Week 6 Chat

[Thunder]

A few thoughts on Week 6 before we move on to Week 7. Gypsy Days 2022 was a massive success. Great tailgate, good crowd, and a good performance by the home team. I think there were quite a few nervous Wolves fans after Winona marched down the field on their opening drive. If the Warriors were going to be able to put up points it was going to be a bad day for the home team...or so we thought. NSU fans have been fairly critical of the offense this year but they looked great in this one. They had some big plays, but were also able to put together sustained drives as well. If Will Madler can play like that NSU will be tough to beat. The defense put together another great performance and held Winona to only 64 yards rushing.

I was bit surprised Mary didn't put up more of a fight against Duluth. UMD having Olson and Carmickle back makes a huge difference for that offense. SMSU was a good story, but they have entered a brutal schedule. I don't see another win this year for the Mustangs. USF is really good though. They have their trademark running game and defense that could have them go undefeated in the NSIC this year. The question for the Coo is can they keep it going in the playoffs? Bemidji steamrolled another team they were expected to beat. They have a couple tests remaining but could very well end the season 9-2 and be hoping for some help to reach the playoffs. Augie beat a struggling UIU squad, but they need to figure something out in the passing game if they hope to achieve some of their lofty preseason expectations. Wayne keeps finding ways to win games. The Wildcats have done it with offense, defense, and special teams this year. They have 2 trips to Sioux Falls remaining that will determine if this is a good season or a great season. Mankato is much better with Ekern at QB, but they are no longer the unbeatable giant they were for so many years in the NSIC.

[Otis Day]

And once again we went way too conservative in the 2nd half. I got the impression that the coaches knew that SMSU didn't have enough time to come back with only a run game, so they were content riding out the clock the remaining 30 minutes.

And what was up with the goofy time out taken by the Mustangs with 2 seconds left in the first half, just to make USF come back on the field to snap the ball and take a knee?

I was able to tune into the second half for a bit and that was more the game I was expecting, not that I'm complaining about the first half. Maybe it's some element of gamesmanship to shorten the playbook but eventually the Coo are going to need to open it up to win games. Doing it against Duluth was great, but I don't want to just bank my hat on one game. Put the throttle down and end the thing. On to Mary.

Good game Stangs. Y'all are gonna be alright. Also, really enjoyed listening to Swammy on the Pod. SMSU has a good one.

[Barndog]

Mankato has a lot of players out. Against Wayne they were down to a third string LB. I think center position is the same. Hopefully some of them can get back on the field soon.