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Rotary Bowl - Saint George, Utah
Western Oregon Wolves (8-2) vs. Colorado
School of Mines Orediggers (7-4), 2:00 ET
Western Oregon should prepare for an air raid
in this game. CSM isn't a strong rushing team (their leading rusher, J.T. Baum,
has less than 500 yards on the season). When they get close to the goal line,
they can definitely punch it in, but the Orediggers will rely much more on the
arm of QB David Pesek (62.6% pct completion, 2699 yards, 15 TD, 17 INT). WR Adam
Saur and Derek Dykstra are Pesek's favorite targets, but Pesek will definitely
spread the ball around. The offensive line isn't bad, but it's probably no
stronger than what the Wolves have already seen this season.
On defense, the Orediggers have a few key
players that WOU will have to stop. LB Nick Haniszewski leads the team in total
tackles (94 TT, 10 TFL, 4 sacks), but the real force to be reckoned with is DL
Marc Schiechl (45 TT, 16.5 TFL, 13 sacks). Yes, that's 13 sacks for Schiechl...and
he's only a redshirt freshman. The rest of the DL is probably about average,
though they're all very young with maybe only one upperclassman. In the middle,
LB Hunter Wardlaw has had a decent season, but again, nothing the Wolves haven't
seen before. In the backfield, Ben Tiller and Drew Ferren will be the ones to
watch out for--both have around 60 TTs this season, and the two have combined
for 5 interceptions and 11 pass breakups this season.
The special teams for CSM are fairly strong.
Both kickers, Derek DePasquale and Aaron Abel, can hit field goals from over 40
yards out, and the two are a perfect 25-25 on PATs this season. P Adam Sprouse
averages just under 39 yards per punt with four of his 27 punts on the season
ending up inside the 20 and just two touchbacks. Kickers for WOU should expect
the Orediggers to put on a heavy rush every time, as CSM has successfully
blocked 11 kicks as a team on the season.
Colorado Mines is a team that doesn't tend to
score a lot of points, so putting 30 points on the board could just about
guarantee a win in this game. Failing that, the key is to deny the Orediggers
any opportunities in the running game and force Pesek to make mistakes.
Mesa State did that effectively in their 18-0 win over CSM on November 3,
holding the Orediggers to -7 net rushing yards (including -39 yards on three
sacks) and forcing Pesek into throwing five interceptions.
The Wolves finished the season with a flourish
and showed in the last few games that they can light up the scoreboard and play
solid defense. Put those two together, and this looks like it will be a great
ending to the season for the Wolves.
Prediction: Western Oregon 31, Colorado Mines
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