The Game, Frisco, TX, May 16, 1 pm CDT

[LetsGoRabbits]

YEP, that is the game goon. kid from australia goes for career high, definitely over 30, including game winner. about 12 feet from short corner behind board with jones and i believe andy cone both in his face. shot clock was going off and i believe he just threw it in general direction of the hoop because i have severe doubts he could actually see the hoop, but it went in

then yes, schantz pushed immediately full speed all the way to the rim. idk if i remember a foul but he got a decent but off balance shot off. ball rolling around on the rim as final horn goes off and the ball falls off

everyone said that whole team will be back next year minus Cone. the next year EVERYONE except Hansen and Stoebs got hurt. jones, moeller, schantz barely played at all and several others. i think that is when josh cerveny was here and was all conference at least once prior to that year and he was also OUT. Austin goes for over 30 in both the region quarter and semi. stoebs wrecks his ankle in quarter game and does not play in semi and we lose to kearney by 1 or 2

haha! i am sure that is how i will be reminiscing about this game in 20 years. maybe it will be different because i think by then both the MBB and WBB will have been to a couple final four and the FB will have a handful of championships i am joking a LITTLE. but if you think it is not possible. ORU was within ONE bucket of going to elite 8 this year and we were at least as good as they were

[LetsGoRabbits]

hey TAB, you are obviously and definitely welcome to your opinion!! i have to disagree about who was the better team. obviously shsu is excellent and worthy of respect but i definitely think our healthy team beats them much more often than not!!

idk what to make of jmu but their own conference voted deleware the better team and ummmm.... we kinda crushed deleware NOT CLOSE. maybe the conference did that to try help deleware ALSO get a seed???? they assumed jmu would get one and thought maybe their vote could get one the other seeds for UD also

we did not need grono to be even NORMAL grono. but i am sure he would have hit the VERY EASY throws that hiede missed AND even if he does not help the pass game, the threat of him running opens lanes for the RB and they could not stop the RB as it was

i am curious your take on interesting officiating. i think late we might have gotten away with a late hit on the QB, but they did that several times and i think the holding was pretty bad both against our DE and our LB. i am not and do not want to make a GIANT deal about this. we still had chances to win and the guys definitely could have MADE several plays that they did not to make the difference in this one. that needs to be the focus!!! not the officiating

[TransAmBison]

hey TAB, you are obviously and definitely welcome to your opinion!! i have to disagree about who was the better team. obviously shsu is excellent and worthy of respect but i definitely think our healthy team beats them much more often than not!!

idk what to make of jmu but their own conference voted deleware the better team and ummmm.... we kinda crushed deleware NOT CLOSE. maybe the conference did that to try help deleware ALSO get a seed???? they assumed jmu would get one and thought maybe their vote could get one the other seeds for UD also

we did not need grono to be even NORMAL grono. but i am sure he would have hit the VERY EASY throws that hiede missed AND even if he does not help the pass game, the threat of him running opens lanes for the RB and they could not stop the RB as it was

i am curious your take on interesting officiating. i think late we might have gotten away with a late hit on the QB, but they did that several times and i think the holding was pretty bad both against our DE and our LB. i am not and do not want to make a GIANT deal about this. we still had chances to win and the guys definitely could have MADE several plays that they did not to make the difference in this one. that needs to be the focus!!! not the officiating

The call where Keeler was going off on the ref...I'm pretty sure the receivers one arm was being held...which is why he had to try and make that one handed catch. Sure looked like SDSU was offsides more than just once...if not those were incredibly well timed. The refs let the players play and I felt like the officiating didn't influence the game.

As far as Delaware vs JMU...I don't think that is even a question on which was the better team...it isn't like JMU hasn't built a reputation over several seasons now...they are one of the few to beat in FCS. The rain really held the passing game in check for both squads in the first half...SDSU has a full stable there...but that really was Sam Houston's strength...so again, tough to say. I can't say beating NDSU was a great feat for them this year, but beating JMU was huge...they had the toughest road to the championship this year. SDSU had one test in the playoffs leading up to the challenge...which is why I count SIU in the mix...they gave you guys everything you could handle.

[AZjack]

The call where Keeler was going off on the ref...I'm pretty sure the receivers one arm was being held...which is why he had to try and make that one handed catch. Sure looked like SDSU was offsides more than just once...if not those were incredibly well timed. The refs let the players play and I felt like the officiating didn't influence the game.

As far as Delaware vs JMU...I don't think that is even a question on which was the better team...it isn't like JMU hasn't built a reputation over several seasons now...they are one of the few to beat in FCS. The rain really held the passing game in check for both squads in the first half...SDSU has a full stable there...but that really was Sam Houston's strength...so again, tough to say. I can't say beating NDSU was a great feat for them this year, but beating JMU was huge...they had the toughest road to the championship this year. SDSU had one test in the playoffs leading up to the challenge...which is why I count SIU in the mix...they gave you guys everything you could handle.

Haha okay, you obviously didn't watch for holding very close. Officials missed blatant holds on the left side of SH, especially in the 2nd half.

Also Heide is the 3rd stringer, not the original backup. If Gibbs was able to play, SDSU wins the game by 10. SH was not the better team yesterday although they were a lot better than the Bison in their playoff game.

[filbert]

The system is an uncanny predictor of football Its value is in separating the wheat from the chaff with regard to the vegas lines of spread, over/under and money-line

I think that will be enough of your touting your so-called "system" here.

Cease.

[jakejc795]

Or when their guy shoves Heide right on the throat and dont call it. I think we got away with a roughing the passer at least on tv it looked that way. To bad the field conditions had to affect the game. Why not move it to a artificial field were atleast drainage can be managed better.

Today feels like a bad hangover where it almost feels like the game was stolen from us.

One last note. Davis imho proved he was the best player on the field and in the fcs. Also when we had the ball after hislong td run i think coaches missed going with the hot hand. Not that strong couldnt bust a long run but his running style and cuts were able to slow him up. Davis and his strong running style he could deal with the field better.

Honestly, I'd prefer they never hold the FCS championship on that field. It has a history of incredibly subpar conditions

[jakejc795]

thanks TAB, this is definitely going to leave a scar!!! and by that i mean it NEVER goes away!!! this is like A hansen and C stoebner junior year when we lost to metro in region final and they destroyed everyone in elite 8 i am still sad when i think about that and the jacks should have been champs.

same way here!!!! i dont care WHAT the silly gambling guy says about his silly gambling model and randomness!!!! you cannot predict randomness because you have NO IDEA what team it will favor!!!! therefore, you predict what WOULD and SHOULD happen MOST of the time.

before the game i said i believe we beat shsu 6-6.5 out of 10 games. now i think easily 7 to 7.5 we were ONE HUNDRED PERCENT the better team!!!! we still outgained them for the game and we had ONE option on offense!!!! RUN the ball with our RBs they did not have to worry at all about anything else and they still got destroyed by our running game

give us ANY actual D1 healthy QB and more often than not we beat them by double digits. we actually pretty much dominated them on both lines!!! they never threw a single deep ball because they had NO TIME!!! their ONE big play was a 3 yard hitch that turned into a TD with the help of a blatant hold/ tackle of our LB which was pretty much happening all day.

anyway enough of that. we were the CLEAR better team, but in a one game scenario sometimes the better team does not win.

it will definitely help if we stay healthy and win it in the fall, but LOTS of things can happen between here and there. and even if we win for me it will feel like we should be talking about back to back

anyway, thanks again and i REALLY hope in the fall we make the dakota marker the championship game in frisco

Trying to find a silver lining -- how about another season seeing Ogunrinde wreaking havoc?

He's like the Tevin King of Jacks' football to me in that he's incredibly underrated but always fun to watch because of his effort and "humble ferocity" he plays with

[filbert]

It will be anywhere from difficult to impossible to convince me that when the teams walked on the field before the opening kickoff, SDSU was the better team. Clearly better, but not overwhelmingly so. But, sh** happens in games, that's part of the game. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

Factors in SDSU's loss:
1. SHSU resilience.
2. Gronowski's injury.
3. Keaton's inability to complete passes, abetted occasionally by his receiver's inability to catch them when at least they hit the receiver's hands.
4. Weather turning to SHSU's favor.
5. Bad game plan, IMHO, by SDSU's coaches--especially with the forecast, this was going to be an Isaiah Davis kind of game--straight ahead, power rushing, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-mud sort of game. SDSU should have just pounded at SHSU's line relentlessly through the entire first half, jumbo offensive set as the mainstay of the offense, passing just enough to keep them from totally going 11-in-the-box. That would have made life in the fourth quarter a lot easier for the Jackrabbit offense (and defense, too probably). Also, a steady diet of Davis and Strong up the middle, with occasional Strong/Janke junk/trick plays wide, might very well have kept Gronowski in the game (yeah, I know, woulda shoulda coulda).
6. Related to 4) and 5), this wasn't a field that was particularly conducive to Strong's skills as a running back. He's a slasher/cutback kind of guy, and it's difficult to do that on a sloppy grass field. I remember one good run of his in particular where he'd compensated, using almost stutter-stepping to keep his feet. But this day wasn't the kind of one suited to what he can do.
7. Sixteen seconds, and an inch or two either way.

To summarize: Woulda, shoulda, coulda. Congratulations to the Bearkats. Y'all earned this one.

Disclaimer: I really know absolutely nothing about this, except that my "rainproof" jacket wasn't.

[filbert]

I'm ready to put this one behind me, but one last note: We drove through Joplin on the way to Frisco. We flew a Jackrabbit Club flag out the car window as we went through town, and stopped for breakfast at Norma's Cafe (so if you're a Joplin lurker here and saw three people with Jackrabbit gear on at Norma's, that was us).

We just thought we'd show the flag/colors in honor of Isaiah Davis. His performance at the game totally, completely justified our stop in Joplin. Can't wait to see what he does the next few years in Yellow and Blue.

[jakejc795]

It will be anywhere from difficult to impossible to convince me that when the teams walked on the field before the opening kickoff, SDSU was the better team. Clearly better, but not overwhelmingly so. But, sh** happens in games, that's part of the game. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

Factors in SDSU's loss:
1. SHSU resilience.
2. Gronowski's injury.
3. Keaton's inability to complete passes, abetted occasionally by his receiver's inability to catch them when at least they hit the receiver's hands.
4. Weather turning to SHSU's favor.
5. Bad game plan, IMHO, by SDSU's coaches--especially with the forecast, this was going to be an Isaiah Davis kind of game--straight ahead, power rushing, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-mud sort of game. SDSU should have just pounded at SHSU's line relentlessly through the entire first half, jumbo offensive set as the mainstay of the offense, passing just enough to keep them from totally going 11-in-the-box. That would have made life in the fourth quarter a lot easier for the Jackrabbit offense (and defense, too probably). Also, a steady diet of Davis and Strong up the middle, with occasional Strong/Janke junk/trick plays wide, might very well have kept Gronowski in the game (yeah, I know, woulda shoulda coulda).
6. Related to 4) and 5), this wasn't a field that was particularly conducive to Strong's skills as a running back. He's a slasher/cutback kind of guy, and it's difficult to do that on a sloppy grass field. I remember one good run of his in particular where he'd compensated, using almost stutter-stepping to keep his feet. But this day wasn't the kind of one suited to what he can do.
7. Sixteen seconds, and an inch or two either way.

To summarize: Woulda, shoulda, coulda. Congratulations to the Bearkats. Y'all earned this one.

Disclaimer: I really know absolutely nothing about this, except that my "rainproof" jacket wasn't.

Zim mentioned on podcast that the Jacks' coaches opted to change holders from Heide to Dinkel sometime last week for some unstated reason (he indicated it wasn't due to Heide being 2nd on QB depth chart). He also made a valid point about using a backup QB as holder increased the chances of successful fake FGs, so does anyone have insight on the rationale for shifting holders' assignments [prior to the move back to Heide (after he became starter due to Gronowski's injury)]?

[bigticket1]

Zim mentioned on podcast that the Jacks' coaches opted to change holders from Heide to Dinkel sometime last week for some unstated reason (he indicated it wasn't due to Heide being 2nd on QB depth chart). He also made an valid point about using a backup QB as holder increased the chances of successful fake FGs, so does anyone have insight on the rationale for shifting holders' assignments [prior to the move back to Heide (after he became starter due to Gronowski's injury)]?

Didn't Dinkel do almost all of the holding until the playoff game he missed with the bad ankle ?

[jakejc795]

Didn't Dinkel do almost all of the holding until the playoff game he missed with the bad ankle ?

I believe you are correct. I think his point was it happening last week could've been disruptive (or at least less conducive to effective kicking in those conditions)

[TTman7Bearkat]

Honestly, I'd prefer they never hold the FCS championship on that field. It has a history of incredibly subpar conditions

Hhhmmm...The Bison have won multiple Championships on that field. Wonder if they'd agree with your statement?

[jakejc795]

Hhhmmm...The Bison have won multiple Championships on that field. Wonder if they'd agree with your statement?

You seem to assume my choices are dependent on what the Bison or their fans would do.

If you've ever risked your sanity and visited a certain forum which shall remain unnamed, you would likely understand why one should be verrrryyyy wary of doing so

[TTman7Bearkat]

You seem to assume my choices are dependent on what the Bison or their fans would do.

If you've ever risked your sanity and visited a certain forum which shall remain unnamed, you would likely understand why one should be verrrryyyy wary of doing so

No, I'm not assuming anything about your choices. Your STATEMENT was that "Honestly, I'd prefer they never hold the FCS championship on that field. It has a history of incredibly subpar conditions". I stated the fact that the bison have won multiple (EIGHT, I believe) Nattys in that stadium/field. I then wondered aloud what they would think about it. You brought up "history". I stated the facts of history.

Sanity? I used to have that a long time ago. It's gradually coming back. I got help. Maybe you should try it?

Btw, Bearkat Nation has been to that field with a "history of incredibly subpar conditions"...3 times. We'd love to go back.