The Missouri Valley Conference is unquestionably the best league in the FCS and, because of that, it seems like almost every week there is at least one season-defining showdown in the conference for someone…
if not several. This weekend that matchup takes place in Carbondale and, by every metric, it should be a dandy. #9 North Dakota (4-2) visits #12 Southern Illinois (4-2) for a game that will have a whole awful lot to say about the eventual playoff picture.
Is it a must-win for UND and SIU? No, not necessarily as both squads have positioned themselves nicely for a postseason push. A loss will not be a total killer. For whoever does come out on top, though, it might be the difference between a home playoff game versus a road one and it could even be the swing in someone’s bid for a first-round bye. There’s a lot on the line at Saluki Stadium this weekend.
North Dakota comes into this game fresh off an impressive win over a Youngstown State team that recently took South Dakota State down to the wire. The Hawks got another big day from the usual suspects in that victory including quarterback Jerry Kaminski, running backs Sawyer Seidl and Gaven Ziebarth as well as receiver B.J. Fleming. Those guys have all been key pieces throughout the season and are a big reason why UND sits where they do.
Kaminski got the starting job this season following the departure of Tommy Schuster and has been terrific, throwing for 17 touchdowns and just one interception. He’s passed for over 1,200 yards and has only taken two sacks all year. His offensive line is among the best in the FCS and its led by all-conference tackle Seth Anderson who is now in his fifth year. That line has also paved the way for Seidl and Ziebarth who have combined for 614 rushing yards and six TDs. The North Dakota offense is dangerous, however it likely won’t be that side of the ball that will be truly put to the test on Saturday.
Their defense has also been great and they’re going to need to be again because they are now seeing one of the best and most dangerous signal callers in the entire country with SIU’s D.J. Williams. To say Williams is dual-threat would not really be doing him justice. The senior QB leads the Salukis in rushing with 427 yards and has ten touchdowns on the ground. That’s on top of the 11 more he has through the air along with 1,404 passing yards. Williams wears #1 and it’s fitting because that’s the priority he is going to need to be for the Hawks defense in this one.
Senior Hawks linebacker Malachi McNeal will have to shoulder a lot of this burden. With a team-leading 44 tackles (26 solo), McNeal is one of the top playmakers for the UND defense. He and edge rusher Lance Rucker will need to be at their best to contain Williams. Rucker has four sacks and seven stops behind the line of scrimmage. The game may very well be won or lost on this matchup and how well it plays out for either this duo or Williams.
Every individual matchup, though, is going to be big. Kaminski against the Southern Illinois secondary that has knocked away 12 passes and picked off three more will be equally impactful. Safety Vinny Pierre Jr. and corner Jeremiah McClendon are two of the best at their position in the Missouri Valley and Kaminski will need to be extremely careful when testing them. With receivers like Fleming and Nate DeMontagnac (592 yards, five TDs combines) at his disposal, however, Kaminski and his corps are more than capable of navigating the Salukis pass defense.
No matter how it’s cut, there’s big showdowns all over the field in this game. Southern Illinois won this game three years ago and that was the last time these two met. After both squads missed the playoffs last year, it seems like both are poised to flip that script and get in this year. Winning this one, though, will go a long ways in making that a reality for either the Hawks or the Salukis.
The game will kick off at 3:00 PM (ET) on Saturday and can be streamed on ESPN+.
