Hobo Day 2004

[Crashola]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

Given some of my experiences in the Sioux Falls arena during State-Augie games in the late 80's, the Jacks couldn't run up the score high enough as far as I'm concerned. :P :P

[Jack]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

Who gives a crap what Augie thinks? Do you think for one moment whether they care about what we think? Do you? Augie is just another school who needed us more than we needed them.

Good bye, Augie.
Good by, Heinitz,
Good bye abusive behavior,
Good bye insults,
Good bye holier than thou behavior.
Good bye you jerks.

I can say this without retribution. There are no Augie fans on this board. There are no Augie fans on the Argus Leader board either. Let's face it; there are no Augies fans period.

God used to be an Augie fan but he quit. He figured them out, too.

[filbert]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

Given some of my experiences in the Sioux Falls arena during State-Augie games in the late 80's, the Jacks couldn't run up the score high enough as far as I'm concerned.   :P :P

What he said! Good riddance, Doggies! (Although I admit that I'll always fondly remember those games we won by the margin of one or two bonehead Augie fans' carrot-tosses.)

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

Jack,
I couldnt have said it any better!! ;D

[JackJD]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

I agree with everything Jack said except: "God used to be an Augie fan but he quit. He figured them out, too."

C'mon, Jack: your post was an understatement until you got to that last part...then you started exaggerating. God was never an Augie fan!

[1stRowFANatic]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

I will miss the look of total exasperation on the Augie coaches' face when the carrots hit the floor in a close game. Once a game would be bad enough, but those fools would do it once to get us back in/up a little in a game, and then a few minutes later gives us some more free points for some breathing room. After those games, I would go on campus (work across the street) to get a soda, etc., and the whining about the technicals would be unbelievable, as it was SDSU's fault that they Augie kids did it.

[Jacksmom]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

The opinion of some of the fans after the game was that the last play of the game was not an audible-and that it was probably meant for Solomon Johnson as a first option.
As far as the article written by Chris Solari-
He said that Heinitz was a classy guy, but what kind of class does it take for a middle-aged man to talk smack to a 23 year old college kid on the field like that? Nelson was playing a football game to the best of his ability, apparently Heinitz didn't like the was the game was ending.
And if that was running up the score, then what about the Jacks 63-7 (ouch!) loss the week before? I didn't hear a single SDSU fan or player complain about running up the score-we knew who the better team was in that game and we just accepted it! We were just happy to be there and experience the southern hospitality!

[Crashola]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

I will miss the look of total exasperation on the Augie coaches' face when the carrots hit the floor in a close game.  Once a game would be bad enough, but those fools would do it once to get us back in/up a little in a game, and then a few minutes later gives us some more free points for some breathing room. After those games, I would go on campus (work across the street) to get a soda, etc., and the whining about the technicals would be unbelievable, as it was SDSU's fault that they Augie kids did it.

Your experiences are a little different than mine and that's why I am so bitter. Here's what I observed:

Announcer starts game by telling crowd that a technical will be assessed against the home team if stuff gets thrown on the floor. Carrots hit the floor all game and not a single technical is called. To add to the classy atmosphere, SDSU's coach (Thor as I recall) gets thumped with a head of lettuce as he heads into the locker room at half.

[H2ORabbit]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

I guess I didn't hear about all of the smack talk until I read these posts. I will miss having the opportunity to lay a smack down win over the Auggie doggies both in football and in basketball.

But we will move on to bigger and deffinetly better oponants.

As far as running up the score... Hey this is college ball you play until the end and let the kids have their fun. After all for most of the seniors honored at the start of the game the next few games will be the end of their careers. You should never take away their willingness to compete and play hard. Hurray for the Jacks victory and always remember to say LETS GO RABBITS!!!!

[jackmd]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

38-9 is not running up the score, end of discussion.

[89rabbit]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

Since we are bringing Hobo Day back up . . . here is the Register's story on the game.

http://www.brookingsregister.com/mai...74&page=25

Jacks roll over Augie
BY BY MIKE JOHNSON
Nelson breaks record for career touchdown passes


The Brookings Register

The SDSU Jackrabbits demolished the Augustana Vikings 38-9 Saturday, behind a devastating offensive combination of Brad Nelson, Brian Janecek and Anthony Watson, and a shut-down defense that disrupted nearly everything the Vikings tried to do.
Nelson had another top-notch performance, even without leading receiver Josh Davis, completing 22-of-30 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns. With his four touchdowns, Nelson broke the record of former SDSU quarterback Ted Wahl, with 45 career touchdown throws. . . .

It's a pretty lofty record in less than two years, to accomplish that," head coach John Stiegelmeier added. "I hope in the next two games he can add to it, because he's pretty important to our offense."
Stepping up yet again in the absense of Davis, was new
No. 1 receiver Brian Janecek. Janecek caught 11 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, leading the Jacks receivers.
"I don't think you can put into words what he means to our football team," Stiegelmeier said. "When you're on the field it's important to perform as a first-string guy, and Brian does that."
Solomon Johnson had three catches for 28 yards, and Chris Molitor had two for 16.
Justin Kubesh, the new SDSU H-back who only two weeks ago was playing linebacker, caught two Nelson passes for 21 yards and two scores. The first score was a fairly routine 4-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. Kubesh's second score, perhaps the highlight of the game, was a jaw-dropping, 17-yard highlight-reel catch in which he was completely blanketed by a Vikings defender, flipped, and landed on the back of his head.
"He's a football player," Stiegelmeier said. "That's the kind of attitude I am blessed with at South Dakota State, and win or lose, that's a win to me when you deal with kids like that."
Anthony Watson had the type of performance Jackrabbit fans are coming to expect. Watson punished the Vikings defense, breaking tackles and rumbling for 151 yards on 22 carries, giving him his ninth career 100-yard game — all of which ended in Jackrabbit wins.
"Anthony is a phenomenal player," Stiegelmeier said. "He has unbelivable balance and his heart is so big, and he fights for every inch. He's fun to watch, a real battler at running back." . . .

James Epps intercepted two passes for the Jacks, returning the first 62 yards for his first collegiate touchdown with 24 seconds left in the first half, giving the Jacks their second touchdown in under a minute and pushing the halftime lead to 24-3.
"One play can effect the football game dramatically, and James Epps' interception at the end of the first half is an example of that," Stiegelmeier said. . . .

Jackrabbit fans may have been slightly nervous about a let down after the loss to Georgia Southern last week, with the Augustana game coming in front of back-to-back conference games to end the season, but Epps said that wasn't a problem for the Jacks.
"We knew we had to play our hardest, because any team could be beat on any day," Epps said.
Going into games against Southern Utah next week and Northern Colorado to follow, Nelson hopes the offense can open up a little and show what they can really do. A healthy Josh Davis would help the cause.
"We still haven't shown anything we're capable of doing on offense," Nelson said. "Today was an average game. At times we played well, but at other times we really didn't."
SDSU set a Coughlin-Alumni Stadium record with its eighth win in a row, ending its 2004 home season 4-0. The win pushed the Jacks record to 5-4, and dropped Augustana to 3-8, ending its season on a seven-game losing streak.
The 91st Hobo Day Game, played with favorable weather conditions with temperatures in the mid-60s, drew 13,116 in attendance.
Next week the Jacks are back on the road, visiting Southern Utah in a conference matchup. Game time is set for 3 p.m.

Go State! ;D

[SDSUFAN]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

I contacted Chris Solari about the possiblity of getting a copy of his Sunday article relating to Brad Nelson and his discussion with Jim Heinitz. Since Jim was an all conference player for SDSU, and an alum, I thought I would post this article. Apparently the Argus, did not get it out on the web properly. Just an oversight. I am not going to comment further, but will let each reader draw their own conclusions about the article.

Heinitz should go on his own terms
Chris Solari
Argus Leader

published: 11/7/2004

And SDSU quarterback needs a lesson

BROOKINGS - Brad Nelson couldn't remember the name of the guy across the field, even though he had been incessantly barking at him in the final minutes of South Dakota State's 38-9 victory over Augustana on Saturday.

"I was just talking to my buddy, Coach Whateverhisname? The head coach."

That's Jim Heinitz, a Jackrabbit alum who was once an all-conference player for SDSU. Even though Nelson has set plenty of SDSU passing records, it would serve him well to learn a little more SDSU football history, considering that he was talking about a former Jackrabbit star.

Hopefully, that cross-field confrontation won't be the last thing Heinitz is remembered for at Augustana. Speculation has cropped up recently that the coach will quit after finishing this, his 17th season at Augustana, and Heinitz did nothing to squelch those rumors after Saturday's season-ending loss.

The Vikings endured a winless North Central Conference record this year and have gone 6-16 overall the last two seasons. They are also just 8-22 in NCC play the last four years, making it obvious that Augustana needs some new blood to compete with a resurgent University of South Dakota program for recruits and attention in the state.

But while Heinitz's time to leave may come soon, it should be on his terms because of his character.

"I think every year when you get done with the season - especially the last two years, which have been pretty tough - you take a look at things and do what's best for the program," Heinitz said with a straight, emotionless face. "If it's best for me to be the coach, I'll be there. If it's not, then I wouldn't be.

"It's a question to be answered two or three weeks down the line."

Surely, losing the chance to annually face his alma mater leaves one less motivator for Heinitz.

Both he and his SDSU counterpart John Stiegelmeier felt that Saturday's game lacked the intensity of previous years' conference battles between the two in-state foes, even though more than 13,000 fans showed up on a sunny, 66-degree November afternoon and saw some minor fisticuffs late in the fourth quarter. Most years, Augustana always geared up to play SDSU as its primary foe.

But the rivalry has been dying the last few years, and - more likely than not - this will be the last gridiron game between the two schools with SDSU's ascent to Division I-AA. The best the players and coaches could muster for bad blood afterward were backhanded comments at each other that neither team was really that good.

Neither team played its best on Saturday, making for a ho-hum day in front of an electric Hobo Day crowd. It felt like the game was on life-support.

But the final five minutes did turn into an Augie-State game of old. SDSU's Anthony Watson threw a ball off Viking safety Mike Stotz's facemask after being tackled and drew a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Two plays later, in nearly the same spot in front of the Jackrabbit bench, an Augustana defender pushed an SDSU lineman well after the whistle and drew another flag.

Even though his team was comfortably ahead, Nelson threw a 17-yard TD pass to Justin Kubesh with 2:17 to play, violating the gentlemen's agreement to not run up the score on an opponent. That breech in football decorum riled up Heinitz on his sideline near midfield, and he and Nelson traded barbs back and forth across the field to each other before the ensuing kickoff.

"We were just talking a little bit," Nelson sneered after the game. "He didn't have a comeback - let's just put it that way."

If this game was Heinitz's swan song, he showed what kind of man he is by starting Ryan DeGraff at quarterback. DeGraff had lost his job to sophomore Tommy Flyger in the last two weeks, but Heinitz gave his senior the starting nod for his career finale.

And in another classy gesture, Heinitz aborted his plan to give Flyger the ball to start the second half because DeGraff had a pass intercepted by SDSU's James Epps and returned for a touchdown near the end of the second quarter. Heinitz didn't want DeGraff to go out like that in his final game.

Now, it's Heinitz's turn to make another call, this one about his own coaching future.

Reach Chris Solari at 977-3923.

[jackmd]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

Interesting story but not complete. I assure you Nelson would like a chance to rethink what he said right after the heat of the battle. He is 20 some years old and Heinitz is much more mature. The fault here lies with coach Heinitz, he should have shown the restraint that comes with age and experience. I excuse Brad for his behavior but ask him to learn from this experience. Enough about this, Augie is an afterthought from here on.

[Rabbit_FB_Alum]

Re: Hobo Day 2004

I'm sorry, but to say Heinitz has class is like saying poo smells good.  It is laughable. Coach Stig. is the epidomy of class and for Heinitz to make the comments he did is very poor indeed.