Big Sky Preview 2015.7

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BSC  Week 7 Preview

Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC  Contributors | October 15, 2015

Kris Says-

Montana State @ Portland State
This is a huge game for both teams as the Big Sky’s #1 rated defense faces the #1 rated offense. The Vikings are second in the conference in turnover margin at +9 and have given up a very stingy 188 yards per game through the air. On offense, the Vikings have only thrown the ball 87 times on the season. Look for Portland State to play ball control and try and wear down the Bobcats. Dakota Prukop will need to win the game by making plays with his feet.

Eastern Washington @ Idaho State
Left for dead until last week, the Bengals proved that there are no gimmies in conference play. Bengal running backs Jakori Ford and Xavier Finney should have some success against Eastern’s rush defense perhaps creating some balance and opportunities for quarterback Michael Sanders. The Eagles have yet to put together a dominating performance and need to prove they can play a complete 60 minutes and not keep weaker opponents in the game. Surprising stat: With both Xavier Finney and Jakori Ford back this season Idaho state is averaging a surprisingly low 125 yards per game rushing the ball.

Sacramento State @ Southern Utah
Southern Utah goes for its fourth win in a row and has absolutely destroyed their last three opponents. The Tbirds have done much of the damage with their offense on the sidelines scoring four touchdowns on defense and special teams over that stretch. Even with the 55 points given up to South Dakota State, Southern Utah is still only averaging 15.4 points against on the season. The Hornets have been decently competitive but I think this will be an easy win for the home team.

Lance says-

UC-Davis @ Northern Colorado
These bottom tier of the conference battles usually turn out to be pretty exciting games and this one should be that as well. Both teams are coming off a win, with UC-Davis especially excited after knocking off Northern Arizona last weekend. Even though they only have the one win, the Aggies lead the conference in time of possession, which will always be a beneficial advantage in a road game. Northern Colorado ranks high in points allowed per game, but they haven’t yet faced a team known for its offense, so that’s hard to measure. Still, look for the Bears defense to be the key factor in this game, with Mikhail Dubose being a player to watch. He had 4 tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a sack in the win over Sacramento State. For Davis, look for the RB tandem of Manusamoa Luuga and Joshua Kelley. I think the Aggies come away with a close road victory.

(ORV) North Dakota @ Weber State
Two teams heading in different directions here. Weber State is coming off one of its biggest wins in the last decade, while North Dakota was dealt a crushing home defeat to Idaho State in a game where they also lost their starting QB Keaton Studsrud to injury. Word is that Studsrud won’t be able to play in Ogden so look for either Ryan Bartels or Joe Molberg to step in to the starting role. With both teams being stout on defense and both preferring to run the ball, I could see this game playing out very similar to the Portland State/North Dakota matchup. Weber State may need to look to the air, though, as UND is second in the country in rushing defense. Key player for North Dakota will be running back John Santiago. With Studsrud injured, Santiago and the UND rushing attack will need to take the lead if UND wants any chance at having offensive effectiveness against Weber. On the other side, QB Jadrian Clark will need to be the guy. He has been quite inefficient passing the ball on the season, but it has been proven that you need to be able to pass the ball to beat North Dakota. This game should go down to the wire, but I think Weber State will utilize their home field advantage and win this big conference game.