Seiji Wood
Sports Editor
ISU will start conference play against North Dakota this Saturday.
The Bengals are currently 1-1 and up to this point, I’m left with one question: who are we?
ISU opened the season with a 45-10 win against Western State of Colorado, a Division II school and a game where the Bengals played well, but the win was expected.
Then, ISU played Cal and lost 45-23.
This was a game where ISU didn’t play bad. Cal was just better because they’re a PAC-12 team.
I expect the North Dakota game to show ISU’s true identity. The last time ISU played North Dakota was in 2016 where the Bengals lost 28-21, but the year before that, ISU won 37-31. So, our most recent history against North Dakota has been close, and we shouldn’t expect anything different this time around.
North Dakota is currently 2-1 and coming off a 24-23 win against Sam Houston State. The Fighting Hawks are averaging 19 points per game while giving up 26 points per game.
That statistic alone should be uplifting for ISU. With most of the offense returning, ISU should be able to put up points against North Dakota’s defense.
Tanner Gueller will be key in this game. North Dakota’s weakness looks to be in the secondary. They’ve given up an average of 300 yards per game to their opponents. If Gueller doesn’t turn the ball over, he should be able to find his receivers open downfield.
Gueller has thrown two interceptions this year, but overall seems to be better with his decision making.
When Gueller looks downfield, he’ll more than likely be looking for his brother, Mitch Gueller. The brothers have been a great duo this season. Last week against Cal, they connected six times for 156 yards, which accounted for 87 percent of T. Gueller’s total passing yards.
They’ll look to continue this chemistry and I think they’ll have a great game against the Fighting Hawks.
Running backs, James Madison and Ty Flanagan both had a great first game, but both struggled against the Cal defense. The one-two punch may have a hard time finding success against the Fighting Hawks as well.
North Dakota has given up 87 yards per game on the ground to their opponents. However, I still look forward to both Madison and Flanagan getting their touches and both can break a big play when they have the ball in their hands.
Defense will be another thing to look for in this game. North Dakota loves the ground game and averages 213 yards per game.
To me, the defense is still a mystery. ISU hardly gave up any yards against Western State of Colorado but gave up plenty of yards against Cal. It’ll be interesting to see what the defense can do against an opponent that won’t overpower ISU like Cal but will still have a decent running game that will challenge the Bengals.
If ISU can limit the run game, I think they will be fine. The Fighting Hawk’s passing game isn’t too much of a threat. They’re averaging about 170 yards per game.
The secondary seems to have improved from last year. ISU has produced an interception in every game so far this season.
I think ISU should win this game. ISU’s strengths seem to be North Dakota’s weaknesses.
I expect the offense to move the ball and put points on the board and I think the defense will make enough stops to keep the lead.
Like I said earlier, this game will show ISU’s true identity. A win would make me feel optimistic going deeper into the season. A lose wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it wouldn’t be ideal either. No matter how it turns out, I’ll get my answer, and I’ll know who we are.
The Bengal score predictions: ISU 28, North Dakota 21
Seiji Wood:
Sasha Ambrose:
Lucas Gebhart: North Dakota 42, ISU 21
