4) Jabril
It's been asked before and I'll do so again. How did he not end up at a Big 12, SEC or American Conference school? ? ? I don't know but as was with Carson Wentz, so again with Jabril; big schools' loss is NDSU's gain! Can he get better? The only answer acceptable is yes but he's already showing himself to be one of the best players in the country. I can't bring myself to lay the compliments on him without an important caveat - today was a tremendous game for his current status. Be physical, tap into that deep well of athleticism and just go make plays. It's much easier to go against such a one dimensional offense so his continual presence and playing making get's that half asterisk.
3) Running Backs
Another very thoroughly discussed topic - NDSU's going to have the running back equivalent of a Beaver dam at running back next season. But that's next year, if it weren't for all those talented players the NDSU offense would almost be as handcuffed during this current run as Wofford is, except not by choice. Seth Wilson is a continued revelation while Brooks, Anderson and Stick continue to be who they had already proven themselves to be! The team will need them to stay healthy for the offense to continue clicking but they beat a running team at their own game, which has to be a pretty special feeling!
2) Spreading the wealth
Speaking of the offense, they exposed and capitalized on a theorized weakness of Wofford's defense - passing. I'll get to him more in a minute but Easton did a great job spreading the wealth of passes. 12 completions to nine different receivers, three of which went for touchdowns and totaled up for 203 yards. That's gotta be pretty close to text book example's of efficiency and effectiveness. And while it's dependent on the quarterbacks, it wouldn't have been possible if not for the abilities of the receivers to make the catches. In other words, they got rich off each other & are still alive on the way to Texas.
1) Domestic (Mess-Stick) tranquility
During the rough stretch of games that he had around the 3/4 mark of the season I was as critical of Easton as many others, and I still contend that it was justified. But that was then, this is now and he's playing terrific. Evading pressure. Picking the times to run, pass, throw it away and on rare occasions get sacked. He's just playing so well. And of course it's not all his him, Coach Messingham is dialed in so well with what his players can do. Sure, Wofford didn't represent the greatest test they've faced this season but it's about beating the team that they're matched up against and they did it brilliantly. And I think the best part of how it all was operated today is that there isn't one particular part of the game that I can identify as the best. The three touchdown passes may be the closest but the coach and the quarterback had it all clicking today!