Last week was a rough week, not only did I get two games wrong, I got the scores way off in every game as well so I'm determined to do better this week. I put in more effort and brought back a feature from last year that will hopefully give me an edge in the game of the week. But let's talk about last week first. Crown... Where were you two weeks ago when I picked you over the Eagles? Iowa Wesleyan, I thought we had a connection, but I just don't know what to think anymore... This week has a lot of evenly matched games (besides Greenville-MacMurray) and I am excited to see what the outcomes will be. Actually, I take that back, I already know what the outcomes will be - read on to find out what is in store for this weekend.
Minnesota-Morris @ Westminster- Last week, both teams gave up a lot of points, 50 to Northwestern and 42 to Eureka. I don’t see this week being any different for these two teams and it should be a high scoring affair. The teams matchup well against each other as the Cougars boast one of the best passing games in the UMAC but Westminster’s defensive backs have a knack for getting to the ball and knocking it away or picking it off. Westminster may be able to take advantage of the Cougars on the ground just as Northwestern did last week and Plassmeyer seemed to remember how to throw last week so I think the Blue Jays will have a slight edge in this one. Westminster 38 Minnesota-Morris 34
Eureka @ Martin Luther- Even though Eureka has been one of the best teams in the UMAC this year, I wouldn’t count this as an easy win for them. There is something about Martin Luther that makes it a tough place to play and the Knights (like most teams) play better at home. However, when facing the top half of the UMAC this year, Martin Luther has struggled to score, as against Greenville and Northwestern. The Red Devils defense is tough and I don’t expect Luke Rothe to run all over them like he did with Iowa Wesleyan last week. This game will be close but I expect the Red Devils to have the upper hand. Eureka 35 Martin Luther 26
Greenville @ MacMurray- After a somewhat close call last week for Greenville, I have faith this week will not be so close. Crown’s defense performs well at home, while MacMurray’s defense hasn’t really performed no matter where they’ve played. Greenville’s offense averages 41.8 points and 348 yards rushing per game while the Highlanders’ defense gives up 40.4 points and 270.6 rushing yards per game. As you can see, there shouldn’t be too much in the way of the Panthers rushing attack this weekend. I can see Brendan Chambers coming out of the game by the end of the third quarter as the game gets out of hand for MacMurray. Greenville 56 MacMurray 13
Crown @ Iowa Wesleyan- Last week we had some uproar from some players whose game I had picked as the “Game of the Weak”. But really you shouldn't be too offended, it is just a play on words I use when two of the bottom five teams are matched up against each other. I don’t actually think you are weak. I’m sure you can bench press and squat much more than me… But anyways, this week features one of those matchups as the Crown Storm rolls into town against the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers. Crown finally gets a break from playing the top half of the conference and I believe they take advantage of it. Crown 34 Iowa Wesleyan 28
Game of the Week
St. Scholastica @ Northwestern- Besides the implications of this game and the rivalry they seem to have, this game is an interesting matchup on paper. It pits the UMAC’s second ranked running game in St. Scholastica (277 yards per game) against the top ranked run defense in Northwestern (78 yards per game). The Saints have the top ranked pass defense and Northwestern QB Jacob Fletcher will have to be wary of DBs Mike LaValley, Alec French, and Jake Turkowski who are some of the best, if not the best in the conference at their positions. If Fletcher can avoid those costly first-year starter mistakes that he seems to be free of so far this year, the Eagles can keep their playbook open and keep the Saints’ defense guessing. Unless St. Scholastica’s RBs Jake Jensen and Chris Gassert can break through the Eagles stout front seven, they will struggle offensively. Because this is a big game, I decided to bring back the keys to the game from last year.
Northwestern:
1. Stop their run game. The defensive line/linebackers need to contain the St. Scholastica running backs and limit the long runs.
2. Have fewer turnovers than St. Scholastica. They don’t make a lot of mistakes offensively so you must hold onto the ball and make smart decisions offensively.
3. Keep the playbook open. Don’t be afraid to pull out any plays you have been saving for later. The Saints defense is very well coached and unless you can stay one step ahead of them, they will be on you all day.
St. Scholastica:
1. Get after Northwestern QB Jacob Fletcher. He hasn’t made a lot of mistakes this year, but against Eureka he made errors due to pressure that ended up costing the Eagles the game.
2. Throw the ball. Northwestern’s defensive backs and pass defense is their weak spot. Get your receivers the ball.
3. Force turnovers. Rip the ball, jump the routes, and do whatever else you can do to take the ball away from their offense. You can expect them to take some back too as their defense leads the conference in turnovers forced.
This will be a very even matchup, with lots of defense, and a battle for field position. It could go either way, but I believe my pick is the correct choice. Northwestern 21 CSS 17
not a css fan (greenville player) but northwestern is not going to win this one
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