North Dakota State vs Richmond

[StonewallD]

Richmond fan here. It looks like NDSU will be the strongest team UR will face this year. IMHO, Richmond will have to play its absolute best to have a shot. NDSU is the 4 time national champion.

[kendradad]

Agree, it will be a tough game. Rocco has coached well this year, for the most part, but he has a tendency to have a brain fart every now and then. You guys looked good yesterday, especially your QB. Good luck.

[StonewallD]

No doubt your team has a huge home field advantage. iMHO, I am not sure UR has the horses to keep up with NDSU. Does NDSU tend to wear down its opponents in the 2nd half? If so, the Spiders could be in trouble.

[Cujo]

NDSU by 20

[Gil Dobie]

Both great teams. It will come down to the Bison defense being able to stop the Richmond offense and the Bison offense not getting in trouble due to stalled drives.

[HyperDuke]

Dear Bison, please beat Richmond. I hate them so.

[vutomcat]

I thought this would be W & M making the deep run, but Richmond's two wins over the Tribe proved they were the cream of the crop in the CAA.

I still think this would have been a very big year for the CAA had Vlad and JR not gone down.

Richmond has a shot here. NDSU doesn't appear to be as dominant as years past. GO CAA!

Richmond 27-24.

[Grizalltheway]

I thought this would be W & M making the deep run, but Richmond's two wins over the Tribe proved they were the cream of the crop in the CAA.

I still think this would have been a very big year for the CAA had Vlad and JR not gone down.

Richmond has a shot here. NDSU doesn't appear to be as dominant as years past. GO CAA!

Richmond 27-24.

Time to get over it dude, injuries happen to everyone. NDSU just made the semis with their NFL-caliber QB on the bench.

[YoUDeeMan]

I thought this would be W & M making the deep run, but Richmond's two wins over the Tribe proved they were the cream of the crop in the CAA.

I still think this would have been a very big year for the CAA had Vlad and JR not gone down.

Richmond has a shot here. NDSU doesn't appear to be as dominant as years past. GO CAA!

Richmond 27-24.

Time to get over it dude, injuries happen to everyone. NDSU just made the semis with their NFL-caliber QB on the bench.

So true.

What vutomcat meant to say is that it is nearly impossible for Talley to have a #2 QB...or a #1 kicker. As for Vad...the guy doesn't play defense, so JMU was going no where.

Face it, neither nova or JMU was coming out of the bracket with SHSU and Jax St. In the end, those two teams are probably the best two teams left in the playoffs.

[BDKJMU]

Time to get over it dude, injuries happen to everyone. NDSU just made the semis with their NFL-caliber QB on the bench.

So true.

What vutomcat meant to say is that it is nearly impossible for Talley to have a #2 QB...or a #1 kicker. As for Vad...the guy doesn't play defense, so JMU was going no where.

Face it, neither nova or JMU was coming out of the bracket with SHSU and Jax St. In the end, those two teams are probably the best two teams left in the playoffs.

Without Vad no, but JMU at home vs SHSU with Vad would have had good chance in a shootout, with JMU offense having an edge and SHSU's defense. But with Vad its a moot point because JMU isn't even on the same side of the bracket as SHSU because if Vad doesn't go down then JMU still loses to UR but beats W&M and at 10-1 is an overrated #2 seed (instead of an overrated #5). JMU likely still would still have been bracketed with UNH/Colgate. JMU with Lee beats Colgate then hosts #7 seed UR in a rematch, which UR likely wins again in another shootout. So with Vad JMU would have at least gone to the quarterfinals, which isn't no-where unless going out in the qtrfinals is going no-where..

[HI54UNI]

Bizon by at least 14.

[YoUDeeMan]

So true.

What vutomcat meant to say is that it is nearly impossible for Talley to have a #2 QB...or a #1 kicker. As for Vad...the guy doesn't play defense, so JMU was going no where.

Face it, neither nova or JMU was coming out of the bracket with SHSU and Jax St. In the end, those two teams are probably the best two teams left in the playoffs.

Without Vad no, but JMU at home vs SHSU with Vad would have had good chance in a shootout, with JMU offense having an edge and SHSU's defense. But with Vad its a moot point because JMU isn't even on the same side of the bracket as SHSU because if Vad doesn't go down then JMU still loses to UR but beats W&M and at 10-1 is an overrated #2 seed (instead of an overrated #5). JMU likely still would still have been bracketed with UNH/Colgate. JMU with Lee beats Colgate then hosts #7 seed UR in a rematch, which UR likely wins again in another shootout. So with Vad JMU would have at least gone to the quarterfinals, which isn't no-where unless going out in the qtrfinals is going no-where..

Colgate moved the ball easily against JMU's defense. So did UD. You just didn't have any defense...at all. There was no way JMU would have stopped SHSU at any time during the game.

On the other hand, Mr. Hall would have said hello to Vad several times. SHSU's D is underrated. They have a D...JMU doesn't. And SHSU's O is better than JMU's even with Vad.

[StonewallD]

IMHO UR has the best chance if it limits turnovers and can keep NDSU's vaunted defense off balance.

[YoUDeeMan]

Spiders have the offense to beat NDSU's defense...but the stadium will cause problems.

Eliminate false starts, and figure out a way to audible a few plays, and NDSU will give up points.

NDSU can be beaten this year outside of the dome. If they beat the Spiders, they will struggle against the Jax St.-SHSU winner.

[JohnStOnge]

Face it, neither nova or JMU was coming out of the bracket with SHSU and Jax St. In the end, those two teams are probably the best two teams left in the playoffs.

I disagree with that. I think North Dakota State was indeed the best team going into the playoffs...again...and is indeed the best team left in the playoffs at this time. Now, I don't think they're as MUCH the best team as they were the previous four years. But I think they're the best team.

Look, it's the same old same old. The MVFC was once again by far the strongest conference. Yes I know Richmond beat Illinois State soundly. But that's still the case. Frankly, I think North Dakota State played a better team than either Sam Houston State or Jacksonville State this past weekend. I think Northern Iowa would likely soundly beat either of those two teams.

I think that If Sam Houston State or Jacksonville State played in the MVFC they might not have even made the playoffs. They'd have struggled to finish in the top 5 in that league.

Now, whichever one gets to the championship game will have some shot. The best team doesn't always win. South Dakota beat North Dakota State. But it was a very unbalanced bracket this year with by far the stronger bracket being the one with North Dakota State and Richmond left standing.

[YoUDeeMan]

I disagree with that. I think North Dakota State was indeed the best team going into the playoffs...again...and is indeed the best team left in the playoffs at this time. Now, I don't think they're as MUCH the best team as they were the previous four years. But I think they're the best team.

Look, it's the same old same old. The MVFC was once again by far the strongest conference. Yes I know Richmond beat Illinois State soundly. But that's still the case. Frankly, I think North Dakota State played a better team than either Sam Houston State or Jacksonville State this past weekend. I think Northern Iowa would likely soundly beat either of those two teams.

I think that If Sam Houston State or Jacksonville State played in the MVFC they might not have even made the playoffs. They'd have struggled to finish in the top 5 in that league.

Now, whichever one gets to the championship game will have some shot. The best team doesn't always win. South Dakota beat North Dakota State. But it was a very unbalanced bracket this year with by far the stronger bracket being the one with North Dakota State and Richmond left standing.

Nonsense.

NDSU is moving on because they were in the dome and they played some pretty weak teams. They beat a silly Griz team that just reminded everyone that they can't play outside Grizzyworld. Then they beat a one dimensional UNI team. Take NDSU out of their dome, and the UNI game turns out differently...and we saw how porous the NDSU defense was in Grizzyworld.

That dome is a HUGE advantage. Teams can't change plays at the LOS, so they are stuck with the play they called even if the D is set against them. That is a huge tactical advantage. Richmond has an O that would carve up NDSU (just like the Griz did earlier)...but they won't in the dome because of the communications limitation.

I think Jax has the best team...but we'll see if SHSU, who is close, can beat them. Both teams are much, much faster than NDSU, and both teams have offenses that can kill you on the ground or in the air. NDSU's only hope is to pound the ball...but if NDSU gets behind in Frisco, they are toast.

[Gil Dobie]

Take NDSU out of their dome, and the UNI game turns out differently...and we saw how porous the NDSU defense was in Grizzyworld.

The first Griz game was the first start for 9 or 10 of the 11 players on defense and the best player out with injury. Not the best defense NDSU has had during this run, but the young guys have come a long way.

........and another year of Southern Speed gonna whoop the Bison.

[JohnStOnge]

UNI may have been somewhat one dimensional but they had rushed 323 yards in their first playoff game and 401 in their second. The first game was Eastern Illinois so "meh" but Portland State was a good team. North Dakota State held Northern Iowa to 120 rushing yards.

They've kind of gotten under the radar by North Dakota State standards but they are still 7th in FCS total defense now and they are second in total defense among teams from "competitive" conferences. The six teams rated above them are Stony Brook, North Carolina A&T, Alcorn State, Dartmouth, Campbell, and South Carolina State.

I expect that if North Dakota State gets by Richmond they are going to have a substantial advantage at the line of scrimmage against whoever they play in the championship game on both offense and defense. Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State are both used to being able to run the ball effectively and I think that if it's North Dakota State in the championship game they are going to have problems maintaining that paradigm.

Meanwhile North Dakota State also has a shut down cornerback and they're 13th in FCS Pass Efficiency Defense (5th among "competitive" conference teams).

But what will be will be. That's what's nice about the playoffs. What people think doesn't matter.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

UNI may have been somewhat one dimensional but they had rushed 323 yards in their first playoff game and 401 in their second. The first game was Eastern Illinois so "meh" but Portland State was a good team. North Dakota State held Northern Iowa to 120 rushing yards.

They've kind of gotten under the radar by North Dakota State standards but they are still 7th in FCS total defense now and they are second in total defense among teams from "competitive" conferences. The six teams rated above them are Stony Brook, North Carolina A&T, Alcorn State, Dartmouth, Campbell, and South Carolina State.

I expect that if North Dakota State gets by Richmond they are going to have a substantial advantage at the line of scrimmage against whoever they play in the championship game on both offense and defense. Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State are both used to being able to run the ball effectively and I think that if it's North Dakota State in the championship game they are going to have problems maintaining that paradigm.

Meanwhile North Dakota State also has a shut down cornerback and they're 13th in FCS Pass Efficiency Defense (5th among "competitive" conference teams).

But what will be will be. That's what's nice about the playoffs. What people think doesn't matter.

This is pretty good.

No one is going to "carve up" the Bison defense this time of year.

For the season, NDSU has given up:

281.5 yards/game
16.4 points/game

Looking forward to the match up with Richmond.

[BisonCardinal]

I disagree with that. I think North Dakota State was indeed the best team going into the playoffs...again...and is indeed the best team left in the playoffs at this time. Now, I don't think they're as MUCH the best team as they were the previous four years. But I think they're the best team.

Look, it's the same old same old. The MVFC was once again by far the strongest conference. Yes I know Richmond beat Illinois State soundly. But that's still the case. Frankly, I think North Dakota State played a better team than either Sam Houston State or Jacksonville State this past weekend. I think Northern Iowa would likely soundly beat either of those two teams.

I think that If Sam Houston State or Jacksonville State played in the MVFC they might not have even made the playoffs. They'd have struggled to finish in the top 5 in that league.

Now, whichever one gets to the championship game will have some shot. The best team doesn't always win. South Dakota beat North Dakota State. But it was a very unbalanced bracket this year with by far the stronger bracket being the one with North Dakota State and Richmond left standing.

Nonsense.

NDSU is moving on because they were in the dome and they played some pretty weak teams. They beat a silly Griz team that just reminded everyone that they can't play outside Grizzyworld. Then they beat a one dimensional UNI team. Take NDSU out of their dome, and the UNI game turns out differently...and we saw how porous the NDSU defense was in Grizzyworld.

That dome is a HUGE advantage. Teams can't change plays at the LOS, so they are stuck with the play they called even if the D is set against them. That is a huge tactical advantage. Richmond has an O that would carve up NDSU (just like the Griz did earlier)...but they won't in the dome because of the communications limitation.

I think Jax has the best team...but we'll see if SHSU, who is close, can beat them. Both teams are much, much faster than NDSU, and both teams have offenses that can kill you on the ground or in the air. NDSU's only hope is to pound the ball...but if NDSU gets behind in Frisco, they are toast.

Man, not the speed thingy again. I don't think we have been burned by speed in the playoffs since Taiwan Jones in Dec 2010.

[AZGrizFan]

Nonsense.

NDSU is moving on because they were in the dome and they played some pretty weak teams. They beat a silly Griz team that just reminded everyone that they can't play outside Grizzyworld. Then they beat a one dimensional UNI team. Take NDSU out of their dome, and the UNI game turns out differently...and we saw how porous the NDSU defense was in Grizzyworld.

That dome is a HUGE advantage. Teams can't change plays at the LOS, so they are stuck with the play they called even if the D is set against them. That is a huge tactical advantage. Richmond has an O that would carve up NDSU (just like the Griz did earlier)...but they won't in the dome because of the communications limitation.

Spoken like a guy who's jealous that an FCS team can actually have a home field advantage. There are only TWO in the entire division: Fargo Dome and Wa/Griz.

[Grizalltheway]

Nonsense.

NDSU is moving on because they were in the dome and they played some pretty weak teams. They beat a silly Griz team that just reminded everyone that they can't play outside Grizzyworld. Then they beat a one dimensional UNI team. Take NDSU out of their dome, and the UNI game turns out differently...and we saw how porous the NDSU defense was in Grizzyworld.

That dome is a HUGE advantage. Teams can't change plays at the LOS, so they are stuck with the play they called even if the D is set against them. That is a huge tactical advantage. Richmond has an O that would carve up NDSU (just like the Griz did earlier)...but they won't in the dome because of the communications limitation.

Spoken like a guy who's jealous that an FCS team can actually have a home field advantage. There are only TWO in the entire division: Fargo Dome and Wa/Griz.

Yeah, and how many road/neutral site games have they lost the last 4 years? Maybe two?

[BDKJMU]

Without Vad no, but JMU at home vs SHSU with Vad would have had good chance in a shootout, with JMU offense having an edge and SHSU's defense. But with Vad its a moot point because JMU isn't even on the same side of the bracket as SHSU because if Vad doesn't go down then JMU still loses to UR but beats W&M and at 10-1 is an overrated #2 seed (instead of an overrated #5). JMU likely still would still have been bracketed with UNH/Colgate. JMU with Lee beats Colgate then hosts #7 seed UR in a rematch, which UR likely wins again in another shootout. So with Vad JMU would have at least gone to the quarterfinals, which isn't no-where unless going out in the qtrfinals is going no-where..

Colgate moved the ball easily against JMU's defense. So did UD. You just didn't have any defense...at all. There was no way JMU would have stopped SHSU at any time during the game.

On the other hand, Mr. Hall would have said hello to Vad several times. SHSU's D is underrated. They have a D...JMU doesn't. And SHSU's O is better than JMU's even with Vad.

I beg to differ on that, and I've seen SHSU's offense. They are very good, but not better. JMU's offense was off the charts with Vad.

[Bison56]

I disagree with that. I think North Dakota State was indeed the best team going into the playoffs...again...and is indeed the best team left in the playoffs at this time. Now, I don't think they're as MUCH the best team as they were the previous four years. But I think they're the best team.

Look, it's the same old same old. The MVFC was once again by far the strongest conference. Yes I know Richmond beat Illinois State soundly. But that's still the case. Frankly, I think North Dakota State played a better team than either Sam Houston State or Jacksonville State this past weekend. I think Northern Iowa would likely soundly beat either of those two teams.

I think that If Sam Houston State or Jacksonville State played in the MVFC they might not have even made the playoffs. They'd have struggled to finish in the top 5 in that league.

Now, whichever one gets to the championship game will have some shot. The best team doesn't always win. South Dakota beat North Dakota State. But it was a very unbalanced bracket this year with by far the stronger bracket being the one with North Dakota State and Richmond left standing.

Nonsense.

NDSU is moving on because they were in the dome and they played some pretty weak teams. They beat a silly Griz team that just reminded everyone that they can't play outside Grizzyworld. Then they beat a one dimensional UNI team. Take NDSU out of their dome, and the UNI game turns out differently...and we saw how porous the NDSU defense was in Grizzyworld.

That dome is a HUGE advantage. Teams can't change plays at the LOS, so they are stuck with the play they called even if the D is set against them. That is a huge tactical advantage. Richmond has an O that would carve up NDSU (just like the Griz did earlier)...but they won't in the dome because of the communications limitation.

I think Jax has the best team...but we'll see if SHSU, who is close, can beat them. Both teams are much, much faster than NDSU, and both teams have offenses that can kill you on the ground or in the air. NDSU's only hope is to pound the ball...but if NDSU gets behind in Frisco, they are toast.

This post is nonsense. I really have to wonder if you even watch football with a post like this. The speed comment makes you look like a

[JohnStOnge]

We don't have any data on Jacksonville State vs. North Dakota State but we do on Sam Houston State vs. North Dakota State.

In 2011 Sam Houston State averaged 39 points per game going into their championship match up with North Dakota State. They got 6 against the Bison.

In 2012 Sam Houston State averaged 42 points per game going into their championship match up with North Dakota State. They got 13 against the Bison.

In 2014 Sam Houston State averaged 44 points per game going into their semifinal against North Dakota State. They got 3 against the Bison.

In three playoff games against the Bison Sam Houston State has managed a total of 22 points.

I know Sam Houston State has had two different coaches during that time. But the fact is that their high flying offense has been totally punked each time it's played North Dakota State in the playoffs. It's going to be the same scheme. It's still going to be really good players on defense.

I could understand expecting it to be different if North Dakota State had fallen off the charts this year in terms of having a top FCS defense. But they haven't. Maybe not QUITE as dominant on defense as in years past. But still very dominant on that side of the ball.

Meanwhile, when they're on offense, the Bison would be playing a defense that's currently rated 78th among 123 FCS teams in rushing defense. Do you think North Dakota State would like playing a game against a team that's below average in terms of rushing defense? Gee. I wonder. And BTW Sam Houston State is rated 72nd in total defense.

At least Jacksonville State is also rated fairly highly on defense. That's got an asterisk by it because most of their games were in the OVC. But at least they are rated 16th in FCS run defense and 11th in total defense.