Dakota vs. Utica - Quick Report

Dakota vs. Utica won the Game of the Week vote, so here's my report on them!   Overall, this was a pretty sloppy game from both sides. Several turnovers from Dakota, while Utica only earned a few first downs. Still, there were a few performances worth mentioning. Here are my evaluations- two from Utica, and three from Dakota!   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Dakota</h2>    Hamby had yet another strong performance, and he was running the football much better than he did against IKE.   His power shined through this game. Time after time, Brady was able to lower his shoulder and lay out defenders on his way to a solid gain. I still don't think his RB play will translate to college, but right now, he's a very hard-nosed north-south runner who you can rely on for all four quarters. Defensively, Brady made several between-the-tackle and off-tackle stops, with a few solid sideline-to-sideline plays. Utica wasn't able to do anything on the ground, and Brady was a massive reason why.     Elijah left his mark on the Dakota win. Offensively, he flashed that same speed-in-space ability I saw in their loss against IKE. One big moment came in the 3rd, where Elijah took a screen pass, juked a man, and gained 20 yards before fumbling. I really don't like the fumble- have to carry the ball in the correct arm and hold it TIGHT. On the other hand, everything leading up to the fumble was phenomenal.   There were a few other quick things I noticed. First, Elijah had a couple of blocking opportunities. Most of the time, he whiffed or overall showed poor technique. That's an area to clean up. Second, a little more physicality and effort in stopping the run would be appreciated.     This evaluation will be pretty similar to my previous evaluations of Jeramiah. He had a handful of carries, and a handful of great flashes at RB. On track to be RB1 next season, he gives the Dakota offense much more athleticism and, honestly, upside at the position. There were times against Utica when Jeramiah hit the wrong hole or struggled to break arm tackles. There were other times where Jeramiah hit the correct hole and screamed upfield for a great gain. He's still pretty hit-or-miss, but if he keeps this trajectory, he's an All-MAC Running Back in 2025.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Utica</h2>    Gwilly immediately showed up on tape. On Dakota's first drive, he had a few tackles in addition to a timely redzone sack.   Throughout the game, it became incredibly clear that Gwilly was Utica's #1 defensive player. He's a very light, undersized linebacker, but plays with incredible speed and decisiveness. Sure, there were points where Mahti got blocked, attacked the wrong hole, etc. All in all, he's a very reactive player who is probably a future GLIAC prospect. I strongly believe that without Gwilly, Dakota would have put up 70 on Utica.   Mahti is also a great offensive weapon. He was really the only player that was able to get anything going for Utica. On a couple of occasions, Mahti was able to break several tackles and earn his way into the open field. Great vision, contact balance, and a mean stiff-arm.     Jake played a phenomenal game at safety.   Dakota was able to win at the line of scrimmage, but Jake made sure that they didn't get many explosive plays. On several occasions, Jake did an excellent job stopping the run (and screen pass) both up the middle and along the sidelines.   Jake's two best plays came in the 2nd and 3rd quarter. First, Jake tipped a deep pass that ended up being intercepted by his teammate. In the 3rd, Jake demonstrated great pursuit to the sideline, and instead of a TD-saving tackle, Jake punched the ball out and nearly forced a turnover. Really, really great stuff to force a fumble and an interception!

Dakota vs. Utica won the Game of the Week vote, so here's my report on them!