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FHSU football offense struggles in Saturday's loss to Central
10/12/2009
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
Even though the Fort Hays State University football team was down 17-0 at the half to No. 16 University of Central Missouri, Tiger coach Kevin Verdugo still felt like Fort Hays "was in a good situation." He told his team not to panic.
"I have seen us put up a lot of points in a hurry on people," he said.
For the first time all season, though, the Tigers' spread offense was held in check for an entire contest. Fort Hays collected just one second-half field goal in its worst offensive game, statistically, of the season.
The Tigers suffered a 48-3 loss to the Mules on Saturday in Warrensburg, Mo.
Fort Hays, which had been in every game this season, dropped to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association after the season's first blowout loss.
"You want to make sure you think very carefully before you open foot and potentially insert foot in mouth," Verdugo said of this week's practice. "Obviously, it's easy to be angry after something like this, but you want to make sure you go back and take a look at all facets of the game and what we tried to accomplish and what went wrong."
Saturday marked Fort Hays' biggest game since it joined the conference four years ago.
Fort Hays was ranked eighth in Super Region 4 in the first NCAA Division II regional rankings last week. Central Missouri, which came into Saturday 10th in the region, moved to 6-1 overall, 4-1 MIAA.
The Tigers, tied for sixth in the conference, likely needs to win out to earn a playoff bid or berth in a bowl game.
"We just try to keep an even keel," senior tight end Beau Gadwood said. "Coaches do a great job of keeping us level and thinking straight. Never look past the game that was up. We are still in the playoff hunt. We are going to keep fighting along. We are going to get it. We will be there."
The Tigers will play host to University of Nebraska-Omaha (5-2, 4-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. Lewis Field Stadium.
"Obviously we are all down right now, obviously we are not happy with the way we played," Verdugo said. "It's a matter that we have to learn to get over it and move on to the next game."
The Tigers, in their new no-huddle spread offense, had put up at least 30 points in the season's first five games, the longest streak since 1995, the program's last playoff season.
Last week versus then-No. 17 Washburn University, Fort Hays scored 14 first-half points before being shut out in the second half. Versus Central Missouri, the Tigers never reached the end zone against a defense that Verdugo called "the same style as Washburn."
Senior quarterback Mike Garrison, off to a strong start this season, completed 18-of-39 passes for 147 yards with three interceptions and no TDs.
It marked his first game with no TD passes, his worst completion percentage and most interceptions; he entered the game with two picks, tied for fewest in the conference.
"They blitz a lot," Garrison said. "A couple of their games, it was just blitz-fest, blitz every down. A couple of their games, they didn't blitz very much, so it was just hard to tell what they were going to do, but yeah, they blitz a little more than most teams."
Fort Hays played without injured senior All-American left tackle Wes Yarbough for the second straight game. Garrison faced pressure from Central Missouri's front all contest and had trouble completing any long passes.
The Tigers' longest play was 24 yards to junior Cordarol Scales. Junior O.J. Murdock, on pace to break the school and conference record for yards per catch, finished with two catches for 31 yards. His streak of a TD catch in five straight games ended.
"Up in their grill, bump him off the line as soon as they get off their break," Garrison said. "It was a little hard for him to get in his stride going down the field with a little pressure in his face. Then, the pressure in my face, just threw our timing off."
In the first half, Fort Hays had several drops and Garrison overthrew his receivers a few times, including junior Robert Mercer on a fourth down. Mercer had two drops, including one late in the first half on a crossing pattern.
"They blitzed a lot more than anybody we played on third down, but some of the early balls, I thought we hung them up there a little bit trying to be too careful not to overthrow guys," Verdugo said. "....They rolled their coverages his (Murdock's) way a little bit in certain formations, but he was open in the first half. We had a couple drops in the first half, We didn't play very crisp and we had a chance to catch some stuff."
Verdugo remained positive at halftime, but the Tiger offense could do little after intermission. The Tigers finished with just two drives over 30 yards and one field goal.
"We just need to keep our heads on the right mindset before the game, during the game, halftime, just come out, play the game like we are supposed to," Garrison said. "Don't make the big plays. Don't try to force them. Just let them come to you."
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| MB | 03/13 | Central Oklahoma | W 80-64 |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |
| BB | 03/07 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 13-7 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 16-4 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | W 3-0 |
| MB | 03/05 | Emporia State | L 65-61 |
| BB | 03/05 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 10-3 |
| WB | 03/04 | No. 15 Emporia | L 72-66 |
| WB | 02/28 | No. 12 Emporia State | L 87-80 |
| MB | 02/28 | Emporia State | W 94-47 |
| SB | 02/28 | Quincy | L 6-0 |
| SB | 02/27 | Mo Southern | W 9-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Missouri S&T | L 8-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Drury | W 17-10 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 17-0 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 3-2 (10 inn.) |
| BB | 02/26 | Mo. Western | W 12-8 |
| BB | 02/26 | Missouri Western | W 11-10 |
| MB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | W 69-60 |
| WB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | L 78-74 |