All or Nothing
Pass or Fail
Right or Wrong
Good or Bad
Pass or Punt
Get it?
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After being shut-down, man-handled and flat-out dominated a week ago, the team showed up with their best performance of the season so far. Kobe Johnson & Jalen Bussey again showed they're dynamic skillsets from the backfield while Braylon Henderson showed what the future beyond Watson & Sproles may hold with his 81-yard catch & run TD.
The orchestrator of the offense, Noland's best throw, in my opinion, was on the score to Noah Gindorff. Mid-rollout he made the throw as well as most quarterbacks when they are standing still. There's still room for improvement but it's hard to imagine that from one Saturday to the next anyone could have made a more pronounced improvement in play.
To a similar degree the offensive line also made strides today. They went from being moved like the practice dummies to exerting their will on the defensive front. On Bussey's 53 yard touchdown run it didn't appear that any of the would-be tacklers even got close enough to put a finger on him. The figurative seas parted for him and it didn't seem like MSt. every really recovered from that play.
And then there's the defense. All they did was shutout an offensively-driven team whose best chance to score was off a foot. Three of their seven total-sacks were accomplished by Spencer Waege. That helped them hold Missouri State to 12 total yards in the third quarter. Pick whatever adjective you like to describe that. I'm thinking clinical, surgical, whichever, it was sheer domination.
The defensive effort in the second half also setup a time-drain until the finish. NDSU had 100 more yards on the ground than through the air during the third & fourth. It was a statement in protecting the lead and getting out of town.
The "hidden" yardage also starkly favored NDSU with only two penalties accepted against the Bison while Mo. had six for 53. I don't about you but it felt like far more than that to me during the game too!
Speaking of hidden yards, Garrett (Legner) Wegner had a whale of an afternoon. Above and beyond the fake punt conversion that he executed to a t was a day that finished with him averaging more than 52 yards per punt. His long, a 67-yard punt, also helped as much as any play to deflate the opponent by pinning them inside the 10. If he can keep going like that then the mullet might become more of thing in the Fargo area.
Totaled up, it was a return to the sort of form that fans have come to know & expect on Saturdays.
But before hitting publish, have to mention the rough start by the Bison. A near fumble could have - maybe should have - tipped off that ball security would be a question area during this one. Doubly-so since Noland threw an indefensible interception the very next snap. One significant mistake can be lived with, but it needs to be included in the conversation.
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