The FCS Wedge

The Jackrabbits bounce back…Bison dominate as usual…Sycamores and Salukis demolish their competition…wait…what?

The Scores

South Dakota State – 38
Illinois State – 28

Northern Iowa – 17
Western Illinois – 37

Indiana State – 43
Youngstown State – 17

North Dakota State – 59
South Dakota – 14

Southern Illinois – 49
Missouri State – 35

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South Dakota State at Illinois State

SDSU got things going right away when, on the 3rd play from scrimmage of the game, QB Taryn Christion hit WR Adam Anderson for a 64-yard TD. Following the usual XP & kickoff, on literally the next play, Illinois State QB Brady Davis one-upped the Jackrabbits with an 81-yard TD pass to R-Freshman WR Andrew Edgar to tie things up at 7 with less than 2 minutes off the clock. At that point, both defenses stepped up and only 3 first downs were allowed in the 7 drives through the rest of the quarter. It was mostly the same in the 2nd until just under 5 minutes left in the half when ISU started a drive back at their 15 and tried a pass out to the side to WR Spencer Schnell. The SDSU defense swarmed him and forced him back ~10 yards before a fumble was forced and recovered by SDSU DT Xavier Ward. One 5-yard run by RB Mikey Daniel later, SDSU had a 14-7 lead. Next drive, first play…ISU fumbles the ball on the snap and SDSU recovers in the red zone. A few plays later, the Jackrabbits scored again on a 5-yard TD pass to WR Jacob Brown. The Redbird offense was stopped on the next drive and SDSU would only need one play from scrimmage to nail an 81-yard TD pass to WR Cade Johnson to open up a 28-7 lead that they’d take into halftime.

Late in the 3rd, ISU would get pushed back and have to punt from their own 1 yard line. The punt was caught at midfield and returned 16 yards giving SDSU great field position with which to conduct a 6 play drive capped off with a 7-yard TD run by RB Mikey Daniel. Early in the 4th, the Redbirds halted the string of 28 unanswered points with an 85-yard drive ending in a 3-yard TD pass from QB Jake Kolbe (had been put in after halftime) to TE Tanner Taula. SDSU got close enough on their next drive for a 48-yard FG from PK Chase Vinatieri to pull ahead 38-14. ISU moved down the field and TE Tylor Petkovich hauled in a 9-yard TD catch. A little later Illinois State used a couple of long passes to pull within 10 points on a 26-yard TD pass to the WR Edgar, but time would run out for the Redbirds, as 38-28 would be the final score.

SDSU QB Taryn Christion threw for 292 yards and 3 TDs with 1 INT, with 131 yards and 1 TD of that going to WR Cade Johnson. The Jackrabbits top rusher was RB Mikey Daniel with 84 yards and 2 TDs. LB Dalton Cox led the team with 9 tackles (5 solo), S Brandon Synder had an INT and 4 tackles, and LB Seven Wilson and DT Xavier Ward each had fumble recoveries. ISU QB Jake Kolbe threw for 183 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT, and ran for 45 yards. RB James Robinson (who had been averaging 130 ypg) was held to only 10 rushing yards on 13 attempts. WR Andrew Edgar had a good day individually, hauling in 9 catches for 202 yards and 2 TDs. LB Zackary Mathews had 7 tackles (4 solo) and DB Willie Edwards had 1 INT and 4 tackles.

South Dakota State moves up to 5-2 overall with a 3-2 conference record and will head back home, hosting Missouri State next weekend. Illinois State falls to 5-3 with a 2-3 conference record and next up is a road trip to Northern Iowa.

FINAL: No. 7/8 South Dakota State 38, No. 9/11 Illinois State 28 … Jackrabbits (5-2 overall, 3-2 @ValleyFootball) return home to face Missouri State on Nov. 3. Kickoff at 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. #LastPlay #GoJacks pic.twitter.com/s1nvAPHqU5

— SDSU Football (@GoJacksFB) October 27, 2018

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Northern Iowa at Western Illinois

Early in the first, the Panthers had an opportunity to score, getting into the red zone, but missing on a 24-yard FG. They got a second chance when, two plays later, a fumble by WIU RB Steve McShane was recovered by UNI DB Korby Sander at the WIU 31. UNI would eventually get down to the 15, but would have to settle for a 32-yard FG. On the next drive, a 30-yard pass to RB Clint Ratkovich would get WIU to the UNI 1 yard line at the end of the quarter and on the first play of the 2nd, RB Max Norris ran it the final yard for a TD to take a 7-3 lead. UNI’s next drive took 6 plays and 75 yards finishing with an 18-yard pass from QB Eli Dunne to RB Marcus Weymiller. Two plays into the next drive, the Leathernecks would respond with a long pass to WR Isaiah Lesure that he took the rest of the way into the end zone in a play that covered 69 yards and gave WIU a 14-10 lead. Later in the quarter, UNI started a drive from their own 9, but on a sack by WIU LB Pete Swenson, the ball popped out and was recovered in the end zone by UNI for a safety and WIU was up by 6. They’d hold that lead to the end of the half.

A few minutes into the second half, the Panthers drove down the field, eventually reaching the WIU 6, but on a sack by LB Riggs Baxter, the QB Dunne fumbled and it was recovered by WIU. They weren’t able to do anything with that one, but on the next drive, a UNI pass was intercepted by DB Xavier Rowe and returned to the WIU 43. That one the Leathernecks were able to convert into points on a 1-yard run by the RB Norris to pull ahead 23-10. Early in the 4th, a 7-yard TD pass to the WIU WR Lesure put them up by 20. On the next drive, UNI went for it on 4th and 4 but were stopped after 1, giving the ball to the Leathernecks at the UNI 32. A bunch of short runs later including a 1-yard run by the WIU RB McShane and the Leathernecks were up 37-10 with under 6 minutes left in the game. UNI was able to put together a 12-play 75-yard drive capped off with a 1-yard run by the RB Weymiller to get back within 20, but after using up over 4 minutes, WIU was able to run the ball a couple more times to end the game and come away with the 37-17 victory.

UNI QB Eli Dunne threw for 218 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs, mostly to WR Nick Fossey who had 69 yards on 7 catches. RB Marcus Weymiller ran for 96 yards and 1 TD and caught 3 passes for 21 yards and 1 TD. The UNI site lists Christian Jegen as the top tackler in the game with 13 total (8 solo), but it also says he’s a RB who was formerly a WR…so…¯\_(ツ)_/¯ LB Kendrick Suntken also had 13 tackles (6 solo) and 1 forced fumble recovered by DB Korby Sander, who also had 6 tackles. WIU QB Sean McGuire had 300 yards passing with 2 TDs and 0 INTs. WR Isaiah Lesure had a great game, grabbing 7 catches for 164 yards and 2 TDs. RBs Steve McShane and Max Norris picked up 44 and 41 yards and 1 and 2 TDs respectively. DB Justin Fitzpatrick led the team with 11 tackles (9 solo). DBs Xavier Rowe and Andre Whitley each had interceptions and LB Pete Swenson stays at the top of the conference sacks list with 2 in this game as well as 1 forced fumble and a QB hurry.

Northern Iowa drops to 4-4 with a 3-2 MVFC record. Next weekend they’ll host Illinois State at the UNIDome for Family Weekend. Western Illinois equals UNI’s record, 4-4 overall and 3-2 in the conference and will head down to “Little Egypt” to take on the SIU Salukis.

In a 37-17 decision over No. 17/23 Northern Iowa, Western recorded its third consecutive season with at least two victories over a ‘Top 25’ team.#TRADITIONofTOUGH pic.twitter.com/rEMQ744FxM

— Western Illinois Football (@WIUfootball) October 27, 2018

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Indiana State at Youngstown State

Despite a punt pinning them at their own 3 yard line, YSU was able to drive 97 yards on their first possession and take a 25-yard pass from QB Montgomery VanGorder to WR Jermiah Braswell into the end zone for the early Penguin lead. The Sycamores responded with a 41-yard FG on their next drive to make it 7-3. In the second quarter, YSU used a short field, starting right about at midfield, to get close enough for a 33-yard FG from freshman PK Grant Gonya, but ISU again responded…again with a FG…this time from 30 yards out, and the score was 10-6 for YSU. Later in the quarter, ISU used a 43-yard pass to freshman WR Dakota Caton to move downfield and scored on a 22-yard pass to R-Fr. WR Dante Hendrix to take their first lead. Two plays later, a YSU completed pass was fumbled and recovered by ISU, allowing PK Jerry Nunez to hit a 45-yard FG, putting the score at 16-10 at the end of the half.

The 3rd quarter was fairly even until about 9 minutes in when ISU QB Ryan Boyle threw a 22-yard TD pass to the WR Hendrix to put the Sycamores up by 13. Late in the quarter, however, YSU brought it back within one score after a 58-yard run by RB Tevin McCaster got them close and 2 more yards from McCaster on the next run into the end zone. At this point, however, the wheels fell off of the Penguin “train”. The first drive into the 4th quarter resulted in a 15-yard TD pass to TE Zach Larkin and the “trees” were up by 13. YSU got down the field into the red zone, but turned the ball over on downs when QB Nathan Mays (who was put in late in the 3rd) was sacked on a 4th and 4. Indiana State took 4 plays to move 82 yards the other way, ending in a 23-yard run by RB Titus McCoy (XP attempt failed) to put ISU up 36-17. YSU went 3-and-out, and then ISU missed a 44-yard FG, but then a YSU fumble was picked up by ISU LB Jonas Griffith and taken 80 yards back across the field for another TD to make the final score 43-17 Indiana State.

ISU QB Ryan Boyle had 325 yards passing with 3 TDs and ran for 68 yards and was awarded the conference’s Newcomer of the Week award. WR Dante Hendrix had 7 catches for 186 yards and 2 TDs. LB Jonas Griffith led the team with 14 tackles (11 solo), 1 sack, 1 pass breakup, and the 80 yard fumble recovery TD and picked up a MVFC Defensive Player of the Week award. DB Jamal Jones had 5 tackles to go along with another fumble recovery. PK Jerry Nunez went 3 for 4 on FGs and 4 for 4 on XP attempts to earn him the MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. YSU QB Montgomery VanGorder threw for 125 yards with 1 TD and ran for 40 yards. RB Tevin McCaster had 165 yards on the ground with 1 TD and WR Jermiah Braswell led the team with 93 yards on 6 catches with 1 TD. CB Devanere Crenshaw led the Penguins with 11 tackles (7 solo), and DT Savon Smith had 3 total tackles, 1.5 of which were sacks.

Indiana State now sits at 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the MVFC and will host South Dakota next weekend. Youngstown State is now 3-5 and 2-3 in the conference and will head to the far north to take on North Dakota State at the Fargodome.

Sycamores make the trip to Youngstown and walk away winners over the Penguins for their second-straight road win! #ALLIN #MarchOn pic.twitter.com/QjSaDVM7vB

— Indiana State Football (@IndStFB) October 27, 2018

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North Dakota State at South Dakota

A bit over 6 minutes into the game, the Bison struck first on a 15-yard TD pass to TE Ben Ellefson. Their next drive, RB Lance Dunn got them close on a 75-yard run and QB Easton Stick ran it the last few yards into the end zone. LB Jabril Cox intercepted a pass by USD QB Austin Simmons a little bit later giving NDSU short field position and allowing QB Stick to throw a 2-yard TD pass to FB Brock Robbins. At this point, NDSU was up 21-0 and it would only get worse for the Coyotes from there. In the 2nd quarter, RB Ty Brooks ran 35-yards for a TD to go ahead 28-0. USD finally got their first points on a 3-yard TD run by RB Canaan Brooks, but NDSU responded with their own TD drive ending in a 6-yard pass to TE Ellefson to go ahead 35-7 at halftime.

In the 2nd half, a turnover on downs for USD gave NDSU the ball backed up to their own 2 yard line. It was apparently no problem for the Bison, because 10 plays later, QB Easton Stick was running 47 yards to the end zone for a TD. USD was able to respond two plays later with their own long QB run for a TD…62 yards by QB Simmons to make the score 42-14. In the 4th, NDSU hit a 46-yard FG and USD on their next play turned the ball over, setting up a run by the next NDSU QB Trey Lance that went 23 yards for a TD to put NDSU up 38 points. Later in the quarter, NDSU RB Adam Cofield had a 15-yard TD run which made the score 59-14 all the way to the end of the game.

NDSU QB Easton Stick “only” had 176 yards passing, but 3 TDs with 0 INTs and ran for 79 yards and 2 TDs. RB Lance Dunn had 114 rushing yards, and three other players had rushing TDs for the Bison. WR Darrius Shepherd led the team with 75 yards receiving while TE Ben Ellefson only had 2 catches for 21 yards, but both were TDs. LB Dan Marlette led the team with 10 tackles (6 solo), while LB Jabril Cox had 9 tackles (7 solo), 1 sack, and 1 INT returned 34 yards. P Garret Wegner had 2 punts averaging 50.2 yards per punt and both landed inside the 20. USD QB Austin Simmons threw for 152 yards and 1 INT and ran for 115 yards and 1 TD. WR Shamar Jackson led the Coyotes with 64 receiving yards on 5 catches. LB Jack Cochrane topped the list with 13 tackles (10 solo) and DB Elijah Reed had 10 (9 solo) tackles. Punter Brady Schutt had a 44.5 yards per punt average on 6 punts with a long of 53.

North Dakota State stays perfect on the season, 8-0 overall, 5-0 in the MVFC and host Youngstown State next weekend for their Harvest Bowl game. South Dakota falls to 3-5 overall with a 2-3 conference record. They’ll hit the road taking on Indiana State next weekend in Terre Haute.

TOUCHDOWN, Bison!

Adam Cofield scores his second TD of the year from 15 yards out and the Bison lead South Dakota 59-14. pic.twitter.com/klJWFagkMv

— NDSU Football (@NDSUfootball) October 27, 2018

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Southern Illinois at Missouri State

It took a little while for the offenses to get moving in the SIU/MSU game, but with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter, MSU QB Peyton Huslig finished off an 81-yard drive with a 6-yard TD run to put the Bears up early. In the first drive of the second quarter, SIU moved 75 yards down the field, capping the drive off with an 18 yard TD run by RB D.J. Davis, tying things up at 7. Later, a short SIU punt gave MSU the ball at their own 45 and they were able to go 55-yards in 9 plays for a 4-yard TD pass to TE Jordan Murray to take a 14-7 lead. Just a few plays later though, SIU responded with a 35-yard TD pass to TE Nigel Kilby to tie things up again. MSU wasn’t done for the half though, as QB Peyton Huslig used long gains on passes to WRs Lorenzo Thomas and Tyler Currie before Currie caught a pass to cover the last 3 yards into the end zone. Cue SIU QB Matt DeSomer again, driving 75 yards down the field and using up most of the final 2 minutes of the half on a drive ending with a 4-yard TD pass to TE Kilby to again tie things up…this time 21-all to end the half.

The 3rd quarter was all Salukis as QB Matt DeSomer hit WR Landon Lenoir (younger brother of former WIU standout WR Lance Lenoir) on a 30-yard TD pass, RB D.J. Davis running 14 yards into the end zone on their next drive, and an interception returned for a TD by Safety Michael Elbert putting SIU up 42-21. All this while holding MSU scoreless and not even allowing them further along than their own 38 yard line until the very end of the quarter, when MSU was finally able to put together a drive that ended early in the 4th with a 24-yard TD pass to WR Curry, making the score 42-28. MSU next drive was 1 play long that was an interception by SIU LB Bryce Notree at the SIU 13. Two plays later, SIU was back in the end zone on a 5-yard run by RB Jonathan Mixon. Nearing the end of the game, the Bears were able to score again on a 3-yard TD catch by TE Mauricio Chio. It was too little, too late, however, as Southern Illinois would come away with the 49-35 victory.

SIU QB Matt DeSomer had 206 yards and 3 TDs passing and 92 yards rushing and earned the MVFC Offensive Player of the Week award. RB D.J. Davis ran for 96 yards with 2 TDs and WR Raphael Leonard caught 8 passes for 103 yards. LB Luke Giegling led the team with 9 tackles (5 solo) while LB Bryce Notree and S Michael Elbert each had interceptions, with Elbert’s going 55 yards for a TD. MSU QB Peyton Huslig threw for 404 yards with 4 TDs and ran for 15 yards and 1 TD, which would have been great if not for 2 interceptions as well. WR Lorenzo Thomas caught 8 passes for 173 yards and WR Tyler Currie had 84 yards and 2 TDs on 5 catches. LB Angelo Garbutt finished with 12 tackles (5 solo) and LB McNeece Egbim had 8 tackles (5 solo), 2.5 of which were for a loss.

Southern Illinois picks up their second win of the season and are 2-6 with a 1-4 conference record and head back home next week, hosting Western Illinois. Missouri State drops to an even 4-4 and 2-3 in the MVFC and will head up to South Dakota State next weekend.

FINAL | Southern Illinois 49, Missouri State 35

Go Southern Go! The #Salukis are back home next Saturday at 1pm. #RunWithUs pic.twitter.com/IAQCqmWnuR

— Saluki Football (@SIU_Football) October 27, 2018

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MVFC Standings

Team, Overall (MVFC) – last three games
North Dakota State, 8-0 (5-0) – YSU, @MSU, SIU
South Dakota State, 5-2 (3-2) – MSU, @SIU, USD
Western Illinois, 4-4 (3-2) – @SIU, @USD, INSU
Northern Iowa, 4-4 (3-2) – ILSU, @YSU, MSU
Illinois State, 5-3 (2-3) – @UNI, @INSU, YSU
Missouri State, 4-4 (2-3) – @SDSU, NDSU, @UNI
Indiana State, 4-4 (2-3) – USD, ILSU, @WIU
South Dakota, 3-5 (2-3) – @INSU, WIU, @SDSU
Youngstown State, 3-5 (2-3) – @NDSU, UNI, @ILSU
Southern Illinois, 2-6 (1-4) – WIU, SDSU, @NDSU

As with last week, “Professor Chaos” over at AnyGivenSaturday.com has written an excellent breakdown of each team’s playoff chances and what they need to do…you can check it out here.
The short version is essentially: NDSU is already in, SDSU needs to win 2 of their last 3, ILSU, WIU, UNI, INSU, and MSU all need to win all 3 of their remaining games (although ILSU has a little bit more leeway since they’d be at 8 total wins…that includes a NAIA game though), and USD, YSU and SIU are all effectively out of playoff consideration.

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How’d I Do?

SDSU @ ILSU – I thought ILSU 24-21. It was SDSU 38-28. Missed on that one…didn’t account for the multitude of early turnovers.

INSU @ YSU – I thought YSU 27-17. It was INSU 43-17. Maybe I should just stop picking..this is nuts.

UNI @ WIU – I thought WIU 26-24. It was WIU 37-17. Ok…finally got one right. I was worried about some of the aspects of the game, but WIU had a pretty solid all-around effort.

NDSU @ USD – I thought NDSU 40-14. It was NDSU 59-14. I mean…really, when I put 40-14 it was nearly a “pick your score” type of scenario and I figured they’d let off the gas when they hit around 40 or so. Guess they didn’t, but I think that’s still a win for me.

SIU @ MSU – I thought MSU 35-28. It was SIU 49-35. Wait…everyone told me SIU sucked. I don’t like this…we (my Leathernecks) have to play them next week.

Previously I was 9-6 in my picks. Another bad 2-3 week, and I’m 11-9 now. I didn’t have much “game prediction” cred to begin with…but whatever was there is pretty much gone now. Another crazy week for upsets.

Next week’s games are in November…the final month of the regular season before we head into the playoffs. Up next weekend on November 3rd are: South Dakota at Indiana State, Illinois State at Northern Iowa, Western Illinois at Southern Illinois, Missouri State at South Dakota State, and Youngstown State at North Dakota State. All except for YSU@NDSU (both have essentially clinched their postseason situations) should have a big impact on who has a chance at the playoffs, so it should be an exciting week.

I’m going to try changing things up just a little bit, hopefully making some of my content a little easier to read. Most of you probably won’t notice a huge difference, but hopefully makes a few little things better. I’m also going to switch over to conference-only numbers from now on. Obviously strength of schedule makes a difference (if a team has all the “tough” matchups early vs late in the season, for example), but now that everyone has played 4 MVFC games, I feel that it’s a better indication of how good a team is against roughly “equivalent” teams. It’ll also weed out some of the “inflated” stats from some of the early OOC games (looking at you, Jackrabbits), and give a better idea of where teams are at this point in the season.

All times are listed as Central time zone and ranking numbers based on the AGS Poll. Here’s the full list along with starting times and places you can find them on TV/streaming video:

Saturday, October 27th
12:00 PM – South Dakota State (4-2, 2-2 MVFC) at Illinois State (5-2, 2-2 MVFC), ESPN3
1:00 PM – Indiana State (3-4, 1-3 MVFC) at Youngstown State (3-4, 2-2 MVFC), ESPN+
1:00 PM – Northern Iowa (4-3, 3-1 MVFC) at Western Illinois (3-4, 2-2 MVFC), ESPN+
2:00 PM – North Dakota State (7-0, 4-0 MVFC) at South Dakota (3-4, 2-2 MVFC), ESPN+
2:00 PM – Southern Illinois (1-6, 0-4 MVFC) at Missouri State (4-3, 2-2 MVFC), ESPN+

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South Dakota State at Illinois State

The Series: SDSU and ILSU have played 8 times, with the overall series tied 4-4. Last year’s matchup was a win for the Jackrabbits, 27-24 in OT at Brookings.

SDSU’s Record: 4-2 overall, 2-2 in the MVFC. They had their first game against Iowa State cancelled due to weather, beat Montana State then destroyed Arkansas Pine-Bluff. In-conference, they lost a close one at NDSU, beat INSU in a high-scoring OT battle, beat down YSU and then lost to UNI in a game that was really much closer than the 15-point margin would indicate.

ILSU’s Record: 5-2 overall, 2-2 in the MVFC. Opened with a win over NAIA St. Xavier (IL), then beat rival Eastern Illinois and won by a good margin over FBS Colorado State. In-conference, the lost a close one at MSU, beat WIU and clobbered SIU back home, then lost at NDSU last weekend.

South Dakota State: The Jackrabbits offense is good at not allowing QB Taryn Christion to get sacked through a combination of a solid offensive line and Christion’s mobility. They’ve been roughly middle-of-the-pack offensively and last week, after losing RB Isaac Wallace (had been averaging just over 82 ypg with 4 TDs) with a season (maybe career) ending hip injury, they weren’t able to find the end zone against a solid UNI defense. WRs Cade Johnson and Adam Anderson are 6th (63.8 ypg w/ 2 TDs) and 8th (60 ypg and 2 TDs) in the MVFC in receiving yards. Special teams is a strong suit for the Jackrabbits, with PK Chase Vinatieri hitting 8 of 11 FGs for the season, only missing 2 kicks from 48 yards and 1 from 49 (and making a 57 and a 47 last week), and Punter Brady Hale having a good year, averaging 42.2 yards per on 20 punts. With the coverage unit only allowing 12 total yards on punt returns, SDSU is #1 in the conference with a 41.6 yards per punt net average. Kickoff coverage is also solid, which helps SDSU do well in the “field position” battle. On defense, the Jackrabbits again mostly fall in the middle of the conference, allowing an average of 25.8 ppg and 407 ypg. They’re 6th in the MVFC in the run defense and 5th in pass defense. DT Krockett Krolikowski and DE Ryan Earith are tied (along with NDSU’s Greg Menard) for 6th in the MVFC in sacks with 2.5 in the 4 MVFC games. As a team, they are fairly well-disciplined, averaging only 30.5 penalty yards per game (best in the MVFC).

Illinois State: Illinois State has one of the better offenses in the conference, putting up just under 30 ppg (3rd in MVFC) and definitely leans more towards the run game with RB James Robinson averaging 132.3 ypg with 5 TDs (2nd in MVFC) and RB Markel Smith at 67.3 ypg with 1 TD. WR Spencer Schnell is #4 in the conference with 75.5 ypg and has 4 receiving TDs, but overall, the passing game isn’t relied on much, only averaging 174.5 ypg. On defense, the Redbirds are in the top 3 in the conference in most categories, allowing only 17.8 ppg and 314.5 ypg. They’re third in the MVFC against both the pass and the run, so it’s a fairly balanced effort. LB Zackary Mathews is tied for 8th in the conference with 10 tackles per game and DB Luther Kirk has 2 INTs with 1 returned for TD in 4 games. Punter JT Bohlken averages 45 yards per punt in MVFC games, which leads the conference, although the Redbirds have struggled in the FG department, going 2 for 5 in the MVFC (and 5 for 10 overall).

My Take: At the start of the week, I was thinking that SDSU might be favored by a bit, although after really processing how they played against UNI last weekend, I’m not so sure. It seems like a “which team will show up” scenario…played well against NDSU and YSU, but had issues with INSU and UNI. ILSU was kinda the same way…played great against some teams, but struggled with MSU and WIU (was a much closer game than the score would indicate). I think the two teams are pretty evenly matched, but it’s Family Weekend for the Redbirds and Hancock Stadium should be sold out, so I have to give the edge to the home team here. I think Illinois State wins this one by a FG, 24-21.

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Indiana State at Youngstown State

The Series: INSU and YSU have played 28 times going back to 1988, with the Penguins holding a 23-5 series lead. Last year’s matchup was a 66-24 Youngstown State win in Terre Haute, IN.

INSU’s Record: Indiana State is 3-4 on the season, with wins over Eastern Illinois and DII Quincy, and a loss to FBS Louisville. In the MVFC, they’re 1-3, getting shut out against UNI, losing in OT at SDSU, dropping their Homecoming game by 3 to MSU, but then taking down SIU by 3 at the Saluki’s Homecoming.

YSU’s Record: Youngstown State is 3-4 this season, which opened with a loss against non-scholarship Butler and another at FBS West Virginia, then a win over Valparaiso. In the MVFC, they’re 2-2 (like more than half the conference currently) with a loss at WIU, win over SIU back home, a big defeat at SDSU and then a win over USD at the “Ice Castle”.

Indiana State: So, this one is going to be a bit tricky to sort out. If I was writing this a few days ago, I would have said that INSU isn’t really an offensive powerhouse, but they do have the most productive rushing offense in the MVFC, with RB Ja’Quan Keys leading the conference in rushing yards (133/game) and rushing TDs (7), and being in the top 3 nationally in both categories. That was…until word came on Tuesday that Keys had suffered a season and career ending injury in their game last week against SIU. Obviously this is absolutely horrible for the young man, who will have to miss the final 4 games of his senior season, but it’s also devastating to a Sycamore offense that pretty much relied on Keys for over half of their ground yards. The next best runner on the INSU offense is QB Ryan Boyle, who gets just over 68 ypg with 2 rushing TDs. Boyle also puts up 166.3 ypg with 2 TDs through the air and 1 INT, which is near the bottom of the conference rankings for the “regular” QBs (excluding things like trick plays where a punter or a WR might act as a QB for a play). On defense, INSU is last in the conference in points allowed (34.3/game) and rushing yards allowed (258.8/game), but is actually halfway decent with their pass defense, only allowing ~195 ypg through the air. LBs Jonas Griffith and Katrell Moss and DB Jamal Jones are #1, 2, and 4 in the conference for tackles, averaging 13.3, 12.3, and 10.8 tackles per game respectively, with Jones leading the conference with 2 fumbles recovered in 4 conference games. Six different INSU players have forced fumbles in those games. The Sycamores are also pretty good at kickoffs and punting, averaging 42.8 and 40.5 net yards per kick/punt, which is #2 and #4 in the MVFC.

Youngstown State: The Penguins haven’t really been blowing anyone away either, although they used some solid defense and a turnover to get up early on USD and ride that to a win. They are similar to INSU in that the most productive member of their offense is a very good RB. In this case. Tevin McCaster is just under 98 ypg (3rd) with 4 TDs in MVFC games. QB Montgomery VanGorder is 4th in the conference with 224.8 ypg and 5 passing TDs, while running for 26.5 ypg and 1 TD. What this adds up to is an offense that only averages ~384 ypg and 22.8 ppg in the conference, in the bottom 3 for both categories. On the other side of the ball, the Penguins are really good against the pass generally. They gave up 324 yards in the air against WIU (a really good passing team), but held SIU, SDSU, and USD to 341 yards combined (and none of the 3 over 158 yards. Otherwise, they’re fairly “middle-of-the-pack” for their ground defense and scoring defense. LB Armand Dellovade is the top tackler on the team averaging 8.3 per game in MVFC contests (12th in the MVFC)  and DT Savon Smith is tied for 3rd in the conference in tackles for loss, averaging 1.38 per game. They’ve struggled with field goals this year, with kicker Zak Kennedy only 4 for 8 in the conference (and 5 for 12) overall.

My Take: Like the SDSU/ILSU game, at the start of this week, I thought this would be a close game. Now that the unfortunate news about Ja’Quan Keys has come out, I don’t see this one going the Sycamores way. INSU is last in rushing defense and YSU has a really good RB who is hard to get down. I think YSU wins this one by about 10 points, maybe 27-17.

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Northern Iowa at Western Illinois

The Series: UNI and WIU have played 46 times starting in 1967. In that span, the Panthers have the series lead, 31-15. Last year’s matchup was a 38-29 win for the Leathernecks in the UNIDome, although this was another case of the score not telling the full story (WIU was down by 4 until the final 6 seconds of the game).

UNI’s Record: Northern Iowa is 4-3 overall and started off the season with a 26-23 loss at Montana and a loss at FBS Iowa, then went home to shut out Hampton 44-0. In the MVFC they’re 3-1 with a shutout win at INSU, loss at home to NDSU, a big win at USD, and then a huge defensive performance in a Homecoming win over SDSU last weekend.

WIU’s Record: WIU is 3-4 so far. While UNI was in Missoula the first weekend, WIU was in Bozeman, also getting handed a 26-23 loss by a Montana FCS school…in this case, Montana State. The Leathernecks then took on FBS Illinois and dropped that one, but then welcomed Montana to Macomb and won that one. In the MVFC, WIU is another of the 2-2 teams, beating YSU, losing at ILSU, losing to NDSU back home, and then heading down to MSU and coming away with a solid victory.

Northern Iowa: UNI’s run defense is solid at #4 giving up 148.5 yards per game on the ground.. They’re 3rd in the conference in scoring defense and they’ve kept three teams from reaching the end zone at all this season (including two MVFC teams that have both put up big numbers against other teams). The defense is a little weaker against the pass (7th in MVFC). LB Chris Kolarevic is #3 in conference games in tackles with 11.3 per game and LB Rickey Neal Jr. is sitting at #2 in sacks, averaging .88 per game in the 4 MVFC games. LB Duncan Ferch holds the #2 spot for passes defended with 2.25/game and DB Xavior Williams helps them do well in the turnover battle with 2 in the last 4 games, 1 of which was returned for a TD (and does a solid job at returning kicks). On offense, Eli Dunne averages 252.3 yards per game with 8 TDs and only 1 INT and leads the conference in passing efficiency. The Panther offense is #2 in the conference in both points (32.5) and yards (407.8) per game with WRs Briley Moore (64.5 ypg) and Deion McShane (48.8 ypg) as the primary receivers in the aerial attack. On the ground, RBs Trevor Allen (76 ypg w/ 3 TDs) and Marcus Weymiller (72.8 ypg w/ 1 TD) both rank in the top 10 of the conference for yardage. PK Austin Errthum is 9 for 11 on the season for FGs with a long of 46 (at Indiana State) and is 6 of 7 in conference games.

Western Illinois: WIU’s defense is actually pretty similar to UNI’s, although ranked a little better in the conference. They have the #2 run defense allowing 106.5 ypg and the #6 pass defense allowing 219 ypg. LB Pete Swenson and DL Khalen Saunders lead the conference in tackles for loss with 2.63 and 1.63 per game respectively, with Swenson the only player in the conference averaging above 1 sack per game (1.25) in MVFC games. Three Leatherneck DBs are in the conference top 10 for passes defended per game, with Justin Fitzpatrick tied for 3rd, and Zach Muniz and Xavier Rowe tied with each other for 5th. Fitzpatrick also has 2 INTs in the last 4 games. QB Sean McGuire leads the Leatherneck offense, throwing for 264.5 ypg with 10 TDs and 5 INTs (3 against NDSU). WIU’s offense has been very 1-dimensional for much of the season, ranking #2 in the passing game, but 9th on the ground, averaging only 119.3 ypg, although they finally put together a solid run game last week against MSU, gaining more yards on the ground than they had in the previous 4 games combined (MSU’s defense isn’t all that great against the run though). WR Isaiah Lesure has caught 2 TDs and 79.8 ypg this season, and WR John Brunner has 54.3 ypg. The ground game, that only recently got moving, is headlined by RB Steve McShane with 76 ypg (despite being held to 9 against NDSU and 18 against ILSU) and has 2 rushing TDs. McShane is also a receiving threat, catching 11 passes for just under 39 yards and 2 TDs in MVFC matchups…and he’s #4 in the conference in kick returns and #2 in the conference in punt returns. WIU has struggled with kickoff coverage, averaging a net gain of 33.3 yards per, which is last in the conference, and allowing MSU a long kickoff return for a TD last weekend.

My Take: These two teams have a fairly long history, and are also located fairly close to one another. They often compete for the same recruits in many areas and have had some exciting/heartbreaking finishes between them. UNI has last week’s MVFC defensive player of the week (Ferch) and WIU has last week’s MVFC offensive player of the week (McShane). Something else interesting is that both offenses feature an explosive member of the McShane family, with Steve (5th oldest out of 10 kids) a Senior RB starting for WIU and Deion (7th) a Freshman WR starting for UNI. Northern Iowa is generally favored by a bit in this game, but it’s close enough that it could easily go either way. I think WIU’s run game will do well, not like last week vs MSU, but better than they did earlier in the season. McGuire can probably do well against the pass defense, but I think UNI will also put up some yards through the air. It’ll probably come down to whomever can limit turnovers the most. I’m a Leatherneck fan, so I feel like I’ve gotta go with my team in this one, but I think it’ll be close and it’ll be a battle. UNI is a very good team but WIU is pretty much to the point where they have to win out to make the playoffs. I think this will give them the extra boost they need to come away with a 2-point win…26-24.

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North Dakota State at South Dakota

The Series: NDSU and USD have played each other 82 times going back to 1903. NDSU holds the series lead, 54-26-2 and in the last 23 matchups (back to 1988) have only lost twice (2002 and 2015). Last year’s matchup was a 49-14 NDSU win in Fargo.

NDSU’s Record: The Bison are 7-0 overall, 4-0 in the conference. They started the season by steamrolling Cal Poly, North Alabama, and Delaware (all in Fargo). In MVFC play, they beat SDSU in a close one, pulled away in the 4th quarter to beat UNI on the road, won their first outdoor game at WIU, then headed back home and beat a good ILSU team by two TDs.

USD’s Record: The Coyotes are 3-4 with a 2-2 conference record. They lost a close game at FBS K-State to start the season, then beat Northern Colorado at home, and wrapped up non-conference games with a loss at Weber State. In the MVFC, they won at SIU and home against MSU, then lost at home against UNI and somewhat unexpectedly dropped their game at YSU last weekend.

North Dakota State: NDSU has been THE top team in the FCS for the majority of the last decade. They are tied for #1 in run defense (yards per game) with 106.5, but have only allowed 3 TDs on the ground (the other team, WIU, has allowed 7). The Bison pass defense has been a bit of a weak spot, allowing the most passing yards of any MVFC team (264.3 per game). The NDSU defense doesn’t really have 1 or 2 guys who are far-and-away the team leader(s) in tackles, but they have a bunch of guys who are all very good. DE Greg Menard and LB Jabril Cox are in the top 10 in the conference for sacks with .63 and .5 per game respectively. CB Jalen Allison is tied for 7th with 1.25 passes defended per game with FS James Hendricks right behind and 1 per game, and each player has 2 INTs in MVFC games. On offense, NDSU is technically ranked at #2 for the ground game, although with the injury to INSU’s RB, they’re effectively #1 now and are currently averaging 220.5 ypg. The passing game is second-to-last with 172.8 ypg, but they haven’t really needed to rely on the pass for much of the season (only 77 attempts…only one of two teams with fewer than 100 pass attempts), and when QB Easton Stick does pass, he’s very efficient, with a 154.7 rating. Stick has thrown for 7 TDs in MVFC games this season with 2 INTs and also runs for 42.5 ypg with 3 rushing TDs. WR Darrius Shepherd is the primary receiver for the Bison with just over 100 yards and 4 TDs on 22 catches and also leads the conference in punt returns, averaging 19.9 yards per return. On the ground, RBs Bruce Anderson (86 ypg) and Lance Dunn (71.3 ypg w/ 5 TDs) are getting the job done. There are plenty of Bison fans who will complain about the issues with the passing game both on offense and defense…sometimes some special teams issues…etc, but the fact is, in MVFC games they currently sit at #1 in both scoring offense and defense, are undefeated this season, are the defending national champions, and are the unanimous #1 team in every major poll/rating system.

South Dakota: South Dakota’s offense is heavily geared towards the passing game. They are #1 in the conference for that, with QB Austin Simmons averaging 288.3 ypg and has 6 passing TDs with 3 INTs, but are last in the conference with their rushing offense, averaging 103.3 ypg on the ground. RB Ben Klett is the top guy there, but with just under 50 yards per game and 3 TDs, is 14th in the conference. WR Dakarai Allen gets the majority of the yardage, racking up 112.8 yards per game on 24 catches with 2 TDs. Allen is also #1 in the conference (for anyone with more than 4 catches) in yards per catch, at 18.8. The UDS defense is in the lower half of the conference for most rankings: 7th for run defense, 8th for passing defense, and 9th for scoring defense. They do have a few solid players though, with DB Andrew Gray tied for 4th in the conference with 10.8 tackles per game and twin brother LB Alex just a bit down the list at 7.5 per game. Andrew is also tied for 3rd for passes defended with 1.75 per game and has 2 INTs and 2 forced fumbles against MVFC teams. DL Darin Greenfield is 5th in tackles for loss with 1.25 per game, and DB Mark Collins Jr. leads the conference with 2.5 passes defended per game.

My Take: I’m not going to say it’s impossible for USD to win this game, although it seems highly unlikely considering how the Coyotes played against YSU last weekend. The best hope that USD has for a victory is if they can get their passing game really moving well. I think we’ll probably see USD stay close early in the game, but NDSU will pull away in the second half and it won’t really be close by the end. I’m thinking we’ll probably see around a 40-14 NDSU win in this game.

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Southern Illinois at Missouri State

The Series: SIU and MSU have played 39 times starting in 1965. The Bears have a 20-19 series lead and have won the last two matchups. Last year was a 36-28 MSU win in Carbondale.

SIU’s Record: The Salukis are 1-6 overall with a 0-4 MVFC record. Their lone win of the season was their opener at Murray State. They lost a high-scoring (on both sides) game at FBS Ole Miss and then a close one back home against non-conference rival Southeast Missouri State. In the MVFC, they lost to USD, at YSU, at ILSU, and their Homecoming game against INSU. In the USD, YSU, and INSU games though, the total margin of victory for all three teams over SIU was 13, so all but one of their conference games (plus one of the OOC games) have been 1-score games.

MSU’s Record: The Bears are 4-3 and are 2-2 in the conference. They lost their opener at FBS Oklahoma state, then beat DII Lincoln University before destroying then-20th ranked Northern Arizona by 32 points. They opened conference season with a surprising win over then-#9 ILSU, but have since kinda settled back into the MSU team we’ve been familiar with, losing at USD, beating INSU by 3, then losing by 17 to WIU at Homecoming.

Southern Illinois: SIU’s offense is last in the MVFC in scoring (15.5 ppg) and yardage (366.5 ypg). The run game isn’t too bad for the Salukis, putting up 191 ypg but they’re only getting 175.5 through the air, and it looks like they’re just not finding a way into the end zone. QB Matt DeSomer has taken over the starting spot from Sam Straub (who was the primary QB for most of the season up until last weekend). DeSomer has been the starting QB in two games so far, averaging 135 passing yards and 117.5 rushing yards per game. He’s thrown for 1 TD, 1 INT, and run for 1 TD. WR Raphael Leonard is the top receiver on the team with 59.8 yards per game. RB D.J. Davis is the other ground threat (other than DeSomer), with 83 ypg and 1 TD. SIU has the #2 defense in the MVFC against the pass, allowing only 175.8 ypg in conference games, but they are vulnerable to the run, allowing 242.3 ypg and 8 TDs, 9th in the MVFC. LB Bryce Notree is tied for #8 in the conference with 10 tackles per game, while DEs Anthony Knighton and Jordan Berner, and LB Airan Reed are all tied for 9th with 1 tackle for loss per game. Knighton has 3 of his 4 TFL’s as sacks and DB Jeremy Chinn has 2 pass breakups and 2 INTs in 4 MVFC games.

Missouri State: MSU is kinda the opposite of SIU in terms of where they excel. They’re also in the bottom 3 of the conference in scoring and yardage, but whereas SIU gets most of theirs via the run, MSU has the #4 passing offense in the conference. QB Peyton Huslig averages 221.8 ypg with 4 TDs through the air and can also be a running threat, with 46.5 ypg and 3 TDs rushing (which makes him MSU’s top runner). WR Tyler Currie tops the list for receivers for the Bears with 62.8 ypg and 1 TD, with WRs Damoriea Vick (44.5 ypg) and Lorenzo Thomas (42.5 ypg) getting in on the action as well. The MSU O-Line (plus the mobility of Huslig) have only given up 4 sacks in their 4 MVFC games, which is tied for the best in the conference. Defensively, the Bears have given up the most yards of anyone in MVFC games. They’re not particularly great at any aspect of the defense, but they’re a little better against the run than they are the pass. LBs McNeece Egbim and Angelo Garbutt are the “bright spot” of the defense, with 10.8 and 10 tackles per game respectively, and each having 1 sack, and DE Matt McClellan is tied for #2 in the conference with 3.5 sacks.

My Take: Neither of these teams have had a great deal of success in the recent past with only one winning season between the both of them over the last 5 years (SIU in 2013). MSU, specifically, hasn’t had a winning season since 2009, although it looks like this year might be their best chance at one in a while, even though the last three games will likely be very tough. Overall, Missouri State is just in a much better spot right now than Southern Illinois, and I think they’ll pull out a 7-point win at home. Missouri State takes this one with a score of 35-28.

Another interesting week of MVFC in the books. We had three games that played out pretty much as expected and a couple of upsets…as is pretty much usual around this conference.

The Scores

Indiana State – 24
Southern Illinois – 21

Western Illinois – 31
Missouri State – 14

Illinois State – 14
North Dakota State – 28

South Dakota State – 9
Northern Iowa – 24

South Dakota – 17
Youngstown State – 29

Indiana State at Southern Illinois

The game got started with an 81-yard drive that covered over 6 ½ minutes and ended with a run by SIU QB Matt Desomer 4 yards into the end zone to give the Salukis an early lead. Indiana State responded on the next drive, heading 71 yards down the field and finishing with a 3-yard TD run by ISU RB Ja’Quan Keys, tieing things up. In the 2nd quarter, an attempt by SIU on 4th and 1 at the ISU 15 failed and gave the Sycamores the ball and a long field in which RB Keys could run freely. 10 plays later (6 of which were runs by Keys), they had covered 84 yards and reached the end zone again to take the lead, going into halftime up 14-7,

In the second half, moved 75 yards down the field and had it taken into the end zone by RB Titus McCoy (look…they do have more than 1 RB) on a 7-yard run. A few drives later, SIU blocked a short FG attempt. They weren’t able to do much with it though, as SIU QB Desomer fumbled the ball giving it back to ISU 11 yards from the red zone. ISU got down to the 2, but wasn’t able to punch it in and had to settle for a 20-yard FG to go ahead 24-7. In the 4th quarter, SIU kicker Nico Gualdoni missed a 36 yard FG attempt, but the SIU defense held ISU to a 3-and-out. The Salukis were then able to drive down the field and pull within 10 on a 9-yard TD pass to WR Darrell James. ISU’s 38-yard FG attempt on the next drive was blocked and SIU made things exciting with RB Jonathan Mixon running the final 12 yards for a TD to narrow ISU’s lead to 3 with just over 2 minutes left to play. SIU’s defense held ISU to -5 yards on the next drive and were able to get the ball back with 32 seconds left. They were only able to get as close as midfield and the comeback ran out of time, giving the Sycamores the win, 24-21.

ISU QB Ryan Boyle only had 101 yards passing, 0 TDs and 0 INTs, but also ran for 104 yards, which combined, earned him the MVFC Newcomer of the Week award. RB Ja’Quan Keys ran 33 times for 156 yards and 2 TDs. Keys was the ball carrier for the majority of the offensive plays for the Sycamores, with the rest of the team combined getting 18 rushing attempts and 14 passing attempts (32 plays total, although one was actually a pass to Keys). LB Katrell Moss led the team with 16 tackles (13 solo). Freshman DB Tyreeon Hambright had an INT returned 39 yards in addition to 2 tackles. SIU QB Matt Desomer passed for 165 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT and ran for 135 yards and 1 TD (how often do you see both QBs in a game run for 100+ yards?). RB DJ Davis ran for 126 yards and LB Bryce Notree led the team with 12 tackes (10 solo).

Indiana State is now 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the MVFC and will play at Youngstown State next Saturday. Southern Illinois drops to 1-6 with a 0-4 conference record. They head over to Missouri State next weekend.

Western Illinois at Missouri State

The second drive of the game, WIU started from their own 5 yard line and proceeded to march down the field, taking 19 plays to cover the 95 yards in 9:10 and capped off with a 13 yard pass to WR John Brunner to put WIU up by 7. MSU hit a 27-yard TD pass to TE Jordan Murray, tying things up near the end of the 1st quarter. In the 2nd, MSU got within 5 of the end zone, but QB Peyton Huslig threw a pass right to WIU DB Eric Carrera for an INT in the end zone. WIU got most of the way down the field before a tipped pass was intercepted by MSU LB McNeece Egbim at the WIU 7. The Bears would only go backwards on the next drive and despite WIU getting good field position, PK Sam Crosa missed on 51 yard FG attempt. 3 plays later, MSU threw an INT to DB Justin Fitzpatrick, which WIU was able to convert into a FG, this time from 31 yards to give the Leathernecks the 10-7 lead going into halftime.

In the 2nd half, WIU went for it on 4th and goal from the 3, but were stopped for no gain by MSU LB Angelo Garbutt. On WIU’s next drive, QB Sean McGuire hit RB Clint Ratkovich for a 52-yard TD pass to go up by 10. A little ways into the 4th quarter, WIU RB Steve McShane ran for a 37-yard TD, but on the ensuing kickoff, freshman RB Jeremiah Wilson ran 92 yards back for a TD to again make it a 10-point game. A few drives later, RB Steve McShane turned a shovel pass trying to move the chains on 3rd and 10 into a 71-yard TD…run…er…pass (technically pass, although about 2 yards of it was through the air and it was only 4 feet off the ground). WIU’s defense held MSU the rest of the game to give Western Illinois the 31-14 win.

WIU QB Sean McGuire threw for 305 yards and 1 TD with 1 INT. RB Steve McShane ran for 143 yards and 1 TD, had 4 catches for 95 yards and 1 TD, had a 15 yard punt return, an 18 yard kickoff return, and a partridge in a pear tree…I mean…a MVFC Offensive Player of the Week award. WR John Brunner and RB Clint Ratkovich each had 77 receiving yards and a TD. DE Khalen Saunders led the Leathernecks with 7 tackles (3 solo). DBs Eric Carrera and Justin Fitzpatrick each had INTs and LB Pete Swenson had two solo tackles that were both sacks. MSU QB Peyton Huslig threw for 203 yards and 1 TD with 2 INTs and ran for 9 yards (I mention that because he’s run for 361 yards this year including going 100+ against Oklahoma State). WR Tyler Currie had 5 catches for 63 yards and TE Jordan Murray had 3 for 54 yards and 1 TD. LB Angelo Garbutt had 11 tackles (7 solo) and LB McNeece Egbim had 10 (3 solo) and 1 INT. Punter Brendan Withrow punted 5 times for an average of 46.8 yards per punt and a long of 60 with 3 within the 20 yard line.

Western Illinois is now 3-4 with a 2-2 conference record and heads back home to take on Northern Iowa in a week. Missouri State has a 4-3 record and is also 2-2 in the conference and hopes to take out their frustrations next week on Southern Illinois, again at home in Springfield.

Illinois State at North Dakota State

In the first game back in the Fargodome since late September, NDSU used a 55-yard pass to WR Darrius Shepherd to cover a large chunk of the field and RB Lance Dunn ran the final 4 yards in for a TD. On the Bison’s next drive, QB Easton Stick threw an INT to ISU S Mitchell Brees, but they weren’t able to do anything with it in terms of points. In the 2nd quarter, NDSU WR Dallas Freeman ran for 9 yards into the end zone to cap off a 53 yard drive and take a 14-0 lead. ISU’s next drive was intercepted by Safety Robbie Grimsley at the NDSU 2 and taken out to the 9…and a penalty backed them up to the 5. Really though, that just gave them more room to run, covering 95 yards in 12 plays and finishing with a short TD run by RB Lance Dunn, putting the Bison ahead 21-0 going into halftime.

An ISU 3-and-out started the second half, but after NDSU WR Darrius Shepherd took the punt back 69 yards, NDSU would only need 3 plays for Dunn to get back into the end zone…Bison up 28-0. ISU’s hopes for their first points of the game failed on a 39-yard FG attempt on the next drive, but a bit later, after a 42-yard pass to WR Spencer Schnell and a 24 yard run by RB James Robinson, the Redbirds ended the shutout on an 11-yard TD run by Robinson. Into the 4th quarter, an INT by NDSU CB Marquise Bridges was negated by a holding penalty and on the next play, ISU QB Brady Davis would hit Schnell for a 21-yard TD pass to make it a 2-TD game. With the clock not on their side, Davis would throw an INT on their next drive to CB Jalen Allison, allowing NDSU to pick up a couple of first downs and run out the clock to win the game, 28-14.

ISU QB Brady Davis threw for 206 yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs. RB James Robinson had 128 yards rushing with 1 TD and WR Spencer Schnell picked up 115 yards on 5 catches with 1 TD. DB Willie Edwards led the Redbirds with 11 tackles (7 solo) and S Mitchell Brees had 7 tackles to go with his INT. ISU Punter JT Bohlken continued his excellent season with a 49.8 yards per punt performance on 5 punts with 2 inside the 20 and 3 for 50+ yards. NDSU QB Easton Stick had 207 yards and 1 INT passing, while also running for 70 yards. RB Lance Dunn had only 61 yards but 3 TDs on the ground. WR Darrius Shepherd had 6 catches for 126 yards, returned 2 punts for 103 total yards, and picked up a MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week Award. Safety Robbie Grimsley led the Bison with 8 tackles (5 solo), 1 sack, and 1 INT. CB Jalen Allison had 3 solo tackles and the other interception.

Illinois State gets handed their second loss of the season, falling to 5-2 with a 2-2 conference record and will head back home to take on South Dakota State for Family Weekend. North Dakota State remains perfect on the season, sitting at 7-0 with 4 of those in the MVFC. The Bison head down I-29 to take on South Dakota next weekend. I also just realized something (I’m sure it’s old news to Bison fans, but still)…NDSU has a total of 2 games this season outside (@WIU and @MSU) since all their non-conference games were at home and they play road games at UNI and USD (both in domes). If they continue to dominate they way they have been (which seems likely at this point considering their remaining schedule), the only other outside game they would have to play this season would be in Frisco, TX.

South Dakota State at Northern Iowa

On the first drive of the game, the Jackrabbits got themselves close enough for PK Chase Vinatieri to hit a 37-yard FG to nab an early lead. A little while later though, Vinatieri missed a 48-yard attempt to widen it. In the 2nd quarter, UNI used a 38-yard pass to freshman WR Deion McShane to set up 27-yard pass to WR Jalen Rima to move ahead. The rest of the first half was a whole lot of defense with both teams combining for 60 yards and 3 first downs across 7 minutes of game time and 4 drives, so UNI had that 7-3 lead at the break.

In the 3rd quarter a pass by SDSU QB Taryn Christion found its way into the hands of UNI DB Korby Sander. UNI took that INT and turned it into a 6-play, 83-yard drive capped off with a 1-yard TD run by RB Trevor Allen to give the Panthers a 14-3 lead. It wasn’t until early in the 4th that SDSU was able to get 3 more on a 47-yard FG by Vinatieri and then two drives later, 3 more on a 57-yard FG. The 57-yarder tied Vinatieri with 3 other players for the 3rd longest FG in MVFC history and is tied for the longest in school history. UNI PK Austin Errthum hit a 32-yard FG on their next drive to go ahead 17-9 and a few drives later, an interception by UNI DB Xavior Williams was taken 30 yards back for a TD, which gave UNI the 24-9 lead that they’d hold on to until the final horn.

SDSU QB Taryn Christion had 325 passing yards but 0 TDs and 2 INTs. The Jackrabbit ground game struggled, putting up only 51 total rushing yards, and WR Cade Johnson had 7 catches for 121 yards. LB Christian Rozeboom led the team with 9 tackles (3 solo). UNI QB Eli Dunne threw for 172 yards and 1 TD. 67 of those yards went to WR Deion McShane, but 28 and the 1 TD headed the direction of WR Jalen Rima. RB Marcus Weymiller ran for 108 yards. The real star of the night was the UNI defense, with LB Duncan Ferch leading the Panthers with 13 tackles (5 solo) and 3 pass breakups, as well as a MVFC Defensive Player of the Week award. DBs Korby Sander and Xavior Williams each had INTs with Williams returning his for a TD.

South Dakota State is now 4-2 on the season and 2-2 in the conference. They’ll head down to Normal, IL to take on Illinois State next weekend. Northern Iowa moves up to 4-3 with a 3-1 MVFC record and will bus 3 hours down the road to take on Western Illinois in Macomb in a week.

South Dakota at Youngstown State

Three plays into the first drive, South Dakota fumbled the ball away to the Penguins. They’d turn that into a 36 yard drive ending in a Tevin McCaster 7-yard TD run to go up 7-0. USD went 3-and-out and YSU had another solid drive, and another TD by the RB McCaster (this one on a 12-yard pass). After the next 3 drives by USD and YSU went -10 total yards, YSU finally got themselves moving with a 33-yard pass to WR Jeremiah Braswell and QB Montgomery VanGorder ran it the final 2 yards for a TD which put YSU up unexpectedly 19-0 after 1 quarter. In the 2nd, a 27-yard FG gave the Penguins a 22-0 lead that they would head into halftime with.

In the second half, a fumble by YSU gave the Coyotes the ball at YSU’s 14 and one 14-yard TD run by RB Kai Henry later gave USD their first points of the game. South Dakota PK Lorber Mason’s 23-yard FG midway through the quarter made the score 22-10 and a little while later, USD DL Darin Greenfield forced a fumble recovered by LB Alex Gray, but they’d get nowhere with it. In the 4th quarter, Youngstown put in QB Nathan Mays and ate up clock time with 11 straight running plays before Greenfield forced another fumble on the 12th run. Again, USD couldn’t take advantage as a pass by QB Austin Simmons was caught by YSU DB DJ Smalls and taken back 65 yards for a TD, putting the Penguins up 29-10. USD’s next drive ended in a 24-yard TD run by the RB Henry and got the Coyotes within 12, but time would run out for USD and YSU would turn their 1st quarter success into a 29-17 win.

USD QB Austin Simmons threw for 158 yards and 1 INT with 0 TDs. WR Dakarai Allen had 97 receiving yards on 7 catches and RB Kai Henry ran for 79 with 2 TDs. DB Elijah Reed finished at the top of the list with 11 tackles (9 solo) and DL Darin Greenfield had 9 tackles to go along with his 2 forced fumbles (one he recovered), 2 tackles for loss, and 3 QB hurries. YSU QB Montgomery VanGorder threw for 131 yards and 1 TD and ran for 19 and a TD. RB Tevin McCaster ran 36 times for 176 yards and 1 TD and had 1 catch for 12 yards and 1 TD. LB Armand Dellovade had the most tackles for YSU with 7 (3 solo). DT Savon Smith had 6 (5 solo) including 3 tackles for loss (2 sacks). CB Chrispin Lee had a forced fumble recovered by DE Johnson Louigene and CB DJ Smalls had 4 tackles to go along with his 65-yard pick-6.

South Dakota falls to 3-4 and 2-2 in the conference and they head back home to “welcome” North Dakota State to Vermillion (not sure anyone actually welcomes having the Bison on their field). Youngstown State has the same record (3-4, 2-2 in MVFC), but they’ll have a much easier task than USD will next week, hosting Indiana State.

MVFC Standings

Team, Overall (MVFC)
North Dakota State, 7-0 (4-0)
Northern Iowa, 4-3 (3-1)
Illinois State, 5-2 (2-2)
South Dakota State, 4-2 (2-2)
Missouri State, 4-3 (2-2)
South Dakota, 3-4 (2-2)
Western Illinois, 3-4 (2-2)
Youngstown State, 3-4 (2-2)
Indiana State, 3-4 (1-3)
Southern Illinois, 1-6 (0-4)

Also at this point, I would normally start talking about team’s playoff chances, what they need to do to make it to the 7-win point that is usually the “line” for MVFC teams if they want to make the playoffs. That’s not an official line, but for MVFC teams, it’s rare for a 7-4 team to not make it in and it’s rare for a 6-5 team to make it in. I say “usually” because in this case, “Professor Chaos” over at AnyGivenSaturday.com has already written a very well-done breakdown of each team and what they need to do. You can check that out at his post here. The TL:DR version though is essentially, NDSU is in, ILSU has a good chance but needs a couple more wins and SIU is for sure out. Everyone else needs to win at least 3 out of their next 4 to have a shot.

Something interesting is that at this point, we have 6 teams that are 2-2 in the conference. You gotta wonder if this is shaping up to be a season like 2010 where we had 6 out of the 9 teams in the conference finish 4-4. Two teams were at the top of the conference (UNI and WIU) and NDSU made it into the playoffs because they were 7-4 overall including a win over FBS Kansas, but otherwise everyone “cannibalized” each other enough that nobody outside of those three had a strong enough record to make it into the playoffs.

How’d I Do?

SIU @ INSU – I thought SIU would win 33-30. It was INSU 24-21. I was right that the Sycamores would do ok on the ground, and I don’t really know why SIU went with their #2 QB this game, but it looks like it made a difference. Missed on this one.

WIU @ MSU – I thought WIU would win 28-21. It was WIU 31-14. A bit more impressive of a performance offensively than I had expected out of my Leathernecks, but the defense didn’t surprise me considering what they’ve done to running QBs most of this season. I call this a win.

ILSU @ NDSU – I thought NDSU would win 24-14. It was NDSU 28-14. Pretty close, although I thought it’d be close most of the game and the Bison would pull away in the 4th. Instead they pulled away in the first half and held most of the lead to the end. Still, only 4 points off what the actual result was…not bad.

SDSU @ UNI –  I thought SDSU would win 36-33. It was UNI 24-9. REALLY didn’t expect the defensive performance from UNI. Last week after UNI’s win over USD, I wrote “Congrats to the Panther defense for proving me wrong” after I predicted they wouldn’t beat the Coyotes…so…ditto for this week (you can stop that next week though…please).

USD @ YSU – I thought USD would win 29-23. It was YSU 29-17. Only thing I was fairly close on was the final score…although not the teams…yikes.

 

Previously I was 7-3 in my picks. Had a rough 2-3 this week, so I’m 9-6 now…falling into the “thoroughly mediocre” category…like half of the conference it seems like.

 

Next weeks games include SDSU at ILSU, INSU at YSU, UNI at WIU, NDSU at USD, and SIU at MSU.

Are we really to week 8 already? Apparently yes, but it’s crazy how every season seems to just fly by faster than the last one.

All times listed as Central time zone and ranking numbers based on the AGS Poll. Here’s the full list along with starting times and places you can find them on TV/streaming video:

Saturday, October 16th
2:00 PM – Indiana State (2-4, 0-3 MVFC) at Southern Illinois (1-5, 0-3 MVFC), ESPN+
2:00 PM – Western Illinois (2-4, 1-2 MVFC) at Missouri State (4-2, 2-1 MVFC), ESPN+
2:30 PM – #6 Illinois State (5-1, 2-1 MVFC) at #1 North Dakota State (6-0, 3-0 MVFC), ESPN+
4:00 PM – #2 South Dakota State (4-1, 2-1 MVFC) at #23 Northern Iowa (3-3, 2-1 MVFC), ESPN3
5:00 PM – South Dakota (3-3, 2-1 MVFC) at Youngstown State (2-4, 1-2 MVFC), ESPN+

Indiana State at Southern Illinois

Last Year: Southern Illinois beat Indiana State 45-24 at INSU’s Homecoming

Indiana State is 2-4 on the season, having beaten DII Quincy University to open the season and Eastern Illinois. They also gave South Dakota State quite a game two weeks ago, taking the Jackrabbits to OT in Brookings, but then lost their Homecoming game to Missouri State last weekend by 3 points. INSU’s strength is their run game, with RB Ja’Quan Keys leading the conference with 132 yards per game and 11 TDs. Other than that though, there’s not a ton they have going for them. QB Ryan Boyle is averaging only 136 yards per game through the air with 2 TDs and 1 INT and runs for just under 40 ypg with 3 TDs. WR Dante Hendrix gets the majority of catches with 23 total and averages 47 yards per game. LB Jonas Griffith leads the conference in tackles, averaging 12 per game, with LB Katrell Moss #4 in the MVFC with 9.7 tackles per game. PK Jerry Nunez is 7 for 8 on FGs this season, with a long of 48 yards.

Southern Illinois is 1-5, winning their opener against Murray State by 39 points, but not having much success since, losing 5 straight including 1-score games against South Dakota and Youngstown State, before getting blown out by 48 by Illinois State. QB Sam Straub is #3 in the conference throwing for an average of 250 ypg with 9 TDs and 8 INTs and runs for ~30 ypg with 3 TDs. RB DJ Davis gets the ground game going with 104 ypg and 3 TDs and the top receivers are WRs Raphael Leonard (77.8 ypg with 4 TDs) and Landon Lenoir (40.33 ypg with 1 TD). Landon is the younger brother of former WIU standout WR Lance Lenoir. DE Anthony Knighton is tied for #1 in the conference for sacks, averaging .92/game and LB Bryce Notree tops the Salukis in tackles with 46 (34 solo).

The Sycamores and Salukis are both winless in the conference. Technically, that has to change after this game. I feel like Indiana State will get decent yardage on the ground, but SIU will be able to cover more of the field in less time with their passing game. I think we’ll probably see a good amount of offense in this game, fairly high scoring, but Southern Illinois will come out on top by a bit due to home field advantage. SIU wins by a FG, 33-30.

Western Illinois at Missouri State

Last Year: Western Illinois beat Missouri State 49-30 in Macomb, IL

Western Illinois is 2-4, but has played a fairly tough schedule, taking on both Montana FCS schools and Big 10 Illinois as well as both Illinois State and North Dakota State in back-to-back weeks. WIU has a decent passing game, with QB Sean McGuire throwing for 258.8 ypg with 14 TDs. He has, however, been prone to mistakes (generally in “come from behind” situations), throwing 9 INTs. WRs John Brunner and Isaiah Lesure are #7 and 8 in the conference averaging right around 62 ypg and 2 TDs each. The ground game, however, has been practically nonexistent, with the Leathernecks last in the conference averaging 80 ypg on the ground with 3 TDs. RB Steve McShane is the top runner with 47 ypg and 2 TDs, but with nearly 34 ypg and 4 TDs receiving, he’s just as much of a threat as a receiver as he is at running the ball. The WIU defense has really stepped up lately, giving up the 3rd fewest yards in the MVFC and has the #2 pass defense. LB Quentin Moon is #2 in the conference with 11 tackles per game and has the most solo tackles with 43 total. LB Pete Swenson and DE Khalen Saunders are #1 and 2 in the conference in tackles for loss averaging 2 and 1.58 per game respectively.

Missouri State is having an impressive season (as compared to most years recently) at 4-2, with a crushing of Northern Arizona by 32 and blocking a last-second FG to beat Illinois State by 3 as their “highlights” so far. Overall, they have a good offensive line, allowing the fewest sacks of any MVFC team (averaging 1 per game allowed). QB Peyton Huslig will be a handful to deal with, accounting for 260.8 average yards per game of total offense (rushing and passing), which is 3rd in the MVFC. His 352 rushing yards makes him the #1 rushing QB in the conference, more than 150 yards ahead of #2 (INSU’s Ryan Boyle) and he has 5 TDs rushing. RB Jason Randall is the other main ground threat with just under 60 yards per game and 5 TDs. In the passing game, Huslig throws for just over 200 ypg with 7 TDs and 7 INTs (he’s the only QB in the conference who doesn’t have more TDs thrown than INTs). There’s no real primary receiver, although WR Lorenzo Thomas has gotten the most catches, but 4 players average between 31 and 43 ypg, 5 receivers have at least 1 receiving TD, but nobody has more than 2. On defense, MSU is ranked last in the MVFC in passing defense and 2nd to last in rushing defense. That isn’t to say that they don’t have a few solid players. LB Angelo Garbutt leads the team with 56 tackles (30 solo), which is 5th in the MVFC. DE Matt McClellan is #3 in the conference in tackles for loss with 8 for 38 yards in 6 games, and is #2 in sacks with 5.5.

So, MSU has a pretty decent offense and WIU has a pretty decent defense. Specifically though, WIU has been really good at getting pressure on QBs (4 sacks against NDSU’s Easton Stick, for example). I think that’ll help limit the damage that Huslig will be able to inflict and WIU will come away with a 7-point win, 28-21.

Illinois State at North Dakota State

Last Year: North Dakota State beat Illinois State 20-7 in Normal, IL

Illinois State is an impressive 5-1 with big wins over FBS Colorado State, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, and Southern Illinois (so…I guess they win the “Lincoln Cup” this year?…it’s not a thing, but it should be). The Redbirds have the top defense in the MVFC, holding teams to 12 points and 275 total yards per game. LB Zackary Mathews tops the team and is #4 in the MVFC in tackles, with 54 (29 solo). DB Luther Kirk is tied for the top spot in the conference for interceptions with 3 so far (and 1 TD), and DE Romeo McKnight has 25 tackles, but leads the team in both tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (3). The offensive run game is no slouch either, with RB James Robinson sitting at #2 in the conference with 130.5 ypg and 9 TDs and was just recently added to the Payton Award watch list. RB Markel Smith also does a solid job, with 73.8 ypg and 3 TDs. In conference rushing rankings, ILSU actually has 2 players that get more yardage than the #1 rusher on 4 other MVFC teams (MSU, UNI, USD, and WIU). QB Brady Davis seems to be settling into his role better only averaging 152 ypg on the season, but putting up an impressive 4 TD performance last week. He has 14 total TDs and 1 INT in the season. WR Spencer Schnell is the primary recipient of most of Davis’s passes, with 33 catches for a 78.7 ypg average (3rd in the MVFC) and 5 TDs. Punter JT Bohlken is having a great season, averaging 44.4 yards on 31 punts with 14 of them of 50+ yards and 14 within the 20 yard line. 44.4 yards per punt would be the 7th best punting season in MVFC history.

North Dakota State, meanwhile, is a perfect 6-0 on the season, decimating OOC opponents by an average of 35 points, winning a close one against highly-ranked rival South Dakota State, then pulling ahead late in the game for dominating wins over UNI and WIU the last two weeks…both on the road. On the ground, the Bison are #1 in the conference on both sides of the ball, putting up 265.7 ypg while holding opponents to only 84.8 per game rushing (including holding WIU to a total of 9 rushing yards last weekend). RB Bruce Anderson is the #5 rusher in the conference, with 87 ypg and 3 TDs, with RB Lance Dunn also in the top 10 (#9) picking up 63.5 ypg and 5 TDs. QB Easton Stick is not a huge passing threat generally, putting up only 162 ypg with 10 TDs, but he’s only thrown 1 INT, so he’s efficient. WR Darrius Shepherd gets most of the catches, with 22 for 64.3 ypg and 5 TDs. Defense is where NDSU really shines though, with LB Jabril Cox tied for #1 in the conference with 3 INTs (and has taken 2 back for TDs). Safety Robbie Grimsley leads the team in tackles with 41 and an INT, and LB Dan Marlette comes in second with 36 tackles, 5 for loss, and has a fumble recovery for TD. Safety James Hendricks has 20 tackles, but also 2 INTs and a fumble recovery, 4 pass breakups and 6 passes defended.

This is probably the best Illinois State team I’ve seen since 2014 (when they made it to the championship game), and the Spack ‘stache has been unleashed, but this is also probably the best NDSU team I’ve seen since 2013 (when they went undefeated all the way through the championship game). ISU is going to put up a fight, and is probably going to make it hard for NDSU to get much yardage through the air, but ultimately I think the NDSU “ground and pound” game will wear down ISU’s defense a bit too much and the Bison will pull away in the 4th quarter for a 10-point win…24-14.

South Dakota State at Northern Iowa

Last Year: Northern Iowa beat South Dakota State 38-18 in Brookings (Hobo Day/Homecoming), then SDSU beat UNI 37-22 in Brookings in the 2nd round of the FCS playoffs.

South Dakota State is 4-1, having had their first game cancelled due to weather, destroying the rest of their OOC opponents, losing a close one at North Dakota State, struggling against Indiana State until finally winning in OT, and then getting back on track with a big win over Youngstown State last weekend. The Jackrabbits currently lead the MVFC in points per game (although that’s heavily impacted by putting up 90 points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff). Without that game though, they’d be tied for #2. Their top RB, Isaac Wallace, put up 82.6 ypg, but went down during the YSU game with what appears to be a (possibly career-ending) hip injury. They do have a few other RBs that are pretty solid though, with guys like CJ. Wilson getting 54 ypg with 1 TD and Mikey Daniel with just under 38 ypg and 4 TDs. QB Taryn Christion averages 232 ypg through the air with 16 TDs (#1 in the MVFC) and only 1 INT, and has the top QB efficiency rating and completion % in the conference. He also accounts for nearly 26 ypg and 3 TDs rushing. WR Cade Johnson is the top WR in the conference, averaging 86.8 ypg with 8 TDs (3 more than the #2 guy), and WR Adam Anderson is close behind with 77.4 ypg and 3 TDs. On defense, CB Zy Mosley is one of only 3 players in the conference with 3 INTs so far (and has only played in 4 games…the other two have played in 6, so his per game average is better). LB Dalton Cox leads the team with 30 tackles (18 solo) and has a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

Northern Iowa had a rough start, losing at Montana and Iowa before heading home to decimate Hampton. In the MVFC, they shut out Indiana State, played well against NDSU until the 4th quarter and pretty much beat South Dakota the same way, pulling away in the final quarter to move to 3-3 on the season. UNI’s run defense is in the top half of the conference, as is their passing offense. QB Eli Dunne throws for 208 ypg with 12 TDs and 2 INTs and has run for 1 TD. He’s not a huge running threat though, with negative net yards this season. RBs Trevor Allen (66.2 ypg, 3 TDs) and Marcus Weymiller (50.2 ypg and 3 TDs) are the guys who get things done in the run game, while most of the passes are going to WRs Briley Moore (52.8 ypg and 3 TDs) and true freshman Deion McShane (18.3 ypg and 2 TDs). The previously mentioned RB Allen also gets in on the receiving game, catching 19 passes for just over 32 ypg. The other side of the ball has the #3 tackler in the MVFC, LB Chris Kolarevic with 65 (25 solo), 4 for loss, and 1 INT. LB Rickey Neal Jr. continues to do well after leading the MVFC in sacks last year, with 4.5 so far this season to go along with 25 tackles, 5 QB hurries and 2 pass breakups. DB Xavior Williams handles kick return duties and is #2 in the conference averaging 24 yards per return.

The Jackrabbits and Panthers are two of the better teams in the conference. On paper, I think SDSU is the better team overall. The loss of the RB Wallace hurts, but they don’t rely on the run game as much as they do the passing game, plus they have pretty good depth in that position. Last year, UNI spoiled SDSU’s Hobo Day (Homecoming) game…this year, I think SDSU will return the favor at UNI’s Homecoming…although it’ll be close. Probably 36-33 to the Jackrabbits.

South Dakota at Youngstown State

Last Year: South Dakota beat Youngstown State 32-28 in Vermillion, SD

USD is 3-3 so far, losing a close one to K-State to open the season, then beating Northern Colorado and losing at Weber State. In the conference they beat SIU, MSU, and then lost last week to UNI. South Dakota’s passing offense is the most productive in the conference by quite a bit, averaging just over 320 yards per game (43 ypg higher than #2). QB Austin Simmons is the one doing the tossing for all those yards, with 12 TDs and 4 INTs. Simmons also has run for 2 TDs. WRs Dakarai Allen (81.7 ypg with 4 TDs) and Levi Falck (55.3 ypg and 1 TD) are the ones doing most of the catching. RB Ben Klett picks up the most ground yards with 41.2 ypg and 3 TDs. The Coyotes defense, however, is 8th in the conference in yards per game allowed and a little better against the run than they are against the passing game. The Gray twins, DB Andrew and LB Alex lead the team with 53 and 48 tackles respectively. Andrew has 2 INTs and 2 forced fumbles and was just recently named to the Buchanan Award watch list. Alex has 31 solo tackles, which leads the team, 5.5 tackles for loss including 2 sacks, 1 int and 1 fumble recovery. DB Mark Collins Jr. is a sophomore who is currently leading the conference in passes defended with 11 breakups and 1 INT while only playing in 5 games. Punter Brady Schutt currently has a 43.1 yards per punt average (#2 in the conference) with 5 inside the 20.

Youngstown State is 2-4 overall, losing their first two games against Butler and at West Virginia. They won their first game against Valparaiso, then in the MVFC, they lost at WIU, beat SIU in a 3-point game, and were blown out by SDSU by 29 points last weekend. QB Montgomery VanGorder puts up 226 ypg with 11 TDs and 7 INTs and he runs for just under 26 ypg. Their primary offensive weapon is RB Tevin McCaster who is averaging just under 100 ypg (4th in the conference) with 6 TDs. WR Zach Farrar has 20 catches with a 51.2 ypg average and 1 TD. The Penguin kicking game has struggled this year (can penguins kick?…apparently not), with punter Mark Schuler only averaging 37.5 yards per punt (9th in the MVFC) and PK Zak Kennedy last in the conference (among actual starting FG kickers) going 5 for 12 (a 41.7% average). On the defense, LB Armand Dellovade leads YSU with 50 tackles (31 solo) including 1 sack, and 1 INT. DE Shereif Bynum is tied with a few players for 4th in the conference with 7.5 tackles for loss including 4 sacks and 8 QB hurries, and CB Bryce Gibson has 7 pass breakups (2nd most in the MVFC) to go along with 27 tackles and a forced fumble.

South Dakota isn’t really a “powerhouse”, but they do have a lot of good things going for them right now. YSU on the other hand, has really been struggling this year as compared to the last few years and looking at their remaining schedule, they could very well end up with only one more win this season…and I don’t think it’ll be this game. I think the Coyotes take this game by about 6 (possibly by two missed YSU FGs)…29-23.