Saturday Thoughts

Saturday proved to be a wild one in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. North Dakota State once again proved to all of us why they are ranked #1, Southern Illinois reminded us that they are still competitors, Indiana State found their way to four wins, and South Dakota told us they are not quite "there" yet in terms of talent and execution. Northern Iowa and South Dakota State enjoyed the weekend off.

North Dakota State WR, Trevor Gebhart
(Photo: David Samson/The Forum)

Saturday Results:

North Dakota State 48, Youngstown State 7
Southern Illinois 17, Illinois State 0
Indiana State 31, Missouri State 17
Western Illinois 24, South Dakota 17

Starting with the North Dakota State/Youngstown State game--As I watched that game it was incredible to me that the Bison continuously control the entire game and force the opponents to play to their pace and their strengths. I predicted North Dakota State to win because they had the home-field advantage. Youngstown State certainly--up to this point--proved that there were a different team than the one that lost to Missouri State last year, but North Dakota State has a tendency to make teams look silly. The Bison stopped the run early and forced Kurt Hess to throw the ball. The short throws weren't there and Hess had to find the deep routes. The problem with that was that there wasn't enough time. The Bison front four dominated and forced Hess into making mistakes. There were not to many positives for Youngstown State in this loss. Next week, Youngstown State will be able to take out their frustrations on what seems to be an overrated Illinois State team.

I was surprised by the score of the Illinois State game. I was following it throughout the North Dakota State game, but I always expected the Redbirds to find their grove and put the Salukis away--they never did. Southern Illinois dominated this game, beginning to end. The thing that confuses me the most about this game is that I'm not sure whether Illinois State is that over-rated, or if Southern Illinois is just finding their grove. My first reaction is that both are correct. Illinois State struggled against South Dakota last week and the Coyotes lost to Western Illinois this week. The Saluki's defense is what is turning things around in Carbondale. The Salukis gave up 79 points in their first two games, since then, they have given up 44 points in four games and have gone 3-1. Southern Illinois could be a mid-season darkhorse. 

Indiana State had a scare against Missouri State, however, they pulled away late in the game to seal the deal. Since being held to less than 50 yards in the game against South Dakota State, Shakir Bell has rolled off 271 yards in the past two weeks. One thing that I noticed about this game was that after Missouri State benched Ashton Glaser, Kierra Harris came into the game and provided a burst on offense for the Bears. Missouri State pulled off 10 straight points to take a 17-10 lead, after that the Bear defense stopped showing up and Indiana State rolled through to a 31-17 victory. Missouri State is still winless and its crazy how often they shoot themselves in the foot. Next week the Bears will host South Dakota in a game that could decide who finishes last in the Valley.

USD QB, Josh Vander Maten
(Photo: Jim Lee/Sioux City Journal)

Western Illinois really needed this win. After two straight losses where they were outscored 60-6, the Leathernecks solidified on defense and kept the Coyotes in front of them. Western also made a quarterback change, something I have been calling for since week 2. Wil Lunt, the senior quarterback out of Rochester, IL, threw for a modest 170 yards and two touchdowns. If Western can continue to be effective in the pass game like they were on Saturday, they could surprise a few teams. Next week Western will travel back to South Dakota, this time playing outside in the elements when they battle South Dakota State.

Playoff Implications

With Illinois State and Youngstown State losing and Southern Illinois winning, it certainly raises some questions on what this week could have meant for playoffs. Illinois State needs to rebound next week against Youngstown State or else they might find themselves aboard a sinking ship. Southern Illinois although unlikely to make the playoffs (they would need to win out--not happening) they could easily upset some team's playoff hopes, that might have just happened today (if Illinois State finishes 7-4) Even so, the Valley has multiple teams still positioning themselves for the playoffs:

North Dakota State (5-0)
Youngstown State (4-1)
Illinois State (5-1)
South Dakota State (4-1)
Indiana State (4-2)