Spring Break
Western targets the Bison
Bill Welt
Issue date: 10/30/09 Section: Sports
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Western Illinois suffered its sixth-straight defeat at Indiana State, 17-14 last weekend.
Turnovers were key in the Sycamores' victory over the Leathernecks. Indiana State was able to pick off redshirt freshman quarterback Wil Lunt twice in the first half and offensively capitalized on the 'Necks' miscues, scoring 10 points.
Western lost the contest after sophomore quarterback Ryan Roberts took his second draw for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to end their losing-streak at 33 games.
Head coach Mark Hendrickson admitted the team's frustration following the loss in Terre Haute, Ind., as the 'Necks have lost their last two games by a combined total of four points.
"Both teams (NDSU and Western) has experienced very tough losses back-to-back," Hendrickson said. "Two of their last two ball games have hurt very deeply. It makes it tough on the ball players. That's obviously where my concern lies right now."
North Dakota State suffered its fifth-straight defeat at home against Missouri State last weekend, losing 21-17.
The Bison have struggled despite having the Football Championship Subdivision's second leading rusher Pat Paschall.
The senior tailback already surpassed the 1,000-yard mark this season, averaging 145.3 yards a game.
Paschall may give the Bison the edge over Western. The 'Necks rush defense ranks sixth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, allowing 168.1 yards per game.
"On offense, they're good," Hendrickson said. "They're balanced, they mix up the running and the pass. They've lost several close games and a lot of them have been high scoring games. They certainly weren't planning on having the season they've had and as have neither have we."
The Bisons' defense has been the Achilles heel this year. The team is ranked near the bottom of the conference, giving up an average of 31.5 points per game this fall.
Senior running back Dre Gibbs rushed for over 150 yards last Saturday for the third-consecutive time this season, averaging 112.3 yards a game.
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