Emporia State coach Garin Higgins believes what he’s telling his team is the same thing Truman State’s coaches are telling their team:
“Hey, we’ve got a chance to get a win.”
The two teams have the same record, 1-7 and 0-6 in the MIAA. Both have long losing streaks. Both might not admit it, but there is a sense of desperation going into Saturday’s battle for ninth place in the MIAA.
“A 1-8 record is a lot worse than 2-7,” ESU senior receiver Danny McEvoy said. “Both are not great records, but a win would make things so much easier for the whole team and the coaches. Winning is everything, really.”
Higgins says he doesn’t plan to pull out every gimmick and gadget in his repertoire, but it’s obvious the Hornets have a lot invested in this game.
For one, the team’s injury report tells the story.
Defensive end Daniel Webb is returning from a knee injury that he suffered against Fort Hays State in Week 5. Linebacker Matt Rosenhamer and safety Chris Woods are back after missing last week.
On offense, running backs La’Darrian Page and Kevin Smart both return after sitting out last week. Then there’s quarterback Tyler Eckenrode, who missed last week with a shoulder injury.
Eckenrode has not been throwing this week; however, he’s still been taking snaps and going through mental reps, preparing as though he’ll be the starter. Eckenrode said Thursday that if he keeps feeling better at the pace his shoulder has been improving this week, he believes he’ll play on Saturday. He also buys into the must-win scenario.
“Just knowing we can and we should beat these guys, because we have more talent and we just have to execute, that’s what it comes down to,” Eckenrode said. “I’ve tried to focus more this week than I have any other, just knowing we need to pull out this win.”
The Hornets have tried not to make many excuses for their losing this year, but the one area where they will admit they’ve been unfortunate is injuries.
Eckenrode’s return would be key, because he has not thrown an interception in his two starts and he’s shown the ability to throw the ball downfield with accuracy. Andre Sloan El has thrown 11 interceptions and threw three last week.
On defense, Webb’s return has his teammates and coaches feeling as though he can be sort of a savior. Webb has played only five games but still leads the team with four sacks and is tied for the team lead with 6.5 tackles for loss.
“He just brings so much, not only with his play but just the passion that he plays the game,” Higgins said.
The biggest hurdle the Hornets face on Saturday is the fact that they’ll be playing on the road, and it’s been clear their performance at home — even in losses — has been better.
Higgins’ staff has yet to win a road game in three seasons in the MIAA, and Saturday will be the final chance in 2009.
“We’ve talked about it as a staff,” Higgins said. “We’ve let them wear different game pants at Fort Hays. We’ve met extra with them. We’ve taken off meeting with them, but I don’t know. ... We’ve done everything. There comes a point in time when kids have got to prepare themselves to go get a win mentally on the road.”
Although Higgins would not say he’s preparing his team differently for Saturday’s game, he did admit it would mean a lot to his football team to get a reward for all the hard work they’ve continued to put in.
With the Hornets finally getting a few key players healthy, this could be their chance.
“I know the football gods are going to smile on us sometime,” Higgins said. “I don’t know when it’s going to be, but they’re going to.”
footballeyes (anonymous) says...
great story
October 23, 2009 at 4:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )