It is not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up again. That has to be the mantra for the North Dakota State football team as they look to recover from the loss last Saturday against SDSU. The Bison take a trip to Macomb to take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks.
The Leathernecks come into the contest with an identical record as the Bison, 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Valley. The game pits the teams setting third and fourth in the Missouri Valley standings. The Bison enter ranked fourth in the nation, with the Leathernecks sitting at No. 11.
Good news for the Bison: Leatherneck quarterback Sean McGuire has not run much this year. SDSU quarterback Taryn Christion ran for 141 yards against the Bison last week, but McGuire has run for a gain of 141 all year. The Bison defensive front will be looking to find the form they had before the SDSU game, when they averaged less than 40 yards rushing allowed.
Once again, the young Bison secondary will be tested. Western Illinois wide receiver Lance Lenior averages 126.5 yards per game. He is the top target of quarterback McGuire, who throws for 259.8 yards per game.
To make the task harder for the Bison secondary, they may be missing a key player. Jalen Wimbush was diagnosed with a concussion last week. His availability is unknown going into the game.
Another missing player will be Bruce Anderson. The sophomore back reinjured his ankle on Saturday, and will not be available for the trip.
This means that Ty Brooks will continue to take over on kick returns. Brooks has impressed head coach Chris Klieman so far this year.
“He is always trying to improve; he is an explosive athlete,” Klieman said.
Brooks took two returns last week, averaging 19 yards, and will also take over for Bruce on the offense as well if needed.
The running game looks to rebound after a day of struggles against the Jackrabbits. No running back had a run longer than seven yards during the game. Easton Stick was the biggest rusher, with a run of 26 yards being the longest of the day.
Perhaps the biggest issue for the Bison was their performance in the final quarter. The offense struggled to 18 yards in the fourth, a quarter the Bison had dominated previously.
The defense will also look to get off the field quicker, as the Jackrabbits won the time of possession battle. The Leathernecks average over 34 minutes with the ball. The Bison have only been out possessed once all year.
To accomplish this, expect a large dose of King Frazier and Lance Dunn on the ground. The Bison look to get back to winning ways and the style of play that goes with it.