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!
With the assigned bye now in the rear-view it's time for the team to lock-in & push toward the one-seed. Obviously for them to achieve it they will need some help from another team, as well as to take care of their own business - going 1-0 each week, as the coach so often says.
The first of the final four games finished as the sixth victory. In sending the Birds back to Illinois they flipped the script of the previous game, starting slow but building to the crescendo of a three-score lead.
Along the way they followed the proven model, carrying the ball 37 total times by six different members even as the passing game showed flashes of being the more successful element. Amongst the six came an Easton Stick-esque performance by Cam Miller, 10 totes for 46 yards & 1 score with the other rushing TD coming from his understudy.
Nine different players factored in as the receiving end of Miller's 20 completions. With the quantity of youth & talent at the position it's no wonder Phoenix Sproles quit so that he could retain his chance to get one more full season with more opportunity elsewhere. Today's display of passing effectiveness came without DJ Hart bringing in a single one, which just amplifies how deep the well is right now. If the estimation of the latest recruits proves to be accurate then four & five-receiver sets may become more common than ever which would be a nice twist one decade into the run of dominance.
As for the defense, after they were hit for 75 yards and seven points they gave up 115 yards & 0 over ISU's next seven possession. Talk about a turn around! It wasn't an overly flashy performance as Spencer Waege got the lone sack & Destin Talbert secured the only turnover but they just locked-in on the fundamentals of stopping them, which proved to be all that was necessary. Along the way they got an introduction by redshirt freshman linebacker Logan Kopp in his first start as he was second on the team for total tackles with seven and added one of the five TFLs.
Keeping an eye out for more and more freshman/sophomore inclusion over these final weeks of the regular season may be prudent, what with the mounting health issues & the four-game rule not spoiling an entire seasons worth of eligibility. Kopp & Jaxon Duttenhefer were the most notable today and could be bellwether's for more.
Comments