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He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.
It's always fun to be faced with a "where to begin" situation following a win!
There will be plenty of dissection of the offense upcoming but with the way that they went about shutting out Indiana State the defense deserves top billing. Yes, I know that the 'Mores got a fourth quarter safety but that's a score against the special teams, the D did not surrender a point. With the way that Jackson Hankey & the rest cut ISU down at the door step of a touchdown the difference in how the 0 went away deserves to be recognized & remembered. You won't see many better plays on any level than his stick of the running back at the 1!
The second play of the ensuing drive kept them rolling as Kobe Johnson set a nearly unbreakable record with his 97 yard touchdown run. He followed that highlight with a 49 yard run that was a step from being an 88 yard score. That adds up to 146 yards in two plays. In the seven prior games he had amassed 225 yards on the ground. It could be lightning in a bottle that won't strike again this season or the dramatic uptick in production may be related to changes by the defense in response to Cam Miller having the job. Even if the same battery is in place next Saturday in Brookings it may not be enough for a conclusion because the Bunnies are a marked step-up in class from every team that NDSU has gone against so far. But even if Johnson isn't able to replicate his explosiveness the rest of this season it should still be thoroughly appreciated!
Miller was also stupendous today! It took all of one drive for him to show more a rapport with the tight-ends than Patterson has managed to show over the entirety of his chances. With the goal still being to run-first it's necessary to show consistent passing to all levels & to more than just Christian Watson. Through Miller's 4+ quarters of play this year the offense has shown that. If Entz sticks with him (he should) and the running game manages to be as effective against SDSU then the cause & effect will be that much more proven.
While in a similarly slight role, TaMerik Williams also had his best afternoon of the season. That may be partly due to increased comfort in the offense but whatever the reasons, with several of the other backs limited it's important that he showed he's not the latest transfer bust.
And then there's the newest member of QBU. Cole Payton's second game action came with training wheels attached but he completed his first pass, ran in the final touchdown of the game & most importantly, didn't seem like he was afraid of the moment. As the publicly-anointed future of the position composure is an important facet to be mindful of and in the small dose of play today he showed that.
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