Week 2 Missouri Valley Football Conference Breakdowns
Last week the Missouri Valley Football Conference played some great games against FBS competition; this week we can expect to see much of the same. Youngstown State, Northern Iowa, Indiana State, and South Dakota State all played well against higher-level competition and will take a step down in terms of the teams they will be playing this week—Youngstown State, Northern Iowa, and Indiana State will all be playing sub D1 squads while South Dakota State will be playing a struggling team from the Southland.
Southern Illinois @ Miami (OH), Saturday, 12:00
I was very disappointed to see the result of the game between Southern Illinois and Eastern Illinois. The Saluki defense looked very poor; especially on the pass. Mi’kial McCall was very effective last week. He scored three of their four touchdowns. I’d like to see Southern Illinois give the ball to McCall and see what happens. If McCall has a huge day again Southern Illinois might make it close. However, in the end I don’t see Southern Illinois having the defense to pull off the win.
Projected Score: Southern Illinois 14, Miami (OH) 35
#18 Illinois State at Eastern Michigan, Saturday, 12:00
Illinois State looked very good against Dayton last week. Matt Brown had a great game, but the real treat was the running tandem between Darrelynn Dunn and Cameron Hunt. If Illinois State can stay that balanced and keep Eastern Michigan on their heels then Illinois State will have a great opportunity to get an FBS win.
Projected Score: Illinois State 31, Eastern Michigan 24
#25 Indiana State vs. Quincy, Saturday, 1:05
Indiana State was another team that performed well against FBS competition. Shakir Bell had a huge day, he ran for 192 yards and a TD against Big Ten member Indiana. This week Indiana State will play sub-D1 opponent Quincy. Look for the starters to be out by halftime.
Projected Score: Indiana State 52, Quincy 13
South Dakota vs. Colgate, Saturday, 2:00
South Dakota came off a strange loss at Montana last week. The Coyotes were up 24-16 in the third quarter. However, the defense gave up 568 yards of offense and South Dakota’s offense only racked up 233 yards. That is a huge gap and the Coyotes will need to figure it out on defense in order to compete in the Missouri Valley. This week South Dakota will battle it out against Colgate at home. This game should be a close game, but I feel that South Dakota will pull it out at home.
Projected Score: South Dakota 31, Colgate 28
Missouri State @ Louisville, Saturday, 2:30
Missouri State looked like it might be a different team this year at halftime of the Kansas State game last week. Missouri State was down 9-6 at halftime and eventually tied the game at 9 in the third quarter, and then the fourth quarter happened. Kansas State scored 35 fourth quarter points. This week Missouri State will travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals.
Western Illinois vs. Indianapolis, Saturday, 3:00
Western Illinois struggled against Butler last week winning only 23-15 against a non-scholarship team. The Leathernecks have a lot to figure out. They were able to run well against Butler, but they could not pass at all; Josh Hudson struggled immensely. If the Leathernecks do not figure out how to become more balanced on offense then going winless in the Missouri Valley Football Conference could be a very real possibility. This week Western Illinois matches up once again against weaker competition. I don’t think Western Illinois will struggle as much as they did in week #1 after getting the rust off. They should beat Indianapolis with no trouble at all.
Projected Score: Western Illinois 35, Indianapolis 14
#9 Youngstown State vs. Valparaiso, Saturday, 3:00
Youngstown State is coming off of a huge victory against Pittsburgh. Kurt Hess and the offense looked like a well-oiled machine and Pittsburgh had no answer. This week Youngstown State should pound FCS non-scholarship team Valparaiso.
Projected Score: Youngstown State 56, Valparaiso 3
#7 Northern Iowa vs. Central State, Saturday, 6:00
Northern Iowa performed very well against former Big Ten Champions Wisconsin last week. Freshman Sawyer Kollmorgen was spectacular in his debut. This week Northern Iowa will show no mercy towards Central State of Division II.
Projected Score: Northern Iowa 63, Central State 0
#2 North Dakota State at Colorado State, Saturday, 6:00
This game is a very interesting. North Dakota State is obviously a power team in the FCS and has the ability to control every aspect of the game. On the other hand, Colorado State is fresh off of an upset against their rival Colorado of the Pac-12 indicating that Colorado State might not be as bad as some were predicting. I still expect North Dakota State to win this game, but I think it might be a very close game.
South Dakota State @ SE Louisiana, Saturday, 7:00
South Dakota State didn’t play terrible against Kansas. In fact, the defense played very good in the first three quarters. However, the Jackrabbit offense could not stay on the field long enough to give the defense a break and eventually Kansas took advantage of a tired defense. This week South Dakota State will travel to Southeast Louisiana. I expect the Jackrabbits to control this game and come away with a solid victory.
Projected Score: South Dakota State 35, SE Louisiana 14
See All FCS Games of the Week Breakdowns
