Jackrabbit Illustrated

The Jackrabbits moved practice indoors on Wednesday because of the rainy weather.  After walking through the sheets of rain to get from the parking lot to the SJAC, it really makes me appreciate how awesome that facility is for South Dakota State University.  I was amazed that the team was still able to spread out and got through their position group drills.  They may not have had as much room as they do in the stadium, but they certainly had enough to get the work done. Here are a few thoughts on practice... 1. The team was working on onside kicks as both the kicking and receiving team.  It's amazing what kickers can do to get the ball to hop and bounce funny.  For the most part, the receiving team members did a good job of handling the crazy hops with only a few slipping through and getting  loose on the turf. 2. It seems like the rest of the team is getting healthy as most position groups were at, or near, full-strength.  However, that isn...

Monday's practice was a return to earlier practices in camp. The team drilled in their position groups virtual the entire practice before coming together for some 7 vs 7 and lineman battles.  The energy was pretty good but you can tell the players are itching for some more live action against a different opponent. Defensive ends back at it. #GoJacks pic.twitter.com/IcawktFDK6 — Jackrabbit_Illstrtd (@JackIllustrated) August 14, 2017 Here are a few notes and thoughts. 1.  One thing that I had doubted from my notes from Saturday's scrimmage was the emergence of true freshman safety, Jordan Velez.  On Saturday, I quickly scribbled down the numbers of both the number one kick-off and kick-return units and said that I would look up the names for the numbers I didn't recognize later.  When I got home, I saw #27 listed on both units and thought "that can't be right."  I asked Coach Bergstrom at practice on Monday and he confirmed that Jordan is indeed ...

It is hard to believe that the Jacks are already 16 practices in with only 17 days to go until the first game.  Saturday's practice was a controlled scrimmage and officials were present and were calling penalties.  The energy started off a little low, but a couple of big hits in and things pumped up. Here are a few thoughts. 1.  The running backs had a nice day.  Isaac Wallace kicked it off with a nice 30 yard run down the left side that reminded me of the long runs that we have seen from him the last few years.   Next up to bust a long run were Blair Mulholland and then CJ Roth over the right side.  After that Brady Mengarelli had a nice run up the middle/  The day was capped off by a bruising run from Mikey Daniel.  A lot of the credit for these long runs goes to the offensive line but there were also negative runs throughout the scrimmage.  The backs showed good patience and vision on their runs. 2.  Dallas Goedert is such...

Every team relies on younger players to step up and perform.  Three years ago it was Zach Lujan and Jake Wieneke against Missouri.  Two years ago it was Dallas Goedert against Southern Utah.  Last season it was Christian Rozeboom, Kellen Soulek and Charlie Harmon emerging to have great seasons.  This year we KNOW someone will make a big jump and raise their play to a new level. Here are my guesses as to whom that might be for the offense after observing a number of practices. Adam Anderso (Photo Courtesy of Matt Holland) #80 Adam Anderson has returned from an injury he suffered in the middle of last season for his sophomore year.  It isn't a stretch to say he looks like the best wide receiver not named Jake Wieneke in camp.  He runs precise routes, has wiggle, and seems to catch everything.  He's catching short passes, passes across the middle, and deep passes.  Look for a big year from Anderson with defenses focused on stopping Wieneke a...

We have conducted our position group analysis for both the defense and offense.  Today we will do our final position group analysis and focus on the special teams. Special teams are often the forgotten piece of the puzzle.  Punt and kick returns can shift the momentum in seconds.  A field goal can win the game.  A bad snap can put the defense in hole.  All of these plays occur during special teams.  Each component can win or lose the game. The Jacks return key special teams talent but lose kick off specialist, Sam Koob, and  long snapper Thayer Trenhaile who have played key roles for the Jacks in recent years. Thanks Uncle Adam for helping me with my craft! Had fun hanging out and spending time with you in Indy! Excited for the season! 🐰 #GetJacked pic.twitter.com/Y8NV162TV5 — Chase Vinatieri (@ChaseVinatieri) July 1, 2017 #4 Chase Vinatieri returns as the kicker for his sophomore year after a solid freshman season.  Chase made 11...

I was able to get to a short portion of practice on both Friday and Monday.  Both practices were helmets only but I was impressed with the speed and physicality the players still played with.  Overall, both offense and defense had moments of brilliance but also moments where things need to be cleaned up.  I guess that is what the preseason is for. Here are some thoughts... Practice 9 1. They went into Field Goal nearly right away.  I couldn't tell if the kicks were good or not but Vinatieri was hitting the ball really well with pressure in his face.  He ended the period with a booming 45 yard make that would have been good from 50. 2.  The team worked on kick coverage but there were too many pieces moving for me to get a sense of who might be on first team kick coverage at this point.  I do know they were working really hard on getting them to up the intensity and speed which they were pursuing the ball. 3.  On kick return Coach Arnh...

Today was the coolest (temperature wise) practice of fall camp.  Some of the players even chose to wear long sleeves.  However, the energy was again good and overall spirits were pretty high.  The rain was gone and the field was dry.  I know when the field was installed, there were a handful of grumbles about having turf and not grass for the playing surface, but days like today, where it rained all morning, show how valuable the turf surface is. Practice 8️⃣ was picture perfect. ☀️ 🏈 #GoJacks #JacksCamp pic.twitter.com/8LLyMTA5do — SDSU Football (@GoJacksFB) August 4, 2017 Here are a few things that caught my eye today at practice. 1.  Punt return was the same as reported on Tuesday.  Rest easy, Jake Wieneke was not fielding punts today.  Today the returners were under fire with a coverage team bearing down on them.  Coach Arnheim was really working on getting the guys to stick their nose in there with confidence and make a fair catc...

The Jackrabbits had their fifth day of practice in a row and ended on a high note before they enjoy a one day break on Monday.  Again, the energy and intensity was high throughout practice.  Players were moving and the competition within and between position groups was fierce.  It is clear that the players realize that there are a lot of snaps and travel roster spots that are up for grabs.  It's great to see the players compete and then help each other up or give a younger player a word of advice. That's a wrap! #GoJacks #JacksCamp pic.twitter.com/Cd6JrY16hq — Jackrabbit_Illstrtd (@JackIllustrated) July 30, 2017 Here are a few random observations. 1.  We will start previewing offensive position groups later this week, so I don't want to give too much away, but wow, the Jackrabbits are talented and deep at the skill positions.  At running back, Mikey Daniel, Isaac Wallace, and Brady Mengarelli all made sensational plays through out practice. ...