Bye-Bye, Bye Week!

Well the bye week is FINALLY over. And it seemed like it’s been a lifetime since the Pioneers last put on the pads and hit somebody with a different color helmet on, and let me tell you something sports fans, in the words of Bart Scott: “CAN’T WAIT!”

The last time we saw the Pioneers, they suffered a 26-21 loss at the hands of our biggest rival, Missouri Valley, something which can’t sit well this team, and I expect the Pioneers to come out swinging in the early goings of this game against Avila, a team, honestly, that I know little about.
The Pioneers opened 2010 on the road against Avila, and it was a one-sided affair. The ‘Neers defeated Avila 42-7 in a contest that was never in question, as the Pioneers dominated defensively right away, as AJ Rodriguez forced and recovered a fumble on the game’s first possession. The Pioneers’ dominated the game on both sides of the ball, and that game was the MNU faithful’s first glimpse of the two young guns in the Pioneer backfield, Greg Gates and James Tillman. The two (then freshmen) accounted for five touchdowns in the contest and didn’t slow down the rest of the year, powering the Pioneer running attack.

This year, look for the same thing. The Pioneers (in my opinion) need to establish the running game early and run the ball often. That not only gives three talented runners more touches, it also makes the passing game that much easier for whoever the quarterback will be for the ‘Neers. Tyler Herl is a great quarterback, but like any quarterback, pressure gives him problems. In the Missouri Valley game, the Pioneers got away from the run a bit in the second half, and that let the Vikings pin their ears back and rush the passer frequently. The Pioneers need to run the ball effectively to give Herl some time, and some favorable match-ups to throw against.

Defensively, the Pioneers need to tackle. Plain and simple, the first guy who gets to the ball carrier needs to bring him down, and I guarantee the ‘Neers have been working on tackling for about two weeks getting ready for this game. Give the defense some credit, they were on the field for a long time on the 10th, but they do need to tackle better, and stop the running game.

I’m excited for this game for another reason as well: Adam Henderson will be providing the play-by-play on KMNU for this ball game and I am pumped to see how he does as the heir-apparent to myself when it comes to providing play-by-play for Pioneer Athletics. Make sure you listen to the game if you can’t make it out. Thank you for reading!

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