Jabbering JAG 129.10 (To Crown a Champion)
Gentlemen... and ladies if you're out there, the time has finally come to crown our season 129 national champion. We have had a long and twisting road to get here, full of obstacles and setbacks. The road also had tough hills to climb and challenges that kept coming step after step. There were parts where you were so high up that you felt like you were on cloud nine.
The trail began with you finding young men (fake) to follow you on your journey, to unify under one banner and help you achieve your throne. You then had to do battle with other groups whom you hardly knew along the way. The battles just kept coming on your long and 13-week journey. If you were successful in enough battles you were then chosen to do battle against the other toughest foes in your region. The trail only got harder and steeper from there as you embarked on the notorious path this is the Wilkinson playoffs.
In the end, two enter but only one will have survived the Wilkinson journey.
Tomorrow's game features two of the premier offenses in the nation. Both are ranked in the WIS top 10. EKU will rely on their aerial assualt and Drake will use a balanced attack. These teams are loaded with top DIAA and solid DIA talent, not to mention they are backed by two great coaches who have over 70% win percentage in GD and they have combined for over 100 conference titles. These teams also boast solid defenses to boot. Both are inside the WIS top 20, which means they are allowing fewer than three scores per game. Both teams also have plenty of veteran experience on the roster as both teams have 24 upperclassmen.
Pete_61 will be looking for his 21st national championship in Wilkinson. Hatroq will be searching for his first national title ever. In that regards a little bit of a David vs Goliath? Don't be fooled as both of these guys know what they're doing. There is no "underdog" here. I think this game could be split 50/50 in 100 sims.
Keys for Drake
- Stop the Fearsome 4: EKU has 4 players with over 1000 yards receiving, Drake will need to limit the big plays.
- Get QB Stewart out of his "comfort zone": This SR QB has been lights out all season and Drake will have to get creative with their coverage and defensive schemes and try to force Stewart into making quick decisions and incompletions.
- Control the clock: Use their potent running game to keep the explosive EKU offense off the field as much as possible.
Keys for EKU
- Pick your poison: With a SR RB who has tallied up almost 4000 yards on the ground and averages almost 6 yards per carry, do you focus him or focus the JR QB who has thrown for over 4000 yards this season.
- Score early and often: With how Drake moves the ball and how strong their defense is, points could be at a premium so EKU is going to need to find ways to put points up and tire out the Drake defense.
- Win field position: Make Drake drive the length of the field, something that can be tough for non pass heavy teams.
FIRST OFF GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH, YOU BOTH HAD AMAZING RUNS THIS SEASON!
Prediction
