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Throughout the season, WRNL will be doing a player to watch article before every game. Most of the players will be the a matchup nightmare for the opponent. However, this week, the Cyclones are facing South Dakota State. Iowa State should have an overwhelming matchup at every position, so I am going to choose the most obvious player to look out for.
When playing against an FCS school, it’s important to have a player who will refuse to let an upset happen. David Montgomery is that player. When facing Northern Iowa last year, Montgomery averaged 4.9 yards per rush, along with two touchdowns. Last season, Mr. Montgomery rarely got help from his offensive line, forcing him to create most of his yardage after contact, but fans and coaches have been cautiously optimistic that the line has improved from last season. If he can get anything more than average from the guys up front, it could be a scary good year for Montgomery.
South Dakota State is one of the top FCS football schools, thanks to the offense. John Stiegelmeier’s offense ranked near the top in every category last season, while the defense ranked towards the bottom. The Jackrabbits ranked 118th in yards allowed last season and 110th in rushing yards against. This is undoubtedly one of the weakest rush defenses Iowa State will face all season.
Montgomery, a 5’11, 216 pound product from Cincinnati, Ohio, is the best player on Iowa State’s roster, and that’s probably not up for debate by anyone. Montgomery has been ranked as the top running back prospect in the 2019 draft by CBS Sports, if he wants to prove his ranking throughout the season, he will have to take advantage of games like this. As he is one of the top players in the country, he will take care of business on Saturday.
Prediction: 19 Attempts, 101 Yards, 2 Touchdowns
We have all seen this kid’s highlights over 1,000 times, but if you want to watch them again; here you go.