Hornets have something to prove
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
KANSAS CITY, MO. — As Northwest Missouri coach Mel Tjeerdsma and Pittsburg State coach Chuck Broyles addressed the crowd at Monday’s MIAA football media day, they talked about the strength of the league.
Everyone is chasing the two powerhouses, and they both alluded to the teams that they’ll have to fend off. Not once did either coach mention Emporia State.
Back at the ESU football offices, the perception is different. The Hornets feel as if they are ready to take the next step. But until the rest of the conference sees some proof, the Hornets will continue to be considered an MIAA bottom-dweller — they were picked to finish eighth on Monday in the both the media and coaches’ preseason polls.
“That’s what we expected, and I wouldn’t expect it any other way, because that’s where we’ve been the past two years,” ESU coach Garin Higgins said. “We’ve earned that spot in preseason rankings.”
The preseason ranking fits perfectly with the Hornets’ theme this season. On their 2009 media guide, “Something to prove” laments the cover. The proof that Emporia State can follow through on its motto hinges mostly on one factor: Consistency.
Last season, the Hornets finished 2-7 in the MIAA, but three of those losses came by a combined 14 points. In all three of those losses, the Hornets were done in by a bad quarter or half.
“We’ve got to be consistent,” Higgins said. “That’s our whole key for us is we’ve got to be consistent, I think you saw last year that we did some great things at times and looked like a very good football team, and then there were times where we’re a bad football team. We’ve got to figure out a way to get that weight shifted over there.”
The biggest reason to believe in Emporia State’s chances to become a more consistent football team is the fact that Higgins has a somewhat experienced football team for the first time.
The Hornets return seven starters on offense, including quarterback Andre Sloan El, and nine on defense, including three of their top four leading tacklers from last season.
They also no longer have to rely on mostly freshmen. Last year, 21 freshmen saw significant playing time on the field for ESU, the biggest reason for the big number being that Higgins redshirted his entire first recruiting class in 2007. Higgins said he expects only one or two freshmen will be starters this year, and the Hornets will still rely heavily on their sophomore class.
“Those kids will be older and they understand the rigors of the MIAA,” he said. “I think that’s one of the positive things of our football team.”
The other positives Higgins talks about make Emporia State’s potential to rise from the bottom of the MIAA at least sound promising. Higgins believes the defense might be the best they’ve had in his three years at ESU. He says this could be the fastest team he’s ever coached, and even the other coaches in the league point to Emporia State’s strength at the skill positions.
“We had good skill last year; we’ve got better skill this year,” Higgins said. “We’ve got deeper skill this year.”
Higgins and his staff have started to build depth at every position, which is a big key to becoming a program that can contend with Northwest Missouri and Pitt State. But before the Hornets can consider contending with the top two, they know they have to make the leap to at least the middle tier, and in Higgins’ third year, that’s the goal.
“You want to make that transition,” Higgins said. “You want to win a big game, beat somebody that you’re not supposed to beat. That’s what we want to do. That’s what we aim to do. We want to be the best that we can be; we want to get over the hump. We need to have us a big win and we know that.”