The North Dakota State Bison came are back on the road after an offensive onslaught victory against their in-state rival, the University of North Dakota, Fighting Hawks. The Bison hung a staggering 41 points on the Hawks, resulting in a final score of 41-17. NDSU now has their sights on Southern Illinois this upcoming Saturday.
Southern Illinois is walking into the matchup sitting 10 th ranked in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, coming off of a 45-10 loss in an in-state game against Illinois State. The Salukis have had it tough so far on this young season in the MVFC, as they look to pick up their first conference win in what would deemed a massive upset.
NDSU first-year head coach Tim Polasek spoke about traveling to Carbondale (Southern Illinois) and how different the trip is. Coming off a demanding in-state rivalry win against UND, the coaching staff addressed these concerns starting off right with the practice week on Monday.
Setting the tone and adding two additional practice periods this week has the Bison feeling more prepared, confident, and pleased as a whole unit.
Coach Polasek isn’t underestimating the Salukis though, as he’s looking for his players to be “road warriors” on Saturday, noting that Southern Illinois has their attention regardless of their record. The Bison coach spoke about Southern Illinois key injuries at the quarterback position and others, praising that the Salukis are coached well and play a physical game of football regardless of who’s on the field.
Southern Illinois offensive unit, more specifically, their wide receiver room features a dynamic weapon. The Bison defensive backs are going to have their hands full with Junior Keontez Lewis. The former Wisconsin Badger is leading the MVFC in receiving yards, coming into Saturday with 552 yards, looking to add to his lead.
Contrary to their Offensive unit, the Southern Illinois Salukis defensive side of the ball has struggled this season, especially with the passing game. Coach Polasek isn’t looking to switch up their game plan. The bison will look to stay within their own game looking to establish their patented run game, but Polasek also acknowledged that “good quarterbacks take what the defense gives them and move onto the next play.”
One thing to note ahead of Saturday is NDSU’s 5 th year quarterback Cam Miller suffered an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter of the UND game. When asked about it on Tuesday, Coach Polasek mentioned the coaching staff’s “tentative” treatment of their QB saying “he’d be shocked if Cam Miller didn’t lace them up Saturday”, but also spoke about junior backup quarterback Cole Payton has their confidence if their starter can’t go on Saturday.
The Bison are keeping their objective the same as the last two weeks, go 1-0 this week and “keep the present, the present.” NDSU is locked in on Southern Illinois and look to remain perfect in the MVFC. The Bison coaching staff remains confident in their offensive and defensive units, especially when it comes to setting the tone early, despite which unit takes the field first.
Viewers can tune into kickoff at 2:00 (CST) with a ESPN+ subscription exclusively with Adam Seidel, JC Pearson, and Kelly Burke.
*This article was written by Flag Family Media intern Caden Lloyd*
