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Tigers one victory away from winning season
10/23/2009
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
After a Week 7 blowout loss to University of Central Missouri dropped the Fort Hays State University football team to 4-3, Tiger coach Kevin Verdugo believed his squad, especially multiple transfers, didn't know how the playoff system worked in NCAA Division II.
"I don't think a lot of them really understood where we are," Verdugo said.
Verdugo discussed the playoff picture with his players, a picture that became more clear after a comeback 31-20 victory versus University of Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday, the biggest comeback in 13 years. Fort Hays can't win the conference, but postseason play is still a possibility.
The top six teams in Super Region 4 will make the 24-team postseason field. Fort Hays will almost certainly have to win out and get some help to make the playoffs.
However, the two top Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association teams that don't reach the playoffs earn invitations to bowl games, the long-standing Mineral Water Bowl and the first-year Kanza Bowl. Based on the recent regional rankings, the MIAA will likely have three playoff teams. The fourth- and fifth-place squads in the conference would then earn bowl bids.
After last week's comeback win, Fort Hays currently stands sixth at 5-3 overall, 3-3 in the MIAA. The Tigers can improve their postseason standing with a road win Saturday at Pittsburg State University (4-4 overall, 2-4 MIAA). A victory would give Fort Hays its first winning season since a 6-5 mark in 2004.
"I kind of compared it to driving down I-70," Verdugo said. "You have got to keep your eyes focused on the road, but you also have to be aware of your surroundings. But you have to make sure you have got your eyes on the road so that you don't end up in the ditch.
"There is a fine line there. I want guys to understand where we are and what they can accomplish, but I want them to understand that in order to get there, we have to take care of the things right in front of us," he added.
That includes ending a long losing streak against Pittsburg State and staying sharp after the emotional win versus UNO. Verdugo said "every coach guards against the letdown," a tenant he'll focus on this week.
"Show them the film. Get after them about the mistakes that they made," he said. "Let them understand that in order for them to reach the next step, they have to continue to build upon what they did Saturday and improve upon the mistakes they made Saturday. You can't count on getting down 20-3 and cranking back 31 points in the second half. We have to take care of business up front."
The Tigers have not beaten the tradition-laden Gorillas since 1978 and are 0-16-1 in the last 17 meetings. Pittsburg State has not had a losing season in more than 30 years and have a national championship and three national runner-up finishes under Coach Chuck Broyles.
"We will not talk about their record with them," Verdugo said. "We will put the tape on and watch the tape and assess what they do."
The Gorillas have struggled this season, including a 55-3 road loss to Washburn University last week, but are considered slightly better, statistically, than Fort Hays because of their tough schedule.
Kenneth Massey, a statistician for the Bowl Championship Series, also ranks Division II squads at masseyratings.com. He has Pittsburg State ranked No. 22 overall and playing the third-hardest schedule in the country. Fort Hays stands No. 23 with the 11th-hardest. Verdugo, a Pittsburg native, has seen the Gorillas transform their offense, but keep the same tenants -- a power running game.
When Verdugo was a boy, PSU was a split back veer team. Then, they went to the I-formation with the veer and option. Now, they Gorillas have added new looks from the shotgun, including zone reads and counters. Junior Terrance Issac ranks sixth in the MIAA in rushing with 458 yards and the Gorillas pace the conference with 179.6 rushing yards per contest. Senior wideout Kendall Fisher is Pittsburg State's best deep threat, leading the conference with 42 catches and 802 yards.
"Kind of its own different animal offensively," Verdugo said. "Very good at what they do."
On defense, Pittsburg State has safety Alex Kuhlman, a Ness City native who earned All-American honors in 2008. Kuhlman ranks fifth with 47 tackles and second with two interceptions in the MIAA.
Fort Hays has continued to put up points in the no-huddle spread offense, including tallying at least 30 for the sixth time this season on Saturday. Senior quarterback Mike Garrison bounced back with a strong game against UNO and ranks sixth in the conference with 1,773 yards passing. Senior wideout Cordarol Scales is tied for ninth in catches (31), while junior receiver O.J. Murdock is fifth in receiving yards per game (74.3) and hauled in a 45-yard TD pass on Saturday, his sixth touchdown catch of the season. Murdock's 23.6 yards per catch ranks fourth in the nation, according to NCAA statistics. The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Scales and 6-1, 190-pound Murdock are both talented, but have different skill sets.
"Cordarol, even though he is very tall, he is not a stop and go up and get the ball guy," Verdugo said. "He is a run after it and you can throw one and he can run under it. O.J. has the ability, we have seen him do it a couple times this year, to stop, go up and tip it to himself and be able to make that play. I think it is just a matter of understanding your guys and knowing what their abilities are."
In the running game, junior James Walker is third in the MIAA with 661 yards, but senior Jacobb Irvin delivered a strong performance Saturday. Irvin, last year's leading rusher, was slowed for part of the season with an ankle injury and lost some playing to Walker, a junior college transfer. Yet Irvin delivered 87 yards and two TDs in the win over UNO for his best game of the year.
"I thought James had been running hard, but I thought a little changeup there would do us some good," Verdugo said. "I think (Irvin) handled (the injury, playing time) the best he can. Obviously, he wants to play a lot, too, but unfortunately not everybody can play all the time. So sometimes, you go with who has the hot hand, who is playing the best at that time. I think he did a good job of handling things."
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| 2/18 | SW Baptist | L 66-53 | |
| 12/1 | Oklahoma - Panhandle | L 66-60 (OT) | |