Zenner vs. Bell

[Sycamore51]

When Indiana St hosts South Dakota St tomorrow, the two leading rushers in all of D1 will be matched up. Who will have more yards on the day, Bell or Zenner?

[Indianastate45]

Bell of course! ISU'S D is a little stouter and Bell is a better back... I know I'm biased but hey what did you expect ;-) Zenner is excellent and I think he'll have a decent day, but Bell carries the day.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

Over under at 400 combined yards rushing?

[lionsrking2]

Can't speak for Bell but we faced Zenner and he's the real deal! Has good size ... he's tough, hard-nosed, runs with good vision, more elusive than you think and has breakaway speed ... IMO, he's as good as any RB we've faced since bringing football back in '03, and we've seen some pretty good ones. No surprise he's putting up the numbers he has so far.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

If the SDSU defense shows up then Zenner. Bell is tough but traditionally the Jacks have had a good run defense....but who knows.

I'll take Bell just cus he is at home.

[PantherRob82]

If a tree falls in the forest....

[MplsBison]

Over under at 400 combined yards rushing?

That should be an easy over.

[McNeese75]

I'll take the Rabbit. Their D will be stout.

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[MTfan4life]

The last time SDSU faced a team with a solid rushing attack, they gave up 263 yards on the ground. I'll take Bell and the Sycamores today.

[Indianastate45]

Over 400.

[Twentysix]

Whoever wins the trench war wins the game.

The running backs matter less than the lines imo.

[Kemo]

I'm going with the under on 400 rushing yards total between the two. I think both backs are going against the best run defense they've faced so far (yes, better than Indiana and Kansas) and one team will be forced to pass more because of playing from behind.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say Under 400... Check out this article from this morning's Indy Star-Tribune: http://tribstar.com/sports/x1241959812/SDSU-s-rugged-defense-motivates-ISU-s-Bell

As for who has the bigger day, I think it comes down to which team has to rely less on the run and ends going to the air to move the ball. I think SDSU has a slightly better run defense than the Trees, so I'd say Zenner has the advantage in that aspect. The Jacks have given up a total of 43 rushing yards in their past 2 games combined (-11 @ SE LA & 54 vs. UC Davis). That said, I'm sure Bell will still easily have 150+.

Regardless of who wins the rushing battle, this should be a great game. I'd trade 300 yards from Bell for a Jackrabbit win!

[UNIFanSince1983]

Last year Bell had 199 on 22 carries and 2 TD against the Jacks. I am going with Bell.

[Kemo]

Last year Bell had 199 on 22 carries and 2 TD against the Jacks. I am going with Bell.
The Jacks' tackling has been significantly better this year than last year, though in all fairness, tackling Bell is a lot different than tackling most running backs.

[PantherRob82]

So far Zenner is doing much better. 2 more carries, but 25 more yards.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

ZENNER STRIKES FIRST!!!! 56 yard TD. Bell has done nothing thus far, but I'm sure he will break one soon enough.

[PantherRob82]

Zenner: 14, 115 1 TD
Bell: 11, 33

[Jacked_Rabbit]

10-0 Jacks with 2 mins left in the 1st half. Zenner with 115 and a TD on 14 carries. Bell with 33 yards on 11 carries.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Zenner: 14, 115 1 TD
Bell: 11, 33

Beat me to it. Great minds think alike...?

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Bell wrapped up for a loss of 6, breaks out of it, and ends up picking up 4 on the play. Incredible effort! Bell gets up very, very slow after the late hit penalty on the Jacks.

[Sycamore51]

Zenner has a huge rushing lead so far today. SDSU is sticking it to the Sycamores in the first half. Bell hasn't broken a run and we haven't thrown a deep ball yet. Zenner has has a few good runs

[PantherRob82]

Bell wrapped up for a loss of 6, breaks out of it, and ends up picking up 4 on the play. Incredible effort! Bell gets up very, very slow after the late hit penalty on the Jacks.

Bell will get his yards this year, but 3 YPC shows that this is not going to work for InSU. Only game number four and he is running out of gas and getting banged up. Add in the fact that they're already down 10-0....

[PantherRob82]

Wow, botched punt brings InSu right back in it

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Wow, botched punt brings InSu right back in it

Yeah, that was a big FG right before half. 10-3 and some momentum is much better than getting shut out. This game is going to be down to the wire.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

I'm sure Bell with snap off for 100 yards in the 2nd half, but he has looked beat up thus far...

[Jacked_Rabbit]

I'm sure 30 MPH wind gusts aren't helping, but both teams have looked BRUTAL passing the ball.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Midway through the 3rd quarter, Indiana State has 1 net rushing yard. 5 sacks by SDSU.

[Sycamore51]

We won't be able to score the rest of the game. My nephew's flag football team's offense looked better the other day.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

We won't be able to score the rest of the game. My nephew's flag football team's offense looked better the other day.

Funny thing is, it is still only a 1 score game... This SDSU D is much improved, however. They've given up 1 TD in the last 14 quarters of play.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Start of the 4th, SDSU up 17-10.

Zenner: 22 for 136

Bell: 15 for 41

[PantherRob82]

I'm going to take the under. Lol

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Zenner busts off a looooong run down - 86 yarder - down to the Indiana State 4 yard line. He is now over 200 yards.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

With 6 minutes left, Jacks up 24-10.

Zenner: 233
Bell: 54

[PantherRob82]

...well, at least we won't get any Bell worshiping threads this weekend.

[Jacked_Rabbit]

...well, at least we won't get any Bell worshiping threads this weekend.

hahaha True, but they will now be replaced by Zach Zenner circle-jerks. Hope to see you there!

[Jacked_Rabbit]

Final: SDSU 24. Indiana State 10.

Zach Zenner: 29 carries for 237 yards (8.2 ave) and 1 TD. Long of 87.

Shakir Bell: 18 carries for 54 yards (3.0 ave) and 1 TD. Long of 5.

[frozennorth]

nice win sdsu

[Squealofthepig]

So, should've taken the under on Shakir and the over for the UNH/ODU score. Just a note for myself once I perfect time travel.

[HartleysHuddle]

Congrats to my Rabbits, here's hoping the Jacks can keep the momentum up! Looking forward to coming back to Brookings for the big Hobo Day game against Youngstown State. Zenner is a beast! Loved watching him in fall camp 2 years ago.

[JackJD]

SDSU's second running back, RdshrtFr Gandy had 10 carries for 58 yards...also topping Bell. Gandy would make some headlines except for the fact he's playing behind Zenner.

[Twentysix]

Whoever wins the trench war wins the game.

The running backs matter less than the lines imo.


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Didn't see the game, but reading some of this thread...

[Kemo]

After 4 games, Zach Zenner has rushed 107 carries for 895 yards. For those who don't want to get out your calculator, that's 8.4 yard/carry and 223.8 yards/game.

[HandoEX]

After 4 games, Zach Zenner has rushed 107 carries for 895 yards. For those who don't want to get out your calculator, that's 8.4 yard/carry and 223.8 yards/game.
Wow! Can't wait to see him against the best rush defense I've seen at this level in Fargo!

[KUlawJack]

Wow! Can't wait to see him against the best rush defense I've seen at this level in Fargo!

Could be a battle. Hopefully Sumner's hand gets healthy so we don't have to rely so heavily on Zenner. He'll be shot before Fargo at this rate.

[Squealofthepig]

Shot Before Fargo.

That would be a good name for an upper-plains region band.

[HandoEX]

Could be a battle. Hopefully Sumner's hand gets healthy so we don't have to rely so heavily on Zenner. He'll be shot before Fargo at this rate.
If he doesn't come into the FFD shot, he will definately leave shot.

The D here is mean, fast and strong. But really, it should be a perfect matchup and I can't wait for the war!

[Kemo]

Just to update Zach Zenner's progress:

Z Squared rushed 30 times for 182 yards against Missouri State (one of the runs was an 88 yard TD).

Zenner now has 1,088 yards on the season, averaging 7.9 yards/carry and 215.4 yards/game.

[tribefan40]

Amazing that 30/182 actually brought down his averages, should be fun to see if he can keep up the pace!

[X-Factor]

Wow. The MVP for SDSU's team for sure.

[No_Skill]

Is he the main reason, or is he getting monster holes to run through?

[McNeese75]

Is he the main reason, or is he getting monster holes to run through?

You don't get those kind of yards without a pretty darn good OL

[Professor Chaos]

Wow. The MVP for SDSU's team for sure.
More than that, I'd say he's one of the early season favorites for the Payton award along with ODU's QB.

[frozennorth]

this is pretty out there, but if he keep up this pace, he might just have a shot at some bigger awards.

[clenz]

this is pretty out there, but if he keep up this pace, he might just have a shot at some bigger awards.
If you are implying Heisman it will literally NEVER happen. If the kid from UCF a couple years ago didn't get it with over 2000 rushing yards a FCS player would likely need 5000 yards rushing to even get talked about on ESPN.

[JMU2K_DukeDawg]

You don't get those kind of yards without a pretty darn good OL

Generally true, but there are a few exceptions, and they are special people.

Alfred Morris, rookie RB for the Redskins who has had a great start to the NFL season, was a 6th round draft pick out of Florida Atlantic. This guy was considered a questionable pick for the Redskins, as they had passed up on "better" RBs and already had depth at the position compared to so many other areas of need. However, I bring this up because Morris ran behind a horrible OL at FAU and has average speed, so most did not see him as a quality NFL level back because he did not have all the stats you would want to see coming out of a school like FAU which does not play the best college teams on a weekly basis. But the Skins O-line sucks, so Shannahan knew what he was doing, I think. It is precisely because he has had to play with such a bad O-line that makes his accomplishments so much better. That and he is a downhill runner so he knows how to hit the hole and go, no dancing, etc., which works perfect for the ZBS that the Skins O now uses.

Some RBs thrive despite a bad O-line, and these guys are far more impressive to me than the speedsters that can only rack up the yards if the big boys are moving the pieces in front of them. Some other notable RBs that come to mind in this style are Darren McFadden, Frank Gore, and Maurice Jones Drew.

Not sure how well this fits/doesn't fit Zenner or Bell as I have not had a chance to see a full game, only highlights. But if either has an average or below O-line, then he should get the nod for the Payton Award ahead of the other, because that is some tough running!

[89rabbit]

Our O-line has been banged up all year. Two starters have yet to see any playing time. One is expected back after our bye week. Don't get me wrong the make shift line has been playing great. However as our starters get back and the depth of the line increases . . . could get even more scary for other teams. xintx

[89rabbit]

Here is a story about some of our injuries

http://www.argusleader.com/article/20121001/SPORTS0202/310010004/Jacks-eager-rest-bye?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports

Jacks eager to rest on bye


Written by
Terry Vandrovec


BROOKINGS — South Dakota State will take a couple of deep breaths this week, one to rest and one to regroup. Such is the benefit of being idle this Saturday, the Jackrabbits’ first in-season bye since 2008. They’ve been off either before the season opener or after their regular-season finale in each of the past three years.

It’s an unfamiliar spot, but a welcomed one in that it comes at the midpoint of the season at a time when injuries are starting to mount – three more starters got dinged during a 17-7 win over Missouri State on Saturday night – and with SDSU well positioned at 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. . . . (read more)

[UNIFanSince1983]

If you are implying Heisman it will literally NEVER happen. If the kid from UCF a couple years ago didn't get it with over 2000 rushing yards a FCS player would likely need 5000 yards rushing to even get talked about on ESPN.

Yes Kevin Smith from UCF barley got talked about. Troy Davis from Iowa State was only like the 2nd player to go back to back 2000 yard seasons, and did not win the Heisman.

If he keeps this up and doesn't win the Payton though there might be something wrong because these numbers are just crazy!

[Kemo]

Zach Zenner was stymied by Western Illinois's defense today, amassing his lowest total rushing yards of the year... 171 yards on 19 carries with 2 TDs (46, 60).

60 Yard TD:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:8502109

[clenz]

He should put about500 up next week

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[UNIFanSince1983]

Having seen Zenner in person now. Bell is definitely the better back. Zenner was very good, but his offensive line is what made him so good.

[clenz]

The fact he only put up 112 o'our run defense this year isn't impressive

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[Jacked_Rabbit]

The fact he only put up 112 o'our run defense this year isn't impressive

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It's difficult and unreasonable to think that a RB, not matter who he is or how good his O-line is, could continue to average 200 yards a game. Zenner and the O-line had their worst game yesterday - by far. 112 yards is nothing to sneeze at, but hopefully he can bounce back next week at home vs YSU. For how pathetic our pass game has been, Lord knows we're gonna need him to hit 200 if we plan on beating the Guins.

[clenz]

For how pathetic our run defense had been 112 is not impressive

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[Jacked_Rabbit]

For how pathetic our run defense had been 112 is not impressive

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Well, when you are down by 3 TD's, it hard to stick with the run game.

[mmiller_34]

For how pathetic our run defense had been 112 is not impressive

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I think there were alot of variables that went into this EXPECTED UNI win.

Also, I don't think UNI is not as bad as you say they are. It was unlucky to get Youngstown State right out of the gate, they were hot, had alot of momentum, and it was at Youngstown. Every team that UNI has lost to is a good team, and after watching that game yesterday it proved everything I thought about UNI. They are a better team than SDSU and shouldn't lose another game the rest of the season.

Or maybe I'm wrong and what we saw on the field yesterday was just an inspired team on homecoming..