What a great day for a football! The second weekend in November could have been turrible weather, but it wasn't. It was an absolutely beautiful day. In fact, I may have gotten a little sun burnt - but I will take it over the alternative! And the Bearcats finally decided to show up after a two week absence. And to top it all off - when the Regional Rankings came out, Northwest ended up being seeded #5 which gives them a chance to avenge their loss to the Griffins two weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have gotten a bye, or be hosting a game this weekend - but if NW have to travel, I would prefer to go to Bearcat Stadium South and knock the Griffons out of the Play Offs!
Last Weeks Recap:
Now that is the kind of game that I expect the Bearcats to play. That was a much improved effort from both sides of the ball. NW scored on almost every possession. They did have two turnovers, but both of those were rather odd. One was a tipped ball that bounced off the defender, but he managed to pick it out of the air, the other was more like a pitch that was bobbled and ended up right in the defenders lap. Like I said, both were rather odd. Other than those possessions, NW scored in all but two. Considering going into this game ESU had averaged 3.5 take aways per game, I'm happy with only 2.
I was very impressed with the offense last week. I think that they got in a rhythm and kept it flowing. ESU did a good job of disrupting that rhythm at the beginning of the game. Northwest went 3 & Out on their second possession and on their third they turned the ball over. But the Bearcats responded by scoring the next five times they touched the ball in the first half! NW found success running the ball - to the tune of 349 yards. Which was the most of the year so far. My guess for the reason for the coaches to keep running the ball like they did was two fold... 1) it was working 2) to get ready all the more real game reps before the play offs. With Jake Soy and Tyler Shaw still not being 100%, the run game becomes all the more important. Trevor Adams didn't just hand off the ball all day, he did do a pretty good job of throwing the ball. He got 254 yards passing in 18 passes. I personally think Adams greatest skill is spreading the ball around. Adams hit 10 different receivers, and no receiver got more than 3 catches each. That is pretty darn impressive if you ask me.
Personally, I think that the defense played the best game that they've played since in quite a while. They really only gave up 14 points - not counting the literally last second TD by Emporia against the 3rd String D. They did a great job defending the run. They only allowed a total of 101 yards rushing, and no run was more than 10 yards. Not to shabby for an option based offense. The Bearcats did an excellent job of playing assignment football. ESU did manage to get 285 yards passing, but that is because they threw A LOT! They threw the ball 44 times, only UCM and ENMU attempted more - and both of those are very pass heavy teams. It is my opinion that the LB's played a great game, they were very determined to stop the run, which did open up some passing routes for ESU. ESU didn't have any big passes, infact the biggest gain was 26 yards. When teams commit to the dink and dunk, that has historically eaten the NW Defense alive. Bryce Enyard managed to get his 6th interception of the year, and took it to the house! It was a beautiful play and Bryce read it all the way and jumped the route. Bryce was awarded the MIAA Conference Freshman of the Year. It was well deserved, and he will be a very important part of the secondary for years to come!
This Week’s Match up:
Well what is there to say? MoWest still sucks. I believe that Mel Tjeersdma was quoted once saying something to the extent of that he hated playing a team that he beat earlier in the season in the playoffs, but he loved playing a team that he lost to. Well, Northwest has the opportunity to avenge one of their losses this week, and you can bet that the team is motivated to do just that!
On offense, Northwest has to execute a heck of a lot better than they did two weeks ago. It may come down to seeing how banged up NW is. Two weeks ago, Shaw was coming off of a nasty foot injury, and you could tell. He looked better last week, and hopefully he will be even better this week. Soy is still being hampered by his ankle or foot or something. It's obvious that he is in a lot of pain out on the field, but is being quite a trooper still going out there and helping his team. Coach Dorrel has said that if BC is capable, he will be the starting QB. Last week when he was introduced on Senior Day, he came out with quite a noticeable limp. I don't know if it is just Coach Speak saying that he may play or not. I'm not convinced that NW would have won last time if Christopher was playing. BC isn't that much of a better passer than Adams is, but what he brings to the table is the running threat. But if he's hobbled up, he can't exactly take off. In the last game, I was extremely impressed with the offensive line play - and I think that that will be key again. These games are won and lost in the trenches. If the Oline can hold off Murderers Row again, I like NW's chances!
On Defense, Northwest has got to contain Jerry’s Kid (JK). Last time, the D over pursued a lot and left a wide open field for JK to run. But once NW put a spy on him, that shut down the effectiveness of the MoWest offense. The D has got to do a much better job of containing the overall rush of the Griffons. In the first meeting, the Secondary did a darn good job of shutting down the passing game, they will need to do that again. I think last time, the coaching staff kind of got sucked into the emotions of the game, and that didn’t allow them to make the necessary adjustments quick enough. Each person on the field is going to have to do their 1/11th. They are definitely going to need to work as a team.
Special Teams are going to be huge in this game. If it comes down to a battle of field goals, that does not bode well for NW. Not that I don't trust Adolf, but Greg Zuerlein is a beast. I think he's like 5/5 or 6/6 of 50+ yard. That is insane. He is easily the best FG kicker in Division II, if not in all divisions. If NW can block some of those, that would be huge! It's going to be another windy day in St Joe, so that carries the ball all the more! The NW return teams will also need to be on the toes. I wouldn't be surprised to see Simmons take one to the house.
If NW can contain on D, and execute on O, I think NW wins this one easily. I honestly believe NW played about the worst that they could ever play, and MoWest vise versa in the first game. If NW plays like they can, I pick NW 38 MW 23.
Interesting Facts/Statistics:
- NW finished the regular season with the #1 Scoring Offense in the nation, averaging 53.8 ppg
- NW finished #2 in the regular season in total offense, averaging 529 yards per game
- NW is averaging 51.6% on 3rd down conversions
- NW only allowed 17 TD's out of 31 attempts when opponents were in the red zone
- Jordan Simmons, James Franklin, and Todd Adolf were to top scorers in the MIAA, all scoring over 105 points
Cats Corner:
In the upper right hand side of this page there is a link to the Bearcat Report's 2011 Bracket Challenge. This is our version of March Madness. In the past we utilized an Excel spreadsheet, this year I found an online site to use. Please fill out a bracket and see how well you know D2 football!
Also, please vote in the poll on the left hand side as well.
As a side note, I wanted to mention the fact that Bart Tatum was asked to resign at Missouri Southern. I really feel that is a loss for that program. He was dealt a bad hand when he got there, by a non-supportive administration. If MoSo intends to have a legitimate team in the future, they need to really improve the atmosphere. I have heard of rumors and speculations of an indoor practice facility and a remodeled stadium. But as it stands, they haven't even completed the stadium from the last time they tried. I think that speaks volumes.
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