To prepare for the FCS Championship matchup between North Dakota State and James Madison, HERO Sports got some insight from John Neis over at BISONATION.
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Make sure you check out BISONATION and give them a follow on Twitter at @BISONATION. Thanks to John for taking some time to give us his insight.
Now, onto the questions:
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The semifinal win against SHSU wasn't without its losses. How do the Bison fill the holes in the depth chart left by the injuries from the game?
It’s the old football cliche of next man up. Don’t get me wrong, losing Jalen Allison/Jaylaan Wimbush/Ty Brooks in the semi’s is a bummer. Brooks has done well since other RB’s have gotten hurt, while Allison and Wimbush have started almost every game this year. So Bruce Anderson will have to carry the load even more and there is some hope Adam Cofield will be back.
At corner Marquise Bridges had a big game against SHSU and will need to continue that level of play and again there is hope Dom Davis will return. Both positions will have to turn to true freshman for some help. Seth Wilson had his redshirt pulled halfway through the season after all the RB injuries and has looked good. Josh Hayes never put on his redshirt and was expected to help on special teams. Now he may start in the biggest game of his life January 6th.
Last year Khalid Abdullah was JMU's big play-maker in the semi-final matchup with NDSU. Who do the Bison need to pay most attention to on the Dukes' offense this time around?
Abdullah killed NDSU but I was just as impressed with Bryan Schor. The Bison need to keep him contained, while getting pressure on him. With injuries at the corner position, they can’t let him have a lot of time looking down field.
NDSU has averaged 45 points per game in the playoffs. What's the key to executing against a JMU defense that is allowing 17 points per game in the playoffs?
First to 17 might win this game — control the line of scrimmage and time of possession which is always NDSU’s game plan. Plus, it’s the last game with three weeks to prepare so expect a trick play or two and some different looks from NDSU.
The Bison defense has been lights-out — just 26 total points allowed in the post-season and the majority of those came after the game was well in hand. What do you see as the biggest strength of this defense that will help them win the title?
JMU will finally get a taste of Nick DeLuca and Nate Tanguay who were both out last year. They are the leaders up front and demand the Dukes' full attention. Tanguay’s injury hurt the most in the playoffs last year. He is hungry for his crack at JMU and their banged up offensive line. If he can gobble up double teams, that will open up lanes for the linebackers to fill run gaps and blitz Schor.
If you had to pick one offensive player and one defensive play who's most vital for a Bison victory, who would you pick?
The easy answer on offense is QB Easton Stick, but with all the RB injuries to the Bison, Bruce Anderson will have to have stay healthy and run with a mean streak. On defense it’s Tanguay — touched on it above but it bears repeating. He is one of the best defensive tackles to ever play for NDSU and he will be key to controlling the line of scrimmage.
What's your prediction for the game?
It’s hard to bet against NDSU in Frisco but it was also hard to bet against NDSU in the playoffs until JMU ended that home field playoff streak last year. I don’t have a gut feeling on who wins but I will say I’d be surprised if either team scores over 24 points. I’ll go with NDSU 21-17.
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NEXT: FCS Championship: James Madison and North Dakota State Have Depth Others Don't
