GDT: Augustana (09/14/24)

[trueblue]

Wish we’d have gotten Mason some more snaps. Mark doesn’t get out of his funk and you have to think he may need to see the field more.

They haven't given Chase any snaps at any position in the last game and a half now. I don't begin to understand it... We were told in the off-season that he was going to get on the field no matter what. He's 6'5, 230lbs and fast. To not get him a series or two in the 2nd half of these last 2 games or even at the end of OSU is puzzling to me.

[JacksFan80]

Definitely not a great game. On the plus side it’s not like the game was ever close, at no point did it feel like Augie had a chance, just that we weren’t winning by as much as expected. Augie is also a very good and very well coached team, expect them to be at the top of the NSIC again and playing in the D2 playoffs.

Still plenty of season left and we need to understand that this team won’t roll through the season like last year, that was one of the all time greatest teams in FCS history and would be damn near impossible to replicate. This team might drop a game or two in conference play as well (going to Grand Forks worries me more than Fargo this year). But come playoff time I expect the Jacks to still be one of the favorites, plus nobody else in the FCS is emerging as a true #1.

Remember, Montana only beat Ferris State by 7 last year and still went on to make the championship game.

[jakejc795]

Vibert was struggling to move on the sideline with a knee brace on. After he got hurt on the final series last week, I was surprised to see the starters in that late tonight. Hagen looked like he was gimpy after getting dinged late.

It surprised me too, although maybe the argument is that the offense still needs to gel.

Coach Rogers mentioned the need to get healthy in postgame interview.

[jakejc795]

They haven't given Chase any snaps at any position in the last game and a half now. I don't begin to understand it... We were told in the off-season that he was going to get on the field no matter what. He's 6'5, 230lbs and fast. To not get him a series or two in the 2nd half of these last 2 games or even at the end of OSU is puzzling to me.

This is a prime example of circumstance suggesting they didn't want to provide more "film" for FCS opponent

I'm willing to bet we see at least five plays with Mason in when Jacks play in LA.

[bigticket1]

I think we all hoped that the offense was simply going to be a case of plug and play, but that was maybe expecting too much when replacing 7 of 11 starters. The leadership that group provided may be the biggest missing piece. And Mark simply hasn't been sharp yet. He has missed makeable throws in all three games. And that's not all on the new pieces in the o-line and receivers.

[jbjack]

And Mark simply hasn't been sharp yet. He has missed makeable throws in all three games. And that's not all on the new pieces in the o-line and receivers.

Some of it certainly has to do with the O-line and a big part with who is catching the ball. Is scheme to blame as well? Time will tell on that.

Mark has had the benefit of NFL caliber TEs and the Jankes catching the ball. Those guys were going to win the poorly placed balls. Our pass catchers are just not as experienced or as strong as our receivers in the past.

One of the things #11 was told he needed to work on if he wanted to make it to the NFL was leading receivers to maximize yards after catch. That's a nice way of saying he often throws behind receivers. A good example last night was a throw that hit Goering in the hands but was above his head and behind. It was a crossing route and Goering had to stop his route and come back. A Janke catches that ball. But the ball was also poorly placed.

It very well could be that some of the things that Mark is trying to correct "to get to the next level" are causing his early season struggles. Perhaps his new mechanics, his timing, the things he was told by evaluators to work on just aren't working for him and he ought to go back to playing ball the v way that worked for him and for his team.

[Jacked_Up]

I would guess no matter what happens in the second half, we drop from the top of the FCS poll

The No. 2 Bison were 27-point favorites over Eastern Tenn. NDSU lucked out and scored twice in the final two minutes to win 38-35. Unimpressive win.

[jakejc795]

The No. 2 Bison were 27-point favorites over Eastern Tenn. NDSU lucked out and scored twice in the final two minutes to win 38-35. Unimpressive win.

It'll be interesting seeing how rankings shake out. Dropping the Jacks from #1 is garnering some discussion, but it seems like you'd have to drop Bison then too

[Jacked_Up]

The Jacks' defense was solid. It only gave up 3 points, despite Augie having numerous opportunities to score. Amar Johnson was great. Special teams and the passing game struggled. A big part that probably was the new-look offensive line learning to work as a unit, and the team, overall, not adapting very well to injury absences. A three-TD win over a former rival might be disappointing, but it's nothing cry about.

[jakejc795]

The Jacks' defense was solid. It only gave up 3 points, despite Augie having numerous opportunities to score. Amar Johnson was great. Special teams and the passing game struggled. A big part that probably was the new-look offensive line learning to work as a unit, and the team, overall, not adapting very well to injury absences. A three-TD win to a former rival might be disappointing, but it's nothing cry about.

Back-to-back three TD wins allow Jacks to have some positivity while also providing ample opportunities for improvement

[Prairiehaas]

Line play seems to be improving. Receivers need to get in sync with their QB. Goering going 2 catches on 7 target is not acceptable. Can't hang that on the QB when Wilde catches every throw coming his way, again. Woods looked good to spell the Johnsons. I worry about the new OC, does he understand the tools at his disposal?

It was an ugly game; penalties (on both sides), officiating consisting of throwing a flag and then having a committee meeting (for a second week), injuries (mostly for Augie). I wonder did Augie shoot their wad in this game and now will be too damaged to perform in their season?

[ringthebells]

The number of penalties was super annoying, gotta get rid of those.
I really liked watching Amar run. Last year you could see his speed, but he seemed to go down rather easily. This year he is better at taking the first hit and running through the tackle.
I wish Angel had been able to get some PT, but watching Bell run was encouraging.
I was getting frustrated with some missed tackles on the defensive side. Once I looked at the stats they are doing a great job.

I am not sure what to make of this team yet. I probably overspent on tickets to Frisco so I obviously think they are really good. I knew it would take some time to get newer guys in the lineup and comfortable. Each week there seems to be a reason we didn't play well. OSU is a top ranked team and has a Heisman candidate. UIW is ranked #12 and will make a deep run in the playoffs. Augie ranked in D-2 and will be playing late into the year. At some point the #1 Jackrabbits need to get everyone on the same page and look like the #1 team. We've won by 21 the last two weeks so it is hard to complain. We are 1/4 of the way through the regular season. Hopefully the gelling will occur against SELA.

[JackJD]

I think Augie's defense gets some credit for our lackluster offensive play. I also thought we had a limited playbook for the game. I'll bet Augie's defense is the top defense in the NSIC this year and they'll win games because of that defense (which they'll need because I think we really nicked up their quarterback group...#15 for Augie should get the start in their next game).

I find myself getting a little down after sitting through that game but, as someone posted earlier, that is related to the level this program has reached and the expectations we have for year-after-year success.

[bigticket1]

It sounds like Angel went through some of the warmups before it was decided he wouldn't play, so hopefully he is close. Maxwell Woods really looked good. If either one of the Johnson's end up missing games, his redshirt could get burned.

[mnjackrbt]

The dreaded Aaron Rodgers quote... Relax.

New team, new year. Are we somewhere in the top 1-10 teams in the country? For sure. Will we win a National Championship? Maybe, 50/50. And that is awesome that anything short of a national championship is now considered a down year. Will we go undefeated the remainder of the season? Doubt it. Road games at UNI, NDSU, and UND - we might go 2-1 through those. And 2-1 through those is probably a success. Hopefully go 2-0 in road games at SELU and Missouri State. Hopefully go 4-0 or maybe 3-1 (worst case scenario) in home games to YSU, USD, Murray State, SIU.

That puts the Jacks at 10-2 or 9-3, with one loss to an FBS school and 1 or 2 to FCS schools, plus a D2 win. That is still good enough for a top 4 seed and a run to Frisco, peaking at the end of the year.