Hey Mules fans, don't give up the ship!!

I suppose when I die my tombstone will read, "Here Lies the Eternal Optimist." I was, after all a walk-on, being optimistic is just what I do. You can call it blind faith, idealism, clueless-ness, or whatever, but I refuse to believe an 0-2 start to the MIAA season spells the end for the University of Central Missouri Mules.

Is it going to be tough to recover? Yes. Will it be challenging for the Mules (2-2 overall) to run the table? Absolutely. Are head coach Willie Fritz and his staff going to have a difficult time earning a berth in the NCAA-II playoffs or the Mineral Water Bowl? You betcha!

But can it be done? Of course it can. Here's why.

Offense
Ladies and gentlemen, in case you haven't noticed, we have one of the most gifted quarterbacks in NCAA Division II, and he has played the past two weeks ON ONE LEG!!! Toby Korrodi will never be confused with Michael Vick, but when healthy, he still is mobile enough to slide in the pocket, buy time, and even take off to gain some tough yards. Hobbled by a sprained MCL and sprained ankle (imagine running with a two-by-four strapped from your ankle to your gluteus maximus), Korrodi has been virtually a sitting duck the past two weeks, thus forcing the Mules to throw out a fair portion of the playbook in order to protect him. He is, however on the mend. When a one-legged quarterback completes 67 percent of his passes for nine touchdowns and no interceptions, it makes you wonder how skilled he will be when mobile.

Ted Maxwell--I still say a solid tight end is a quarterback's best friend--is healthy and his numbers show it (seven receptions, 102 yards at Truman). Matt Jacobsen is a threat to go at any time, but we do need to find a consistent threat on the other side. Mike Spiegel is a favorite, but he is still learning to catch passes rather than throw them, and Brooks Faddis is still young. Both, though, have shown the ability to make unbelievable plays.

Will Caldwell also appears to be back from an ankle injury that slowed him the first three games of the season. He had 106 tough yards at Truman. Add the experience gained and guile shown by Jeremy Braden while Caldwell was on the shelf, and UCM has a pair of tough backs to take the pressure off the passing game.

Of course, any football fan knows that without a solid offensive line, the offense goes nowhere. The Mules front five has had its struggles this season, to be sure. Korrodi has been dropped nine times (but again, he has been trying to run with both legs in the same pant leg) and failure to score from the one against Washburn still leaves a bad taste. But remember, this is a line that lost an All-American and an All-MIAA selection and has three new starters. It takes time, and the Union does look like it is beginning to jell. On the final drive against Truman, Korrodi had time, but the coverage was dropped and one can only hold a hungry defensive lineman for so long.

And finally, Jeff Conway may be calling his best offense since joining the Mules' staff. I thought his play calling vs. Washburn was brilliant, especially considering Korrodi's limitations.

Defense
The Mules have given up just 35 points in four games. Granted, the shutouts were pitched vs. Lincoln and Dakota State, but keep in mind, the first two defenses were in for about half the game. After that, I thought I might get a chance to throw the pads back on! But coach Chuck Clemens and his guys locked up a pretty potent Washburn offense.

It is cause for concern that Truman rushed for 229 yards and amassed 408 yards of total offense while scoring 24 points (at least two other touchdown passes were dropped). The Swarm & Punish Unit, though, did make the stands when it had to in order to give the offense a chance.

And again, this squad has had to overcome its share of injuries. Adrian Singletary builds his game on speed, and when slowed by a hamstring injury, he is not as effective. He showed at Truman that he is putting it past him. John Samia, who has All-MIAA potential, was lost for the year vs. Dakota State. Strong safety is a key position in the Mules' defense. Steven Ehase has stepped in and worked like mad, but keep in mind he was a quarterback just over a year ago and is still learning the position. He is an intelligent young man and as feisty as they come, and is getting better with each rep.

My major area of concern is turnovers. No, Central Missouri has not coughed it up much this year, but nor does the defense have many takeaways. Only one interception and two fumble recoveries through four weeks is not good enough in this league. Turnovers are, obviously, drive stoppers, but just as importantly they are momentum changers and they can play a HUGE roll in the field position battle. We HAVE to get more turnovers.

And sacks. If we aren't going to get interceptions, we have to have more sacks. Seven through four games is laudable, but we need more. The pressure has been there. Opposing quarterbacks seem like they drop back just so they can find more room to run sometimes, but now the d-line and linebackers need to finish the job.

But again, there is hope. Rod Washington seems to have found another gear and has stepped up as a leader for the defense, Bruce Williams is as fast as a hot knife through butter and seems to show up everywhere, and after just one tackle in limited action the first two weeks, All-America free safety Kendall Ricketts has 15 stops in MIAA play.

Special Teams
Matt Frankel has been awesome. His effort vs. Washburn, especially into the wind was outstanding. His average paled in comparison to the Ichabods punter, but Frankel didn't have return men letting punts roll for an extra 15-20 yards, either.

Spencer Webb has missed a couple key gimmes, but his 44-yarder vs. Washburn was a thing of beauty. He has only missed two of eight three-pointers, and he is perfect on extra points. Mark my words, PATs will come into play sometime this season.

No, it is kick coverage and punt returns that I'm sure have Willie Fritz ready to pull his hair out. Coach Fritz is a special teams freak. He cannot STAND mistakes on special teams. He lives to see the big play (like the fake field goal that almost was vs. Washburn, or the countless blocked kicks since he has led the Cardinal & Black). So when he sees opposing return men break big returns in crucial situations, and when he sees his return specialists led the ball bounce for extra yardage, his blood pressure must raise 50 points. Rest assured, he will get these issues rectified pronto.

The bottom line, folks, is Central Missouri has a tough row to hoe. Missouri Western, Pittsburg State, and Northwest Missouri are out there somewhere. The other four MIAA schools are no slouches either, and we have to play all of them. But it can be done. The Mules can right the ship and sail on to great things this year. You just have to be optimistic.

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