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Time to separate the men from the boys....
There are some real nice matchups to the first week of the MVFC schedule. SIU at SDSU is not one of them. (All rankings listed in the following matchups are from the 9/22/2019 Coaches Poll.)
#1 NDSU hits the road to face #8 Illinois State. The Bison "caught" a break when ISU reported last week that they lost their top two WR's. Earlier this year they lost redshirt freshman WR Eric Rogers. This puts even more pressure on their All-American RB - James Robinson. True freshman, Kacper Rutkiewicz is their top receiver on their current stat sheet. Lot of pressure on a 5'8" 165 lb. freshman to face the Bison in there first MVFC game of the season. He's averaging 23 yards/catch this year.
#20 YSU at #7 UNI. YSU really hasn't faced anybody this year, but their 4-0 start has them positioned well for the playoffs. That is if the Fighting Pelinis can avoid a losing record in MVFC play. UNI's loss to Weber State, coupled with their 3 overtime loss to Iowa State has them stuck with a 2-2 record heading into conference play. They've arguably have had the toughest FCS schedule thus far. Opened at Iowa State, home victories over Southern Utah and Idaho State, and the 17-29 loss last week at Weber State. They need a win bad to right the ship as they follow up this week's game by traveling to Fargo. Being 2-4 is a tough hole to dig out from, even for thus talented squad.
SIU at #3 SDSU. The Salukis are 2-2 and face a brutal start to their MVFC campaign - @SDSU, ISU Red, YSU. Should be a nice tune-up game for the Jacks prior to heading to Youngstown next week. However, this is Hobo Day where sometimes the distractions of the week can translate to a subpar performance on the field. Stay healthy, expand the playbook and go 1-0 this week.
ISU Blue at USD. The Sycamores were competitive against two FBS programs to start the season, losing to both Kansas and Dayton by a TD. They followed up that with wins over Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois. They could be on a 4-game winning streak when SDSU comes to Terre Haute on October 19th. USD is looking for moral victories wherever they can find them. Last week it turned into an actual victory, 14-6 over UNC in Greeley.
MSU at Western Illinois. Missouri State actually had the lead over Kennesaw State, 13-0 with just under 3 minutes to play in the first half last week. Then reality hit. The Bears could be battling the Yotes for the cellar if they don't get a victory in their next two games, host USD next week. Western has adopted the mantra of "Tradition of Tough" on their web page. So far it has been more tough luck than tough play on the field. Both teams will be looking for the first victory of the season, not just first conference W.
There are some real nice matchups to the first week of the MVFC schedule. SIU at SDSU is not one of them. (All rankings listed in the following matchups are from the 9/22/2019 Coaches Poll.)
#1 NDSU hits the road to face #8 Illinois State. The Bison "caught" a break when ISU reported last week that they lost their top two WR's. Earlier this year they lost redshirt freshman WR Eric Rogers. This puts even more pressure on their All-American RB - James Robinson. True freshman, Kacper Rutkiewicz is their top receiver on their current stat sheet. Lot of pressure on a 5'8" 165 lb. freshman to face the Bison in there first MVFC game of the season. He's averaging 23 yards/catch this year.
#20 YSU at #7 UNI. YSU really hasn't faced anybody this year, but their 4-0 start has them positioned well for the playoffs. That is if the Fighting Pelinis can avoid a losing record in MVFC play. UNI's loss to Weber State, coupled with their 3 overtime loss to Iowa State has them stuck with a 2-2 record heading into conference play. They've arguably have had the toughest FCS schedule thus far. Opened at Iowa State, home victories over Southern Utah and Idaho State, and the 17-29 loss last week at Weber State. They need a win bad to right the ship as they follow up this week's game by traveling to Fargo. Being 2-4 is a tough hole to dig out from, even for thus talented squad.
SIU at #3 SDSU. The Salukis are 2-2 and face a brutal start to their MVFC campaign - @SDSU, ISU Red, YSU. Should be a nice tune-up game for the Jacks prior to heading to Youngstown next week. However, this is Hobo Day where sometimes the distractions of the week can translate to a subpar performance on the field. Stay healthy, expand the playbook and go 1-0 this week.
ISU Blue at USD. The Sycamores were competitive against two FBS programs to start the season, losing to both Kansas and Dayton by a TD. They followed up that with wins over Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois. They could be on a 4-game winning streak when SDSU comes to Terre Haute on October 19th. USD is looking for moral victories wherever they can find them. Last week it turned into an actual victory, 14-6 over UNC in Greeley.
MSU at Western Illinois. Missouri State actually had the lead over Kennesaw State, 13-0 with just under 3 minutes to play in the first half last week. Then reality hit. The Bears could be battling the Yotes for the cellar if they don't get a victory in their next two games, host USD next week. Western has adopted the mantra of "Tradition of Tough" on their web page. So far it has been more tough luck than tough play on the field. Both teams will be looking for the first victory of the season, not just first conference W.
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