Ariy-El Boynton

After losing to two top-five teams two games in a row, SDSU looks to get on the winning side against Indiana State. On the year, Indiana State has been outscored 335-40 and is currently 0-7 on the year. SDSU is 2-1 in Missouri Valley Football.

Let’s look at the two teams in more detail:

Quarterback

Indiana State has three quarterbacks who have lined under center. Calv Schmidtke has taken the most pass attempts so far and will probably start this weekend. Schmidtke has one touchdown and four interceptions out of 75 attempts.

Sophomore Charles Dowdell could see some time in the game along with Schmidtke. Dowdell has one touchdown and has thrown three interceptions. Schmidtke has a 73.44 passing efficiency rating, while Dowdell has a 74.59. Redshirt-freshman Matt Seliger has also seen time for the Sycamores.

Jackrabbits’ quarterback Ryan Berry has been constant in his play for the majority of the season. Berry has played well enough in every conference game except one (Iowa State) for his team to win. For the year, Berry has 163 completions out of 258 attempts. His passing efficiency rating is 134.27.

Advantage: Jackrabbits

Running back/offensive linemen

The Sycamores’ running backs have two touchdowns. Darrius Gates and Antoine Brown have seen the end zone once each. Gates has 205 total yards rushing in seven games. Gates has 4.4 yards per rush. Brown reached the 100-yard mark for the season last week against Western Illinois. ISU averages 2.9 yards per rush.

SDSU’s running back Kyle Minett has been dangerous with the ball this year. Minett has nine rushing touchdowns and has accumulated 603 total yards. Tyler Duffy had a strong showing last week against Cal Poly.

Advantage: Jackrabbits

Wide receivers

Both teams carry a favorite target in their wide receiving arsenal.

Ryan Patrick carries the load for the Sycamores, as he has been a favorite target for ISU’s quarterbacks. Patrick has 24 catches on the year. Patrick has found the end zone on two occasions. He averages 10.6 yards per catch and 36.3 yards per game. No other Sycamore player has more than seven catches.

JaRon Harris has been quite impressive the last two games and has drawn double teams this year. Harris has seven touchdowns receiving and 640 yards in the air on 43 catches. When Harris is double teamed, Glen Fox and Minett have stepped up and have 30 plus catches on the year.

Advantage: Jackrabbits

Defense

The Sycamores’ defense has been suspect this year. This is especially true of the linemen upfront. ISU has only had 23 sacks/tackles for loss while opponents have had 68 sacks/tackles for 212 yards loss. Kevin Wilson (21 total tackles, 12 unassisted) and Ben Geffert (19 tackles, nine unassisted) led the defensive lineman for Indiana State.

The heart and the soul of the Sycamores’ defense are the linebackers. Quinton Scott leads the team in tackles so far with 64 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Jayden Everett (54 tackles, 19 unassisted) and Alex Sewall (48 tackles, 29 unassisted) come in third and fourth in tackles for ISU.

Donye McCleskey has 2.5 tackles for loss on the year, and he also is second in the team in tackles with 56 on the year. McCleskey has the lone interception for Indiana State. Larry Carter, Darius Middlebrooks and Kyle Monroe have made an impact for ISU in the secondary.

ISU allowed 3,006 total yards from scrimmage and 335 total points.

While ISU defense needs serious work, in the past three games, SDSU has allowed 136 points.

The Jacks’ defense has been impacted by injuries. Up front, SDSU was benefited by the healthy Eric Schroeder. The defensive line unit of Danny Batten, Brian Fischer, Steven Bazata and Schroeder may be the best unit in all of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The SDSU linebacker core has been solid unit this year. Jimmy Rogers, who has 61 tackles and a single interception, and Chris Johnson, who has 52 tackles, are first and second in team tackles this year.

Isaiah Jackson and Derek Domino have been solid this year.

SDSU’s defensive backs have been shaky this year. The injury bug has hit this squad hard. Last week was the first time since the start of the season that the whole squad was on the field at the same time. The defensive line needs to apply pressure in order to be fair to the secondary. Brock Campbell, Conrad Kjerstad, General Parnell, Cole Brodie and Adam Fritz have yet to play their best football.

SDSU has allowed 2,734 yards and 243 points.

Advantage: Jackrabbits

Special Teams

ISU’s Gabe Mullane has a lot of practice punting, with 47 on the year. Mullane averages 36.5 yards, with eight inside the 20.

Braulio Martinez hit 3 of 4 field goals this year. He is 2 of 2 for field goals from 40 to 49 yards. The only field goal Martinez missed was a blocked kick. Corey Varnadore has gone 1 of 1 for field goal attempts this year.

For SDSU, Dean Priddy has done a good job as the punter. Priddy has had 28 punts, with seven landing within the 20-yard line. SDSU place kicker Peter Reifenrath has gone 9 of 14 this year, or 64.3 percent. He is 2 of 3 from 40 to 49 yards out.

Advantage: Sycamores

On paper, SDSU should dominate this conference game. A team who has not won after seven games may be a head coach’s worst nightmare, but anything less than SDSU’s “A” game may result in a happy homecoming win for Indiana State.