Great start to a Labor Day weekend!
24-0 and Hounds pitch a shutout to start the season!
What a great win over Kings to open the season for the Hounds. It isn’t very often you see such an exciting game to begin the season.
This was the first Moravian shutout since a 42-0 win at Juniata in 2010 and the first shutout at Rocco Calvo Field since 2001. Pretty nice way to christen the new synthetic field!
Although we made errors that certainly cost us points they are mistakes that can be corrected. But, for the most part the game was in hand midway through the third quarter.
The offensive line simply dominated the Kings front wall and by halftime it was apparent that the offseason in the weight room with our Strength Coach Tom Long had paid big dividends. Tyler Maxsim, Zack Cregar, Brett Poling, PJ Weirbach and Jason Barish wore down the Monarchs with their strong, aggressive play.
No offense to Kings….but the Greyhounds unleashed a lot of built up frustration. There have been many little things that have piled up over the last year…..unfortunately for the visiting Monarchs they were on the receiving end of that pent up energy.
Once they got rolling the only thing that stopped the offense was our own mistakes. Again, these are correctable and we cannot allow them to continue or they will hurt us in closer games. It isn’t often that you can rush for 262 yards in a game – averaging six yards per attempt is something you dream about.
As a defensive coach it is great to watch your offense control the tempo of the game. It allows you time on the sidelines to correct mistakes, settle the team down and it gives the players a chance to catch their breath. This is a luxury we didn’t have very often last year.
But, all of the growing pains we went through with our young team has brought us to this place. But, we can’t get ahead of ourselves. Each week presents a new challenge that we must rise up to.
It was really fun to watch “the troops” have an enjoyable afternoon and put on a show for our home crowd. Again, this was a well earned reward for a great bunch of hard working young men.
Looking at the game statistically there were obviously many superlatives including the obvious shut out of a very capable opponent. But, one thing that really stands out is that we only punted once and that was really a planned play in which our offense remained on the field and our multi-talented quarterback Doug Erny (#2) punted the ball from an offensive formation preventing King’s from returning the kick.
This means that our offense was operating at a high level and was basically unstoppable. A stout defensive effort limited Kings to 252 yards which was really outpaced by our offensive output of 452 yards.
In all games – among other things – you look at a few critical indicators. Penalties (especially pre-snap or “after “the play is over = “Free” yardage), turnovers (they give a team extra possessions and chances to score), the kicking game (largest amount of yardage takes place in this area).
These factors are especially important in opening games where both teams are wary of each other. (Imagine two boxers circling each other waiting for an opening). We certainly were on top of these areas on Saturday.
For those watching it was pretty apparent that this year’s version of the Hounds has a chance to develop into a strong team. Now, this will take a lot of effort in practice and the continued improvement of our younger players.
As we all know there are never any guarantees in life. Football is no different – the right to play at your highest level on game day is earned on the practice field. We need to continue working and driving ourselves to earn that chance to play well each week.
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The foundation is being laid right now….we need to continue with our overall team development. This is a never ending growth process that includes the molding of the student-athlete into a total person.
Coach Pukszyn has always emphasized the academic side of college life combined with all social aspects (especially for the new players on the team). Basically trying to show these young men how to become a well rounded person and not to just look at their lives only through the eyes of an athlete.
I fully expect to see success on many Saturdays this year….but, that is something we cannot know. But, one thing I can guarantee is this. Those young men who are a part of the Moravian football program are going to be great citizens on our campus!
The brotherhood of the Greyhound is established and it grows daily!
Go Hounds!