St. Cloud State (1-3) at Minnesota-Crookston (0-4)
SCSU QB Nate Meyer was allowed to play the entire game and he produced fairly well, going 19-35 for 249 yards. While this was against a not-so-good UIU defense, it's a start. On the other side Crookston has shown to be more competitive in bad weather games and it's probably going to be cold and windy on Saturday..so that might help the Golden Eagles keep things within striking distance. If they can force SCSU to pass (which I'm not sure they can), the wind could make for a tough day to have aerial success. Call me crazy, I think Crookston makes a game of this one.
St. Cloud 28-14

Winona State (3-1) at Wayne State (2-2)
After not being able to take care of business in crunch time against Duluth last week the Winona State team also has to pick up the pieces from injury to starting running back Theo Burkett. For those that might not recall, Burkett was a starting back for the Warriors years ago but has since been out of commission with various hard-luck injuries. In watching the game last weekend I saw him go down and immediately said, "not him!" Yes, it was Theo Burkett who was carried off the field by teammates with what appears to be a season ending knee injury. Coach Sawyer hasn't come out and said he's done for the year but he didn't last year either with such injuries.


(Winona State photos by Andrew Link)

The next man up in the WSU running game is a very interesting and slightly unique player in 5'4 and 160lb sophomore Paul Preston. Paul was a superstar running back in the Chicagoland area in high school and has some pretty good moves with the football. He was able to gain 79 yards on 11 carries against a very good UMD defense. While pass blocking might not be a great fit from a size standpoint for Preston he certainly can be a dangerous player with the ball in his hands and has broken long runs against teams like St. Cloud in his short career at Winona State.



Looking now at the contest between Winona and Wayne, it almost feels like a bit of a trap game for the visitors. Winona is coming off a very emotional game and is now on the road against a team with a high powered passing game. Overall I think the WSU defense gets-home enough upfront and gets some turnovers as a result. Although, I'm expecting for Wayne State to give WSU a good scare.
Winona State 41-28

Southwest Minnesota State (1-3) at Minnesota State-Mankato(4-0)
On paper this game just doesn't look close. SMSU has not looked like the high powered offense of last year and their defense has continue where they left off in 2013..and that's not a good thing. I'd expect the Mustangs to try and get their short passing game going and in attempt to get the game away from the line of scrimmage, an area they will be at a real disadvantage. On the other side of the ball they are going to give up points, that's just the reality of the situation.

For MSU-Mankato they will continue on without the more electric of their 2 running backs (Andy Pfeiffer) as he continues to sit out and work through his punishment for his late home-break-in of 2 weekends ago. I'm hearing it's likely Andy will return to the Mavs probably no sooner than the end of the month or so as he's got a fair amount of things to sort through with his situation. Connor Thomas is a steady grinder at the halfback spot for the Mavs, but he's more like a 3/4 sized fullback than he is a game-breaker. This is where the identity of the Mavs is so much different versus last years squad with Wolf as such a dangerous runner from the QB position.

The Mavs defense is the best in the conference and should pose quite the challenge for the SMSU offense. Mankato should roll big in this one, but 2 years ago I would've thought the same thing and instead the Mustangs were up 2 scores in Mankato with 5 minutes left..only for the Mavs to find a way to pull it out late.
MSU-Mankato 50-20

Minot State (0-4) at Northern State (2-2)
While Minot State was able to make a great 4th quarter surge against Wayne State last weekend and almost steal the ballgame, I think they will find a tougher opponent this weekend in Aberdeen. Just when it looked like NSU was starting to move closer to the bottom tier of the conference, the Wolves find themselves 2-2 and scoring points. While I'm not convinced that Northern is going to finish the year with a winning record, they have put themselves in a fairly decent spot to achieve that since they still have games on their schedule against Minot-Crookston-Moorhead-Bemidji. They should find themselves as the favorite in probably all 4 contests.



I like Zac Cunha to keep his hot hand going against NSU, but I think the Wolves offense is all the greater mismatch with a Minot State defense that's struggled. I'm taking Northern at home in this one.
Northern State 38-24

Bemidji State (0-4) at Mary (2-2)
Mary should roll right, they have an 0-4 team coming into their place. Not so fast my friend. A few weeks ago I'd take Mary without needing to think this one through very much. After watching how Augustana humbled the Maruaders in every facet of the game last Saturday, I now have second thoughts. Mary is having trouble moving the ball and seems to really want to force their running game due to troubles with their air-game. On the other side I don't think the BSU defense is as bad as their record would suggest. The Beavers can play physical on defense and I think they won't find themselves in a fire-fight in this one. The BSU offense has shown signs of being a big play passing attack and they have some play-making wideouts. I'm going way against the stream on this one..I'm taking the visiting BSU Beavers to get it done through the air here and for the Mary offense to sputter a little too much to get the win here.
Bemidji State 38-31

Augustana (3-1) at Upper Iowa (4-0)
Without a doubt this is the game of the week, not even close. The only game in the conference this week between 2 teams with winning records. This one has all the makings of a back and forth contest. Augie is playing their best football since the Tyler Schulte era and the Peacocks are showing signs of having uncharted NSIC success.


(photo from goaugie.com)

Both teams are playing very good offensively right now, with Trey Heid looking like a completely different QB this year versus last. If Heid keeps playing this way and hitting his deep balls over the top than Augie will be tough to beat. UIU has Chris Smith running all over anyone they play and the Peacocks have an explosive passing game in their back pocket. I certainly give Upper Iowa an edge playing in Fayette, but the Augie defense might very well be more physical than the home team is ready for. The Augie defense being easily better than the light blue defense is what I think will be the defense in this one.
Augustana 44-27

Minnesota State-Moorhead (1-3) at Minnesota-Duluth (4-0)
UMD is coming off a huge win at Winona, another really gutty performance and 4th quarter comeback. After watching the Coo torch the Dragons for nearly 700 yards last weekend and pound them physically, I see Duluth being able to assert themselves at the line of scrimmage as well and get up big and coast from there. The weather is supposed to get cold with snow and wind, all factors that play against the Moorhead passing game and will not impact the home team much. I'm expecting the Bulldogs to get after the Dragons in this one.
UMD 55-13

Concordia-St. Paul (1-3) at Sioux Falls (4-0)
A much better game than the records would indicate. Go watch a little bit of the Golden Bears, they aren't a bad team at all. They play very physical and get after the opponent by bringing heat and playing aggressive. CSP has a star in the making with their new #90 (previously New England Patriot Zach Moore) Dion Roche, also playing a DE spot. Roche is a junior college transfer from Virginia that's making quite an impact in his short time with Concordia. The newcomer is averaging 7 tackles per game, best in the conference amongst defensive lineman, while being 2nd in sacks as well.



Offensively the Golden Bears will seemingly be without Corey Cole, who started the season as their new running-quarterback. Cole has not been back since getting hurt in week 2 against Northern and word is his return to the lineup might not happen this year. This changes things a bit for Concordia as last years starter Jared Russo is 235lbs and a pocket passer. However, he does have a dangerous target in former CSP hooper Cordell Smith and assistance in the running game with Tre Spears. The Concordia offense isn't dynamic but it has some players with some star-power. Russo can hit some shots down the field if you let him, so the Bears can be a tough-out with their players on offense and their aggressive style defensively.

USF is flying high at the moment with the top offense in the conference and a top 3 defense as well. I have a feeling that new USF DC Tremaine Jackson will see QB Russo as a stationary target at come after him. I'm not sure how good the CSP quick passing game is, but I think we'll find out. I'm not expecting Tre Spears to have a lot of success on the ground, but I think Cordell Smith is a real threat against the Coo secondary.

Overall I think this game will be very exciting and feature some big plays/long scores due to both defenses bringing the heat upfront. If Luke Papilion can take the heat that I'm expecting Concordia to put on him than I see the Cougars being the more steady team offensively and winning the day. It will be a chilly and windy night in Sioux Falls and I think that will impact the Bears trying to throw downfield passes more than the short passing game of USF.
USF 38-24


Witt's Picks Record: 29-3