The Jackrabbits and Bison square off tomorrow night on ESPN2 in the annual Dakota Marker Matchup. The game, as usual, has a ton of implications for the playoffs. With Montana State having a serious chance to remain undefeated, the Jacks and the Bison (if they both win out) are battling to be the #1 seed in the playoffs while the #3 seed would have to travel to Bozeman to face the Cats. The Jacks have beaten the Bison in 5 straight games, 4 straight Marker games, and the talk out of Fargo is that they are sick of losing to the Jacks.
What to Watch
Turnovers
It has been well established that recently this game hinges on turnovers. In the past five Jackrabbit wins, the Jackrabbits have forced NINE Bison turnovers and committed ZERO themselves. This season, the Jacks have had 6 turnovers (1 fumble, 5 interceptions) and the Bison have had just 2 turnovers this season. Both teams have forced 10 turnovers however. The emotion of the Fargo Dome will either grow or deflate off of which team makes the first mistake. SDSU needs to take care of the ball
Pass Rush
The Jackrabbit pass rush has really turned it on after a slow start. They have racked up 11 sacks and 9 quarterback hurries along with many more pressures in the last 4 games. NDSU’s offensive line has surrendered a surprising 10 sacks but only 1 in the last 3 weeks. If Cam Miller is not mobile, like he was against SIU last week, the Jacks need to heat him up and make him rush his decisions.
Staying Balanced
NDSU is going to dare SDSU to beat them through the air, at least that is what NDSU should do after SDSU put up over 400 yards rushing vs. YSU. That would likely mean they are stacking the box with 8 guys. Sam Jung has turned his season around since moving to the strong safety position and has done a really nice job playing more down in the box vs. in the open field. SDSU will need to pass the ball but it is important to continue to run the ball as well. Stay balanced to run down the clock so that the defense does not spend the entire game on the field.
Let’s get Physical
If you like hard-hitting football, this is the game for you! During his radio show this week Coach Rogers said that the more talented team doesn’t win this one, the one who plays the most physical does. The Jackrabbits have been really really physical this year in the run game on both sides of the ball. The Bison players are mashing their teeth in anticipation of this matchup and will bring a little extra juice to their blocking and hits. The Jacks were able to rest many of their starters for the 4th quarter against YSU last while the Bison starters were in until the end vs. SIU. SDSU needs to be ready for the physicality of this matchup and take it to NDSU and control the line of scrimmage.
Death by 1,000 Papercuts
The Jacks play a style of defense that forces opponents to be perfect as they move the ball down the field. The Jacks have been fine with yielding the short and and underneath passes for much of the season. The Jacks are betting that you can’t go 10 straight plays without making a mistake. Somewhere in there, the opponent will screw up with either a penalty, a turnover, or a negative yardage play that puts you behind the sticks. Most teams they have played cannot play this “perfect” style of play and will screw up eventually. NDSU on the other hand has the ability to play perfect drive in and drive out. There will be a time where the defense has to step up and dictate what the Bison are doing. Let’s hope they can step up and do it!
Manage the Initial Wave
The Bison will come out fired up for this one. The Fargo Dome will be rocking after a day full of tailgating! NDSU’s head coach, Tim Polasek, was very vocal and adamant during his press conference that the Marker needs to come back to Fargo. It is going to be LOUD in the Fargo Dome. In the first half of the 2022 matchup, SDSU had 5 false starts and 1 delay of game. That offensive line was still finding it’s mojo and in time would become one of the most dominant FCS offensive lines ever. This offensive line has not had a lot of penalties but they have certainly not played in a loud environment like the Fargo Dome will be on Saturday. If the team can manage the initial wave of energy that awaits them and play mostly even, they will be okay in this one!
Matchups to Watch
Jackrabbit TEs vs. Bison LBs and Safeties
The Jackrabbit TEs have a significant size and speed advantage over the Bison linebackers. We understand the need to not want to force feed this group of young unproven players but this may be the perfect opportunity. In the past, Dallas Goedert, Zach Heins, and Tucker Kraft have all enjoyed terrific games against NDSU. In fact, Dallas Goedert’s first breakout game was against NDSU. Now it a HUGE opportunity for the next tight end to emerge and make a play in the Marker game.
Mark Gronowski vs. Cam Miller
Yes, I know that they will never actually play against one another but this may be the last time they dual against one another. Like it not, they will be linked in Dakota Marker history. We need to go all the way back to the summer before their senior year when they were on the summer camp circuit. As we have shared before, Cam received an offer from SDSU. His high school wide receiver, AJ Coons, had already committed to SDSU and his former teammate Adam Bock was just wrapping up his first season. There was a strong believe that he would be the QB commit for the class. Cam was offered by NDSU after his offer from SDSU and ended up choosing NDSU shortly after. Mark was then offered and quickly committed to the Jacks. On signing day, Mark was one of the last signed commitment letters to come in as BIG10 schools tried to sway him to accept a walk-on spot.
Fast forward a year when both played as true freshmen, which was the weird spring COVID season. Since that point, Cam has won 1 national championship and led his team to another and Mark has won 2 national championships and led his team to another. It is crazy that Cam has never beat the Jackrabbits and Mark has never lost to the Bison. We have no idea how well they know each other or how they view one another but we’re positive that Cam finally wants to secure the win vs. the Jackrabbits. Enjoy this matchup as it features two of the best QBs that either program has had!
Jarod DePriest vs. Interior Bison OL
Jarod DePriest can wreck an opposing teams offensive line as evidenced in the wins over SLU and UNI. The Bison offensive line is super experienced at the tackle position but has some inexperience on the interior. With Cam having limited mobility getting a pass rush right in his face could really disrupt his timing and footwork in the pocket. DePriest, Clayborne, Hawthorne, and Holsten have really provided solid pressure on the interior this year. Saturday will be a big test and a huge opportunity to disrupt the timing of the Bison passing game.
Dalys Beanum vs. Bryce Lance
Maybe the biggest surprise this season has been the rise of Bryce Lance at wide receiver. Gone are last seasons leading receivers Eli Green (transfer to Iowa State), Zac Mathis (graduation), and Raja Nelson (injury for now but he could return). Lance has filled that void with a host of other new faces. He was impressive with his quickness and route running in the game vs. Colorado and already has over 500 yards receiving this season.. He looks like “the guy” and we fully expect Dalys Beanum, with his PFF coverage grade of 75.2, to follow him across the formation.
It is abundantly clear that NDSU really really wants this one after years of making fun of the SDSU program and fans for how serious we took this game. How fun will it be to say “Not today, Bison” after a hard fought victory on Saturday.
As always, Go Jacks!
Alex, Ben, Brendan, Chad, Dallas, Jake, & Matt
One Response
The question is what team has the best player on the field on either side of the ball? A few years back playing Montana State Troy Andersen was a one man wrecking crew. Based on watching many games Eli Mostaert seems to be close to that. Can the SDSU line contain him?