Team deserves more credit for recent performance

[DJRamFan]

By Adam Brewer
Published: Friday, October 14, 2005

With the season almost halfway over for the Slippery Rock University football team and a 2-4 record thus far, some people might have lost faith in the team this year and maybe even in years to come, but in my opinion I think we all need to be patient with this young team.

On this year's squad there are only six seniors, and there are so many inexperienced players who are now just learning their positions.

In the next few years the Rock will get better because they have gained leadership and experience from the past few losing seasons.

Some people might think that the Rock record is a disappointment, but I think it's an impressive record because of the quality of its opponents.

Week one opponent was Bloomsburg, who is ranked seventh in the recent American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches' Poll and holds a 7-0 (2-0 PSAC East).

If you can remember, the Rock did have a 24-6 lead over Bloomsburg midway through the third quarter, but thanks to the Rock's inexperience and turnovers, Bloomsburg quickly recovered and scored 21 points in the quarter, which lead to a 40-24 loss for the Rock.

One week later, the Rock traveled to Division I-AA Youngstown State and lost in a blowout, which seems to be a yearly tradition for the Youngstown State and Slippery Rock "rivalry." Can somebody tell me why we travel to Youngstown State every year and get blown out every year?

The Rock's first home game of the 2005 season was against Shepherd University. Even though the Rock was 3-0 against Shepherd prior to the game this season, Shepherd came into N. Kerr Thompson Stadium with confidence, even as an underrated team.

Shepherd won the game 24-7 as the Rock moved the ball, but couldn't get in the endzone after scoring a touchdown on its first possession of the game.

Shepherd now holds a 7-0 record and is ranked 16th in the AFCA poll. Actually, Shepherd's last loss came against the Rock in 2004, so that just tells you how consistent Shepherd has been over the past two years.

Last week's loss was a bitter one after winning two straight, but Indiana's 3-3 record does not tell you how good Indiana is this season. Indiana now stands at the top of the PSAC West, and might stay there as the season comes to an end.

Even though the Rock is two games below .500, the most important thing is that the Rock is 2-1 in the PSAC West and is tied for second.

Nobody expected the Rock to even come close to competing for a playoff spot and some even predicted the Rock to win no games in the PSAC West. So this season, its record might not show it, but they have surpassed my expectations, and the future for the Rock football program looks good.