THE CONGRATS!

My personal congratulations go out to Teddy Maxwell, the 2006 (and 7th recipient) of the Bill Steinke “Fighting Mules Scholarship”. The award goes to a Mules Football player each year who demonstrates Leadership, both on and off the field, while maintaining good grades in the classroom.

It was a day for defense. On that note, I want to continue with the “congrats” by saying congratulations to the Mules defense. They played like Champions! They pressured Jordan Brill to the point where he was not able to execute the Washburn offense and gave up fewer yards than the Ichabod Defense. If the Mule D plays like that every week, and the offense also does their part, the Mules will end up hoisting a trophy in Florence. I said in my last “Mules Report” that the defense needed to keep the opposition under 20, and they did. I also said the offense needed to score 30, and they didn’t. I’m not slamming the offense. Please read on…

I will give credit where it is due and also congratulate the Washburn Ichabods on a hard fought victory, especially their defense, who, to be fair, gave up fewer points than the Mule D. The Ichabod D-backs were as advertised, some of the best in Division II. The real surprise, although not to Ichabod fans, was their Defensive line, which was better than I expected. The Washburn D-line not only shut down the run up the middle, but put enough pressure on Toby Korrodi to keep the Mules offense from scoring the points needed to win.

PERSPECTIVE

I had several folks tell me they were disappointed in the loss on Saturday. Well, okay? So am I. It’s okay to be disappointed, but to somehow allow that to translate to being discouraged about this season’s prospects? …sorry, I don’t understanding that illogical leap and thought process.

It was simply a day of missed scoring opportunities. The final score could have very well been 17-14, 21-14, or even 24-14 had a few well placed passes been hauled in and a FG not “doinked” off the upright.

The theme for this week’s write-up comes from one of the all-time great “spaghetti westerns”, the Good the Bad, and the Ugly, starring Clint Eastwood.

THE GOOD

There was plenty to be encouraged about on Saturday.

A. There were 9,970 fans in attendance at the game! Let’s just round that to 10k. Folks, only about 300 of them were Washburn fans so you can credit yourselves, Mule fans, for doing your part. Not sure why Ichabod fans didn’t travel better than that for such a marquee game? Had the opponent been Northwest Missouri or Pitt State it could have been an MIAA record crowd on Saturday.
B. Big Kudos go out to Mule’s Athletic Director Jerry Hughes and his staff for putting together an incredible football atmosphere for game day. The tailgating was near perfect and there no reason to not expect those 10k crowds for any future home game.
C. If the old adage of offense wins games and defense wins championships has any merit, then this is a championship caliber team. I will be very surprised if any team hangs 30 points in any game, all year, on this Mule Defensive squad.
D. There were “0” turnovers and only 4 penalties for 44 yards. It was a disciplined game and a significant improvement in this area from the first two weeks.
E. Toby Korrodi is simply a stud! Against the best defense I’ve seen the Mule offense up against in several years, he took a licking and kept on ticking, going 19 for 30, a TD, and 0 INTs. I hope the young freshmen protégé’s were watching and learning from him; not just his mechanics, but his killer attitude.
F. TE Ted Maxwell showed he has the ability to be a playmaker and Washburn had no answer for him. He can’t be the only big scoring threat this offense has. Someone else’s day is coming. Who will it be?

THE BAD

Let’s face it; three games into the season and there are still some areas that need some real work.

A. The Mules need to find a return game. Letting catch-able punts go for an extra 10-20 yards without at least fair catching them gives up crucial yards in a close game like we had on Saturday.
B. Another knock on the usually stellar Special Forces is that we can’t seem to get a blocked kick? Willie Fritz teams are known for emphasizing “Special Forces”; I’m willing to bet the coaches are doing their part and wonder if the players know that special teams can win you several ballgames a year? I predict a blocked kick on Saturday!
C. The Mules need a playmaker, on offense; besides our QB and our TE. I’m talking about either a RB who, when running the ball, can get some yards on their own either without perfect blocking or perhaps a WR who can make the tough catch and/or get some yards after the catch.

Those are the only glaring shortcomings I see, at this point, and in each case a matter of someone (an athlete) stepping into the role. The season is young and if the team can fix these three areas, the post-season is still a very distinct probability.

THE UGLY

I know the Ichabods had a lot to play for and stopping TK would have been in any coach’s game plan, but when Toby went down on his face for over a minute on the turf, it saddened me to see the level of celebration a few of the Washburn players displayed; especially when it was very obvious there was an injured man down on the field.

Celebrating after a clean hit is one thing, but allowing that celebration to go on, un-checked, while a player is face down on the field, at a time when most teams would be on their knee hoping (and praying) the player is not seriously hurt is another. I am equally disappointed in the officials for not penalizing that poor display by several Washburn players.

That said, I thank the Ichabods for making my “good-bad-&-ugly” theme work. There was plenty of “good” and just a little “bad” by both teams. There was only one “ugly” and it just so happened to be on the part of just a couple of Washburn players. To end on a better note, the few Washburn fans that did bother to make the grueling 2 ½ hour drive from Kansas (that’s sarcasm) displayed plenty of class helping turn my opinion around form the previous year in Topeka. Next time, bring some more fans to the game and do some tailgating with us, “Missouri Style”…

Enough of what happened last week, let’s turn our attention to the upcoming week and also to a special feature by request.

THE TEAMS

TRUMAN STATE (0-3)

Okay, so they’re 0-3. If anyone believes, because they haven’t notched their first win, they’re gonna be a cake walk, then think again! The first team that thinks along those lines will end up their first victim. The Bulldogs played the #2 team in the country, Northwest Missouri, and the #17 team, Winona State, to halftimes scores of 14-10. Even the Bulldog’s loss to NCC opponent, Manakato State, can be largely attributed to mistakes, as they out-gained the Mavericks by over 100 yards and nearly doubled their number of first downs. Mark my words, this Truman team will win a few ballgames this year and they have the potential to upset any MIAA team remaining on their schedule, including the Mules.

CENTRAL MISSOURI STATE (2-1)

While the Mules should not take the Bulldogs lightly, they are no Washburn. If the defense plays like they did last Saturday, Truman will not score enough points to win. The Bulldog defense is not capable of putting the kinda pressure of TK and Co. that they faced last week. With the Mules fully intent on rebounding and challenging for the conference title, and Truman’s post-season hopes already being all but gone, don’t expect the Mules to get beat, not even in Kirksville. It may even be a good week to get our All-American QB some rest. I expect if Toby can play, he will, but if the Mules hit on all cylinders, this game has the potential of being over at the half.

Mules 45
Bulldogs 10

Now on to important matters, by special request…

THE SPECIAL REQUEST

Part A

TEN (10) RULES FOR FOOTBALL FANS TO LIVE BY

1. MAKE NOISE when the other team has the ball; MAKE EVEN MORE on 3rd down.
2. DON’T MAKE NOISE when we’re on offense from the time the huddle is formed until the center snaps the ball. Make all you want once the play is underway or immediately AFTER a good play.
3. Profanity reflects poorly upon you and your team; don’t get nastier, get louder.
4. If you can’t yell or whistle loudly, bring something loud and obnoxious from home.
5. Take your hat off for the National Anthem, don’t walk around while it’s playing, and feel free to sing along.
6. Wear your team’s colors (Cardinal and Black). While cheering is mostly an exercise in noise, no true fan goes unaware of the visual aspects of team support.
7. Cheer or don’t cheer, but don’t fault others for doing so (See rule 9).
8. Standing is part of cheering, get over it! (See rule 8).
9. Don’t spill your drink on anyone except yourself.
10. Learn your school’s alma mater.

Make a poster and bring it to the games for the benefit of those who haven’t a clue how to be a fan, to include our cheerleaders. They don’t need to take that the wrong way, but if one or more of them would read the posts on MulesCentral.com they might get a clue about how things really work. The game is about the team, and their success. A crowd that is dialed in can make a difference in the outcome. Be sure to have a few of these posters in the stands at the next home game and also be sure to have a few of them down low in the stands with the 10 rules FACING THE CHEERLEADERS. Also, take the liberty to put the following on the backside of your poster, for the benefit of those in the stands…

Part B

FOOTBALL LAW

A. If you don’t know the rules, don’t play the game!
B. Lead, follow, or get out of the way.
C. If everyone else is doing something different, you are probably wrong.
D. If someone uses profanity near women or children, don’t let him.
E. Always shake hands with your opponent and invite them to tailgate with you.
F. If you get beat, don’t make excuses, talk about how to get better.
G. True fans come to games whether we’re 10-0 or 0-10.
H. Thank a coach or player after the game.
I. Be as classy in losing as you are in winning, just do it a lot less.
J. “Friends don’t let friends become Gorillas *.”

While the “10 Rules” should clearly be posted where the cheerleaders can see them, they pertain to everyone. The “Football Law” is meant for those in the stands who have come to think of football games as a place to socialize in the stands. WRONG! You socialize in the parking lot. You yell in the stands until you can’t sing along with the choir on Sunday morning.

* Insert any MIAA opponent in here

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