SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Even though ESU coach Garin Higgins pulled Andre Sloan El in the fourth quarter on Saturday and gave both Zach Rampy and Tyler Eckenrode a chance to play, Higgins insisted Sloan El is still his No. 1 quarterback.
“I wouldn’t see why he wouldn’t be our starter,” Higgins said. “There’s no quarterback controversy, we’re just trying to learn from our mistakes today. I’ve always said we’ve got to play better from that position, and ball security-wise, we didn’t play well.”
Rampy’s performance was on par with Sloan El — he went 1-for-2 passing and had a fumble — but after a rough start, Eckenrode showed the ability to make throws down the field that Sloan El was struggling to make.
On his first possession of the game — the first of his career — Eckenrode was hit as he threw on his first pass and had his second pass deflected. On third down, he rolled out of the pocket to the right and tried to throw back across his body into double coverage, and his pass was intercepted.
Eckenrode calmed down on his second possession and got better protection. He made three nice throws down the field, leading the Hornets on a 50-yard touchdown drive.
On the drive, Eckenrode scrambled out of the pocket and found Matt Coursen for a 25-yard pass, converted a 4th-and-8 and threw the first touchdown of his career, a one-yard pass to tight end Dominic Mirocke. He also completed a pass to Coursen for the two-point conversion.
“He played well,” Higgins said. “Sometimes when you put guys in a situation like that, the pressure’s not on them. It’s not a tight ball game. It was tight, but it wasn’t like it was a one-point game and he leads us down on the game-winning drive, but he played well.
“Again, he hasn’t gotten a whole lot of reps this week. I just wanted to give him an opportunity and see what he can do. Not anything against Zach. I just wanted to give Tyler a look, see if he could run our two-minute offense.”
Injury report
During the fourth quarter on Saturday, there was an injury timeout nearly every other play.
Defensive tackle Keith Maples, defensive end Angelo Webb, running back La’Darrian Page, linebacker Vince Harris, cornerback Shaunquez Powell and receiver Chris Woods all left the game with injuries. But the good news for the Hornets is that Maples is the only one expected to miss any time.
Maples played just one play against Augustana and injured his ankle. He was on crutches after the game.
Webb, Harris and Woods returned to the game after their injuries. Page, who was hit in the shin where he already had a bruise, said he could have returned and should be fine to go next week against Central Missouri.
“We’ve got to get those guys healthy,” Higgins said. “We’re getting ready to get into a grind of the MIAA conference. We’ve got to get our guys healthy and get ready for a long stretch of our conference games.”
Final thoughts
Looking on the bright side, this wasn’t a terrible loss. Augustana went 8-4 last season, beat Missouri Western in the Mineral Water Bowl and returned its top playmakers on offense and returned a strong defense.
The Vikings are an improved team, and they came into this game jacked. Not only were they looking for revenge after losing to Emporia State last year, but they also were opening a new stadium and playing on campus for the first time in 51 years.
So, really, the Vikings should have been favored on Saturday.
The frustrating thing for the Hornets — and reason to be alarmed — is if they would have had solid play out of their quarterback, this would have been a winnable game. The defense played good enough to win, and it’s evident the Hornets have a capable running game.
All Andre Sloan El needed to do was make a couple plays and take care of the ball. Sloan El could do neither.
If Sloan El can manage the offense, hit open receivers and limit turnovers, the Hornets have the ability to finish over .500 this season. If Sloan El doesn’t start playing better soon, it might be time for Higgins to reevaluate his quarterback situation.