In the third quarter of the Fort Hays State University football team’s loss to Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. over the weekend, fourth-year Tiger coach Kevin Verdugo was whistled for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for getting on an official for a no-call.It was the first time in his career at Fort Hays and probably ever the normally calm and collected Verdugo had been flagged for going a little overboard. From the press box, and from an avid follower of Div. II football for the last five years, Verdugo probably under-reacted, and the unsportsmanlike call was probably the best one made all day.
Saturday’s game saw so many no-calls and bad calls on both ends of the field, but the worst of these was in the third quarter when Tiger freshman punt returner Ethan Ungles made his first appearance in a Tiger uniform, and quite honestly, could have been his last for the season. In headhunting fashion, a Colo. Mines defender was at a dead sprint and clocked Ungles immediately following his catch of a punt.The result was a fumble that eventually set up another Mines score, which is all part of the game.
Fans would take a look at that play and use it as an excuse the Tigers lost the game, but utlimately it was their own mistakes that handed them their first loss of the season. But, the NCAA makes rules for a reason, and Ungles has to consider himself fortunate at this point. He later came back and made a 20-yard reception, trying to wash the taste out of his mouth of fumbling the football — but there was little he could do.
Completely defenseless with his head still pointed up to watch the ball into his arms, Ungles was hammered, which by rule, should result in a penalty. In his weekly news conference Monday, Verdugo briefly addressed the issue, but only when asked. Verdugo’s anger during Saturday’s contest was more about his concern for the safety of those on the field.“I still will differ, until they stop playing football about that punt catch,” Verdugo said.
“The punt returner is defenseless and he is supposed to have the opportunity to catch it and make a move. Our young man was given neither.”
The following was taken from the NCAA 2008 rulebook online. Pay attention to the very end, because the play Saturday could have just as easily resulted in an ejection.
Fr-9PROTECTION OF DEFENSELESS PLAYERS—The 2008 committeeintroduced a separate rule prohibiting initiating contact with and targeting adefenseless opponent (Rule 9-1-3).The following are situations in which defenseless players are susceptible toserious injury:
• The quarterback moving down the line of scrimmage who has handed orpitched the ball to a teammate, and then makes no attempt to participatefurther in the play;
• The kicker who is in the act of kicking the ball, or who has not had areasonable length of time to regain his balance after the kick;• The passer who is in the act of throwing the ball, or who has not had areasonable length of time to participate in the play again after releasing theball;
• The pass receiver whose concentration is on the ball;
• The pass receiver who has clearly relaxed when the pass is no longercatchable;
• The kick receiver whose attention is on the downward flight of the ball;
• The kick receiver who has just touched the ball;
• The player who has relaxed once the ball has become dead; and
• The player who is obviously out of the play.These players are protected by rules that have been in place for many years. Itis of the utmost importance that participants, coaches and game officials carefullyand diligently observe safety rules.
Fr-10 POINTS OF EMPHASISIntentional helmet-to-helmet contact is never legal, nor is any other blowdirected toward an opponent’s head. Flagrant offenders shall be disqualified.
Aside from that, it was great to see Verdugo not coming out and making excuses. The Tigers were embarrassed by what they thought was a winnable game in Golden, and quite frankly, the Tiger defense was beaten by about three plays — repeated several times over the course of the game by a mistake-free Mines offense. It resulted in a 1-1 record heading into this Saturday’s MIAA opener with Washburn, one of the two hottest MIAA teams coming out of the non-conference season.Here’s a look at my own power rankings as far as the MIAA is concerned as the best conference in Div. II football begins play.
1. Nebraska-Omaha — It’s not very hard to put this MIAA newcomer at the top of the list, even with just one game under their belt. Until someone beats them or comes close, the No. seventh-ranked Mavericks will remain at the top of my list.
2. Pittsburg State — The Gorillas played the toughest non-conference schedule and did it on the road, capping it with an impressive win at Chadron State. Though the Eagles were Woodhead-less, it’s still an impressive win.
3. Washburn — Defeating Missouri State was just the tip of the iceberg. With a sophomore gunslinger in Jake Iverson, the Ichabods pose a difficult offensive scheme for any team to defend. Watch out for the Washburn-Truman game later on in the season.
4. Northwest Missouri — Sure, the Bearcats are 1-1, but in the MIAA, don’t count them out. Don’t expect them to lose again at home this season. Abilene Christian is no slouch, and the experience against one of the best should prove an advantage in the grind of the MIAA.
5. Missouri Southern — Quarterback Adam Hinspeter is on pace for several MIAA records and the Lions won over one decent non-con opponent and were dominant in their other.
6. Central Missouri — Of the 2-0 teams, the Mules might have had the weaker schedule. Minnesota-Mankato is, of course, no slouch, but a win over Ark. Tech did little to impress.
7. Missouri Western — Getting blown out at home didn’t help the Griffons much as far as making the Griffons a feared opponent, but don’t come anywhere close to counting them out. They could just as easily be No. 2 on this list behind UNO. Any of these teams can have one bad week.
8. Emporia State — Maybe the newbies and young guys on the Hornets are too young to realize how good they can be and that has helped. A Week 2 victory over Augustana might have surprised a few people, and certainly has MIAA opponents of their matchup.
9. Truman State — It’s hard to get a feel for the Bulldogs after only one game, but they beat a quality opponent and did it while dealing with everything that has been going on at their home facility. Truman State’s offense should put up some good numbers this season.
10. Fort Hays — The Tigers were the only team in the first two weeks of the season to lose a non-conference game against an un-ranked opponent. I thank my partner in crime, reporter Conor Nicholl (a Truman State grad) for pointing this out, but it rings true, and helped me choose between 9 and 10. The Tigers, more than in recent years, have the ability to be explosive (405 yards this week) and quite honestly, can play with anyone in the conference — as long as they are at home. Until they prove they can get over the hump and win a road game over teams of equal caliber (5 through 9 on this list), they will be facing an uphill battle. They also have to travel this season to both Northwest Missouri and Nebraska-Omaha.
Check back Friday for some last-minute observations and my picks for the weekend’s games as the Tigers set to host Washburn in their conference opener, part of TailGreat 2008 at Lewis Field Stadium.