I was going to note the Illinois QB situation myself after reading about the Jackrabbits win. And the Jackrabbits guy is a freshman. Plus his backup is a soph. from Chicago. Sigh.A lot of respect paid to the MVFC (5! teams entered) but I don't think this is an outstanding year for the conference. A lot of our teams were stronger in the fall.
It's strange seeing NDSU unseeded. They lost to South Dakota St. yesterday and a they took a sound beating from SIU earlier in the winter/spring season. Both times the Bison were defeated by a QB from the state of Illinois that was light on experience and lightly recruited. QB Nic Baker of SIU (Rochester HS, IL) and QB Mark Gronowski of SDSU (Neuqua Valley HS, Naperville, IL).
The Valley did not have a great weekend! SIU played tough but got stuffed in the redzone too many times.I did not see the game but on the NCAA website Sam Houston knocked off NDSU 24-20. Can't say I am shedding one single tear for the Bison and their fans. Also, Delaware knocks off Jacksonville State. That one is an upset at least according to the seeding...which means absolutely nothing. Still can't say this means much of anything except to the teams playing. The Bison put together a pretty good season but the few times i watched them they looked vulnerable. Of course, the Birds looked pretty bad during much of the spring. I am looking forward to the fall and where nobody has the option to opt out. I know some as saying this is a legit season and championship but if you can opt out of playing it is not a real season. Nobody opt out in a real season. Just the way it really is.
We can hope but NDSU will not stand pat with their 2021 QB's. In the fall they will have the services of Quincy Patterson a former 4-star QB transferring in from Virginia Tech. Where did Patterson play HS ball? Illinois - of course.Hopefully this marks the decline of the NDSU empire.
We can hope but NDSU will not stand pat with their 2021 QB's. In the fall they will have the services of Quincy Patterson a former 4-star QB transferring in from Virginia Tech. Where did Patterson play HS ball? Illinois - of course.
Congrats to SDSU but also the Salukis. After getting hammered pretty hard by the Jacks earlier in the season they gave them a game in the playoffs. Yeah, I think the JMU v. Sam Houston game should be a good one. I will be pulling for the Dukes.The Jacks hang on against SIU. I think South Dakota St. can take Delaware but the other side of the bracket is really tough. Sam Houston and James Madison will be a great game. Both teams are big and physical but JMU more so, so edge to the Dukes. Jacks/Dukes championship?
The JMU-Sam Houston game was astounding. Expected a shootout, but not like that.Jacks vs. Bearcats in the Championship.
South Dakota St. dominated Delaware 33-3. They did a lot of things right but the biggest advantage was their DE's vs Delaware's OT's. The OT's were big and slow whereas the SDSU DE's were aggressive and athletic. The SDSU QB had protection and the Delaware QB didn't. Game over.
Meanwhile Sam Houston beat James Madison 38-35 in a game that will become a playoff legend. Strange as it sounds from looking at the final score this one started as a defensive struggle with some incredible goal line stands. I thought it would be hard for the defensive intensity to remain that high and that was the case. I also expected JMU to break the stalemate and they did with a huge 2nd Q. The Dukes led 24-3 at halftime and I thought it might be the 2nd blowout of the day. What I did not expect was the Sam Houston stunning comeback. The Bearkats have #12 a WR/PR that will turn you around, undress you, abuse you, and shame you with some sick moves. He's one of the best open field runners I've seen and he had two TD's, one receiving, and one on a punt return. The Sam Houston QB is not physically impressive at a lean 180 lbs. but he's a true dual threat with an accurate arm and blazing speed. The game went from 24-3 JMU to 38-27 Sam Houston so fast it made your head spin.
So the two best teams are in the Championship with the #1 seed facing #2. South Dakota St. is fundamentally sound and very solid in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Bearkats are physical on defensive and their offense can score in bunches as they showed today. I'll be cheering for the Jackrabbits but I have no idea who will win. Whoever does win will be a truly great team.