team.  Early in the year, he struggled with consistency but he has really found his grove.  Yesterday he averaged 42 yards on 5 attempts and landed two inside the 20.

Rant: One of our placekickers needs to step up and win this job.  If it is Chase, GREAT! If it is Cole Frahm, GREAT!  No one that supports the Jacks is rooting against these two.  We want them to succeed and will continue to support them.  However, one of them needs to become "the guy."

Rave: In the "what to watch" article I talked about the Jackrabbit speed that would be on display at Plaster field.  CJ, Pierre, Cade, and Deyon didn't let me down.  They each had long gains where their speed was on display for all to see.  I'm excited to see their continued success as Coach Eck opens up the full playbook.

Rant: Fumbles.... we've talked about it before but this team does have a ball security issue.  The ball has been put on the turf too many times this season.  Opponents are recognizing that and going for the strip or rip almost every time.

Rave: Seven Wilson had himself a heck of a game!  12 total tackles and a TFL.  He seemed to be around the ball all day.  A few weeks ago when he went down, we didn't know if we would see him again this season.  Glad we did!

Rant/Rave:  Jackrabbit fans... no more moping about J'Bore.  It is time to believe in this team and the players who are able to get on the field.  There is SOOO much talent on this roster, top to bottom.  Heidi showed yesterday against a good defense that he is more than capable of leading this team.  This defense is nasty, this offense can move the ball on the ground and through the air, and our special teams (outside of field goals/XP) is about as solid as they come.  The team needs you to believe.  The team needs you to show up on for the next two Saturdays like you did for GameDay/NDSU.  The team needs you to make noise and be supportive.  I think we can all do that! 

Game Balls
Offense: Keaton Heide
Defense: Ryan Earith
Special Teams: Ben Dinkel

What a week!
Go Jacks!
Matt