The Normal University Pioneers will be playing at home against the Jacksonville Crimsons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Normal University never got on the board in their last matchup, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Lincoln last Friday. Normal University blew past Lincoln 49-28.
Normal University got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Alek Weiland out in front who rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 171 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Another player making a difference was Lyfe Campbell, who rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries.
Jacksonville fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back wins it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They put the hurt on Springfield with a sharp 31-7 victory on Friday.
Camron Mitchell continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 223 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.6 yards per carry. Mitchell is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Mani Moore, who rushed for 46 yards and two touchdowns.
Normal University's win was their fourth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 6-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 48.0 points per game. As for Jacksonville, their victory on Friday bumped their record up to 4-4.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Normal University has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Jacksonville struggles in that department as they've been even better at 278.6 per game. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Normal University might still be hurting after the 70-49 loss they got from Jacksonville when the teams last played back in October of 2022. Thankfully for Normal University, Elijah Owens (who rushed for 160 yards and five touchdowns on only 15 carries, and also threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
