Dakota Marker Week Is Here As No. 1 NDSU and No. 2 SDSU Square Off

On this episode, Sam and Zach discuss:
-3 Game Balls and a Flag from Week 8
-No. 1/1 NDSU at No. 2/2 SDSU preview. How crucial is Chase Mason’s status in this game? What are the key matchups? And what are the implications?
-No. 18/20 Illinois State at No. 21/NR South Dakota preview. A huge matchup for playoff hopes.
-No. 4/4 Montana at Sac State preview. A major game, plus some antics adding more drama.
-No. 3/3 Tarleton State at Eastern Kentucky preview. Can Tarleton keep it rolling?
The podcast is presented by HERO Sports and BetMGM. Visit HERO Sports for FCS coverage and BetMGM for online betting odds.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:15):
All right, welcome in FCS backle football fans to another
episode of the FCS Football Talk podcast. We are presented
by hero Sports and bet MGM. I'm your host, Sam
Herder of hero Sports, and I'm joined by my co host,
Zach mckinnall of FCS Football Central and the blue Bloods.
A good chunk of this podcast will be previewing the

(00:36):
big game this upcoming weekend, the Dakota Marker matchup, number
one North Kota State heading to number two South Dakota State,
and so we'll spend a decent amount of time previewing
that matchup. Possibly could touch on some other intriguing matchups
as well. But first off, as we always do, we'll
start with three game balls and a flag recapping this
last weekend in the FCS. So, Zach, I'll kick it

(00:59):
off to you right away here with your first game ball.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, me and you kind of got called out here,
didn't we say? Apparently we haven't picked North Dakota yet
for a game ball. So listen, man, we gave we're
gonna get. Give North Dakota a game ball and listen
that they really deserve it. This was an impressive win
for them, I think Southern Illinois has had some of
their biggest flaws exposed the past two weeks. Sam, so
I have to kind of see how they reevaluate their roster.

(01:26):
They also could have ran into two buzzsaws. But North
Dakota another top twenty five win. They did it in
dominant fashion. I don't even think the final score was
indicative of how in control they were in this game.
It was what twenty eight to nothing at halftime, as
I used scored a ton of their points late. Sidel
had a massive game, three touchdowns at average almost eight
yards per carry. They rolled up over three hundred yards

(01:47):
rushing as a team, and defensively, Man said, they're not
They're kind of similar in vain to these Missouri Valley defenses,
the elite ones that we see where you look at
South Dakota State. North Dakota State not gonna have a
ton of guys that are just in a stat pad,
and North Dakota doesn't have those guys. But they're really sound.
They executed a high level. They're well coached, and they
don't make mistakes and they don't allow a ton of

(02:09):
explosive plays. They completely neutralized DJ Williams outside the pocket
and it was a really impressive performance for the Hawks. Man,
so that they get my first game ball.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Yeah, You and D has been in my top ten
for a few weeks now or a handful of weeks,
and moved them to number six last week. But I
think some other voters were maybe being a bit more
patient with U and D. You know, they had quote
unquote quality losses nearly nearly beat in Kansas State and Montana,

(02:38):
but then they had, you know, some wins that were
good wins, but like nothing that really popped off the page.
And then they got their first ranked win two weekends
ago at home over Youngstown State. But then it was
kind of like, well, okay, well then maybe some people
are think, let's see you do it on the road.
And then they go to Southern Illinois, like you said,
just really dominated most of, if not all, of that game.

(02:58):
And yeah, five and two over all, right now, five
and one versus the FCS couple of ranked wins, and
they get North Gota State and South Gota State at
home still the common so UND definitely could be a
factor down the stretcher. My first game ball, I'm going
to give it to bow Broun, Guard youngstound State quarterback
who just went off this last weekend as he's as
he's done most of this season and last season as well.

(03:20):
Youngstown State. It's a big win. They beat number ten
Illinois State forty to thirty five, and brun Guard, you know,
top one of the top dual threat guys in the FCS.
He throws for more than three hundred and twenty yards
two touchdowns, and he rushes thirty times for two hundred
yards and three touchdowns. So just a crazy good game
for him and a huge win for Youngstown State. They

(03:41):
were on a two game losing strake entering this game.
They lost to a couple of ranked opponents, but to
kind of get back on track here, I thought that
this was a crucial game for YSU to move back
into the rankings, move back into that playoff Pitcher, another
sit at four and three overall four and two versus
the FC. You lose this game and you're really up

(04:02):
against it for Youngstown State. So this is a massive
win for the Penguins.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Sam, obviously me and you were both Walter Payton voters.
How in the race do you think brun Guard is right? Now?
Just all for context to our listeners, sixteen hundred passing yards,
eleven passing touchdowns, only two interceptions, nine hundred and twenty
seven rushing yards and twelve rushing touchdowns Right now.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
Yeah, I think he's in that conversation for sure. You know,
how much does he separate himself from from some other people,
We'll have to see. But if he keeps on playing
like this, I think he's definitely going to rise in
his stock as far as this s Walter Payton Award,
and there's I mean, Cole Payton, you know, is a
leading candidate as well. But if Jerry Kaminski from you

(04:46):
and d if he continues to play like he has,
I think he's going to elevate himself as well. You know,
DJ Williams. You know, we'll see if he can kind
of get back on track. You know, Chase Mason is
still putting up nice numbers, and so that's a loaded
kind of race right there, just within the Missouri Valley
Football Conference. But then you factor in Tron Dickens, you
factor in Derek Robertson. You know, we'll see what his

(05:06):
injury status is. He did injury his don throwing shoulder
this last weekend. You know, Eli Gilman, and I mean
Montana has. You could argue that Ayad's Gilman and Michael
Wortham should all be on that finalist list to at
least have the option to vote for. So it's going
to be a crowded race. But I do think brunt
guard is is definitely in that conversation.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, listen, Me and you kind of talked about maybe
it's a two person race, and then all these other
guys keep emerging and putting themselves in the race. So
I don't, I don't and also I don't vow. I
don't look forward to having to make that decision at
the end of the year. Man, I'm hoping some people separate,
but my second game ball is going to go to Lamar. Now, Sam,
Me and you have been I would say lower on

(05:48):
the more than other people. I know because I pay
attention to what you do with voting as well. Me
and you were one of the last voters to kind
of jump on this Lamar bandwagon. We just want to like,
they beat South Dakote, they knock off Texas Southern, But
in the past few weeks minutes, like they've just been
scraping Bob against teams. They should really be putting away,
and I think for this UTRGV game, they were dominant

(06:11):
early and I finally was like, okay, they're checking that box.
Even though UTRGV is probably not a contender, that's a
game you should blow someone out. They lead early seventeen
to nothing, but then in the second half they just
something just fell apart there. Offensively, they let UTRGV back
into the game, they needed a fifty seven yard field
goal to win, got a game ceiling pick on that

(06:32):
last drive. But defensively, man, they're still playing really well.
They held UTRGV, who's had one of the better offenses
in the country, to one hundred and eighty nine total
yards three point four yards per play. They really shut
down Eddie Lee Marberger who's had a really good year,
and Adan McCowan finally kind of put together a complete performance,
say two hundred yards passing, two touchdowns, led the team

(06:53):
in rushing. So actually, even though the final score was
maybe not indicative of how good they were early, Lamar
just keeps finding ways to win Man six and one,
six and zero against THEFCS, So I had to give
them my game ball this week.

Speaker 1 (07:07):
Yeah, I think Lamar is definitely a rankable team. I
just I'm hesitant to move them up too much because
you look at the wins and the margin of wins
and the quality of opponents, Like, yeah, they keep on winning,
so you give them credit there, and but I don't
know where. I think I have them somewhere in my twenties.
But I mean I've seen, you know, some people have

(07:28):
them within their top fifteen. I'm not necessarily their just yet.
And you know, honestly, I was thinking about this earlier,
earlier this week. I actually think I might and this
is all personal opinion, I actually think the Coaches Poll
might be I don't want to say more accurate, because
how do you know which pole is accurate which is not.
But I'm in more agreement with the Coaches Poll this

(07:49):
year than the media poll, mostly because of two instances,
because for the most part, the teams are about the same,
and in fact, I'm pretty sure like the order of
teams are about the same as well, especially like the
top the top seven, and both poles are the same.
But I don't necessarily believe South Dakota is a rankable
team at this point, and the Coaches Poll does not

(08:10):
have South Dakota ranked while the media poll does, and
I absolutely believe that Southeastern Louisiana should be ranked. The
Coaches Poll has Southeastern Louisiana ranked number nineteen. Media Pole
does not have Southeastern Louisiana ranked, and I I'm not
sure why Southeastern isn't ranked. I mean, they're undefeated versus
the FCS. They do have two losses, but those are

(08:32):
to the FBS, to two FBS opponents. They beat UTR
GV much more comfortably than Lamar did, so I don't know.
I feel like Southeastern should definitely be ranked as well.
They're to me, they're I think they're better than Lamar.
That's just a personal opinion, but I mean both squads
are undefeated versus the FCS, so I think both squads
should be in the top twenty five poles.

Speaker 2 (08:54):
Yeah, I don't know why South Southeast Louisiana is not
getting the respect they deserve. I have them in my
top fifteen. Sam like, I'm higher on SLU than most
people because I look like maybe Tennessee Tech has played
a little bit of a tougher schedule, But what's the
real difference between their resume and Tennessee Tech's resume? Outside
of D one wins, which is mainly because Southeast Louisiana

(09:17):
played two FBS schools. I mean, would it be any
different if SLU was on everyone's radar in the preseason. Maybe,
but I definitely think they're better than the more And
the good thing about the Southland Conference we get to
kind of find out right they play in a few
weeks here, and that's gonna be a big determining factor
I think on the Southlands at large bits too. I

(09:37):
do think there's a path for two teams, and we'll
see if there's a path for three potentially. But my
last game ball here, Sam, We usually like the Swack
Race gets overlooked till the last week of the season
or toward the end of November. But I got to
give a shout out to Prayer View A and m Man.
They get my last game ball. They are in full
control of the Swack West right now. Sam twenty four

(09:58):
to three win over Southern, who ultimately fired their head
coach Terrence Graves earlier this week, but dominating performance held
Southern to lest than four yards per play. Cam Peters
played one of his better games of the season four
and zero. Right now in the Swack West under first
year head coach Tremaine Jackson. He came from Valdosta State,
where he was a winner. He's established in a winning

(10:18):
culture here for PV, and it looks like they potentially
could be on a collision path with Jackson State in
that Swack Championship. But PV has exceeded all expectations. Tremaine
told everybody he was going to build a winner, and
he's doing it year one right now.

Speaker 1 (10:32):
Yeah, I'll go two game balls in a row here.
You did your three right? Three?

Speaker 2 (10:37):
Yes? My bad?

Speaker 1 (10:38):
No, nope, all good, All good. My next game ball,
I'll give it to Tarleton States. I thought it's really
a statement performance this last week, and they beat West
Georgia forty five to ten. West Georgia was ranked number
twenty three in the Coach's Poll at the time. They
weren't ranked in the media poll. But still, you know,
in West Georgia has fallen out of the Coach's poll now,

(10:58):
but still all ranked went at the time for Tarlton
States and West Georgia did have their starting quarterback back,
so it's not like you know, they were down offensively
or anything like that. And on the flip side, you know,
Tarlton States. They enjoyed the return of some standout players.
Victor Cabalis came back. He threw for nearly two hundred
and seventy yards and three touchdowns. Trey Page running back,

(11:21):
he came back as well from injury. He rushed for
ninety two yards and one touchdown. And he was actually
like pretty limited in this carry, but he was still
still able to get nearly one hundred yards of rushing.
I think he's probably a top three candidate for the
Jerry Rice Award for being a top freshman in the FCS.
And then Cassius Currents standout defensive back. He also came back.

(11:41):
He got one and a half TFLs and an interception.
And so there's some teams that are trending the wrong
direction as far as you know the injury front, Tarlton
State is getting some guys back, and so to me,
I thought that was a statement win for them to
keep on adding to their playoff resume. And then my
last game ball, I'll give it to Villanova. They've won
four straight since losing to momth and that was a

(12:03):
rather decisive performance by mom. I thought they handled Villanova
pretty well in that game, but Villanova since then has
won four straight. They beat Hampton this last week and
fifty six to fourteen, and so Nova they're now five
and two overall, five and one versus the FCS. A
kind of a crazy stat this last game, Pat mcwade,
who's a transferred from Nickels, he threw five touchdown passes

(12:25):
to five different pass catchers on only ten completions and
thirteen attempts. So he was spreading the wealth there for
Villanova's offense. And you look at Nova going forward. Now,
the remaining games, you Albany, Towson, Stonybrook and Sacred Heart
probably should win all of those games. And it's interesting
that they elected to play eleven games when there was

(12:45):
an option to play twelve games. And so it's looking
if they handle business that they continue to play like
they have, most likely going to finish nine and two overall,
nine to one versus the FCS no ranked victories. So
I mean, I'm not saying they're going to have a
first round buy or anything like that, but you imagine
Villanova is going to be in the mix for a
top sixteen seed and be being able to to host

(13:08):
a first round game, and uh, you know they're they're
playing well. I don't know how much noise they're gonna make.
I still like Momoth is the best team in the CIA,
but you know, Mamath is likely going to be without
Derrick Robertson for hopefully a short period of time. It
is his non thrown shoulder that was you know, wrapped up.
We'll see what his status is. But I think Mamouth

(13:28):
and Villanova, you know, potentially could could make a tiny
bit of noise in the playoffs, you know, win a
first round game and then see what happens from there.

Speaker 2 (13:36):
Yeah, Villanova's always kind of been that team, Sam that's
able to win some playoff games, and so at least
they we know that they are able to compete in
the postseason. I know people are going to be pissed,
but it's look like the CAA is going to have
a few bids this year, and I know that. I
know there's a lot of people that are not going
to be happy. We already going to hear about the
unbalanced schedules and all that. But I agree with Villanova's

(13:56):
playing really well.

Speaker 1 (13:57):
Yeah. Roady's up there too, you know, as well as
a top c AA team.

Speaker 2 (14:01):
Yeah, Rody Momoth and Villanova are probably the three. The
question becomes can they get a fourth? I think William
and Mary weirdly is kind of emerging as that fourth
team potentially put in together some wins here recently, but
I'm not really sure if they're gonna have enough juice
to get that foward. But we'll see. I know people
are not gonna be happy if they get four, and
I don't really blame them there, but my last, well,

(14:23):
I guess my flag for this week is gonna go
to Idaho. Sam and I understand that they're missing their
starting quarterback, but this is now what four straight losses.
They're zero to three in the Big Sky now and
I lost an Eastern Washington team that has really struggled
all year is really unacceptable in year one. I mean

(14:43):
they've really struggled in key moments. Was one of five
on fourth down led to some success for Easter Washington's offense.
Nate Bell for Eastern Washington had an insane performance, Miles
Williams as well, But this team just lacks something. And
I do wonder Sam, because I understand their quarterbacks out,
but there were red flags with this team for at
least for me, even before they got into conference play,

(15:06):
and I distinct people kind of got blinded by those
close competitive games against FBS teams while overlooking the lackluster
performances against some overmatched FCS teams. And I just think
people kind of just just really ignored it. And I
think you're seeing it all come to fruition as they
lost their guy and Joshua Wood, who I think masked

(15:26):
some of their offensive struggles. And I just think this
team is on a really bad path right now. The
in the schedule doesn't necessarily get easier. You still got
to go to NAU, you still have UC Davis, you
have an emerging Sack State team on the road, and
then you got the dark horse of all dark horses,
Idaho States in the season, who has been really good
against against some of these top teams. You look at

(15:49):
how they push Montana, They pushed them FBS schools. So
I just wonder what the ceiling is now for Idaho,
especially if Wood is not able to return.

Speaker 1 (15:57):
Yeah my flag here, I'll give it to Appolin Christian
A tough team to figure out. A week ago, I
was saying like, hey, maybe they had, you know, an
argument to be in the top ten rankings of the
of the Playoff Committee because they were four and one
versus the FCS, they had three ranked wins. Well, then
you know, this last weekend they lose thirty one to
twenty four at Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds, they've been pesky,

(16:19):
you know, they've given some teams a scare and finally
that they do pull off that upset. But for Ablian
Christian this was a really really tough loss because they're
four and four overall, now four and two versus the FCS.
They do have three ranked wins SFA, Austin p and
West Georgia, but they also have two losses to unranked
teams UIW in Southern Utah, and that UIW performance is

(16:41):
even more head scratching after you know, seeing what UIW
continues to do and keep you know, they're losing some
games and so at four and four and four games remaining, Like,
I just don't know if a seven win team is
going to make the bracket this year. I suppose if
like if West George gets back into the rankings, like

(17:01):
a seven win Appling Christian team with three ranked wins, maybe,
but they would need a ton of bubble help to
really feel good about making the playoffs. ACU is going
to have to win out and that would mean beating
Tarleton State in a couple of weeks, and that is
at home, not this weekend, but the following weekends. That
is at home for ACU, it's their homecoming. They have

(17:21):
a bye week this week, so that's an extra week
to prepare for Tarleton State. And so that's a massive,
massive showdown next weekends and likely I must win for
abling Christian because after that, you trust them to beat
Utah Tech, you trust them to beat Central Arkansas. Eastern
Kentucky can be a tough opponent. But I think this
upcoming not this weekend, but the following weekend when they

(17:42):
host Tarlton State, a ton on the line there for
Abling Christian to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Speaker 2 (17:49):
Yeah, I think they had a path to be at seven.
But it's just their losses are so bad and you
wonder if because I mean just I don't want to
get two into this, but what could really hurt them
as like a Lamar going nine and three if they
lose to s l U S and s F A
a none win, Lamar is probably getting in, especially if

(18:11):
South Dakota's on the bubble because they would have the
head to head there, and I think a seven win
Valley team would probably go above them, right I would
imagine if Youngstown, Illinois State si U South Dakota are
seven and five and maybe they have one or two
ranked wins, They're most likely going to get the benefit
of the doubt over an Apple and Christian, whether it's

(18:33):
fair or not. So I just think they're in a really,
really tough place right now.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
Yeah, And I mean we'll see what the what the
UAC can do, because I mean there are a number
of bids might be might be going down now just
with that loss that appling Christian just suffered, and you
obviously have you have Tarleton State as well, And who's
going to be obviously in the playoffs in Austin p
is that is that four wins, But I mean they
have one, two, three, four, They have five games remaining,

(19:00):
one of them is against you know, Tarleton State, and
so I think Austin p probably should should be, you know,
in the playoffs. But they also recently got upset by
Eastern Kentucky and and so we'll see if the UC
keeps on beating up on each other, possibly could could
cost him some playoff bids. Here all right, now to
the the preview section here, spend a lot of our

(19:22):
time on number one NDSU, going to number two South,
got of State to Coda marker game a ton on
the line. It will be Saturday night on ESPNU. I
was hoping it could get on ESPN two, but just
for viewership's sake, but it will be on ESPNU. I
think the the top storyline going into this game has

(19:43):
changed a bit, because now the top storyline is is
Chase Mason going to play or not? He suffered pretty
sure an ankle from what I've gathered in ankle injury
this last weekend against Murray State, I'm pretty sure from
what I also what I've gathered, he suffered that ankle
injury before his touchdown run. So it happened earlier on
in the drive and then you know, a few plays later,

(20:05):
however much it was he runs in for a rushing
touchdown and he kind of I mean, he jogs off
the field, but it was, you know, a bit hobbled,
and so I guess, on one hand, it's encouraging that
he played through that ankle injury. For you know a
small amount of plays and they taped it up on
the sideline. He wanted to go back in. South Gota
State decided, Hey, let's just let's just hold you out. Obviously,

(20:26):
this week, South Gota State is saying he's day to day.
You know, we're hopeful he'll play. He wants to play,
loves this school, wants to play in this rivalry, all
of that, But they're not going to say, uh, yeah,
for sure he's playing. So we probably won't know his
status until we see him warming up an hour or
so before the game. I would guess he's going to play.
But I think that's a big storyline coming into this one,

(20:47):
is Chase Mason get a player or not. And I
mean that's a true difference maker because if he doesn't play,
like Marble was decent last week for a red shirt freshman,
But if Mason doesn't play, I mean, it's not impossible
for South Goes State to get a win, but it
would be a very very slim chance for the Jacks
to pull off a win if Mason is indeed sidelined.

Speaker 2 (21:10):
Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and predict that he plays.
I mean, if Mason is anything above fifty percent. I
just don't see how you don't trot them out here
and just give him a shot, right, and then if
he's too banged up in the offense is stagnant and
you could tell that he that he's holding the offense back,
then you make a move. Potentially. I think that would
that would be my prediction at least right now. And
like you said, why would you give North Dakota State

(21:31):
any information make him doubtful if anything? Right, Like, I
don't want you to know anything. And I did see
where they made their practices closed to the media, so
like you're not going to get any information out of
that program. And I love it, that's part of that's
what makes this robbery so great. But I will say,
like I'm with you, I if Mason plays, I do
think this game could be competitive and we can see

(21:54):
this robbery game that we've been so excited to see
since week one. Right, we've talked about this being the
game of the year all year kind of figured, especially
after South Dakota State beat Montana State, that this is
gonna be a one versus two matchup barring and unexpected upset.
But as good as good as Maryville played, I just
don't know if the upside is there, Sam, because and
this is no shot at Murray State. But looking okay

(22:16):
against Murray State is not the same as it's looking
decent or good against this North Dakota State defense, which
has been elite this year. And I do wonder if
he does play like let's just say Mason is out,
is South Dakota State going to be able to lean
on the run game enough to make to just get
him some comfortable play action looks to keep North Dakota

(22:38):
State from just pinning the ears back and saying we're
gonna make this kid extremely uncomfortable in the pocket. And
then you look on the other side, with this North
Dakota State offense, you're going, you know, you're gonna have
to score some points. Do you trust him to lead
this offense to go score? Probably? I mean, what would
you expect him. I think you have to at least
get over twenty four in this game, I mean, but

(22:59):
potentially not if not thirty, because I know the defense
is good for South Dakota State, but it's really tough
to hold this North Dakota State offense down. And so
do you do you trust him to do that, and
then also to the number one receiver for South Dakota
State played last week, right, I think Okrosky got a
handful of snaps, but he's been battling his own injury.

(23:19):
So do you have you might not even have your
starting quarterback or a true wide receiver one that's one
hundred percent. And so there is so many question marks here,
but I do think it's safe to say Mason's going
to go out there. The question just becomes Sam, is
he one hundred percent? And if he's not, how does
that change to play calling for South Dakota State? Because
we know Mason is a runner. He can be used

(23:42):
in so many different ways. When plays break down, you
trust him to get out of the pocket. If he's
not one hundred percent, is he a statue in the pocket?
And do you have to change your play calling based
on that?

Speaker 1 (23:52):
Yeah, because we haven't. I mean, most people know that
Chase Mason is an excellent runner. That's how he was
utilized in previous seasons, but we haven't really seeing that
unleashed this year, and party wonders, like you know, are
they just kind of saving him and saving that for
the NDSU game And these last couple of games. Actually,
we've seen Mason utilize more in goal line situations. You know,

(24:15):
that's something that they pulled out just because they did
have some red zone issues and so just utilizing Chase
Mason as a runner in you know, in goal line situations,
we've seen that more of. But even if he does
play and like you said, he is limited mobility wise,
you know, that could change some things. I do think
South Goda State's offensive line has done pretty well in

(24:35):
pass protection. They are providing clean pockets and they probably
have a couple of future pros at tackle and Christensen
and Hagen. It's the interior of the offensive line for
South Kota State that I think is is maybe a
cause for concern just because they're they're inexperience, they're they're
a bit younger. There are times when they've really taken
over the game and have dominated, like the second half

(24:56):
against Youngstown States, but there are other times when they
just allow you know, a little bit too much, a
little too much penetration. And it seems like South Gota
State wants to, you know, kind of have a bit
more you know, stretch run style rather than downhill and
I think a part of that maybe you know, maybe
they don't necessarily believe they can get the push up front,
but there seems to be a lot of whether it's

(25:19):
the defensive lines or doing some stunting or just some
linebackers kind of slicing through. It seems like they do
allow a good amount of a good amount of penetration
and you know that is a concern when you're going
up against an NBSU defensive line who is is really
really good. And I think the Bison will likely be
without Jackson Duton Hutfer. He suffered a scary looking head

(25:41):
slash neck injury this last weekend where they had to
bring the card out. You know, the ambulance brought him
off the field, but he was shown later and later
on that he was kind of standing on the sidelines.
He did have kind of what looked like a not
a neck brace, but kind of something you know, around
his neck there. So you know, good to see that
the injury isn't you know, that that serious that he

(26:03):
was back up and walking around in all that, But
probably a bit of a book turnaround for him to
suit up this weekend and so you know, the depth
of ENDUS used defensive line will definitely be be tested here.
And I'm also curious if you flip that around, like
obviously in a game like this, like who wins in
the trenches is going to be a you know, that's
going to be a major deciding factor in this game.

(26:25):
And South Goroa State's D line is is legit, Like
I think they're one of the better d lines in
the FCS, and they're doing it without Reece Kirshman, who
is you know, I would say probably their top defensive
end coming into this year. He's been out since the
Montana State game. I believe it was a season ending shoulder,
you know, upper arm, you know, injury. But they've looked

(26:46):
really good this year, and I think ndus u's offensive
line has been playing pretty solid. But there are times
where the opposing defensive line has actually gotten a decent
pass rush on endu's offensive line, including this last week.
And I thought Indiana State colaps the pocket pretty well,
but Cole Payton is so good at escaping that pressure
and even if you get a hand on him, usually

(27:07):
that's not good enough to bring him down. So I
am curious on the opposite side of the ball as
well as see how and you just use offensive line
stacks up against this South Goota State defensive line.

Speaker 2 (27:17):
Yeah, that's going to be the key to the game.
In my opinion is I do think South Dakota State
is going to be able to get some pressure on
Cole Payton. The question is going to be Listen, I
love the linebacking corps and I think South Dakota State
probably has the best linebacking corps in the country. You
look at Shane Olman van told when he gets out

(27:37):
of the pocket. Are they going to be able to
make open field tackles. That's the biggest question to me
in this game, because Sam, I look back at that
Illinois State game, there were multiple times where they collapse
the pocket and and we're greating coverage. You know what happened?
He did? Cole Payton just made the dude miss and
then guess what, it was a twenty yard run and

(27:57):
it just so deflating in those moments, and you know,
you play good defense, you just didn't execute well. And
so the question becomes is which one of those linebackers
do you trust and do you trust athleticism versus athleticism
to make those open field tackles and not let Cole
Pate get out of the pocket, I would imagine maybe
it's Van told because I do really like his game

(28:18):
and I do think he's he's a freak athlete exactly,
so you can kind of match up size wise with them.
But then also too for the defensive line, you have
to make sure to stay disciplined in your pass rush lanes,
because the one thing that I think is a little
bit underrated with Cole Payton is he's so good at
just he's he creates such bad angles for defenders as well,

(28:40):
and so you have to force him to escape the
pocket in certain directions. If he can get out and
just freestyle, I do think sam he can make it
where even if Van Tol's imposition, he could just adjust
the pocket and make a play and put Mantold in
a bad position to take a bad angle. And if
you if you take a bad angle in col Payton,
it could be six. And so that's that to me,

(29:01):
is the matchup to watch his Stsu's linebackers versus Cole
Payton in the open field, because if you allow him
to make plays off of broken plays in Dsu's office
becomes even more lethal than it already is.

Speaker 1 (29:12):
Yeah, those linebackers are very, very good, and they're all
either juniors or sophomores, and so if they they stick together,
I think they could be even better next season. And yeah,
I think you know McShane is he's probably going to
have the statistics and also the splash plays as well
to get on some All American lists. And then yeah,
Chase fan Tola, I think is is he's kind of

(29:33):
like I always forget it is it Stallbird right, kind
of their their slot linebacker from a couple of years ago.
He kind of reminds me of him as far as
how flexible you can be with him where you don't
necessarily have to put a fifth defensive back, you know,
in in passing situations because he can cover you know,
out in the flats or in the slot too, and
so that is a luxury to have defensively for for

(29:56):
South Dakota State, you know, to me in this in
this matchup, it seems like or most of this season
like this was number one versus number two, but it
seemed like like maybe DSU it's just a bit of head,
it's just a bit ahead of everyone else, just because
like Montana State had a couple of chopping performances. You know,
Montana's needed some comeback wins. You know, South Dakota State.

(30:17):
Even in some of these games where they've won decisively,
it was you know, there were spurts of the game
where the offense was just kind of you know, spinning
its tires and not really getting going, whether it was
against Northern Iowa or this last week and against Murray State. Meanwhile,
NDSU just looked like such a buttoned up operation. It
was just running so smoothly these last few weeks, though

(30:39):
two or three games, like NUSU has had some slower
starts where you know, Illinois State kept it close at halftime,
Southern Illinois kept it pretty close up until halftime. Even
Indiana State, what was that like ten to seven, fourteen
to ten, fourteen seven, something like that at halftime. Then
the long weathered lay hit this last week and then
NUSU rolled from there has been some slower starts for NDSU,

(31:03):
where like it still kind of feels like maybe there's
a small gap between NDSU and everyone else just based
off of what you've seen, But at the same time,
judging from these last few weeks, you go, okay, well,
maybe there is you know a little bit of areas
there where you know NDSU has been quote unquote exposed
where they have had slower starts, which makes this, you know,

(31:24):
match up a bit more intriguing.

Speaker 2 (31:26):
Yeah, you got to start fast and also too, I
think for North Dakota State, it's it's the biggest thing
that I'm looking for here is can they continue not
to turn the football over? Because that is something that
South Dakota State has done well, is forced turnovers, especially
in the secondary. I believe it's Jalen Lee Man. He's
had a really really good yea. I think he leads
the team and picks all their linebackers, can can can

(31:50):
forest turnovers as well Isaiah Isaiah Johnson as well as
a guy I'm looking at. So so the question is
also can South Dakota State get some extra possessions and
also to canse South Dakota State for the football because
you look at all these games, especially the last two
with Southern Illinois and Indiana State, the game was close
until wins, until the other team started turning the football

(32:10):
over and getting in the issue short fields, and this
offense is too good for that. I think it's really
imperative for both teams to protect the football here, particularly
South Dakota State as well, because NDSU's offense is so
good if you give them extra possessions are going to
make you pay. Because they're just so good. You can't
expect your defense to hold them down forever because they're

(32:31):
going to get their plays. It's just can you limit
the explosive plays that they generate, especially in the passing game,
because Cole Payton's been so good.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
Yeah, he's taking care of the ball incredibly well. And
he threw his first interception this last weekend that was
that was off a tip. And yeah, like you said,
South Cota State has been very opportunistic. You know, their
their secondary grabbing a whole lot of interceptions, So those
those windows will get a whole lot tighter for Cole Payton.
And also, you know on the flip side too, I'm
just you know, again, I'm going to say this, assuming
Chase Mason plays again, we don't know that for sure,

(33:00):
but you know, he's going to have to take care
of the ball as well. And you know there's a
lot of throws that he's made that maybe aren't highlight
reel plays because they're you know, twelve yard completions, but
he fits the ball into some windows where you go, Okay,
if any other FCS quarterback throws that it's knocked down
or it's picked off, like he does have that type
of zip on it, he can absolutely whistle it. But again,

(33:23):
just like Cole Peyton versus South, go to State's defense,
Chase Basin versus the nbscu's defense, Like those those cornerbacks
are going to close a lot quicker, and those windows
are you know, are going to be a lot smaller,
and NBC is probably going to try to bait them,
you know, into into some of the into into some
of those throws where they feel like they can make
a play on the ball. So like special teams, turnovers,
winning the line of scrimmage, others are all going to

(33:44):
be massive keys in this game. We won't get predictions
jes yet, but I did want to ask you where
I mean marginal victory probably plays a big part in this,
But how far would you expect to drop the loser
in your rank to whoever loses this game? How far
do you think they would drop?

Speaker 2 (34:04):
I've really I've been saying this all week. I think
it depends on how it looks. I would expect this
to be a competitive game, like if we get the
type of game where it's like a last second play
and like the playoff game the past year, where like
I mean, what was it twenty eight, twenty one, I think,
or even like the thirteen nine game last year. I
didn't drop the loser last year, which is also a
one v two matchup. I don't think you dropped the

(34:27):
loser any at all. If it's super competitive. The issue
is last year, I think these were the clear number
one and number two teams. The problem is is that
you have you have like a good argument for Montana
or Charlton to be there. You have Montana State last year.
I guess maybe, but at that point, I mean, I

(34:48):
think I think voters were kind of torn on that.
But for me, if it's competitive, I don't drop them.
But if someone gets blown out, then we're gonna have
to kind of I'm gonna have to go back and
look at the resumes. But the hardest thing for voters, Sam,
I think for me is is if South Dakota State
gets blown out and Mason doesn't play, what do you

(35:08):
do with South Dakota State?

Speaker 1 (35:10):
Yeah? Yeah, I mean that's tough you could in that scenario,
you can argue maybe moving you know whoever. It is like,
if you want to move Montana ahead, may potentially even
Tarleton State, but you can still keep South Kota State
ahead of Montana State due to the head to head.
And yeah, there's a lot at play there, especially if

(35:32):
Chase Mason doesn't play. And yeah, I do think style
of win slash style of loss we'll play a factor
in this. I do expect it to be a close game,
and so the losers shouldn't drop too much. I do
wonder if, like, let's say South Kota State wins, I
could see them being both in the top two just
because South Kota State moves up and you Sue drops back.
I think some voters, you know, some voters sometimes have

(35:56):
trouble with like if a team loses, like you kind
of feel the need like, okay, I got to move
them back, like somehow, some way, right, Like I can't
just keep the team here. So I feel like if
South Goota State loses, for me, if it's a close game,
I'll probably still keep them number two. But I could
see other voters being like, well, the Jack's lost, Like
I have to move them behind whoever I have at three,
whether it's Montana or whether it's Harlton State, And so

(36:18):
potentially I could see if South Goota State were to lose,
them dropping to three. But if NBSU were to lose,
I could see NASU just droppingto two. South got To
State goes to one. So they're pretty much just kind
of kind of flip flopping spots there.

Speaker 2 (36:31):
The hard part is is we've seen other teams with injuries,
and this is where I think it would be hard
for me because let's just say Mason doesn't play in
as close It's easy to keep them up there, right
because if they they compete with with Luca quarterback, well man,
if they had Chase Mason healthy, obviously they would have competed.
But let's just say, I mean, let's just say worst
case scenarios and they lose by like twenty thirty points

(36:53):
if Luke plays, how do you not drop them behind
Tarlton who scored forty plus points in every single game
about their starting quarterback for weeks now. And obviously they
didn't play a team like NDSU, but that's still a
that's still a bad loss, like a blowout loss, and
you didn't even look competitive in it. You have to
give the edge to the team that found a way
to keep winning with their starting quarterback, right.

Speaker 1 (37:16):
Yeah, there's definitely an argument for that for sure.

Speaker 2 (37:19):
So that's that's where it gets tough. And that's why
I'm really hoping Mason Mason plays and also to I
just like to see good football, man. Like it was.
It was just horrible to see because we've been hyping
this matchup up for like three weeks now, and it's like, man,
all they got to do is get past these two teams.
They should walk past, right with Indiana State and Murray
State shouldn't even be competitive, and both of them suffer

(37:40):
key injuries, and obviously Mason was a major one at quarterback,
and it's like, man, we couldn't get this matchup fully
healthy because we were on track to have by far
the best matchup, especially with how good the Montana State
STSU matchup was earlier this year. That's the level of
the matchup we were expecting, and I'm just hoping that
injury doesn't keep us from seeing that game.

Speaker 1 (37:59):
Yeah. A couple more, a few more highlight games here.
Number four, Montana goes to Sacramento State. This is a
Friday night game, it's going to be on ESPN two.
I expect an awesome atmosphere here. Sax State this last
weekend drew over twenty thousand people for that game. I
believe it was their their homecoming game, I believe, and

(38:19):
so that that always helps to draw bigger crowds. But
with this being a Friday night game on ESPN two,
you would expect a really good crowd as well. And
there's more going into this game with some you know,
off the field stuff as far as sax State's president.
During halftime, he cut like a WWE style promo kind of.
I mean, he was joking around obviously, but he was

(38:40):
still you know, kind of taking swipes at Montana and
calling them the Pandas and saying they haven't played anybody,
you know, which is interesting because Montana beat cal Poly
by like eighteen points and cal Poly beat Sacramento State,
and then Bobby Hauk was asked about it during his
press conference and called sax State's president's you know, a clown,
you know, and then you know, saying you know, other

(39:01):
stuff too, And so there's just a bit more intensity
to this game than what we thought and I do
think the Griz have a good shot to go undefeated
up until the Brawl of the Wild when they play
Montana State that is at home from Montana and so
that that's kind of a favorable been super favorable in
that rivalry whoever is the home team. But I feel

(39:22):
like the Grizz have a good shot to go undefeated
until then. If they were going to trip up, it
seems the most likely spot might be at sax State
because you feel like the Hornets are going to put
a whole lot into this game. At the same time,
like though, like I don't know what sax State has
done to give me confidence in them winning this game.
I mean, losing the cal Poly needing, you know, comeback

(39:44):
to beats a much better Northern Colorado team, but you know,
still you need to come back like like that. You
don't compete well with South Gota State. They lost in Nevada,
who is not good, and I know that's a an
FBS opponent, but that's Nevada's only win this year. So
I don't know. I think sax State's gonna have to
play its best game of the year for sure to
get this win.

Speaker 2 (40:05):
Yeah, I don't think It's a good matchup for them,
and I think it has a lot has to do
with the quarterback struggles and also too as well as
the defensive line as played. The defense overall as a
unit hasn't been great. And I love Hawa Yacht's playing man.
He's one of the most improved players in the country.
And you mentioned you had Gilman and you and you

(40:26):
have warth them and the defense is coming along. So
I'm really really impressed in Montana. I actually like them
to win this one big. And I made a joke
on this show earlier this week, Sam that we complained
about Eli Gilman not getting enough carries, Bobby might try
to run up the score, so we might actually see
Eli Gilman get like thirty carries this weekend, which is
which is amazing to see.

Speaker 1 (40:48):
Yeah, yeah, for sure. A couple more games here. Ranked
matchup would be Illinois State goes to South Dakota. I
think this is a major game for both to positioned
themselves well in the playoffs. I'm not there just yet.
On the Yoats, you know, they do have a decent record.
They have had three wins in a row since their

(41:10):
loss to NDSU, but none of those wins have necessarily
moved the needle, and none of those performances they have
moved the needle for me just yet. But South Dakota's
last four games are all against ranked opponents, and so
this is a crucial stretch for South Dakota. Illinois State
will be without their standout wide receiver Daniel Soopkowitz. That's
a tough loss for them because he's a major major

(41:32):
part of that offense. And Illinois State is coming off
of that upset loss to Youngstown State. So this is
a huge opportunity for Illinois State to get back on track.
And then one more is Tarleton State going to Eastern Kentucky.
You know, maybe a bit of shine has been taken
off of this one because Eastern Kentucky just lost to
North Alabama. But you know, a week before that, they

(41:54):
beat ranked Austin p at home and EKU has a
or eight game home winning streaks something like that, so
they do play well at home. So this is a
great test for Taroton State. It's not gonna jump off
of their playoff resume like, oh, we got to win
at Eastern Kentucky like that's not that might not move
the needle a whole lot for voters or the playoff committee.

(42:14):
But I do think just with how well e KU
plays at home, this is a good test for for
Tarleton State, and if they keep on dominating their opponents
for the most part, like style of win, uh does
does play a role in how the playoff committee kind
of views you. So that's another bit maybe off the
rate our game that I'm intrigued with.

Speaker 2 (42:34):
Yeah, both of those are huge games. I still kind
of expect Tarlton State to roll. They've been really, really good,
and now with them getting healthy, man, you're finally starting
to see the true potential of this team. Everybody kind
of hit the panic button with them, other fans and such,
and it's like, let's just just just take a deep breath.
They're really banged up now, and they just kept finding
ways to win. And you mentioned that South Dakota Illinois

(42:55):
State game. That hey game has massive playoff implications potentially,
and I'm very excited to see it. I'm I would
not be surprised of an upset here, Sam. I know
they haven't been super impressive. I don't think they should
be ranked. I still don't have South Dakota ranked, but
they have been playing better, they can run the football. LJ.
Phillips has been outstanding, and I do wonder at home

(43:16):
if they can make that a low possession game to
the clock and limit possessions for Tommy Brittenhouse, who's been
playing really, really well, if that game couldn't get very,
very tricky for Illinois State.

Speaker 1 (43:27):
Yeah, the Redbirds haven't played well defensively this year, so
I feel like maybe there's an opportunity there for South Dakota,
who hasn't really been impressive offensively either of this year.
They're kind of grinding out victories, but you know, it
could be a bit of a get Rights. They're not
a get Right, but getting some good momentum on the
side of South Dakota to go on to run here

(43:48):
and get back into the rankings and get back onto
more ballots for them from multiple voters. So we will
wrap it up there. I will be back next week.
Should be a really fun weekend here with some massive showdown,
So we'll be back next week to talk all about that.
Until then, thank you everyone for listening, and we'll catch
you guys on the Flippity Flip