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Breaking down the comeback
10/20/2009
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
On Saturday, the Fort Hays State University football team trailed 20-0 before the Tigers kicked a late first-half field goal. After intermission, Fort Hays scored 28 unanswered points and defeated University of Nebraska-Omaha, 31-20, at Lewis Field Stadium.
In the next 48 hours, Tiger coach Kevin Verdugo had the following exchange with several people.
"It was kind of funny," Verdugo said at his weekly news conference Monday. "I had some people ask me, 'what did you call differently?' 'Nothing.' 'What did you say at halftime?' 'Nothing.' Just go out and take care of business."
Fort Hays remained on an even keel and completed several long passes, including a 45-yard TD from senior quarterback Mike Garrison to junior wideout O.J. Murdock.
"This is where we missed on a couple in the first half," Verdugo said. "O.J. had one on his fingertips, (junior) Cordarol (Scales) had one just right over his head in the end zone. Those are balls that are just maybe a foot or just inches off. It was just a matter of we were able to hit those in the second half."
Senior cornerback C.J. Lovett picked up two second-half interceptions and tied the school record with 13 career picks. Junior defensive back Michael Walker blocked a kick. Verdugo called the comeback "no question, no doubt" the best in his five-year tenure.
Historically, it marked Fort Hays' biggest comeback since a 30-27 victory in 1996 versus Chadron State (Neb.) College. In that game, the Tigers were down 27-0 before they scored 30 points. Similar to Saturday, Fort Hays tallied a late first-half touchdown before a big second half.
The victory bumped Fort Hays to 5-3 overall, 3-3 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
The Tigers remained sixth in the conference and in the middle of the playoff picture. Fort Hays was not ranked regionally in the NCAA Division II rankings released Monday afternoon. The top 10 in every region are ranked, with six making the playoffs.
Still, three straight victories would likely give Fort Hays a playoff berth. Two, perhaps one, more win would move the Tigers into one of the two postseason bowl games handed out to the top two MIAA squads that don't make the 24-team playoff field. In addition, Saturday's victory set the new mark for wins and conference victories in the five-year Verdugo era.
"I think you are moving in the right direction, I don't think you have arrived at where you hopefully want to get, but I think it is a step in the right direction and gives you an opportunity to keep plugging away," he said.
Helped by the return of preseason All-American senior left tackle Wes Yarbough, Fort Hays went over the 30-point mark for the sixth time in eight games. Garrison passed for 227 yards and has 1,773 yards and 10 TDs this fall, just off the top 10 lists in school history.
"It was good," Verdugo said of Yarbough's return. "It allowed us to do some different things up front with some personnel. He is not probably 100 percent. We have to continue to get him healthier and healthier. Be smart about how we practice him."
Fort Hays started slowly Saturday against UNO. The Tigers trailed 20-3 at the break. At halftime, Fort Hays had not scored a touchdown for eight straight quarters. Opponents outscored the Tigers 83-6 in that span.
At halftime, though, Verdugo and the coaching staff remained calm, a tactic they have often used.
"For the most part, probably pretty business-like," Verdugo said. "Probably a general rule of thumb that if you are having to scream at them at halftime, you are probably in trouble anyway, so screaming is not going to help you.
"It's one of those things that the preparation that you had to go through the week is what is going to carry you through the ball game, not the pregame fire-them-up speech or the halftime get-after them speech. It's just a matter of making talented, educated adjustments," he added.
The coaches met as a staff, and then talked to the players. Everyone remained calm.
"I think the kids feed off of you, they feed off of your attitude that you have with them," Verdugo said. "If you are in a panic mode or seem like you are flustered, then I think they will react the same way."
In the second half, Fort Hays forced two three-and-outs on the first two Maverick possessions before the Tigers scored on a 14-yard run from Garrison. Lovett picked off two passes. The first came at the Tiger 2-yard line and was returned to the UNO 45, setting up the long TD pass from Garrison to Murdock.
With 9:40 left, Lovett picked off another pass in the end zone. He has four interceptions this season, tied for his single-season high, and 13 overall, tied with Mike Allen (1987-90) for the most all-time. Lovett was named MIAA Defense Player of the Week. In addition, Lovett has set school records for career kickoff and punt returns for TDs and could break marks for single-season punt and kickoff return average.
Lovett averages 39.6 yards per punt return; the school mark is 16.4 set by Andre Freeman in 2002. Lovett needs two more returns to meet the qualifying standard. On kickoffs, Lovett averages 28.9 per return. The record is 32.2 by Jamall Gaines in 2003.
"One of the most productive," Verdugo said. "I think you have to be careful -- and I tell the players this all the time -- don't mistake activity for productivity. Some guys get out there and they just run around and they think they are doing something. C.J. makes plays for you on special teams and on defense. They are done in a positive manner. He is not just a guy that runs around as one of the 11. He actually makes a lot of plays. Very, very productive."
Fort Hays will travel to Pittsburg State University (4-4 overall, 2-4 MIAA) for a 2 p.m. kickoff Saturday afternoon. The Tigers are 2-2 in road games, 1-2 in road conference contests.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| 2/18 | SW Baptist | L 66-53 | |
| 12/1 | Oklahoma - Panhandle | L 66-60 (OT) | |