Rants & Raves: YSU
As always, I'm happy to be writing this after a win and not a loss. The Jacks led for most of the game but due to the defensive gridlock, that the game was, it never felt like they were in control. However, they came away with a 19-17 win and sit at 3-1 on the season. I think at the start of the season, 3-1 or 4-0 were the two most common thoughts about how the team would start. The Jackrabbits close the regular season with four VERY tough matchups. The margin for error is slim and with so many teams already having a loss on their resume we will likely get everyone's best shot. SIU (3-1), Illinois State (0-3), NDSU (3-1), and USD (1-2) will all be worthy opponents and the Jacks will certainly be tested as they work towards the playoffs. But, lets enjoy the win for a bit longer before worrying about what's ahead.
Rants & Raves
Rave: Honestly, this article could start and end with these first two bullets but the first rave has to belong to Jon Gruetzmacher. The backup offensive lineman was called into duty as the emergency long snapper. Remember, the Jacks are without All-American long snapper Bradey Sorenson this spring. In the first half freshman long snapper Jaden Mueller was injured covering a punt. Early in the third quarter reserve linebacker and second string snapper Thomas Motzko was hurt on punt return. The Jacks tried Zach Heins for the extra point in the 3rd quarter and the ball skipped along the ground on its way to the holder resulting in a missed XP. Gruetzmacher stepped in and delivered a nice snap on the missed FG attempt and then delivered a perfect snap on the game winning FG. This takes tremendous concentration and nerves of steal to be able to do this. Great job Gruetz!
Rant: The fact that it came down to our 4th string long snapper blows my mind and in my opinion is complete roster negligence. Once Mueller was injured and it was apparent that he would not be able to return, Motzko should have been pulled from all other special teams units. I get it, our punt return has allowed the two fakes and we don't want to mess with any chemistry on that unit but there are only so many guys on the roster that can provide excellent deep snaps and Motzko was one of them. There certainly could have been another reserve linebacker or safety who could have been brought up to speed on Motzko's return duties and taken over that job for him. This decision to keep Motzko on the field nearly cost the Jack's the game.
Rave: Don Gardner and Malik Lofton were phenomenal in run support on Saturday. Don finished with 6 tackles, including a TFL while Malik had 3 tackles and an INT. YSU's running back McLaughlin was looking to bounce it outside but Don and Malik did a nice job of preventing that for the most part.
Rant: I didn't love the offensive game plan this week. I'm just not sure what we were trying to do. Mark was not as accurate as normal and sailed a few passes and drops were again an issue. The running game was more efficient with Pierre having a nice average of 6 yards per carry. I thought there were stretches where the team got a little pass happy; especially when YSU was in a light 6 man box. However, we also have to give credit to YSU's defense. That is a good unit. Two plays that stand out, the reverse to Jaxon Janke and the PA bootleg sack on Gronowski were the perfect defensive calls for that moment and resulted -18 total yards. I would have liked to see a few more carries for Isaiah Davis and Jordan Meachum. Davis's one cut, no-nonsense style of running is a good compliment to Pierre and should be utilized more in my opinion.
Rave: Zach Heins continues to make big plays when it matters most. After really not seeing many balls come his way in the previous two games (and for the first 3.5 quarters this week) he was able to secure two timely receptions (39 and 14 yards) on the game winning drive. I'd love to see him more involved in the offensive game plan earlier in the game. He is a bigtime mismatch that catches everything. However, even when he is not involved in the passing game, he is a difference maker in the run game as a ferocious blocker.
Rave: How about Cole Frahm's 52 yard field goal on the second possession? That was awesome!
Rant: The dropped passes have to stop. Were some difficult catches and a bit high? Yep, but they were catchable and I'm guessing the players will say the same thing. When your young QB is struggling, the pass catchers have to step up and bail him out. Mark was just 12 of 28 but there were at least 4 or 5 more catchable passes.
Rave: Quinton Hicks was phenomenal. He's been just a half step off on so many pass rush attempts this season that it was good to see him finally get that first sack yesterday. He plays with such a good energy! He finished with 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 TFL (*Edit: It was later determined that Ryan Van Marel blocked the kick and not Q). Pretty stout day for the sophomore.
Rant: The run defense on the interior was a bit soft on Saturday. Too many times the Penguins were able to move the ball running right straight through the defense. YSU gained nearly 200 yards on 46 attempts, including the 42 yard touchdown scamper. Xavier Ward still wasn't dressed this week after Stig said he would be ready to go in his weekly press conference. I'm hoping Ward didn't have a setback and that this was just precautionary.
Rave: Josh Manchigiah continues to put together a solid season and now has a interception in back to back weeks. He also made some nice open field tackles this week.
Rave: Mason McCormick had himself a day. The true test for an o-lineman comes when the coaches flip on the field view tape but at first blush I thought he was great. There were a number of times (at least 3) where he had the DT lined up across from him completely flat backed and out of the plays. In all, I thought the #605Hogs had a pretty good day against an unpredictable YSU defensive front 7.
Rant: McLaughlin looked to be quite slippery on Saturday and he made the Jackrabbit tackling look poor. Not wrapping up hasn't been a problem this year so I'll say that this is just a blip.
Rave: The Jacks only had two penalties for 20 yards. Excellent!
Rave: How lucky were we to have two beautiful Saturday's in March like we have the last two weeks. It could have been so much worse but it wasn't and we got to enjoy beautiful outdoor football while soaking up the sun.
Game Ball
Offense: Mason McCormick
Defense: Quinton Hicks and Don Gardner
Special Teams: Cole Frahm and Jon Gruetzmacher
Go Jacks!
Matt
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