The journey to Texas has 11 pre-scheduled stops with only one break between now & late November. There will be twists, turns & trouble along the route but through it all the Herd will progress. Following each game that progress will be analyzed. As great as the destination is, enjoy the weekly pit stops along the way!
This week's performance was far from the most aesthetically pleasing of the season but winning ugly still counts the same in the standings. By taking care of Southern they all-but-eliminated another would-be member of the upcoming playoff field. Having one less team in the mix that is familiar with Fargo's formula is most likely a good thing in the pursuit of the migration South.
Then again, today's result could mean one less team capable of springing an upset and clearing the runaway for another semi-final in the Dome. Time will tell
What we know now is that the offense is weaker than it was 12 hours ago. Hunter Luepke could be good-to-go for the first game of the stretch-run but finishing today in a sling has that in jeopardy. Mason Miller might need even more than the next few weeks to recover from whatever happened to ankle or foot. Even if they both bounce back in record time it will leave the O lacking for the state championship next Saturday.
In the Human Rhino's stead TaMerik Williams came through with another solid day. He turned the team-high 12 carries into 56 yards & a touchdown. With just 22 offensive plays through 2.5 quarters of the game no one managed great numbers but for the third time in the last five he was a difference maker. That's right on the edge of being a trend and with the injury to the future pro deserves more usage by Tyler Roehl.
The defense had their hands full trying to limit Nic Baker's impact through the air & on the ground. With five total sacks by seven different members of the Code & Dawson Weber's takeaway they also were able to do just enough for the team to escape with victory. Along the way Jaxon Duttenhefer continued his quality second half of the season as a disruptor in the backfield. The redshirt freshman from Mandan is tracking toward being one of the best defensive lineman in the history of the program. That's even more projection but with a game that left as little to talk about as this one did, getting into what may happen in the weeks, months & years ahead is unavoidable.
With senior day on the horizon they won't have the excuse of poor weather to cover for some of the issues that manifested this week, here's hoping that can be the difference in getting back to earlier form!
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