BSC Week 6 Preview
Kris Kallem & Lance Berndt, BSC Contributors | October 08, 2015
Lance says-
Weber State @ #10 Montana
With Weber State’s struggles the last few seasons, it’s crazy to think that just 7 years ago, these two faced in the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs. After a stumble against Liberty, the veteran laden Montana defense has looked very strong the last two weeks. Weber had been looking strong against the bottom teams of the conference, but they laid an egg last week turning the ball over 6 times. They will need to hold on to the ball to have any hope for success playing on the road at Montana. The question heading into this one will be if the Wildcats will hang on to their two QB system after Justin Shaw threw 3 interceptions on 4 attempts. If the Grizzlies can take a quick lead, look for them to start establishing a better footing for their running game going forward this season.
#19 Portland State @ FBS North Texas
Now, by comparison, North Texas has been much worse this season than Washington State. So, Portland State should be the favorite, but with FBS games, you never know. The North Texas Mean Green has been outscored or gained in nearly every statistic this season, so it’s hard to predict where they will excel. For the Vikings, they need to establish some sort of offensive efficiency. Yes their defense has been tough all season, but if their offense can’t do anything, they’ll continue to get stuck in low scoring games where in the fourth quarter, anyone can still win. With the great unknown on North Texas, this one is hard to predict, but I think Portland State will at least make this one close, and has a great chance at winning their second FBS game on the season.
Sacramento State @ #23 Montana State
This game was an offensive showcase last season with the two teams combining to score 115 points, but I don’t think the Hornets have enough firepower to put up those numbers again this time. Also, with the Bobcats having come off a tough road loss and yet another embarrassing defensive performance on the road, they are going to want to flex their muscles against the Hornets. Sacramento State has done pretty well against the run this season, so Dakota Prukop may look to air it out early. Key player for the Hornets will once again be linebacker Darnell Sankey who is averaging 14.2 tackles per game. I think MSU wins this one by at least 3 TDs.
Players of the week:
The offensive player of the week is RB Casey Jahn of Northern Arizona. As mentioned before, he tallied 175 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the Lumberjacks big win over Montana State.
For the second week in a row, the defensive player of the week is a Grizzly. This time it is defensive tackle Caleb Kidder who racked up a fumble recovery, an interception, five solo tackles, and one sack.
North Dakota also goes back to back with the special teams award. Kicker Reid Taubenheim takes the honor after nailing four field goals in the road upset over Portland State.
Kris Says-
Idaho State @ North Dakota
This has turned into a rebuilding year for the Bengals before the season is even half way over. Idaho State did show some offensive life last week with Michael Sanders having a solid day passing the ball. That gives them some hope as North Dakota has been susceptible at times against the pass. Speaking of defense, Idaho State ranks last in the conference in points allowed giving up a whopping 44.8 points per game. This should help a sluggish North Dakota offense which only averages a conference low 293.8 yards per game.
Cal Poly @ Eastern Washington
Poly is a little bit beat up and their pass defense has shown it over the last couple of games. Meanwhile, Eastern should be returning four starters and a couple of important backups to the lineup this week. Both of these teams have faced high powered offenses on their schedule and are ranked at the bottom of the conference in total defense. Expect a track meet.
Northern Arizona @ UC Davis
Davis has defended the pass well this season but the Lumberjacks have some balance with Casey Jahn rushing the ball. With this game, Weber, and Northern Colorado coming up the next three weeks, Northern Arizona is another one of those teams that could have some momentum heading down the home stretch of the conference schedule. Could be a trap game for NAU, but I think they come out of Davis with the win.