The Bears come to town for a Missouri Valley matchup
The matchup between the Bison and the Bears won’t end the Bison’s win streak.
This Saturday, the NDSU football team will be hosting the Missouri State Bears. This will be the Bison’s third conference matchup, and fans of the green and gold should expect much excitement from this upcoming game.
The Herd is still rolling on their impressive 27 game win streak, and it doesn’t look like this weekend’s game against the Bears is going to make it end. Last November, the Bison crushed Missouri State 49-7, and just last week, the University of South Dakota beat them 45-10.
Missouri State is currently 4th in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 1-1 conference record and a 1-4 overall record. Their single victory came against a currently 0-6 Western Illinois.
Thus far in this season, the Bears have allowed twice as many points as they’ve scored even though they’ve gotten 99 first downs compared to their opponents 97. 58 of their first downs have come through the air which is definitely the strong part of their game.
They’ve already gotten 1208 passing yards, an average of 241.6 per game and 10.6 per play. They’ve also scored 10 touchdowns through the passing game. The Herd will definitely have to watch out for the Bear’s gunslinger QB, Peyton Husling, and his favorite weapon number 29, Tyler Currie.
Passing heavily outweighs their run game. Missouri State has only reached 368 yards this season which comes out to about 75 yards a game. This has only resulted in two rushing touchdowns.
This is compared to the 16 rushing touchdowns they’ve allowed. The Bison will definitely be able to use this weakness to their advantage, so fans should expect a lot of rushing yards from Trey Lance and Ty Brooks.
The biggest problem that NDSU will face this game is themselves. With this matchup expected to be a blowout, it will be important for the young team not to get ahead of themselves and approach it like they would any game.
However, it should be the hope of Bison fans they take this opportunity to gets some rotations in of backup players as well as some new plays and concepts while also playing conservatively to avoid injury.
This week’s game will also mark the 29th Tree Bowl. A once-a-season game, sponsored by the North Dakota Forestry Service, that encourages Bison fans to dig out their green gear to wear to the game rather than the usual yellow.
Be sure to catch the game right here in Fargo, ND, and if you’re going to the game, make sure to wear your green for the Tree Bowl.