One things is perfectly clear to me, and should be for everyone witness to Thursday night’s 44-0 rout of New Mexico Highlands — The Fort Hays State University football team is much, much faster than they’ve been in recent years, and if the opener is any indication, it should be an exciting 2008.
Once the offense got rolling in the second half, the Tigers showed a few signs of things possible to come this season. With the combination of receiver Bryan Haynes, running backs Jacobb Irvin and Anthony Dickson, the Tigers could be looking at some big plays this season.
In Thursday’s game, the Tigers had just about every aspect of the game covered, a defensive touchdown, a special teams touchdown, and a multitude of big plays in the second half.
The most impressive thing, still, though has to be the Tiger defense and the ability to adjust on the fly. Coming into Thurdsay’s opener, the Tigers really had no idea what Highlands, a new offense under a new coach, and several junior college transfers were going to bring to the table. In the early going, Highlands quarterback Vince Seeno had the Tiger defensive backs on the ropes, connecting on long pass after long pass. C.J. Lovett put an end to that as the former freshman of the year in the MIAA picked him off and took it 77 yards screaming for a 14-0 Tiger lead.
“it’s a big thing because those are things you don’t expect to happen every game, so when it does happen, it’s huge,” Lovett said. “It really gets your blood pumping. It makes you think you can do so much more.”
The Tiger defense, though, has come to expect itself to perform well. One of the better groups in the MIAA last season, the Tiger defense looks eager to prove 2007’s presence wasn’t a fluke. After giving up just the few big pass plays Thursday, the Tigers gave up virtually nothing to the Cowboys’ spread-style offense.
“Guys were kind of feeling their way. I want these guys to expect to make these big plays all the time,” Tiger coach Kevin Verdugo said.
The defense buckled down in a big way, so much so the interior gave up just three total rushing yards all night, and the Cowboys were held to just 172 yards off offense on 66 plays. To go along with that domination ,the Tigers collected five sacks against Highlands’ quarterback duo, two from sophomore Garrett Nikkel.
Keep in mind, all this domination comes against an RMAC opponent that could finish near the bottom of an inferior conference, but given a little experience, Highlands has the capability to be a contender in the RMAC. Nonetheless, the Tigers were impressive in their opener, just as last season, but didn’t show any signs of a weak link.
We’ll get back to the team speed, but let’s look at the offensive line. This was the only facet of the game that seemed to be a bit shallow in the opener, but only for about a quarter and a half. Junior transfer quarterback Mike Garrison talked about the offensive line, stating they were a little baffled by what Highlands offered up front, but once they figured it out — it was smooth sailing.
“Coach got on their but a little bit and lit a fire under them,” Garrison said. “They came out in the second half and started to do a little work, and we took off from there.”
The result was Garrison having time to work the TIger offense, which ended the night with 349 yards, a good sign for an offense that was at the bottom of the MIAA last season. Garrison connected on big plays to the speedster Bryan Haynes, including a 71-yard scoring play, the longest from scrimmage since Reed Gottula’s 72-yard scoring run in 2004 against Nebraska-Kearney.
“We knew we could go down the field,” Garrison said. “There wasn’t a corner that could keep up with him.”
The passing game opened up after the TIgers got the run game going, just like good teams do. Let’s talk about Anthony Dickson for a minute. This guy is probably he most exciting thing about Tiger football in 2008. The offensive line wasn’t working well early, so Dickson’s threat as a back probably wasn’t on full display. Due to the blowout, he didn’t see much action in the second half, but take a look at his speed in the special teams and that should give you some idea.
Now, the MVPs of the night, the TIger special teams. Bryan Haynes’ kick return for a score of 97 yards (tied for fourth longest in program history) was the play of the night. When Haynes broke the Tigers’ 40, you knew the 200-meter dash national champion was gone. With Haynes, Dickson and newcomer Ethan Ungles, the return game for the Tigers will no doubt be among the elite this season in the MIAA. Garrison had the best way possible of describing the multiple specialty threats.
““We have two returners that are insanely, amazingly, crazy fast,” Garrison said. “Get the ball in their hands and they’re going to make something happen.”
The same can be said for Haynes in the offense. He had trouble with dropped passes last season, but the speedster seems to have a handle on things at least in the early going. It’s going to be exciting to see next week’s game at Colorado Mines. The Orediggers return quite a bit on defense, but still play in the RMAC. Golden is a tough venue to play in and one of the more scenic stadiums in the RMAC, plus the Tigers will play their only game of the season on grass turf, hoping to cure their road woes. Fort Hays hasn’t won a road contest in the last 13 tries, since a 21-14 win at New Mexico Highalnds in Verdugo’s first season. Should be a fun one at 5,280 feet.
A few notes on every MIAA game this week and my pick of the winners
Thursday New Mexico Highlands at Fort Hays
Let it be known that Fort Hays ran over its RMAC competition as an improved team last season. If the Tigers are as improved as they say they are, there should be no doubt Thursday’s game will yield the same result. At least with their impressive wins last season, the Tigers did what MIAA teams should do to the near-the-bottom or middle-of-the-road teams in the RMAC. This year should be no different, as Fort Hays will run by Highlands. Pick — Fort Hays 40-7.
Minnesota-Mankato at Central Missouri
Central Missouri will be introducing a new offensive scheme that features eight starters back from a 7-4 run last season. That included a 6-3 mark in the MIAA. Look for the Mules to struggle early, but find their rhythm. Minnesota-Mankato will introduce a new coach as part of a new conference, the NSIC. Pick — Central Missouri 30-10.
Missouri Western at Northern State
This will be the first meeting between the two programs. The Griffons are coming off a 9-3 season (6-3 MIAA) and had a successful trip to the Mineral Water Bowl, representing the MIAA against NSIC member Wayne State (Neb.) College. The Wolves went 5-4 in the NSIC last season. Pick — Missouri Western 35-15.
Missouri S&T at Truman State
Though home-field advantage is not a true home-field advantage for Truman State, it shouldn’t slow down quarterback Matt Ticich and Truman’s high-flying offense. The game will be played at Central Methodist (Mo.) University due to a delay in installation of Truman State’s new field turf at Stokes Stadium. Missouri S&T (formerly MIssouri-Rolla) hasn’t defeated Truman in the last 22 tries. Pick — Truman 40-28.
Colorado Mines at Washburn
The Orediggers were no match last season on their own turf, so don’t look for much more against Washburn in Topeka. Last time out, Washburn forced four turnovers en route to a 27-7 victory. On their home field in a season opener, Washburn rolls again. Pick — Washburn 21-0.
Saturday
Western State at Emporia State
Just like at Fort Hays last year, a win over Western State could build some confidence for a program that has struggled in recent seasons — Emporia State. The Hornets are picked to finish last in the MIAA, but that’s still better than sixth in the RMAC. Emporia State has limited returning players, but some youngsters will shine. Pick — Emporia State 24-21.
Harding (Ark.) at Missouri Southern
This game had the makings of a close one, but only if it was played at Harding. Missouri Southern quarterback Adam Hinspeter is chasing several records and climbing the charts in the MIAA. He will be solid in the opener at home. Pick — Missouri Southern 40-20.
Abilene Christian at Northwest Missouri State
This is the the first top 10 college clash at any level in 2008. It would be tempting to give Abilene Christian an upset edge over a Bearcat squad without the services of Xavier Omon, but it’s not going to happen — not in Maryville. The Bearcats are riding an impressive 17-game home winning streak. Pick — Northwest Missouri 35-21.
Pittsburg State at Central Oklahoma
This is a matchup of two of the winningest teams in Div. II. Pittsburg State leads Div. II with 621 wins all time, while the Bronchos are fourth on the list with 578. Both recently celebrated the century mark as college football programs, as the Gorillas enter their 101st season and the Bronchos enter their 103rd. Pittsburg State will play two road non-conference games, but return two of the best offensive threats in the MIAA — Mark Smith and Caleb Farabi. Pick — Pittsburg State 40-10.
Could this be the year the Fort Hays State University football team makes that transition to an upper-echelon contender? Probably not. But, expect a similar jump to what the Tigers saw last year. And, at this point, don’t eliminate the thought of the Tigers contending for a spot in the playoffs or the Mineral Water Bowl late in the season.
After all, in the MIAA, it’s anyone’s game. Unless you’re Northwest Missouri State or conference newcomer University of Nebraska-Omaha. After 1 and 2, it truly is anyone’s game this season.It will be awhile before Northwest Missouri falls from grace, and UNO brings a whole other level of superiority to an already dominate Div. II conference.
But, the Tiger faithful can and should expect big things from the Tiger program this season. Spending the last two weeks inside Tiger camp, one thing is evident: The Tigers are a much more confident program than they have been in the last two seasons. With some speed out of the backfield, a proven winner at quarterback and a talented group of wide receivers, the Tigers will no doubt be better on offense, and a defense that proved MIAA-worthy last season, has not seemed to lose any of its ability. As far as the MIAA is concerned, it’s still too early too tell.
Fort Hays was picked to finish ninth in the conference, but could just as easily finish in third place, given the right wins. From 3 to 10, it’s anyone’s game, just as every season.That’s what makes the MIAA such a dominate force in Div. II — its depth.Especially with the addition of UNO this season. If the MIAA doesn’t see at least three in the playoffs, then the rest of the country has finally caught up. Pittsburg State, picked third in the conference after getting, for lack of a better term, snubbed by Div. II last season — along with Missouri Western, should again be a force to be reckoned with. The Griffons will be good again, and of course Washburn has proven itself to be a title contender. After that, there could be a couple sleepers in the bottom five.
If Truman State actually gets a chance to play at home this season, you can’t count out the Bulldogs and quarterback Matt Ticich, who given the right season, could be a Harlon Hill candidate. The Bulldogs will play their first home game on the road because of a dispute between the university and contractors on the installation of new turf at Stokes Stadium.
That mixed with a ton of rain has hindered the production. The most recent picture of the field portrayed large dirt-moving equipment parked in a puddle of mud. So, if the Bulldogs don’t find this too distracting and actually get to play a true home game this season — look out. Truman State was scheduled to play seven games at home this season, but will lose a true home game, plus the revenue from concession stand sales for their first game, which will be played at Central Methodist — about 85 miles away from Kirksville.
Then, there is Missouri Southern, which has the best schedule in all the MIAA this season — or the worst depending on how you look at it. The Lions get all the MIAA’s top dogs at home, hosting newcomer UNO in the MIAA opener, then hosting Northwest Missouri, Missouri Western, Washburn and Central Missouri all in Joplin. The Lions’ dream schedule includes just four road games — at Truman (maybe), at Fort Hays, at No. 17 Pittsburg State (their toughest road game), and at Emporia (only picked No. 10 this season because some team had to be).
So, with just over a week before the season begins, it’s time to get your game faces on.T
he MIAA campaign looks to be a week-in, week-out grind where the bottom eight spots are up for grabs and there for the taking for any of last year’s bottom feeders. That includes Fort Hays, which looks to make another jump since joining the ranks three seasons ago.