Rolled for the Rock

Four games after but the last perceived major hurdle to the top seed came in Brookings. Many of the matchups over the years, both regular & post season, have been classics and while it was in a different way, this iteration of the Marker Game was as well.

The credit for that resides overwhelmingly with Cole Payton and everyone who helped block for him as he tore apart the Jackrabbit defense. The four scores and 148 on the ground will be talked about long past the days of him lacing up cleats but it was the surgical passing that helped force the defense into such a mind twist. Six different targets and five incompletions. Rarely have we seen such an efficient effort by the quarterback position, all the predecessors included.

It's a performance that's going to be tough to replicate, let alone exceed

Fortunately for him and the rest, the defense has shown their quality game in and game out.

SDSU didn't get a first down until there was 2:33 left in the second quarter. That came after their one score of the game with every other possession going as a punt or turnover on downs when they became desperate. The backup quarterbacks and all the tentacles were completely overmatched from the opening kick.

And Code Green did it with no one starring in their role

It was just rally-up and take them down with little to no yards after catch or contact and a handful of tackles for loss. In other words, supremely repeatable - again!

And that was without them being at full strength. Give it two months and perhaps the extremely solid can be even better.

Before that we'll have to see what the Big Sky's best may be able to offer in the way of resistance.

In the meantime, enjoy the beginning of another year of reveling in the winning of the most high profile of all the contests between the two Universities this school year!

What say you?