Football playoff preview

Football playoff season is here and the first matchup of the year will take place this weekend, at home on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 2 p.m. The Bobcats will battle against UT Martin, a team from Tennessee. UT Martin competed in the first round of the playoffs last weekend, facing Missouri State and barely escaping with a win, only winning by one point. The Cats are heading into the FCS Playoffs with an overall record of 9-2 and a conference record of 7-1. MSU is seeded 8th overall, and UT Martin is an unseeded team heading into the second round of the FCS Playoffs without the coveted first-round bye claimed by the Bobcats.

Statistically speaking, the UT Martin Skyhawks have been able to rack up higher scoring margins through their season, exceeding the Bobcat’s offensive output. However, the Cats’ strong defense should be able to keep the Skyhawks in check. The Bobcat defense has allowed an average of 13 points per game compared to UT Martin’s 24 points per game. The Bobcat team has also retrieved more rushing and passing yards than any of its opponents this season. While the Skyhawks convincingly pulled ahead in rushing yards, their passing yardage seemed to fall below their opponents.

The win against Missouri State was UT Martin’s first win in the NCAA Division I AA/FCS playoffs, with the team’s last visit to playoffs in 2006, where they lost to Southern Illinois, 30-36. MSU, however, has qualified eleven times in the past, the most recent being in 2019. In 2019 the team advanced to the semifinals where they fell to North Dakota State, 42-14. The most recent National Championship win for the Bobcats was in 1984. The Bobcats have won three national championships in three different divisions. In 1976 the Cats won Division II national championship and the NAIA national championship in 1956. MSU is also one of the only teams that has repeat winners of the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the most outstanding defensive player in FCS football.

If the Bobcats win this weekend, they will either face Sam Houston (ranked number one overall) or Incarnate Word. Predictions on NCAA speculate MSU will win this weekend and will square up against Sam Houston next.

With the Big Sky Defensive Player of the year, Troy Anderson, and a rocking defensive line, the Cats have the potential to take it all the way this year. A powerful offense will also take the field — a tool the Bobcats can use once again to reach victory as long as they play at the same level as their games prior to the Cat-Griz.