Montana

[Barn_Ball]

Re: Montana

I for one hope Cal-Poly wins and comes into Brookings thinking they have us outclassed.  I can't wait to take the Mustangs out at CAS.

I watched Cal-Poly and Montana State. Home field advantage to SDSU should be the difference. MSU is good but stunk up the place on the road. Offense handed out three TDs to the Cal Poly defense. 21-14 rabbits next week if Poly can score on your D. They throw a little better than MT and run quick but no power. MSU will come home and will beat North Dakota State. 35-21. Homefield makes the difference. Cal-Poly will think they are fine but on the road they will be sad.

[Dakota]

Re: Montana

I will say this, was a good game vs. a good team and we had our chances. BUT there are somethings worth looking at.

- Why all the changes on offense for a big game ? Do our thing and add some wrinkles
- Again with our strength in the run why are we not running it down their throat ? We have the line and backs that is how you attack a fast athletic defense.
- Plus our quarterback, well it is fair to say he missed some open receivers. Yes their "D" was very good but  still, you need to step up in those situations. This is not the first game this has happened. Is it time to take a look to see if another QB may be best for the offense.
- Also we had chances to kick field goals why not take them. It was a 7-0 game and our defense was playing well. Take the points, it gives your team a boast and changes things for both teams. Plus it would have put more pressure on Montana if we would have whittled away at them with field goals.

I am not complaining or pointing fingers these are this that I am think while listen to the games (all three). DON"T take anything away from what the players did today, they played a great game and could have won it. But I am tired of the could have won it attitude, we need a should have won it attitude.


Expect more - Get more

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Montana

I will say this, was a good game vs. a good team and we had our chances. BUT there are somethings worth looking at.

- Why all the changes on offense for a big game ? Do our thing and add some wrinkles
- Again with our strength in the run why are we not running it down their throat ? We have the line and backs that is how you attack a fast athletic offense.
- Plus our quarterback, well it is fair to say he missed some open receivers. Yes their "D" was very good but  still, you need to step up in those situations. This is not the first game this has happened. Is it time to take a look to see if another QB may be best for the offense.
- Also we had chances to kick field goals why not take them. It was a 7-0 game and our defense was playing well. Take the points, it gives your team a boast and changes things for both teams. Plus it would have put more pressure on Montana if we would have whittled away at them with field goals.

I am not complaining or pointing fingers these are this that I am think while listen to the games (all three). DON"T take anything away from what the players did today, they played a great game and could have won it. But I am tired of the could have won it attitude, we need a should have won it attitude.


Expect more - Get more

Good points. It was a great effort, particularly from the defense and special teams, but we're not getting much from the QB position this season.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Montana

I will say this, was a good game vs. a good team and we had our chances. BUT there are somethings worth looking at.

- Why all the changes on offense for a big game ? Do our thing and add some wrinkles
- Again with our strength in the run why are we not running it down their throat ? We have the line and backs that is how you attack a fast athletic offense.
- Plus our quarterback, well it is fair to say he missed some open receivers. Yes their "D" was very good but  still, you need to step up in those situations. This is not the first game this has happened. Is it time to take a look to see if another QB may be best for the offense.
- Also we had chances to kick field goals why not take them. It was a 7-0 game and our defense was playing well. Take the points, it gives your team a boast and changes things for both teams. Plus it would have put more pressure on Montana if we would have whittled away at them with field goals.

I am not complaining or pointing fingers these are this that I am think while listen to the games (all three). DON"T take anything away from what the players did today, they played a great game and could have won it. But I am tired of the could have won it attitude, we need a should have won it attitude.


Expect more - Get more

These are all good questions and concerns. I don't have the answers. I suspect the staff had worked for a long time on preparing for the Montana game. Without the tapes I dont know how they did that.  I think using a six man unbalanced o line was an attempt to establish the running game, but apparently it did not work as well as it was planned.

Personally, I am glad that more effort is being put into game plans rather than doing the same thing over and over and ending up with a 6-5 season as it has happened so many times in the recent past. Maybe that is why the last NCC championship was won in 1963.  
 
We need to try new things and to adjust to each opponent.  UM did have a good rush and even with an extra O lineman we still got stuffed. So unless you are one of the guys that spends your weekend breaking down the game tape, its hard to come up with an answer.

As far as Kardoes, yes he is making some mistakes that he should not be making, but I am not so sure the two back ups could at this point step up and do a better job.  Berry from Watertown looks to be a fine qb but how he would have faired out in Missoula remains to be seen. I dont think he would have been ready for a skilled defense that we faced yesterday.  I dont know a great deal about Burkhardt, but if either had been put in the game and got rattled the score would have been 37 to 0 and not 7 to zero.

I was at the 1988 game in Missoula as a fan, and that is one I remember as SDSU being clearly outmatched and ther extra strenght of scholarships gave UM so much depth that we never had much of a chance.  UM as I recalled scored on blocked punts and SDSU had a kind of slow snapper.

I think SDSU staff did a great job in preparing for yesterdays game. I think both staff and players must have gotten a little rattlled in that last series, and in that area, they need to have a real contingency set of plays to pull out a close game and put it in the win column. I look for Stig and Staff to do that in future games.

Its sounds apologetic, but Hey I am not the coach and I dont want to be either.  ;D

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Montana

As far as Kardoes, yes he is making some mistakes that he should not be making, but I am not so sure the two back ups could at this point step up and do a better job.  Berry from Watertown looks to be a fine qb but how he would have faired out in Missoula remains to be seen. I dont think he would have been ready for a skilled defense that we faced yesterday.  I dont know a great deal about Burkhardt, but if either had been put in the game and got rattled the score would have been 37 to 0 and not 7 to zero.

I don't know either. But if we cannot pass effectively, teams will line up (as Montana did) and stuff the run. Then you gain 50 yards and a terrific defensive effort is wasted. My question is, having seen Kardoes in two games: Is he a running quarterback who passes a little, or (as the coaches seem determined to make him) a dropback passer who seldom runs? Why is that kid standing in the pocket so frequently, delivering off-target passes? He seems much more comfortable (and more accurate) moving around. And if he's a runner, why don't they call a few more runs for him? Give the kid a chance to do what he does best. He's obviously a great athlete, but he's not going to drop back and connect on 60 percent of his passes, whether the opponent is Valpo or Montana.

[Rabbitlivinginverm]

Re: Montana

- Plus our quarterback, well it is fair to say he missed some open receivers. Yes their "D" was very good but  still, you need to step up in those situations. This is not the first game this has happened. Is it time to take a look to see if another QB may be best for the offense.


Expect more - Get more

We need to remember that this was really Andy's 1st college game.  He didn't get much work last year and certainly hadn't been tested (until last night) this year.  I have no doubt that he's our man.  He just needs some time to adjust to the speed of the game.

[JackJD]

Re: Montana

Reading through the comments, I think RabbitinVErm is right. Being the starting quarterback doesn't automatically mean he's perfect. Andy will grow into the job. As Verm said, this really was his first real game. He has tools that his coaches will get him to use.

I just hope that the maturing all takes place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and gets a little polished on Thursday because come Saturday, we need a D-I quaterback to beat Cal Poly. I think he'll get it done.

I think if you interview the offensive line at Montana, you'll hear some honest words of respect for the Jack defense.

[OK_Jackrabbit]

Re: Montana

Reading through the comments, I think RabbitinVErm is right.  Being the starting quarterback doesn't automatically mean he's perfect. Andy will grow into the job.  As Verm said, this really was his first real game.  He has tools that his coaches will get him to use.

I hope so. I didn't see yesterday's game (listened on WNAX), but I watched him struggle against much less talented teams the first two weeks. When guys are diving for balls on stop routes, you've got some accuracy issues.

[Dakota]

Re: Montana

Very good points all around, but remember this is a different stage than before. If what were doing at QB is not working something needs to change QB or coaching or a little of both. I am not saying bench the QB orfire the coach but someting needs to be done. we only have one easy game left on the schedule and some of the teams maybe better than Montana (we will see).

We all agree we can run the ball. But we only ran 22 times and passed 24 times. It was worse in the first half. We did a good job keeping the Montana runningback in check at first but they keep at it (he had 25 carries himself) and look what happened. We need to run Watson 25 times a game, and he will bust at least one a game for good yardage. This would make our passing game more effective.

We are as tough as them, let's line up and play ball. Our 11 against their 11.


Also we need to have forward thinking, last year we new we would have a new QB. But when Andy was put in he just ran and did very little passing.

We need to ask ourselves are we out for a championship or to just be competitive ?

[89rabbit]

Re: Montana

Here are hihglights from an Argus story:

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...29/1002/SPORTS

Jacks struggle offensively against No. 4 Montana
CHRIS SOLARI
csolari@argusleader.com

Published: 09/18/05


MISSOULA, Mont. - Goliath prevailed this time, but the South Dakota State Jackrabbits were oh so close to playing David.

A busted trick play, an illegal forward pass and two incomplete passes spoiled SDSU's one chance to score against fourth-ranked Montana on Saturday. Instead, the Grizzlies held on to nip the Jacks 7-0.

Montana's Lex Hilliard ran for 128 yards and the game's lone touchdown.

SDSU, now 2-1 on the season, struggled on offense in the sloppy, rainy afternoon, getting just 28 net yards rushing while being outgained 300-108. Still, they had a chance to at least tie the game while putting a major scare into the Grizzlies (2-1).

"We've got to win that football game," SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. "I think that's a true sign of what kind of individuals they are, that they kept battling today when things didn't look very good and said, 'Look, we're gonna win this football game.' They gave themselves a chance, and I'm extremely proud of them."

Senior Josh Davis blocked a Montana punt with 8:01 remaining in the game. After Anthony Watson danced back to the line of scrimmage for no yards, Cory Koenig entered at tailback.

The sophomore finally got things rolling on the ground, busting loose for consecutive runs of 8, 4 and 7 yards. Two plays later, junior quarterback Andy Kardoes rolled right and threw 16 yards across his body to Davis at the 4 to set up SDSU with a first-and-goal to stun the rowdy crowd of 23,086 fans inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

The Jacks then called for a gimmick play, which was added to the playbook this week. With the play clock winding down, Kardoes rushed to the sidelines as if he didn't know what was happening. With Montana's defense standing upright, the ball was snapped to Koenig, but he missed it and it rolled helplessly away from him. A frantic pursuit followed, with Davis landing on the ball at the 16.

"We didn't execute," Stiegelmeier said. "It started with not handling the snap, but the guy who got us down there was the guy who mishandled the snap. I don't doubt Cory Koenig at all, I'll go to battle with him any minute, and I'll let my offensive coaches call what they work on and I'll support them."

On the next play, Kardoes scrambled to his right and, with room to run, pulled up and connected with Micah Johnson in the end zone for an apparent touchdown. However, a Grizzly defender complained to a referee about the spot of the throw, which was ruled the 13-yard line. The ref threw the flag for the illegal forward pass, and SDSU lost the down and the score.

"I swear to god I wasn't past the line of scrimmage," said Kardoes, who finished 9-of-24 for 80 yards. "But I could be wrong. He's the ref, and he made the call."

After an incompletion to Davis on third down, Kardoes rolled right and let a bullet fly toward the receiver in the end zone again that fell incomplete. Davis argued with the referee, but no flag was thrown.

"Josh Davis has as big a heart of a guy that I've ever been around, and he was sure it was interference," Stiegelmeier said. "Right now, I have to defer to him."

Though they wanted no consolation from a loss, the Jackrabbits gained plenty of respect, as Montana fans showered them with praise while the team was walking back to the locker room. . . .

The Jackrabbit offense appeared intimidated from the start, mostly using a shotgun set to avoid Montana's intense pressure. Kardoes was intercepted once early and hurried often, getting sacked three times while completing just 4 of 10 passes for 42 yards.

"I was feeling pretty uncomfortable in the pocket," Kardoes said. "Credit their defense, but I'm the quarterback. That's going to happen, and I've got to do better."

One of those sacks cost SDSU a chance at getting on the scoreboard. The Grizzlies turned the ball over on downs late in the second quarter, and the Jackrabbits took over on Montana's 42. Kardoes hit Micah Johnson with a 21-yard pass in a seam in the zone with 22 seconds left before halftime, but the Grizzlies defensive tackle Mike Murphy crunched Kardoes from the blindside on the next play and forced a fumble. Allan Saenz recovered, and Montana ran out the clock.

The Jackrabbits gained just 56 yards in the half, only 14 of them coming on the ground.

"It was a great day for our defense and a good win for our football team," Grizzlies coach Bobby Hauck said.

But where Montana's defense smothered the Jacks' offense, SDSU returned the favor. The Grizzlies had 182 yards offense, 66 on the ground for Hilliard. But SDSU also had four tackles for losses and sacked Washington twice.

The Jackrabbits have little time to dwell, with the Great West Conference opener next weekend against Cal Poly in Brookings.

"We would definitely like to be coming into conference play 3-0, that's how we planned it out," cornerback Hank McCall said. "It's a whole new season now. We have to let this one hurt for a while and forget about it tomorrow and get back to work."


Go State! ;D

[Jacks99]

Re: Montana

I was fortunate enough to pick up WNAX in the cities. I had to leave the car at half time and eat with the relatives. Nerve racking, but was a bit disappointed but pleased to find out the Jacks D held Montana to 7pts. That in itself should be the number one posititive. They were a big concern of mine after the first game and have already come a long ways.

As for the offense, glad to see the creative play calling. I was dissapointed that they didn't try to get a running game established right away. I just feel if our RB's would have had a few more touches they may have broke a big run. But.. from the sounds of it the Montana Linebackers were very fast and sealed the holes well. I hope Kardoes can settle down next week and make some things happen. The experience he gained Sat will hopefully pay off.

The Cal Ploy game right now is huge. Back home at CAS, Poly coming off a huge win, hopefully they will let down a bit and the Jacks will be very hungry. To start out the Great West 1-0 over Poly will be huge. No looking past this week.

Can't wait to help add the 12th man at CAS, hopefully a huge crowd this week. Maybe some fans will wake up take notice and give us over 11,000. ;D

[jackmd]

Re: Montana

The Cal Ploy game right now is huge.  Back home at CAS, Poly coming off a huge win, hopefully they will let down a bit and the Jacks will be very hungry.  To start out the Great West 1-0 over Poly will be huge.   No looking past this week.

Can't wait to help add the 12th man at CAS, hopefully a huge crowd this week.  Maybe some fans will wake up take notice and give us over 11,000.  ;D

Beef bowl, football team reunion, Cal-Poly a top ranked DI team in town.  If you live in SD and you aren't there your crazy.  Nothing like this hits SD ever.  Brookings is where its at next Saturday night, fact is fact.

[footballfan]

Re: Montana

Just back from the game in Missoula, a few random thoughts....

The boys played there hearts out, every SDSU fan should be very proud of them, they left it all on the field, the plane ride home was filled with a bunch of disappointed young men with a determination to do better this week

The Montana fans were great, fantastic stadium and atmosphere. They were very very impressed with our team. Many good comments about them

Yes...we did make a few mistakes, but things are looking up. A quick note was made to me that 36 of the players that traveled to Montana are either Redshirt freshman or Sophomores that tells me we have a bunch of talented guys coming up. I truly believe we are on the upswing

Coaches did a good job, I believe we ran into a very very good defense

I say congrats to the boys and coaches and lets show Cal-Poly how football is played in South Dakota

Proud and glad to be a Jackrabbit fan


Go Jacks !!!!!!

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: Montana

I expected us to win in Montana, but i am optimistic about our program when we can go into the toughest place to play in D1AA football, against a top five team, with twenty less schollies, a quaterback who has never started a real D1AA game, an unproven defense, and no way in hell we would ever get a call from the officials in that environment...and have a chance to win in the final two minutes. Things are looking good for the future of Jackrabbit football.


By the way, I'm still pissed we lost.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Montana

I plan on driving 7 hours after work on Friday to get to Sioux Falls, drop off my daughter at my dad's and catch a little sleep before heading to the golf outing and football game Saturday morning. Even with the opportunity to see alot of my buddies and get in some golf, the only way the total 16 hours of driving will be worth it is if the Jacks put up a W. We need all of our fans at CAS to bring the noise to do our part.