South Dakota State at Montana FCS Football 2015 Playoffs 1st Round Breakdown
South Dakota State at Montana, Saturday, 3:00
Heading into the final day of the regular season it looked like South Dakota State could earn a bye and it looked like Montana could have been left out of the playoffs. Instead, the Jackrabbits are heading to Montana for a tough first round matchup. Last week South Dakota State lost in double overtime to Western Illinois and fell to 8-3 overall. Despite wins over Kansas and Illinois State, they still have to hit the road. The Jackrabbits boast an impressive defense, led by T.J. Lally, Jesse Bobbit and Cole Langer. The team allows about 15 points per game, so scoring on them will not be easy for Montana.
And this has not been the most potent offensive team Montana has had. Running back John Nguyen will need to get the Grizzlies offense going and that has not happened consistently. Quarterback Brady Gustafson is back after missing some time with a broken foot and that will help. With him back in the last two games against Eastern Washington and Montana State, the Griz have scored 111 points.
South Dakota State has a better defense than both EWU and Montana State, so do not expect this game to get into the 50’s. Like Montana, the Jackrabbits will try to establish a run game with Brady Mengarelli, but will likely find more success against Montana through the air with the lethal combination of quarterback Zach Lujan and receiver Jake Wieneke. In the end, the home field advantage gives the edge to Montana and South Dakota State can avoid losing to North Dakota State in the second round of the playoffs for the third time in four years.
Projected Score: Montana 34, South Dakota State 27
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