Eastern Washington

[Nidaros]

Re: Eastern Washington

If you want your homer SDSU feelings deflated go to Any Given Saturday and read that thread about EWU vs SDSU. This is not to take anything away from NoVAJack's great post, but there are some dopes over there that think SDSU has no passing game and they base that on Sumner's 56 yrds. in the NAU game. Maybe they should look at the Youngstown Game, seems like Austin was 15 for 19 on passes. Trouble with opinions they are like noses, and everyone has one.

[da_coach]

Re: Eastern Washington

It will definately be a challenge, but hopefully one that the team is up to.

These are very exciting times...2nd round of the playoffs, 2nd year in a row!

I'm just happy that the Rabbits are still playing, and we get another chance to cheer for our team.

[Rabbitball]

Re: Eastern Washington

Trouble with opinions they are like noses, and everyone has one.

Is that how that quote goes?

[tcbison]

Re: Eastern Washington

Go Jacks! Nice win last week and I have confidence that you can do it again this week. Obviously the defense needs some stops but I think your offense should do just fine as long as you run Zenner and mixed it up with some play action pass.

[AugieJackFan]

Re: Eastern Washington

Zenner just mentioned on the Dan Patrick show as one of the "best and worst of the weekend" performances.

Let's come out throwing vs EWU. Our predictable offense is not going to work this week. Run on 1st, run on 2nd, throw on 3rd and long is fine if Zenner goes for 250 but is not going to cut it this weekend. No way EWU allows Zenner to go off. Sumner will be the key. Let’s get the short, physical passing game going and we have a good shot.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Eastern Washington

This game reminds me somewhat of the Montana game in our first D-1 playoff year, but before you start going off on me, let me explain. I mean in the opponent, not the Jackrabbit team heading out West to face them, and certainly not as a predictor of results.

Like Montana, EWU has a good offense, but a defense that can be scored upon. There is the usual bluster from a few of their fans about speed, lack of good teams in MVC, etc., etc., but this is a different year.

If the Jacks get a big lead in this one they have the tools - running game, tested defense that is getting better by the week, experience - to hang onto it. That seven-minute drive on Saturday that ended the third quarter and began the fourth and that put the game totally out of reach could be a harbinger for this coming Saturday. Let's be honest, the Jacks did not have those attributes to the degree they do now in Missoula a few years back. The Jacks are peaking at the right time, too, and they seem to be playing with a lot of confidence.

Will/can the crowd be a factor for them? EWU consistently seems to draw around 9,000 or 10,000 an average of 1,600 per game fewer than the Jacks did at home this year. Their biggest home crowd was smaller than three of our six home games, and over 6,200 fans smaller than the NDSU game. What does their stadium hold? Do they have a history of drawing bigger crowds in the playoffs?

Most of the posters on their fan board seem like good folks with a healthy respect for the Jacks -as most of the posters on this board have shown toward their team. None of them seem to be remotely as obnoxious as the few classless Grizz that showed up on this board. This will be a tough game for the Jacks on the road, for sure, but is it winnable? Dang straight it is. Will it be easy? Probably not. But the team that showed up in Flagstaff on Saturday is going to be a bigger handful than some of their posters seem to think the Jacks will be.

Two recurring themes of their more blustery posters are pretty easily refuted. (I'll not bother with the usual placism about the Midwest, except to say that if you intend to make fun of the questionable intellects on this board you might want to get your adverbs straight before pulling them out of your rhetorical quiver. To the poster who said he/she felt the need to "type slow" to be understood over here: it's slowly. S-L-O-W-L-Y. But I digress).

Claim number One. The Jacks are clod-hoppering MVC Midwestern boys who will be mesmerized and totally disadvantaged by their speed. Answer to that claim: Please reserve judgment until you see a couple of in-game, 80-yard foot races between ZZ and their DBs who start on his heels and end 10 yards back by the end zone.
Claim number two. That NDSU is the only really good team in the MVC. Answer to that claim: This is truly breathtaking spin given that the two Big Sky entries in the first playoff round got their collective doors blown off on Saturday by a combined score of 77-26; furthermore, it wasn't close between the respective second-place teams of the two leagues; bad game or not, the NAU team that the Jacks thumped on Saturday would have finished where in the MVC? In the middle of the pack, .500 or worse?

Girth deserves respect, too. If the Jacks' Fat Guys dominate the LOS like they have the last month, particularly the last two weeks, the Jacks win. Simple as that.

I was chuckling while the announcers seemed flabbergasted by Zenner's break away speed on the 87 yard touchdown Saturday. On a football field, he is as fast as anybody in FCS, IMO.

[JackJD]

Re: Eastern Washington

I think people are overlooking a few points about Sumner that have been evident in the past few games. I doubt EWU's coaches has the same attitude and approach as some of their fans but if they want to think Sumner is not an effective FCS quarterback, that may be a fatal miscalculation.

As this season progressed, Sumner demonstrated he can run effectively. Opponents in the last two or three games seem to have been caught off guard by Sumner's running. EWU has the benefit of watching film from the past three games and they'll be prepared for Sumner running. We're all reading about EWU's porous defense---Sumner's run threat gives EWU one more challenge.

I think Sumner's running success is attributable, at least in part, to his continuing to mature as a quarterback. The kid is decisive and he's making better decisions on when to run...once he's committed, he runs hard and knows the location of the first-down marker. I think he's been improving on deciding when to get rid of the football rather than take a sack but that continues to be a challenge. Perhaps it shows the kid has confidence on his ability to scramble out of bad situations -- but, he and his coaches can continue to discuss that topic. Overall, Sumner deserves higher marks than he's receiving from the fans.

I've read some comments about SDSU being one-dimensional in the NAU game. I enjoyed watching the one-dimensional dismantling of NAU. We had to respect the NAU defensive backs. They were smart and fast (almost as fast as Zenner). With the running game working so well, I can imagine the criticism that would have been leveled at the coaches and their play-calling had we had fewer rushing plays and more pass plays. NAU's lines were worn down significantly in the second half and by the fourth quarter, the Lumberjack defense was out of gas. I was pleased to see us keep up the ground game, eating up the clock.

It's all about finding a way to win and that's what the Jackrabbits are doing right now.

[91jack]

Re: Eastern Washington

I think people are overlooking a few points about Sumner that have been evident in the past few games. I doubt EWU's coaches has the same attitude and approach as some of their fans but if they want to think Sumner is not an effective FCS quarterback, that may be a fatal miscalculation.

As this season progressed, Sumner demonstrated he can run effectively. Opponents in the last two or three games seem to have been caught off guard by Sumner's running. EWU has the benefit of watching film from the past three games and they'll be prepared for Sumner running. We're all reading about EWU's porous defense---Sumner's run threat gives them one more challenge to prepare for.

I think Sumner's running success is attributable, at least in part, to his continuing to mature as a quarterback. The kid is decisive and he's making better decisions on when to run...once he's committed, he runs hard and knows the location of the first-down marker.

I've read some comments about SDSU being one-dimensional in the NAU game. I enjoyed watching the one-dimensional dismantling of NAU. We had to respect the NAU defensive backs. They were smart and fast (almost as fast as Zenner). With the running game working so well, I can imagine the criticism that would have been leveled at the coaches and their play-calling had we had fewer rushing plays and more pass plays. NAU's lines were worn down significantly in the second half and by the fourth quarter, the Lumberjack defense was out of gas. I was pleased to see us keep up the ground game, eating up the clock.

It's all about finding a way to win and that's what the Jackrabbits are doing right now.

I have to tip my hat to Sumner about his running the last few weeks. It just blew my mind when he threw the ball away on a 3rd and 2 (in the Missouri state game- ???) so we had to punt when it looked like there was plenty of room to run for the 1st down. Later in the game, he threw the ball high and threw the end zone(to be fair to him the receiver might have pulled up) on 4th down when he MIGHT have been able to run it in. I don't want him running all the time but there are times when winning QB's just know that they have to make a play. I think Sumner looks like he has the now. If they have to respect that from him it just adds another dynamic to our offense.

[SidelineObserver]

Re: Eastern Washington

FYI for anyone curious about traveling:
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[Theee Catrabbit]

Re: Eastern Washington

No way EWU allows Zenner to go off.

Pretty sure he's not going to give them a choice

[da_coach]

Re: Eastern Washington

I'm not as worried about Sumner as most are. He was the top passer in the MVFC (or at least he was, yardage-wise up until the Youngstown game).

NAU had a small defense with good corners and safeties, and alot of speed. They played almost all man to man coverage. Our WR's (except Wesley, and occasionally Schneider...struggle with getting seperation against good dbs... see NDSU game).

It made sense to emphasize the run game at NAU.

In addition, playing all that Man to Man in the secondary, helps the run game...because the DB's are watching the assignment the entire time, and not seeing the running play develop in front of them like if they were playing zone. The announcers on Saturday mentioned that as well.

Certainly, the Jackrabbits could have passed better, and will need to pass better to advance further. But I'm not worried about Sumner. I'm more worried about our ability to get people open... either through scheme or ability. Sumner has shown that he can hit guys that are open...maybe he's not Elite at squeezing it into tight spaces...but he can hit open guys, if given time.

I'm looking forward to a great game...if you expect anything different from the Jackrabbits this week, you certainly haven't been paying attention through the years. Run the ball, control the clock... and on Defense, lots of zone...keep the ball in front of you... take away big plays. Pressure mostly from the front four, with a few timely blitzes thrown in.

[witness]

Re: Eastern Washington

I was chuckling while the announcers seemed flabbergasted by Zenner's break away speed on the 87 yard touchdown Saturday. On a football field, he is as fast as anybody in FCS, IMO.

It's the same mentality by people outside the Midwest that voted Kevin Love the de facto White Guy Award in the NBA. All about perception of white "athletes" from the Midwest

[RowdyRabbit]

Re: Eastern Washington

Zenners run, I pulled from youtube...not fast at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4voZ6cNEpsE

[Kemo]

Re: Eastern Washington

I'm not as worried about Sumner as most are. He was the top passer in the MVFC (or at least he was, yardage-wise up until the Youngstown game).

NAU had a small defense with good corners and safeties, and alot of speed. They played almost all man to man coverage. Our WR's (except Wesley, and occasionally Schneider...struggle with getting seperation against good dbs... see NDSU game).

It made sense to emphasize the run game at NAU.

In addition, playing all that Man to Man in the secondary, helps the run game...because the DB's are watching the assignment the entire time, and not seeing the running play develop in front of them like if they were playing zone. The announcers on Saturday mentioned that as well.

Certainly, the Jackrabbits could have passed better, and will need to pass better to advance further. But I'm not worried about Sumner. I'm more worried about our ability to get people open... either through scheme or ability. Sumner has shown that he can hit guys that are open...maybe he's not Elite at squeezing it into tight spaces...but he can hit open guys, if given time.

I'm looking forward to a great game...if you expect anything different from the Jackrabbits this week, you certainly haven't been paying attention through the years. Run the ball, control the clock... and on Defense, lots of zone...keep the ball in front of you... take away big plays. Pressure mostly from the front four, with a few timely blitzes thrown in.

Great post! This echoes many of my thoughts as well.

[TransAmBison]

Re: Eastern Washington

Congrats on the win and good luck against EWU...I hope you pound them good. If you guys can run up the time of possession and keep that run game rolling I think you have a good chance. You're secondary is gonna be tested...hopefully your d-line can get some pressure.

Sumner sure didn't look like much to start the game, but he settled down nicely (I got to watch the whole game). I think he will do even better against EWU.