Northern Iowa was impressive in beating Illinois State 48-15, and once again put themselves on the top of the heap in terms of who might be contenders in the Great Midwest.
"Treyton Naeve played phenomenal and led our team's offense with great carries and offloads," enthused UNI's Elston Lindner. "What worked for us was making sure we were spreading the ball from one side of the pitch to the other creating overloads to take advantage of."
UNI is most definitely a contender to win the conference, but Lindner said it is early days yet.
"We are in a great spot but we can’t get complacent, and we are always looking for ways and opportunities to get better," said Lindner.
Marquette, however, could be in that conversation. The Golden Eagles handed Wisconsin-Whitewater a 30-19 defeat.
"I thought we played well against UWW, but we still have a lot to work on and improve," said Marquette club president Ben Chejfec. "We’re a young team, but we bring a ton of physicality and energy to the pitch. I think our team identity is built around playing hard, being physical, and competing for each other."
This win gave Marquette plenty of confidence. Flyhalf David Kuebler impressed in running the attack, while Declan O'Malley scored two tries. But more than that, UWW was is one of the GMW's stronger teams, and the win marked Marquette as someone to watch.
