Jackrabbit Illustrated

The Jacks entered Saturday hoping to move to 2-0 and take care of conference newcomer UND. That did not happen and for a variety of reasons. There was plenty of good but also plenty of the mistakes and mental errors that are preventing this team from becoming a true title contender.   Rants & Raves Rave: The first half that Mark Gronowski had was pretty incredible.  If not for two drops it may have looked even better.  For the game he finished 16 for 32 for 309 yards and 2 TD along with 2 INT (1 was a desperation heave at the end of the first half) and a fumble in second half.  As for the good, Mark made every throw he needed to make in the first half. His passes were accurate, had the proper amount of zip on them, and were thrown in places that protected his receiver.  His 76 yard TD to Jaxon Janke was one of the best throws I have seen from a Jackrabbit quarterback.  Rant: This program has developed a problem.  I previewed this during the game but the MENTAL mistakes and penaltie

As all of us shared on the podcast this week that we are excited for this matchup.  UND is new and unfamiliar (at least recently) we know that they were a D2 powerhouse and Dallas recalls only beating them once in his career. It was fun to scout them and watch their tape.  As Coach Stig has said in his interviews this week, they are no slouch and need to be taken seriously.   1. UND Eye Candy and Trick-er-ation UND loves the trick play, the jet and orbit motions, they bring in a run first quarterback, they move their running backs all over the formation.  All of this is certainly a lot for the defense to prepare for and to be aware of on a play to play basis.  The defense will need to communicate from level to level and ensure that all assignments are covered.  Offenses like this may be gimmicky at times but it is often like a chess game where one play is setting up another play three possessions down the road.  The defensive coaches have likely spent the week preaching communication a

Ok, I got called out by my catholic brethren last week. Ribs on a Friday during lent. Tim you are not actually eating that. Ok, you are correct. I had fish and chips. My personal least favorite thing in food is fish sticks or frozen battered fish. 5lbs – Cod or Walleye, skinned, and pin bones removed Dry Mix ½ qt Bread Flour 1tsp Baking Soda 1/2 tbs Baking Powder 2 tsp Salt, kosher ½ tsp White Pepper 1 tsp Smoked Paprika Liquid Mix 1 C Liquid Egg (6 eggs beaten) ½ qt sour cream ¾ can of beer (Flavor of your choice), I prefer Bud Heavy or an American Lager Seasoned Flour: 3 C Bread Flour 1 TBS Salt 2 TBS Pepper Prepare a fryer at 350 degrees. Recommended dipping sauce includes tartar or Malt vinegar. 1) Mix the Dry mix ingredients together.  2) Mix the Wet Ingredients together and then mix with the dry. 3) Mix the Seasoned flour together and hold separate. 4) Dredge Fish in seasoned flour, shake off excess like Pierre Strong shakes off tackles. Then dip it into your batter. Allow the ex

The Jacks finally get to face the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks as conference foes.  UND was a D2 powerhouse but like most programs has found the transition to the FCS a little more challenging.  Overall though, they feel like a program on the upswing after spending a year as an independent after transitioning out of the Big Sky and into the MVFC which renews many old rivalries.  UND did upset (and dominate) an SIU club that was ranked in the top 25.  We'll talk more about SIU later this season but I have to imagine that seat under their head coach, Nick Hill, is starting to get pretty hot. In 2019, UND finished 7-5 and made the FCS playoffs before losing in the first round to Nicholls State.  In that season they scored 26.5 ppg while allowing 28.5.  In that season the UND defense really was pounded on the ground surrendering 192.7 yards per game on the ground and 204.9 through the air.  However, on this past Saturday against SIU, they stuffed the run early and forced i

  The Jackrabbits debuted the 2021 version of themselves in a fun and memorable win over conference rival, UNI. Anytime a team wins, its a good thing.  When you beat a perennial power, in their dome, when they are ranked in the top 5 in most polls, it is a good thing.  There were plenty of "Raves" for this first matchup but enough "Rants" to prevent complacency setting in.  As we'll preview later this week, UND looks like another quality MVFC opponent so the team will have to grow from this opening win. Rants & Raves Rave: As expected the defense was up to the test.  The first half was as dominate as a performance as you will see.  In all reality, they only gave up 10 points as offensive turnovers put them in really challenging situations.  In the "What to Watch" we said that the defense needed to "eat their peas and carrots" on first and second down.  They did that.  The defense made UNI one dimensional and only allowed 28 yards rushing

Earlier this week we previewed what to expect from UNI on both sides of the ball.  As stated, they are talented, big, and return a wealth of experience.  Here are a few key matchups and things to watch.  This is list was not easy to make for our Jackrabbit Illustrated team as this is the first game and there are still plenty of unknowns just a few days away from the game.  On Wednesday, the team released the depth chart for the game vs. UNI and a few questions were answered.  1. Don Gardner vs. Isaiah Weston This is a huge matchup for this game.  The two All-MVFC players may not matchup for the entire game but I am assuming that Don will cover Isaiah pretty often.  In 2019, Isaiah was injured in the first matchup and only had 2 receptions for 13 yards in the second matchup.  He likely wasn't at full strength at that point but all indications are that he is fully healthy this spring.  As for Don, he was was one of the best corners in the MVFC in 2019 and was avoided by opposing offe

Maybe it is because Matt messaged me when it was -35 degrees out for this recipe. Maybe, it is because the game is at 7:00 PM on Friday and I am going to want to do as little as possible when I get home from work on Friday. Who knows the real reason I picked this rib recipe, but crockpot cooking seemed like good idea and ribs are always great! Ribs – Dry Rub 2 Part Black Pepper 1 Part Smoked Paprika 1 Part Granulated Garlic 1 Part Onion Powder 1 Part Brown Sugar ½ Part cayenne pepper ½ Part Dry Mustard The recipe is in “parts”, for scaling. Should you be doing 2 racks of ribs. I would suggest 2tbs for each part. Should you be getting a smoker out and going full bore, scale it up to cups or quarts. Should you want to make more, keep it in a dry place, in a sealed container with a slice of bread in the container. Crock Pot Ribs Recipe 2 rack baby back ribs (3-4lbs) 1 Onion 4 cloves garlic ½ cup water (You could also use chicken, beef or pork stock) ½ C BBQ Sauce of your Choosing Extra Sp

The 2019 version of the UNI Panthers was their usual stout self finishing 10-5 overall and 6-2 in the MVFC.  They lost plenty of stars but also return plenty of experienced and talented players.  They averaged 21 points per game and only surrendered 18 per game in route to being the 11th best defense in the country.  Offense The UNI Panthers return plenty of fire power on the offensive side of the ball.  #2 Will McElvain (5-11, 200) was the spark plug for the 2019 offense at QB.  He completed 53% of his passes for 2,778 yards, and 20 TD; in addition he tossed 7 interceptions.  He was also a threat to make plays with his legs rushing for 630 yards gained (372 net) and 1 additional TD.  McElvain was just a redshirt freshman when he made all of these plays so I would expect him to have taken another step and be even more in command of his offense. The Panthers did lose leading rusher Trevor Allen but return #32 Tyler Hoosman (6-0, 215) who in 9 games rushed for 388 yards and 4 TD.  Hoos

(Photo Credit: Abby Fullenkamp) Defense The 2019 Jackrabbit defense was maybe the best Jackrabbit defense we have seen in the last ten years.  Statistically they were outstanding giving up just 16.7 points per game.  They allowed just 128.9 yards per game rushing while surrendering only 165.8 through the air.  The team registered 37 sacks after having just 20 in 2018.  Luckily, the Jacks return 8 of 11 starters on this side of the ball. This group is physical and returns tremendous depth along the defensive line and at the safety position in particular.  I expect the defense to lead the way again in 2021. Defensive Line The #ChainGang, as they are known by the Jackrabbit faithful, will be the strength of this team.  They return 3 of the 4 starters and the depth have all played meaningful snaps.  As much as Coach Smith and Coach Spencer Erickson sub players, the designation as "starter" really doesn't mean a whole lot.  Starting out is big defensive tackle #91 Xavier Ward

Well, here we are. Less than two weeks until the Jacks take the field to face UNI.  It will be the first game in over a year which coincidently ended in a 10-13 loss to the Panthers.  For the spring season, in lieu of doing separate previews for each position group, I'm choosing to just break it down between offense, defense, and special teams.  Let's go! Offense The Jackrabbits have developed a reputation as being one of the top offenses in the FCS.  In 2019 they scored 29.7 points per game in a really balanced fashion rushing for 2,576 yards and passing for 2,544.  The offense averaged a whopping 6.6 yards per play!  The Jacks return 8 of 11 starters from 2019 but are replacing their All-American wide receiver and All-Conference left tackle and fullback.  However, the Jacks have lost plenty of talented players in the last ten years and have continued their run of being a top FCS contender.      Quarterback I think THE biggest roster question entering the fall season was who w