This season's journey to the postseason and Frisco, Texas has 12 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 make progress. Following each game this will be the only place to find the thoughts about it. As great as the destination can be, enjoy the weekly pit stops along the way!
59-6
59 to 6
But the game was even more stilted than that
It could have been 100 to 0 if Polasek had run the top guys out for long enough but Cam Miller was pulled in the second quarter and the rest of the best weren't far behind. Bryce Lance and Charmar Brown got just enough playing time to get their stats back on track after the diminished output of the Marker game with three touchdowns each, along with 108 yards receiving and 97 yards rushing.
So if Miller all-but secured the Walter Payton a week ago then those two have firmed-up places on the All-American lists.
But of course, in addition to the offense treating Murray State like a flower in front of a steamroller, the defense was also superb!
The easiest play to point to would be the pick six by Sibomana but going touchdown-free remains THE thing. In part they accomplished by limiting MSU to one score in their four red zone opportunities. So there was a bit of bend by the defense when the whole of the game is considered but two field goals is far from a breaking point.
Perhaps the most unexpected stat from the contest is that Murray never punted. Sure, a lot of that is related to the early 21-0 hole that they found themselves in and four turnovers during their final nine possessions, but to not do it a single time went under the radar and was still surprising.
It also needs to be mentioned that Nathan Hayes kept the operation on track for the entirety of his first, extended run. Just not screwing-up was the extent of the pressure on him but he managed it and that's not nothing. Polasek has made it clear that Cole Payton is the plan for next season but the Illini did enough to keep the door for possible platooning open. With visits by UNI & Missouri State upcoming, number 12 could get three or four more quarters of action before the postseason. That would be invaluable experience now that he's just one play away from being the guy.
What it all comes down to, they're 8-1 and we're still having fun!
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