PAINFUL HOMECOMING DAY!
Well….we walk off the field following a rough game with Susquehanna on Homecoming and I run into several former players. Guys who have fought their butts off for the Blue and Grey. Guys who have seen a lot of success and put in a lot of hard work for Moravian College.
You would think the first thing you hear coming out of there mouths would be complaints about the current state of Moravian football and some disappointment and perhaps anger at us as coaches. But no not that at all.
They know all of us well. Recognize the 80 plus hour weeks (NO EXAGGERATION) that are put in by the coaching staff. Countless hours on the phones getting not only athletes – but students for Moravian (Hmmm that professor in English, History, Math – how many students do they bring in?). The former athletes know.
First comments are “Hey, so nice to see you…. and great to be here again! What can I (we) do to help get this right again? You guys work so hard with so little respect from the school” That is comforting because although we hear more encouragement and positive reinforcement from family, friends and alums….it is hard to ignore some nagging complaints from others.
I confide in several former players and interested alums that there has become a separation of three teams from the pack in the Centennial Conference. Hopkins and Muhlenberg have always had an edge due to money (we have little) facilities (on the road we see the superiority our opponents have compared to ours) and academics (well just read about liberal arts school rankings in national publications). These are not complaints just the pure and simple facts of Centennial football.
But now Susquehanna has copied the Muhlenberg model of packaging need and financial aid. Their requirements for admission allow them to open their doors to many students from all over Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. Where we have become more restrictive in our admissions our CC opponents have become more liberal.
Susquehanna has risen from being our peer to now becoming a nationally ranked team. McDaniel has changed and continues to rework their policies and from what I understand Gettysburg will be making some changes soon as well.
My suggestion to any former players and Alums is to get together and reach out to the coaching staff (SOON!) and develop a solid group to help Moravian Football in conjunction with the powerful and always helpful Blue and Grey group. I am not talking about raising money – I am talking about forming a powerful wing to drive Moravian football to the forefront of our campus – force the school administration to address the needs of the program!
But like I was once told before a big game, although on an equal playing field, “If you are scared don’t show up!”
SPECIAL FORCES – SPECIAL (RAINY) DAY!
On a really great note….we took the “Special Forces” over to Muhlenberg on Sunday and had a great – although wet Sunday playing football.
The guys had a blast! Young coaches worked with these guys and put on a great show for the fans who braved the soggy weather!
I functioned as the cheerleader, assistant coach and ball boy (someone had to keep the balls dry). Watched our offense move up and down the field – make outstanding long plays! Witnessed great tackling and aggressive play by the defense!
What a fantastic effort and gratifying day. These guys show some special stuff and are truly unselfish. I venture to say that some of these guys will see action. on the field in the next few Saturdays.
The Special Forces are hungry and may supplant some of the more casual players who have been taking reps in the last games on Saturdays. One thing as a coach you notice is players who loaf, miss tackles and or just aren’t putting in a solid days work. Might be time to rattle a few cages.
Whatever happens…thanks for the great efforts Special Forces! Many thanks to Family and Friends who were getting wet last Sunday with the rest of us!
JUNIATA
Taking a quick look at the Juniata Eagles. They have one more win than we do to this point. But, obviously we are going to change that this weekend.
The Eagles have two big road wins. A 44-38 upset at Ursinus gave Juniata it’s first victory and then a 28-14 win at McDaniel over the sliding Green Terrors was their second.
This is a strong team that has a hard time stringing solid games back to back – this has been the case over the years. But, that is not to say they don’t have a talented bunch of players.
Austin Montgomery (12) is a very good quarterback who is basically a three year starter (he was injured most of last season). Currently he is completing 61.4% of his passes which is second in the Centennial Conference (94-153 for 1215 yards.)
The Juniata offense is diverse and uses multiple personnel groups and many different formations to confuse their opponents. This makes the Eagles a difficult team to defense. Having a trigger man like Montgomery (12) and a pair of receivers like Sam Owens (8) and Shaheed Ross (11), who each have 20 or more receptions, makes them hard to stop.
Although Juniata has given up a high number of points they have also generated 11 turnovers on defense. The Eagles have intercepted seven passes and recovered four fumbles.
Like the Moravian defense they have had some difficulty snacking the quarterback as both the Hounds and Juniata have each managed ten. But, also like Moravian they have several other chances only to have the QB escape and scramble out of trouble.
Below is some more information for the casual football fan!