Welcome to Week 2 and when a lot of the real football begins. Nothing too shocking around the league this week as the slate primarily consisted of FBS and Pioneer/D2 League games. There are some really good games on tap this week though so let’s jump into those.
Still not a ton of movement to speak to this week. Biggest movers were Southern Illinois and Illinois State coming off their impressive performances. Indiana State and Missouri State are moving in the wrong direction and in a hurry from their week 1 results.
12. (-1 spot) Western Illinois (2.017, 1.20) (0-1, 0-0 actual)
Easiest Game Remaining: Lindenwood (1-0) (-3.5, 65.21%) Week 3
Toughest Game Remaining : @ #2 NDSU (1-0) (+33.5, 1.07%) Week 8
Last Week: Lost @ New Mexico State (1-1) 21-58
I had a feeling this actually had a chance to be close and it was a 7 point game at the half. However, The Aggies outscored the ‘Necks 31-7 in the second half. Matt Morrisey was sacked several times and ended up with -18 rushing yards as a result, however, he did have a good game through the air. Former Jackrabbit AJ Coons had 3 catches for 40 yards in a nice showing in his Western Illinois debut.
This Week: Illinois State (1-0) (+12.5, 20.5%), 3PM CST Sat 9/9, ESPN+
This is our first MVFC game of the year! As with all interconference matchup we will primarily discuss it on the higher ranked teams page and leave the lower ranked teams to a few team specific talking points where necessary. For the Leathernecks this week that is the last guaranteed shot at instate rival Illinois State for a while. Expect their best shot.
11. (+1) Murray State (2.27, 1.25) (1-0, 0-0)
Easiest Game Remaining: Indiana State (0-1) (+1, 48.89%) Week 5
Toughest Game Remaining: @ Louisville (1-0) (+39.5, <0.1%) Week 2
Last Week: Win vs Presbyterian (0-1) 41-10
Murray handled Presbyterian easily as they should have. QB DJ Williams got the start as expected, and was serviceable enough to get by a very bad Presbyterian team, but two other QBs got playing time with better efficiency numbers especially Sr Eric Phoenix who was 4-5, 121 yds 1 TD and 0 INT. The Racers also used a whole host of ball carriers in what may be the Racers’ only chance to experiment with personnel for the year.
This Week: @ Louisville (1-0) (+39.5, <0.1%), 6:30 PM CST Thurs 9/7, ACC Network
Murray State will head to in-state rival Louisville out of the ACC this week. This will be a great opportunity for The Racers to showcase their program, but to the shock of no one it will be a very tall order. Louisville was super sharp offensively last week scoring on all but 2 drives against Georgia Tech, but is looking to improve upon a defensive performance that saw them give up 34. The odds Murray is competitive in this one to be blunt, are not very high. Defensively all you can hope for as a Racers fan is to see some fight out of this team. Offensively it will be interesting to see if Pheonix gets the nod or if DJ Williams will continue to start. It will also be interesting to see if anyone else on the offense can get hot. They’ll need it as if Murray State stands any chance at all in this one it’ll need to be a shootout.
10. Indiana State (2.20, 2.13) (0-1, 0-0)
Easiest Remaining Game: Western Illinois (0-1) (-7.5, 66.06%) Week 11
Toughest Remaining Game: @Indiana (0-1) (+29, 1.17 %) Week 2
Last Week: Loss vs Eastern Illinois (1-0) 27–0
I don’t want to overact to Week 1 results, but this was super disheartening. I don’t know how this really could’ve gone worse for the Sycamores. Cade Chambers, returning MVFC Freshman of the Year, evidently got hurt in the preseason and Sophomre Evan Olaes started the game by throwing 2 INTs on his first 2 attempts. That gave the job back to former starter Gavin Screws. Screws was not good to be blunt. Completion percentage just a tick over 50%, 4.8 yd/att, 2 INTs, and 0 TDs ended up being his stat line on the week. When you have trouble with the passing offense you need someone to step up and Justin Dinka went 6 carries for 17 yards and none of the other backs fared much better. Add 2 other Sycamore fumbles and a -6 turnover game with no offensive production and even with the okish defensive effort the Sycamores were lucky they only lost this one by 4 scores.
This Week: @ Indiana (0-1) (+29, 1.17%), 6 PM CST Fri 9/8, Big 10 Network
Coming off the disappointment that was last week the Sycamores will have to turn right around and play instate rival Indiana. Indiana last week hung right with #5 FBS Ohio State in the first half, and will be looking to rebound and get in the win column this week. After a game that left more questions than answers in week 1 the Trees will really need to buckle up this week. You have to believe that Gavin Screws or Cade Chambers will get the start in this one. Regardless of who it is one thing is for sure The Sycamores will have to take care of the football or it will be a long evening for them. Any marked improvement over last week will have to be a moral W for The Sycamores this week. An outright win in this one is not feasible, and this young team in the midst of a rebuild needs to continue to take these opportunities to learn.
9. (-2) Missouri State (4.95, 3.57) (0-1, 0-0)
Easiest Game Remaining: Murray State (1-0) (-16.5, 88.48%) Week 8
Toughest Game Remaining: @ #1 South Dakota State (1-0) (+21, 8.04%) Week 12
Last Week: Loss at Kansas (1-0) 17-48
Another middle of the pack MVFC team that scheduled against a P5 opponent. The Bears’ defense was porous and Jacardia Wright couldn’t get anything going averaging under 2 yds a carry and only netting 23 yards. New QB Jacob Clark wasn’t horrible but definitely did not do enough to elevate the rest of the team around him.
This Week: @ UT Martin (0-1) (PK, 50.35%), 6 PM CST Sat 9/9, ESPN+
In a rematch of what was another very interesting early matchup last year the Bears will take on UT Martin. Last year’s game was a shootout and I know both teams will be looking for more out of their defenses in this go round. UT Martin had the pleasure of getting pushed around by #1 FBS Georgia last week, and I’m sure they are eager to get that taste out of their mouths. Ole Miss transfer Kinkhead Dent was both the leading rusher and passer for the Skyhawks last year, and they will look to have a more balanced attack against a Bears D that was challenged heavily against Kansas. Bears QB Ryan Clark appears to be getting the nod for now, and he will look to settle in this week. Jacardia Wright will look to get back to form with that Bears rushing offense as well. All in all in this one I think the Bears win it in a close shootout, but this game could really go any number of ways.
8. (+1) South Dakota (5.54, 3.69) (0-1, 0-0)
Easiest Game Remaining: Lamar (0-1) (-22.5, 95.55%) Week 3
Toughest Game Remaining: @ #2 North Dakota State (1-0) (+20.5, 7.25%) Week 5
Last Week: Loss @ Missouri (1-0) 10-35
This one played out about as expected, at least for me to be honest. OC Josh Davis tried to get the run game going but it just wasn’t happening against a good front 7, especially one that plays in the SEC. Aidan Bouman struggled early, but actually settled into the game nicely in the second half. WR Mike Mansaray caught the lone TD of the game for the Yotes and Jack Martens had a really nice game having 8 catches for 89 yds after being primarily a special teams guy last year. The Yote defense didn’t play as bad as the score would indicate, and really adjusted nicely and tightened up in the 2nd half only allowing 7 points in the final 2 frames.
This Week : RV St. Thomas (1-0) (-21.5, 94.73%), 1 PM CST Sat 9/9, ESPN+/Midco SN/Midco+
Ok, minor rant time. I admire St. Thomas and what they have done and built with the resources they have. With that said, who the hell put them in their top 25? Technically, they are the higher ranked team in this matchup, but they are a 3 score dog and for a good reason. A Pioneer League team will occasionally pull a first round upset in the playoffs and it’ll be exciting and fun but on the balance a non scholarship league just cannot hang. I would love more than anyone for the Tommies to walk into the Wastewater Treatment Center and push around the Yotes, but it is just not happening.
That said, as far as the actual matchup goes, this should be a good game for USD to get right and actually try to flex some of the muscles of that defense and show off some of the new wrinkles in the offense. On both sides of the ball the USD lines should dominate. This is a St. Thomas team that had to play all 4 quarters against a very mediocre Black Hills State team out of Division 2. Despite being bottled up last week this should be a good chance for Nate Thomas and Travis Thies to run wild. Aidan Bouman should have a good day. The defense as a whole should stifle the UST attack. This is the only scholarship team that UST will play this year, and it should be a good day in Vermillion for Yotes fans and the home opener.
7. (+1) Illinois State (6.76, 4.05) (1-0, 0-0)
Easiest Game Remaining: Lindenwood (1-0) (-18.5, 89.28%) Week 4
Toughest Game Remaining: #1 South Dakota State (1-0) (+16.5, 11.17%) Week 6
Last Week: Win vs Dayton (0-1) 41-0
Not much to see here. Zach Annexstad played fantastic against an inferior opponent. The defense played like a Brock Spack defense. However, it all came against a Dayton team that is supposed to not be very good this year. If your a Redbirds fan you have to be happy with the results, but it’ll be another week or so before we get a good idea of what this team is.
This Week: @ Western Illinois (0-1) (-12.5, 79.45%), 3 PM CST Sat 9/9, ESPN+
Macomb, Illinois will play host to our first MVFC matchup of the season. This is a matchup where both teams looked sharp, even if only at points for WIU. For the Redbirds Zach Annexstad will look to have a big week for the 2nd in a row against a WIU team that fought their hearts out against FBS New Mexico State. If WIU is going to have a chance in this one Matt Morrisey is going to have to have a fantastic game, and WIU is going to have to be far more balanced than what they got pigeon holed into last week. That will be easier said than done against an always well coached Brock Spack defense. However, anything can happen in a rivalry game.
6. #25 Youngstown State (6.125, 4.15) (1-0, 0-0)
Easiest Game Remaining: Robert Morris (0-1) (-28.5, 97.31%) Week 3
Toughest Game Remaining: @ FBS #5 Ohio State (1-0) (+40, 0.4%) Week 2
Last Week: Win vs Valparaiso (0-1) 52-10
The Penguins came out very sluggish on Thursday night and at half time only led the Beacons by 7 in a game they were heavy favorites. However they were able to shake the rust off when they came out at the half and opened the game up in a big way. Despite Jaleel McLaughlin graduating the Penguins once again relied heavily on their rush offense. Projected starter Dra Rushton did not play, I haven’t seen if this was due to injury or some other circumstance. However, Tyshon King led the stable of Penguin backs with 11 carries for 111 yds and 2 scores to lead the rushing attack that finished with 303 yds on the ground. I honestly would’ve liked to see more out of Mitch Davidson who was a meager 11-19, 130 yds and a TD, especially against the easiest opponent Youngstown will play all year. The Penguin D did give up a 2 min drill TD right at the end of the half that allowed the Beacons to keep it a game at half but played a near flawless 2nd half.
This Week: @ #5 FBS Ohio State (1-0) (+40, 0.4%), 11 AM CST Sat 9/9, Big 10 Network
The Penguins cannot afford a slow start in this one. They will be playing an Ohio State team that will be looking to remedy an issue with slow starts of their own against Indiana last week. A lot is going to have to go right in this one if Youngstown is going to put up a fight. Mitch Davidson will have to play much better this week especially against one of the B1G’s top defenses. If they get one dimensional and have to rely on their ground game like they have the past few years it will be a very long afternoon.
5. #17 North Dakota (6.94, 4.94) (1-0, 0-0)
Easiest Remaining Game: Western Illinois (0-1) (-24, 93.7%) Week 6
Toughest Remaining Game: @ Boise State (0-1) (+15, 15.61%) Week 3
Last Week: Win vs Drake (0-1) 55-7
UND came out crisp in this one as the Hawks rolled. Schuster was crazy efficient going 22-26, 262 yds, and 3 TDs. Belquist caught 7 of those balls for 110 yds and 2 TDs. All while the new look defense only gave up 7. This is a terri-bad Drake team they beat up on, but you still had to enjoy this one if you were among the faithful in Grand Forks.
This Week: NAU (0-1) (-16, 84.66%), 3PM CST Sat 9/9, ESPN+/Midco SN/Midco+
This game was a lot closer than it probably should’ve been last year and I think UND will be on a mission to rectify that. Last week NAU played a very meh game falling 38-3 to an Arizona team that was kind of listless last year despite a close win over NDSU. The Wildcats were able to exploit the Lumberjack secondary last week and I look for Tommy Schuester and all his weapons to do the same. While maybe not handing out the whipping the Wildcats did I look for UND to move the ball efficiently and for their new look defense to continue to make strides against an NAU offense that did very little last week.
4. (-1) #20 Northern Iowa (6.59, 5.10) (0-1, 0-0)
Easiest Remaining Game: Western Illinois (0-1) (-26.5, 95.85%) Week 10
Toughest Remaining Game: @ #1 South Dakota State (1-0) (+12, 21.07%) Week 7
Last Week: Loss at Iowa State (1-0) 9-30
Yes it was a P5 opponent so I don’t want to give too much of an overreaction, but man this game was a bit of a mini disaster for the Purple and Gold brigade. Nothing worked offensively including NFL prospect QB Theo Day who crumbled under the pressure the Cyclones put on him. Day threw a pick 6 on the opening drive and never really recovered, or as I should say got going after that finishing 16-34, 164 yds, 1 TD, and @ 2 INTs. Despite the running game struggling early Sr Tyjahee Edwards led the team with a final somewhat respectable stat line of 72 yds on 16 carries. Despite the 23 points surrendered, which honestly isn’t horrible in and of itself especially when handed several short fields, The panther D played fairly stout only giving up 250 total yards of offense. The Panthers actually outgained the Cyclones slightly in this one but the turnovers (-2 off both Day’s INTs) and special teams miscues cost them dearly.
This Week: #12 Weber State (1-0) (-4.5, 59.39%), 4 PM CST Sat 9/9, ESPN+
I am not ready to throw the baby out with the bath water when it comes to Theo Day. Yes he had a bad bad bad game last week, but we’ve seen him have far more good games than bad in his tenure in Cedar Falls. It will however have to happen against a Weber State defense that was pretty good last year. I brought up last year because Weber whipped up on a D2 team last week so I am not going to put too much stock into that. On the other side of the ball we will get good on good as Weber averaged just shy of 200 yd/game against a UNI front 7 that was one of the few bright spots in their loss last week. RB Damon Bankston also got loose last week for Weber to the tune of 113 yards and 2 TDs on just 13 carries. Although the game of the week lies elsewhere this week this is one I will be keeping myself tuned to.
3. (+1) #24 Southern Illinois (7.41, 5.35) (1-0, 0-0)
Easiest Remaining Game: Indiana State (0-1) (-21, 93.66%) Week 12
Toughest Remaining Game: @ #2 North Dakota State (1-0) (+10, 24.82%) Week 11
Last Week: Win vs Austin Peay (0-1) 49-23
Southern Illinois put the rest of the MVFC on notice Saturday evening. In what was supposed to be a fairly close game between two top 30 teams the Salukis blew the doors off the Governors. Nic Baker played a great game, and while there were a ton of guys involved in the ground attack as a team the Salukis finished a modest 3.8 ypc. That’s not going to be a rushing attack that will win them games on their own but it will be enough to keep people honest especially when Baker is on his game. The defense played stingy not allowing any points until deep in the 3rd Quarter when the game was clearly out of hand and SIU was up by 35.
This Week: Northern Illinois (1-0) (+5, 40.14%), 2:30 PM CST Sat 9/9, ESPN+
This will be another good one. A hot (well as hot as you can be after 1 week) Southern Illinois team will look to ride their momentum into DeKalb to take on directional rival Northern Illinois. Last week NIU beat Boston College in overtime in what was a little bit of a rock fight. Although unimpressive last week Southern will have to put pressure on and slow down 7th (yes 7th!!!) year senior Rocky Lombardi at QB. If that name sounds familiar Lombardi was the starting QB for a highly ranked Michigan State team at one point before losing the job and transferring to NIU 3 years ago. Another fun fact for this one is that last time these two teams met current SIU Head Coach Nick Hill was starting SIU QB Nick Hill in a game the Salukis won 34-31. If Hill wants to lead his team to a similar result this week in addition to containing Lombardi he will look to strive for a little better balance this week offensively. While Nic Baker is certainly a guy you can lean on if you want to pull the FBS upset off you’ll need to do better than the 4 ypc they mustered on the ground last week.
2. #2 North Dakota State (9.01, 6.15) (1-0, 0-0)
Easiest Remaining Game: Murray State (1-0) (-32.5, 99.6%) Week 9
Toughest Remaining Game: @ #1 South Dakota State (1-0) (+5, 37.05%) Week 10
Last Week: Win vs Eastern Washington (0-1) 35-10
Like several others discussed to this point this one pretty much played out the same as mapped out on paper too. I think there were some promising things the Eags put out there, but at the end of the day the Bison did what they do best and overpowered them. I still think the Bison secondary is and will be an achilles heel for them this year as Visperas actually finished a good not great 23-39, 266 yds, 1 TD, and 1 INT. The INT was really the death knell. It came as time was expiring at the end of the half and stopped EWU from cutting what was then a 21-7 deficit to something more manageable headed to the break. Cam Miller looked ok passing the ball, but once again it was primarily in favorable situations. Zach Mathis also made a few of his patented circus catches to make Miller look good as well. It doesn’t really seem like Miller has taken the steps he needs to in order to promote himself to the next level of QB play, but we won’t know for sure until he had to play in some situations where he absolutely needs to pass.
This Week: Maine (0-1) (-28, 97.89%), 2:30 PM CST Sat 9/9, ABC (North Dakota Only)/ESPN+
As I said I’m not entirely sure we learned a whole lot about the Bison last week and I am not sure we will learn a whole lot more this week. While last week Maine did take FBS FIU all the way to the end last week losing narrowly 14-12, it’s a CUSA team. And as we all know CUSA would maybe be the 3rd or 4th best FCS conference. The official home opener for the Bison should be a good one. Things I will be looking for are continued growth on the backend of the defense as well as if Cam Miller can throw the ball better.
1. #1 South Dakota State (9.15, 6.48) (1-0, 0-0)
Easiest Remaining Game: Neutral Site (Target Field) Drake (0-1) (-47, 99.9%) Week 3
Toughest Game: #2 North Dakota State (0-0) (-5, 62.95%) Week 10
Last Week: Win vs Western Oregon (0-1) 45-7
I could nitpick on some of the younger guys and how they needed to make more of their opportunities, but overall there wasn’t much to discuss here. The starters had it 35-0 in the early second and the reserves coasted from there until a garbage time WOU TD made it 45-7. There were a few looks defensively where I thought we gave up some free yards on the edges, but I am cautiously chalking that up to playing a vanilla scheme with all the big ones still ahead of us. I also am a little nervous about the missed FG as Dustman needed a few games to get settled in last year, and was hoping to avoid that. All in all this was a great night and a great showing for the Jacks.
This Week: #3 Montana State (1-0) (-7, 67.47%), 6 PM CST Sat 9/9, ESPN+/Midco SN/Midco+ *ALEX’S GAME OF THE WEEK*
The fact this is the game of the week should be a shock to know one. This is quickly despite what the coaches say in their press conference becoming a rivalry, and how often in the FCS do we get to see a top 5 out of conference matchup in the regular season? If you for some reason don’t have tickets to this one yet, find them, Show up DRESSED IN BLACK and get rowdy.
As far as the Xs and Os and Jimmies and Joes I’ll default to the rest of the JI crew on that as they are much more focused in their scope on that. However, to give my own high level analysis I think it will come down to how well Tommy Mellot and Sean Chambers can move the ball through the air. The Bobcats have a good defense but if the Jacks execute they should put up the points they typically do. On the other side of the ball the Jacks will have to sellout to stop the run against the best rushing attack in the FCS. That means whether through “trickeration” or conventional means there should be opportunities through the air even with the very stout Jackrabbit secondary and as said Chamber and Mellot will have to take advantage of those.
Week 1 is gone and while it was a nice appetizer Week 2 and some of the real games are here. I hope everyone continues to enjoy the season and gets to take in some of this week’s action.
Go Jacks!
Alex