Centre College goes down in Angola, IN and now must ‘turn things around’ for a trip to the Bluff City. @CentreFootball @minguabeefjerky @1776Bank

Execution proves problematic in Angola, IN; trip to Memphis upcoming…

We have been looking for consistency all season out of our beloved Centre Football team. Consistently bad was not for what any of us were searching. We must solve our execution problems before heading to Memphis, Tennessee and Crain Field because nobody on our conference slate feels any sympathy towards us.

Fletcher W. Long, KPGFootball Senior Scout

As Centre football fans we have been plagued all season with inconsistent play, particularly offensively. There were moments in the 3rd Quarter against Hanover in the road opener we looked pretty dangerous as an offense only to struggle the other three stanzas.

We had our moments at home against Maryville College too. However, where would we have been that game without the trick plays and fake punts? It is a legitimate question.

Saturday on the road in Angola, Indiana, Centre College got consistent offensive play. That was about all one could say about it.

The play was consistently inept. That wasn’t the brand of consistency for which we were looking.

Offensively on the day, a day during which scoring and mounting any real ability to compete for the “W” looked out of question almost from the opening kickoff, Centre managed just 12-first downs total. Centre was 18% converting on 3rd downs. On the bright side, Centre was 50% on 4th-down conversions (two of four) for what may have been the offensive highlight of the day.

On the other hand, Trine University converted a third (33%) of its third down tries and 75% of its attempts on down number four.

Centre threw for 142-yards on 20-29 passing. Trine threw for 255-yards on 18 of 30-passing.

Centre averaged 4.9-yards per play from scrimmage. Trine averaged 8.5.

Each team had an INT. Centre ran the ball for a net yardage of 17 on 22-carries. Trine gained 68-net rushing yards on 39-rushing attempts which amounted to great work by the Centre run box, though not quite as devastating as Trine’s.

Trine possessed the football for 36:54 of the game clock. Centre had the football 23:06.

Keaton Martin led all Centre rusher with 12-yards. Christian Billiter caught 5-passes for 65-receiving yards. Scotty Brown gather up 4-throws for 35-yards while Cort Marbaugh continued his strong early season with 3-catches.

Defensively, the Colonels have been pretty stout so far this season. Agains the run, the Colonel defense has particularly shone and Saturday would be no different.

Jack Colosimo led all defenders with 8-stops. Colosimo is a DB. It is almost never a good sign for a DB to lead a defense in tackles.

Dallas Douglas had a QB-sack and a QB-Hurray from his DL post. Armon Wells, Centre’s star-LBer, also recorded a QB-sack. All-American candidate, Oliver Hunter led the defense with 1.5-TFL’s, tied with Miles Smith (1.5-TFL’s) who also contributed 6-stops of his own. Kam “Bam-Bam” Hendrick assisted on 5-tackles on the afternoon.

Centre doesn’t have the luxury of feeling sorry for itself. Regardless of how the team looked against Trine (and it was fairly abysmal), the conference slate is forthcoming and we need to work on improving our performance for the conference title chase, which was unaffected by Saturday’s performance.

Rhodes is 2-1 on the young season, as is Centre, and are considered a “hot” team around SAA circles. Rhodes College is coming off a 56-6 “mugging” of a Westminster (Mo.) team at Crain Field in Memphis. The Bluejays found the city of Memphis inhospitable and we will too if we can’t get some critical execution issues resolved.

Against the Bluejays from Westminster College, the Lynx were 82% on 3rd-down. How do you like that for efficiency. Yeah, pretty scary, huh?

Rhodes averaged 7.4-yards per play from scrimmage, passing for 277-yards and rushing for 205 in what was both an efficient and balanced offensive attack. We would suppose that is how teams score 56-points.

Rushing the football, the Lynx averaged five (5)-yards per carry and QB, Luke Marcias, completed 14 of his 17-passing attempts for 216-yards and a TD. Elijah Bane led all Lynx rushers with 59-yards on 13-carries with three (3) of those going for TDs. Macias, a threat to run from his QB-post, was the team’s second highest ground gainer.

When the Lynx throw the football, Marcias is looking down the field for Andrew Pickens. Pickens caught six (6) passes against the Bluejays for 113-receiving yards and a TD. Zachary Johns caught the “other” TD.

Wiley Henshaw handles the PAT’s and was a perfect seven for seven this past Saturday. Henshaw also punts and handles the kick-offs. Barret Buchanan kicks the FG’s and converted his only try.

Look out for Cooper Pennington in the return game. Pennington returns punts and kicks and is particularly dangerous with punts. Pennington returned a punt 46-yards Saturday for a TD and has to be accounted for in that critical third-phase of football. Pennington has “home run” speed and also patrols the defensive third level at DB where he registered the club’s lone INT this last contest.

Defensively, Kobe Bins is the “big-stick.” The linebacker led the defense with 1.5-sacks and 1.5-TFL’s. He sort of plays similarly to Armon Wells.

Nicholas Harrell and Nathanial Pride were in on the pass rush rewards. Harrell had a QB-sack and Pride, the Lynx’s most proficient defensive lineman, recorded 1.5-sacks and 1.5-TFL’s to do his best mimicry of our own Oliver Hunter.

Our call: On paper, Centre has gotten to 2-1 playing much better competition than have the Lynx. However, this is a game we must take very seriously and come off the bus ready to play.

We have been slow-starters this season in all three games with the third game being one where we were still attempting to ignite our engines deep into the 4th-Quarter. Saturday should be a big wake-up call for the team and the coaching staff alike.

We are somewhat formidable on the defensive side of things. That being said, we are way too porous on our backend, in the vertical passing game, and have to improve our execution there.

We like Centre in this game, but it depends on which Centre gets off the team bus. The one we saw this past weekend isn’t beating anyone. The one we saw for the second half of the third quarter at Hanover College in the opener can beat quite a few folks around the SAA.

Which one will we see this coming Saturday? Fingers crossed…

This is Coach HB Lyon, reporting for KPGFootball, and we’re JUST CALLING IT LIKE WE SEE IT!

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