The flags are waiving, and the sun is shining here in beautiful Brookings, S.D., site of today’s Missouri Valley Football Conference championship.
Both No. 3 SIU (7-1, 6-0) and No. 9 South Dakota State (7-1, 6-0) have one league game remaining after today, but will decide the conference title today in about 84 minutes. The winner of today’s 1 p.m. game earns the league’s automatic bid to the Football Championship Subdivision and at least a share of the title.
SIU has reached the playoffs six straight seasons and will probably make it seven regardless if it loses today. SDSU has made the postseason only ONCE in 111 years of football. That’s not a misprint. Just motivation.
“(SIU) is not giddy about this and looking ahead,” SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. “They understand what it takes to win the next game, and win the next game and get into the playoffs. We’ve told our players it’s 1-0. You’ve gotta line up, and you gotta play Jackrabbits football. You’ve set these goals, and they’re in front of you right now, and it doesn’t change. You’ve gotta play your best football. They’re all kids. We’ll see how they react.”
Lennon, the vet of the postseason, said it was still Game No. 9, but added there is definitely added significance with his first goal of the season on the tee.
“This is what you work hard for and spend the whole season that’s significant at the end of the season, where everything is somewhat at stake,” Lennon said. “It’s Game No. 9 for us, and we have two games after that. This is bigger than the normal game, but we still need to prepare the same way and keep everything in perspective.”
From my perspective, these two teams couldn’t be more similar if Thomas O’Brien was still the quarterback for the Jacks. Senior Ryan Crawford ruins a bit of it, but, both teams are in the top 10 in the country in scoring defense, both have rushers in the top 10 nationally, and both are in the top three in the MVFC in rushing defense. Both average more than 28 points per game. They are tied in turnover margin (plus-9), and both are in the top three in sacks and sacks allowed.
The only difference is SDSU’s knack for the red zone. As in keeping teams out of it. Only 11 times have the Jackrabbits faced a team in the red zone. Only SEVEN have scored anything. All seven were touchdowns. Somehow, SDSU got one turnover and has been able to thwart a field goal the other three times. Maybe they missed. Maybe they were blocked. Either way, that’s amazing, for any division.
I expect SIU to pull out this victory, somehow. I think the Salukis have better athletes, overall, and will find a way to break off some big plays. I see Deji Karim breaking a few tackles and scampering for an 80-yard score right now. I see SDSU throwing a pick - which would be SIU’s 17th of the season - and scoring off it. I don’t see the Salukis being able to have a lot of long scoring drives. Maybe one. Maybe two. But not three.
We’ll see. How do you think today’s game will play out?