Brian Kimmes
Jackrabbit football has made a complete turnaround during the season to date. After losing the first game of the season at home to a Division-III school, our beloved Jackrabbits then lost two more games. For the first time in 37 years, the Jackrabbits began the season losing their first three games. The season looked grim.
The team did show signs of life in the game against Northern Iowa, but it remained to be seen if the Jacks could play a whole game.
The next week, the team scored its first victory of the season by defeating the ranked Nicholls State Colonels.
The team then traveled to Louisiana for the second week in a row to face another ranked opponent-McNeese State University. Head Coach John Stiegelmeier said McNeese would be the toughest team SDSU faced all year. The Jacks responded by scoring 14 points in the final six minutes to win the game.
Finally, after four road games (all against ranked opponents), the Jacks returned to a raucous Coughlin-Alumni Stadium. The Beef Bowl record-setting crowd had plenty to cheer about as the Jacks continued their winning ways, with a convincing 20-7 victory against the University of Central Arkansas Bears.
After a disappointing beginning to the season, the Jacks defeated three quality opponents to even their record at 3-3.
It is easy to point to the first game of the season and doubt the Jackrabbit football team, but to do so would be folly. Out of the six teams the Jacks have faced this year, five of them have received votes in national rankings. Presently, two of those opponents are ranked in the top 15.
Coming through a brutal four-game road trip with a 2-2 record, the Jacks proved they are a quality Division I-AA program.
The Jacks have played a terribly difficult schedule. Being .500 is nothing to be ashamed of. I would imagine the football players and coaches, as well as many fans, would like the team to have a better record, but when you step back and look at the difficult competition SDSU has faced, the team has performed relatively well.
Despite the incredibly challenging beginning to the season, the Jacks’ road only gets tougher. The Jacks face No. 4 California Polytechnic State University this week. Three of the season’s remaining games are against top-20 teams.
I believe the Jacks’ success can continue. I personally witnessed the team’s dramatic comeback against McNeese. That truly was an impressive feat. The Jacks never doubted themselves. I sheepishly admit I had given up on the Jacks in the game. I was wrong. I do not doubt the Jacks for the rest of the season. If the team plays well, it has the ability to play with the top teams in the country.
Odd as it sounds, the only game the Jacks did not show signs of being an elite team was against University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Even in its lopsided loss to Montana, SDSU played well and hung with Montana for the first quarter.
The defense for the Jacks is the best I have seen it in quite a few years. The past few seasons the offense has carried the load for the team. Now, it is the defense that has carried the team. The offense has begun to turn around by scoring at least 20 points in the past three games.
The play of quarterback Andy Kardoes has been a major factor in the turnaround. I have always been skeptical of Kardoes’ play. At the beginning of the season, he struggled. Now, he is the grease that makes the offense run. When Kardoes came back in the McNeese game after missing almost two quarters, he led the team to victory. The offense seemed much more confident and efficient with Kardoes at the helm.
The Jacks are beginning to click on both sides of the ball. Defensive end Eric Schroeder said it best when he said the team came together at the UNI game.
“I think after our third loss to Northern Iowa, we became a better team. I know defensively and offensively, we were two teams, then we became one team,” he said.
The Jacks truly are one team, and a darn good one at that. I cannot wait to watch them again.
#1.883398:2207854054.jpg:ball_talk.jpg:Brian Kimmes, Ball Talk:
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