Game Preview: North Dakota State University

In case you have been living under a rock, the Jackrabbits (6-1, 3-0) are hosting the Bison (7-0, 3-0) in Brookings in the annual Dakota Marker game.  Also, in case you weren't aware, ESPN's College GameDay will be here.  The long term effects of hosting GameDay are unknown but the short term effects are a sold out stadium, free publicity for SDSU and Brookings, and more hype for a single game than I can remember.  Huge week, no other way around it!

The Bison are who they usually are.  Good offense, great defense.  The faces change but the recipe is the same.  The Bison want to control the ball on offense and on defense they want to get you into 3rd and long and bring the heat.  When you boil it down, it is simple but it is hard to do.  Matt Entz is in his first year as the head coach after serving as the defensive coordinator for the Bison.  The Bison graduated 24 seniors from last years National Championship team but the replacements have stepped right in without missing a beat.  Overall, NDSU controls the ball for nearly 33 minutes per game and has been penalized 37 times which is just over 6 times per game.  It's funny as I complete this preview, how many of these players are familiar.  SDSU and NDSU go head to head on nearly every recruit the two programs sign so I've spent time the last three years reading and watching tape on these guys.  Throughout this blog I'm imbedding clips of plays that NDSU has been running effectively in 2019.  Ross Uglem is the editor for Bison Report and he does a great job.

Offense
The 2019 Bison offense is pretty darn dynamic.  They score 39 points per game and have already rushed for 2,009 yards and have passed for 1,289 yards.   Against Northern Iowa and Illinois State they played virtually flawless offensive games and put up 46 and 37 points against two pretty good defenses.  They set-up the pass by running the ball effectively and forcing you to send 8 guys into the box and then go over the top of the safeties on a hard play action.  They convert on a ridiculous 52% of their 3rd down plays.  They are also very good in red zone scoring on 93% of their trips there.

The Bison offense has replaced four year starter Easton Stick with #5 Trey Lance (6-3, 221).  Trey enjoyed a good prep career in Marshall, MN and that has translated into his first 7 starts at NDSU.  On the season he has completed 95-136 for 1,257 yards and 15 TD.  What makes him so dangerous is that he is a really good running quarterback having gained 487 yards and 7 TD on 66 attempts. The Jackrabbit pass rush has been fantastic this year but they must maintain their discipline this week and keep Trey in the pocket.  They absolutely have to.  Lance has yet to throw an interception on the season and that says a lot about him as a decision maker but also that offensive coordinator, Ty Roehl, is putting him in positions to succeed.
The running back room lost Lance Dunn to graduation but has a number of playmakers in the group.  #18 Adam Cofield (5-11, 202) has stepped into the "lead back" role that Dunn owned for a few years.  This year he has 83 attempts for 402 yards and 7 TDs.  He also has 10 receptions for 86 yards and 1 TD.  #28 Ty Brooks (5-9, 180) is back as the slasher in the Bison offense.  He has 65 carries for 453 yards and 2 TDs.   #4 Dimitri Williams (5-11, 201) has returned to the lineup after missing the first few games this season.  He has 112 yards on just 20 carries and 1 TD and has pitched in with 6 receptions for 46 yards.  Williams is a very good pass catcher after spending the previous few years at wide receiver.  NDSU likes to motion him out to get matched-up on linebackers which is truly a mismatch.  A new name to the lineup is #24 Kobe Johnson (5-9, 177) a true freshman from Texas.  He has elite speed and it will be tough to catch him if he gets into the open field.  This year he has 54 attempts for 350 yards and 2 TD.  #30 Saybein Clark (6-1, 206) gets limited carries but has made the most of his opportunities with 25 attempts for 165 yards and 2 TD.   The Bison do utilize a fullback with #39 Garrett Malstrom.  He doesn't carry the ball but he does have 3 receptions for 20 yards on the season.  Malstrom didn't play last week but I fully expect him to this week.  The Bison love to use the seam-wheel concept to get their backs open.  This typically comes from a set that has two backs on either side of the quarterback.  But they have also ran it out of a three back "diamond" formation in the past.

The tight ends for NDSU have played a prominent role for the Bison offense historically and do again in 2019.  They use two tight ends for many of their sets and they feature them prominently in the redzone.  #82 Ben Ellefson (6-3, 250) is one of the starters and he has 9 receptions for 96 yards and 3 TD.   #87 Noah Gindorff (6-6, 262) is a physical blocker and has 5 TD receptions on just 5 receptions and moves exceptionally well for man his size.  #81 Josh Babicz (6-6, 253) splits snaps with Gindorff and has 5 receptions for 129 yards and 2 TD.  The Bison love to use these guys on play action.


The 2019 Bison offense features two really good young wide receivers.  #11 Phoenix Sproles (5-11, 187) is Lance's top target with 18 receptions for 303 yards and 2 TD.  He is dynamic with the ball in his hands and can make defenders miss and run away from them.  Sproles played as a true freshman in 2018 and showed flashes of what he is doing this year.  Opposite him is #1 Christian Watson (6-3, 196) who has 14 receptions for 218 yards and 2 TD.  The Bison have been on the search for a big bodied receiver for a number of years and appear to have hit on Watson.  #19 Jimmy Kepouros (5-8, 180) is now a senior and has pitched in with 11 receptions for 147 yards.

The Bison offensive line may be one of the top units in college football.  From left to right they go #75 Dillon Radunz (6-6, 298, Jr), #66 Nash Jenson (6-4, 326, So), #59 Karson Schoening (6-5, 303, Jr), #68 Zack Johnson (6-6, 315, Sr), and #67 Cordell Volson (6-6, 309, Jr).  Johnson is one of the best offensive linemen in the FCS and slid inside to guard after earning All-American honors at right tackle.  This group has only allowed 6 sacks on the season.  All season long we have raved about the #Chaingang and how much depth and talent they have.  This is the week to use that depth as NDSU wants to wear down the defensive line, slow the pass rush, and gash the defense for big gains in the second half.


Defense
The Bison defense comes into this week allowing just 10.3 ppg and pitched a shutout last week against Missouri State.  They have good depth along their front seven and have high quality starters in the secondary.   They are holding opponents to 85 rushing yards per game and 176 yards per game through the air.  They have also registered 19 sacks so far and hold opponents to just a 28% conversion rate on 3rd down. 

The defensive line for NDSU is always one of the best.   The defensive ends are especially dangerous.  #91 Derek Tuszka (6-5, 246) has 17 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 5 more QBHs already this year.  Opposite him is either #93 Logan McCormick (6-2, 240) or #99 Spencer Waege (6-5, 259).  Waege was injured in the preseason and I think is still working his way back to 100%.  McCormick has 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks while Waege has 14 tackles and 2.5 sacks.  #90 Tony Pierce (6'0, 230) has 9 tackles on the season in a reserve role.  The interior defensive line for NDSU is lead by #53 Cole Karcz (6-4, 271).  Karcz registered 7.5 tackles in 2018 but has just 1 so far this season to go with 17 tackles.  Next to him is #92 Jack Darnell (6-2, 288) who has 5 stops on the year.  #98 Matt Biegler ( 6-3, 283) and #94 Costner Ching (6-3, 280) serve in a reserve roles and have 11 tackles a piece. Tuszka and Waege are a dangerous combination, especially when paired with the pressure that Jabril Cox can bring from his linebacker position.   


The Bison linebacker corp features the aforementioned #42 Jabril Cox (6-3, 233).  He is one of the top outside linebackers in the country regardless of division.  This season he has 40 tackles, 6 TFL, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 4 PBU, and 3 QBHs.  He fills a stat sheet and impacts the game all over the plass. The offensive line and J'Bore will need to be aware of where he is at all times on Saturday.  Joining him in the linebacker group is  #52 Jackson Hankey (6-1, 220) on the interior and #55 Aaron Mercadel (5-11, 212) on the outside.  Hankey leads the team with 45 tackles, 6.5 for loss, and 1 sack.  Mercadel checks in with 17 stops, a .5 sack, and one forced fumble.  These three really fill holes in the run game well and are Hankey and Mercadel are okay in the passing game with Cox being excellent.   #3 Jaxon Brown (6-2, 212) provides some experienced depth and has 4 stops this season.
The secondary for NDSU has been tested for stretches against both UNI and UC Davis but they responded well to taking a couple shots and eventually shut down the passing game. #9 Marquise Bridges (5-11, 186) and #14 Josh Hayes (5-11, 186) form a pretty good starting duo while #7 Tre Fort (5-8, 181) provides some good depth while #33 Destin Talbert (5-11, 180) is new to the lineup this season.  Bridges plays the ball especially well and has 17 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 12 pass breakups and 12 passes defended.  Hayes has 29 tackles and a forced fumble to go along with 8 pass breakups and 8 passes defended.  Fort has just 3 stops on the season and Talbert has 13 stops.

The Bison have three really good safeties who are also versatile.  The group is led by #6 James Hendricks (6-1, 206) who has 24 stops, 2 INT, 8 PBU, and 10 passes defended.  Hendricks is a fun player to watch as you will see him all over the field.  The former quarterback operates as the quarterback of the Bison defense and is seemingly always in the right place.  Next to him is #25 Michael Tutsie (5-10, 194) who has 42 tackles, 2.5 TFL, and a team leading 4 INT.  He is replacing 4 year starting safety Robbie Grimsley.  There are big expectations for Tutsie up north and so far he is living up to them.   #26 James Kaczor (6-0, 205) is a super-sub and has 34 tackles and 1.5 for loss.  #14 Dawson Weber (6-2, 193) has also pitched in with 14 tackles. 
Special Teams
The Bison special teams are always good enough. This year #36 Griffin Crosa has stepped in as a true freshman to take over the kicking duties. He is 7 for 9 on field goals with a long of 46 but has missed his last two attempts; one from 43 and the other from 31 yards.  He is a perfect 31 of 31 on extra points.  The punter for NDSU is the dangerous #38 Garret Wegner who has 26 boots for a 41 yard average.  He has only landed one in the end zone and has forced 15 fair catches while landing another 12 inside the 20 with 5 traveling 50+ yards.  On the four punts that have been returned, opponents have just a 8.2 yard per return average.  The coverage units for NDSU are good and do not allow for any wiggle room.  The 25 opponent kick returns have just a 20 yard average. 

The Bison return game is dangerous and the Jacks kick-off game should just boot it out of the back of the endzone.  Ty Brooks has 6 returns for 186 yards with a long of 79.  He is capable of housing one at any time. Dimitri Williams may also be back there but he has had just one opportunity so far this season.  The punt returner is #84 Trevor Heit (5-9, 179).  He has 12 returns for a 14.3 ypr avg with a long of 50.  Ben Dinkel has been really good at times in 2019 and we'll need his best effort on Saturday to give his coverage guys plenty of time. 

Prediction
I always hate picking the Bison game.  There are so many variables that go into this and the teams are so dang evenly matched.  It is hard to make sense of the Bison schedule to this point.  The destroyed good defenses in UNI and Illinois State and slowed a powerful UC Davis offense.  What it takes to beat the Bison is complimentary play between the offense and defense.  The offense can't be one dimensional and it has to sustain drives.  The defense can't allow third and long conversions and if they do they have to keep their heads up and force the Bison into 4th down.  I think the Jackrabbit offense will be able to move the ball and I'm thinking the defense may finally confuse Lance for the first time this year and force his first interception.  This should be an instant classic. 

Jacks 28
Bison 24

Go Jacks!
Matt           

   

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