Great players and teams don't concern themselves with what others do. Michael Jordan never worried about how someone would guard him. He just did his thing and let them deal with it.

The same goes for bloggers. My man Aaron Heintzelman, who writes the MIAA blog, has called me out on Twitter and in his recent blogs.

It must be tough being the Bill Wennington of D2Football.com. With me in the public spotlight he apparently wants people to see him when he puffs his chest up.

And normally, I would be all about talking down to him and the MIAA. I would love nothing more than to make fun of the mid west. But I'll just let Daniel Tosh do it for you in this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5EHy91jPQo

All kidding aside, I want to do my usual trash talking. I really do. But as you all know from reading this, I have doubted Delta State every step of the way; right back to another conference title, region championship and into the National Semifinals.

The worst part is, if there was one team I didn't want to see; it was Pittsburg State,

They are a complete team, control the clock and make very few mistakes. But most importantly their mascot is the Gorillas. Are you kidding me? How can I hate that?

While everyone tries to have an animal native to their region as their mascot, they go for the freaking Gorillas? Could you imagine if there were Gorillas native to Pittsburg, Kansas? I would let my dreams die and move there also.

Aaron did a great job of breaking down the statistics in this semi final match up between these two teams. You can read it here: http://www.d2football.com/forum/entr...02#comment1702

When you look at the numbers that Aaron has broken down for you, you have to remember that these two schools come from different worlds.

The MIAA is very much a power running conference. These school have big ole linemen up front with running backs who slam the ball between the tackles. Schools like Pittsburg State and Northwest Missouri State are notoriously great at running the football. That is what they do. Therefore their defense is also built to stop the run.

In the GSC it's a little less ground a pound and a little more finesse (people act like this is a bad word but it isn't). This is the world of the spread offense. They have more dynamic athletic depth with guys who can take it to the house at any given time. The goal is to get those athletes the ball in space and let them make plays. Here it's about picking up big chunks of yardage at a time with short passes. On defense it's about limiting it.

Two completely different philosophies from two different parts of the country. That is what this match up is. You can take a little away from Aaron's statistical break down. But understand that you are comparing Elisha Cuthbert to Eliza Dushku. Great in their own right. But two completely different looks.

Saturday 7 pm Delta State at Pittsburg State

Don't get it twisted. Just because PSU is a ground and pound team doesn't mean they aren't high powered. The Gorillas average nearly 40 points a game. They also routinely amass 400 total yards on offense.

With the Delta State defense built to get to the passer and force turnovers in the air, I have concerns here. The Statesmen have given up 3.5 yards a carry this season. This coming to teams that rarely run the ball more than 25-30 times a game. This week, PSU is going to keep the ball on the ground well over that. The speed of DSU's second tiers will be vital in limiting that rushing success.

If Xavier Triplett and the other linebackers can close the gaps, DSU will have success limiting PSU's rushing attack. It will take a total team defense effort to make this happen.

The defensive line will need to get a good push and then it will be up to the linebackers and safeties to fill the gaps and make tackles. What this defense has that the Gorillas haven't seen before is Southern speed. They need to get to the ball carrier, slow him up and wait for help.

Easier said than done. Zac Dickey runs this offense as good as any quarterback you'll find Division II. His weakness is in arm strength, so I wouldn't expect DSU to get beat deep and over the top. But Dickey sells a great pump-fake and uses both his feet and arm to move the ball.

The senior averages 161 passing yards and 86 rushing yards a contest. He has gone for 24 total touchdowns while completing 60 percent of his passes. He is a very good quarterback. But he hasn't seen speed like he will see on Saturday.

When Dickey gets the Gorillas to the red zone he looks for John Brown all day. Of his 14 touchdown passes, Dickey has hooked up with Brown 11 times. In college terms, that borders on a relationship. If you hooked up with someone 14 times and 11 of them were with the same girl; it's time to buy her dinner...or at least a hot pocket. Dickey better be doing it the right way. That's all I'm saying.

Despite this being a run-first offense, Brown is it's most dangerous weapon. On top of 84 receiving yards a game, Brown also returns kicks. PSU will try and get the ball in his hands as much as possible to match up with DSU's speed. He is one of the guys in red and yellow that can keep up with the Statesmen in a foot race.

Their running game is boring. In a good way. They'll let a variety of backs tote the rock and all of them get the job done. Briceton Wilson and Jason Spradling are each averaging 4.9 yards a carry heading into this game. So I'm going to assume they will be heavily involved in the attack.

With all that said about PSU's offense, the Statesmen defense is good enough to slow them down. The DSU defensive line will have the most vital battle for this unit. If they can disrupt Dickey's passing game and get first contact on these big time running backs, DSU will be successful.

The linebackers and secondary should all be favored in their roles this week. But the defensive line, that has been great all year is the area in question. Not because of talent. But because they are getting a different look than they are used to. Can DSU's speed/size combination beat PSU's size/strength combination enough times when it matters?

The defense should put the Statesmen in a position to win or lose this game. They will do their job. But the single most important question is, can Micah Davis protect the ball?

He has always been susceptible to throwing a pick here and there. When you throw the ball as much as he does that is just going to happen. But picks like the last one against North Greenville can not happen at this point of the season.

There was nobody near it. It was an obvious miscommunication. He may not be completely at fault technically, because somebody may have run the wrong route. But he's the quarterback. He's the leader. He's the senior. This is his team. He needs to make sure that doesn't happen in the playoffs. If Davis doesn't turn the ball over, Delta State will go back to the National Championship.

It's going to be about how Davis and the offense use their weapons. If Brandon Lucas tries to run between the tackles, DSU will lose that battle. But if he can get the ball to edge and try to beat a linebacker to the sidelines they will cause some trouble.

The misconception about the spread offense (especially the one Delta State runs) is that quarterbacks will air it out deep all game. That isn't how this works. Davis is going to throw a lot of screens, slants and short passes. His quick decision making is vital. If he sees a mismatch off the snap he needs to get the ball in the hands of his player with the most space to run.

PSU's defense is great. But they don't have the speed depth, DSU does. If Chance Dennis and Brandon Lucas are lined up at receiver, there will be a mismatch. Odds are one of them will go over the middle on a drag route with a linebacker or safety on them. Dennis offers great hands for a chain moving pass, while Lucas or even Tim Smith, Lavon Downs or Bill Franks all give you a chance at a big play.

The guy to avoid on the Gorilla's defense is Nate Dreiling. Aside from looking like an adult version of McGill (the kid on the Hawks who lays out Adam Banks) from the original Mighty Ducks movie, he can play some football.

Dreiling has 40 more tackles than anyone else on this team. I'm willing to bet he's allowed to make his own reads of an offense and do whatever he wants. The All American stands at an intimidating 6 feet four inches tall and 221 pounds...and is just a Sophomore.

He gets in the back field (12 tackles for loss) and picks the ball off (six interceptions), dude does it all. It looks like Dreiling doesn't ever leave the field. I just don't know if he can run with DSU for four quarters. That's a daunting task.

We're a game from playing for a ring. This is the time to do what you do best. With a senior at quarterback and at WR1, DSU needs to get the Davis-Dennis connection established early. These two should control the fate of the team. It's the most consistent and reliable aspect of this team. If Dennis amasses 10 receptions, I like this game for DSU.

Delta State could be a team of destiny. This is like the millionth time I have said that this year. From playing with fire, to getting burnt against West Georgia and coming back to make this playoff run; this team is confusing.

If these two teams play to their potential I like Delta State. If both of them do everything they are capable of doing, I am confident DSU is more talented team. But they don't play perfect football. Usually they are far from perfect. They make a lot of mistakes and are great at coming back late in contests.

You can't do that this time of the year.

Pittsburg State is a more consistent team. Their ceiling is lower but they player closer to it. This is the kind of team that has a chance to play higher than it's potential in a big spot. They have proven that they don't make big time mistakes.

Delta State fans can rejoice. After picking their team last week and getting it right, I am not picking them now. The odds of me predicting this team correctly twice in a row is slim, so they will probably win. But I can't pick them against Pittsburg State. This was the one team I didn't want the GSC to face all year. They're good.

You know where my allegiances lie. You know who I'll be rooting for.

But I've got Jungle Fever.

Prediction: Pittsburg State over Delta State 38-34