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The Central Missouri Mules were dominated in almost every phase of
the game last Saturday in Pittsburg, Kansas. This game was
completely different than I thought it would be. Offensively, I
thought both teams would use their running game to move the ball
down the field. That thought went out the window on the second play
on offense for Pittsburg State, when quarterback Mark Smith found
wide receiver Marques Nelson for a 90 yard touchdown pass.
Unfortunately it was a harbinger of things to come.
The Gorillas
proceeded to shred the Mules’ pass defense for 392 yards. Central
gave up multiple long touchdown passes to Pittsburg State. The
Pittsburg State offense did what they always do. They make their
opponents think so much about the running game that they're able to
complete play-action passes over the top of the secondary.
I think the game boiled down to not executing on pass defense.
Coach Willie Fritz said the Mules were not playing with their eyes
in the proper places. The Mules just failed to execute.
That's all I can really say about this game. The best thing about
it is that it's over. It's time to focus on next Saturday. This
loss only counts as one. It's worth no more than the Washburn game,
or the upcoming game against Emporia State. I expect the Mules to
come ready to play on Saturday against an improving Emporia State
team.
The challenge for the Mules is to learn from and correct their
mistakes from this game and prepare for Emporia. The Hornets will
come to Walton Stadium Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Scouting Emporia State
Emporia State
is led by second-year head coach Garin Higgins. Higgins played
college football at ESU where he started at quarterback. ESU
returns six starters on offense and defense and one specialist.
Emporia features a multiple offense and a 4-3 defense. The Hornets
come in with a record of 3-2, 1-2.
The Hornet offense is led by junior quarterback Andre Sloan-El.
Sloan-El leads the Hornet passing attack with 643 yards and five
touchdowns. His favorite target is senior wide receiver Sean
Partridge. Partridge has caught 18 passes for one touchdown and 272
yards. Red-shirt freshman Zach Rampy has also seen significant
playing time at quarterback
Red-shirt freshman Adrian Abner leads the ESU rushing attack with 39
carries for 235 yards and one touchdown. Junior linebacker Katrel
Larkins is a standout on defense with 39 tackles, one for loss.
Senior defensive lineman Angelo Webb leads the team in sacks with
3.5.
Keys to the Game
I think there are five keys to the Mules winning this football
game. First, the Mules’ must be solid on special teams. They
cannot give up any blocked kicks. These plays give opponents a
short field and an easier scoring opportunity. The Mules must make
Emporia State drive to score.
Second, the Mules must control the line of scrimmage. Third, the
Mules’ defense needs to control the Hornets and make them
one-dimensional on offense.
Fourth, as every week, the Mules need to win the turnover battle. I
think this is a stat that decides the winner of football games at
every level. Finally, the Mules must improve their pass defense.
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by David Rohrbach
