We are starting to come into the home stretch of the NSIC. Only four games remain and with the playoff situation tightening, three teams are solidifying themselves for playoff position. Meanwhile, its going to be a battle to get into the Mineral Water Bowl...
1. #2 UM-Duluth 7-0 (6-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. Winona State 59-17
LG - W vs. Mary 49-0
UG - @ Northern State (1-6)
Note - Issac Odim who? After losing the Harlon Hill contending running back for the rest of the season, it sure seems like the team doesn't have a far drop down with senior running back Brad Foss. Against Mary, Foss carried the ball 17 times for 121 yards with 3 TDs. I'm quickly learning three things about UM-Duluth. 1) As long as that offensive line stays intact, I don't think they'll have any problems running the ball. 2) As long as Chase Vogler remains the quarterback, they'll have no problems controlling the offense. 3) As long as that defense continues to lay the smackdown, I don't think anyone will score on them. Mary didn't and only gained 235 yards at that. The Bulldogs host St. Cloud State in a couple weeks but first they head into Aberdeen to take on the Wolves. I would say the Bulldogs better not overlook Northern State but something tells me I'd eat my words if I said that.
2. #11 Augustana 7-0 (6-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. Northern State 31-15
LG - W @ Winona State 17-0
UG - @ MSU-Moorhead (2-5)
Note - Could it be possible that we have two teams go undefeated in the NSIC? I don't think anyone expected Augustana's undefeated streak to go this long in the NSIC and it's not like it's really been in that much danger. If you look at this team, they've got the pieces to be successful. They've got a solid quarterback who is a great leader in the field. They have a very good running back who is starting to look good now that he's healthy. They've got an absolute stud at wide receiver. However, the one thing they've got that could get them over the top is that defense. Let's not kid ourselves, Winona State has a very good offense but they were shut down and shut out at home on homecoming. If that's not the sign of an impressive defense, than I don't know what is. I can definitely foresee them making it to 8-0 considering they travel to Moorhead this weekend.
3. #23 St. Cloud State 6-1 (6-0 NSIC) (-)
PG - W @ MSU-Mankato 31-17
LG - W vs. SW Minnesota State 24-6
UG - vs. UM-Crookston (1-6)
Note - Ever since his first start, I had a feeling SCSU freshman quarterback Phillip Klaphake was going to be something special. He received NSIC Player of the Week for his outstanding performance against SW Minnesota State. He completed 24-of-33 passes for 320 yards with a TD and an interception. However, he also got it done on the ground as he rushed 12 times for 134 yards and a TD. All-in-all, Klaphake gained 454 yards by himself...sheesh! I know the Mustangs don't have a great defense but they couldn't keep Klaphake in check at all. Right now, St. Cloud is really doing their best for a playoff push. Since their opening day loss at Augustana, they've won six straight. I don't think they'll have any problems making it seven straight as they host Minnesota-Crookston. I'm guessing this game will be over by the end of the first quarter.
4. Concordia-St. Paul 5-2 (4-2 NSIC) (+2)
PG - W vs. Bemidji State 20-14
LG - W @ Wayne State 17-14
UG - vs. Winona State (4-3)
Note - There are many words running through my head about this Golden Bears team. Who would've thought that Concordia would go from a three win football team last year to 5-2 at this point in the season. I've said it since the St. Cloud loss that this team just keeps getting better and better and they proved that with a big win in a hostile environment. I was wrong with my assessment about how this team will revolve around the health of Spencer Ohm. James Peterson looked ready to play as he completed 22-of-37 passes for 328 yards and 2 TDs. I think Klaphake was the only thing keeping him from receiving NSIC POW. With the way this season is playing out, the Golden Bears just might get into the Mineral Water Bowl. It'll be tough for them to make the playoffs (a lot would have to happen) but the Mineral Water Bowl is certainly achievable for this team. They'll host a big home game this weekend when Winona State comes to town. Considering it is a must-win game for Winona State, it could make for a potential upset. Did I just imply Winona State was the underdog? Yes, yes I did...
5. Wayne State 5-2 (4-2 NSIC) (-1)
PG - W @ Mary 33-28
LG - L vs. Concordia-St. Paul 17-14
UG - vs. MSU-Mankato (4-3)
Note - The last couple weeks have been very trying for the Wayne State Wildcats but there is without a doubt that they've come back down to Earth the last few weeks. The fact that they needed a last minute touchdown against Mary and losing at home to Concordia-St. Paul is absolutely devastating for their playoff chances. In fact, it hurts their chances even for the Mineral Water Bowl. If WSC and CSP have the same record at the end of the year, I believe the Golden Bears would get the tiebreaker now because of the head-to-head win. It's amazing to me that the Wildcats have looked this bad the last few weeks because it seems like very little has changed since the beginning of the year and to this point. The Wildcats will have another tough game ahead of them when MSU-Mankato comes to town. It's not really a great time either considering that the Mavericks might just be getting their mojo back.
6. Winona State 4-3 (3-3 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L @ #2 UM-Duluth 59-17
LG - L vs. #11 Augustana 17-0
UG - @ Concordia-St. Paul (5-2)
Note - Boy, talk about a meat grinder of a schedule. Right now, the Warriors are going on game 3 of 4 against UMD, Augie, CSP and Wayne. Although, I'm pretty sure the Warriors knew that they could do no worse than .500 against these opponents if they wanted to keep their "very slim" playoff hopes/MWB hopes alive. Considering they are so far 0-2 in this stretch, they are in a must-win situation the rest of the season. As I look at this team, I keep asking myself, what is the problem? It's obviously not the defense. I thought the defense played great against the Vikings. The problems right now fall upon the offense...especially at quarterback. As of right now, Aber is downright dreadful. In the past two weeks, he's completed 25-of-67 passes for 227 yards with 2 TDs and an interception. Completing 37% of your passes is not going to get it done in this league. I know it might be late in the season for it, but WSU might want to give a serious look toward Bradshaw. Sure, he didn't look all that fantastic in the Warriors last few drives of the game, but all-in-all, he wasn't worse than Aber. It won't get any easier for WSU as they go on the road against the Golden Bears.
7. MSU-Mankato 4-3 (3-3 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L vs. St. Cloud State 31-17
LG - W vs. Upper Iowa 48-14
UG - @ Wayne State (4-3)
Note - Considering how bad things have been so far this season for MSU-Mankato, it seems as though they got things moving in the right direction this weekend against Upper Iowa. There were a lot of people doubting the Mavericks and thinking it could be a close game. MSU-Mankato slammed the door in the Peacocks face as soon as they arrived at the doorstep, jumping off to a 24-0 lead early on in this game. The Mavericks slashed the Peacocks rush defense, tallying 301 yards on the ground. Running back Chris Echols was an absolute stud, rushing 21 times for 184 yards with 2 TDs. It seemed as though the team kept Will Brogan somewhat within his element. He completed 13-of-26 passes for 188 yards with 2 TDs and an INT. Also for what I believe is the first time all season, both Brogan and Pachan are both healthy (or at least healthy enough for both of them to play). Even though it's a nice win, the Mavericks can't celebrate too much because the next two weeks are going to be an absolute dogfight. They are on the road against Wayne State and Augustana. I guess if there's any good news for the Mavericks, it's that Wayne State is really struggling.
8. Bemidji State 4-3 (3-3 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L @ Concordia-St. Paul 20-14
LG - W @ MSU-Moorhead 14-6
UG - vs. U-Mary (1-6)
Note - Boy, what can I say about the Bemidji State Beavers? What the hell is going on? When I first saw the final score of the game against MSU-Moorhead, I thought it must be a misprint. Nope. They only won 14-6 against one of the worst teams in the NSIC. I was appalled that they could only score 14 points against that miserable MSU-Moorhead defense. However, I guess you could say part of that is on the coaching. Can someone tell me why Derek Edholm threw 31 passes? And how embarrassing is it for Dustin Kroeplin to only gain 91 yards on 26 carries? All I will say is the Bemidji State Beavers are not all right. It's one thing to lose to Concordia-St. Paul but to follow it up with a near loss at MSU-Moorhead? Did we seriously consider these guys a potential playoff team earlier in the year? Seriously? I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but they draw Mary at home this week. Considering what Mary was doing before that UM-Duluth game, I'd say this is certainly a game that the Beavers could lose.
9. SW Minnesota State 3-4 (2-4 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. MSU-Moorhead 49-14
LG - L @ St. Cloud State 24-6
UG - @ Upper Iowa (1-6)
Note - Right now, I'd say things are playing out like we expected with SMSU. They are winning the games they should be winning and losing the games they should be losing. There isn't anything that really sticks out about this team. It's not like they have a sensational offense or defense. Although Ryan Ratekin is solid, he doesn't quite compare with what some of the other QBs in the NSIC have been doing this year. The more I look at this team, the more I feel like a broken record talking about them. They are essentially the cardboard cutout of the NSIC. They don't really do much outside of their element...they don't sneak up on people and surprise them. The only thing I can say is they played well against MSU-Moorhead...that's about the only game I'd say they played better than I expected them to. They travel to Fayette this week to take on the Upper Iowa Peacocks. If SMSU is the team I think they are, they'll win by 14-21 points and get back to .500.
10. MSU-Moorhead 2-5 (2-4 NSIC) (+1)
PG - L @ SW Minnesota State 49-14
LG - L vs. Bemidji State 14-6
UG - vs. #11 Augustana (7-0)
Note - I have to give some major props this week to the Dragons. They came out last week and gave the Beavers a battle. I think for the first time all season, their rush defense really came to play. They held the Beavers to 131 yards rushing and 3.3 YPC. It was the factor that really kept them in the game because we knew Bemidji State's defense wouldn't let them score a lot of points. The bad news for the Dragons was they just didn't have the weapons to contend with Bemidji State. They should be happy for what they did now because it probably won't be such a great weekend with one of the hottest teams in the country coming to town to play them.
11. U-Mary 1-6 (1-5 NSIC) (-1)
PG - L vs. Wayne State 33-28
LG - L @ #2 UM-Duluth 49-0
UG - @ Bemidji State (4-3)
Note - I really don't know how hard I should be on the the Marauders this week because it really isn't a big deal to lose to UM-Duluth. Even losing by 49 isn't something we can really joke about because they beat Winona State by 42 the week before. Although, considering the way Mary had been playing heading into this game, I thought they'd at least score. They couldn't even do that. Lomax was kept in check. Bagnell was kept in check. No one on this team had a decent game for Mary. I was really hoping they'd at least score a few times and build some confidence going into next week but it really feels like this team keeps making steps forward and steps back. We'll see if they can get back on the right track when they travel to Bemidji State. With the way BSU played this week, it could be a game that Mary sneaks away with.
12. Northern State 1-6 (1-5 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ #11 Augustana 31-15
LG - W @ UM-Crookston 38-0
UG - vs. #2 UM-Duluth (7-0)
Note - Welcome to the wins club Northern State! They picked up their first win of the season with a big win in Crookston, Minnesota. We knew they could do it! Northern State dominated the ground game by rushing for 290 yards against the Golden Eagles defense. Northern State will probably not get their second win this week considering they are taking on the #2 team in the country, but I do believe they will get at least one or two more wins before season's end.
13. Upper Iowa 1-6 (1-5 NSIC) (-)
PG - W vs. UM-Crookston 56-19
LG - L @ MSU-Mankato 48-14
UG - vs. SW Minnesota State (3-4)
Note - The Peacocks are who we thought they were! People thought that they could challenge the Mavericks...yeah, well, that didn't happen...at all. It's just a fact...Upper Iowa is the second worst team in the conference. Granted, it's not a close second...but still second none-the-less. They host SW Minnesota State this week. It would be a decent chance for them to prove me wrong. If they could do what Northern State could not, I could see them jumping up a spot this week.
14. UM-Crookston 1-6 (0-6 NSIC) (-)
PG - L @ Upper Iowa 56-19
LG - L vs. Northern State 38-0
UG - @ #23 St. Cloud State (6-1)
Note - How embarrassing is this for UM-Crookston? They've actually played one of the easiest schedules in the NSIC so far this year and they still suck badly at that. Their closest NSIC game was a 30 point blowout at home to MSU-Moorhead. In the four games with the four other worst teams in the NSIC, they've been outscored 190-37...losing by an average of 38 PPG...against the worst of the NSIC!!! You want to see something to laugh at, look at their remaining schedule. At St. Cloud State, Concordia-St. Paul, UM-Duluth and at Bemidji State. This is going to get ugly...really ugly.
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