courtesy of Simpson CollegeLast Saturday was a tough day all around for the Washington University football team.
For starters, the team went on the road and lost a close game to Simpson College, 32-29. It was the first season-opening loss for the Bears in the last 14 years. As if that wasn’t enough, starting quarterback Matt Alley was forced to leave the game in the third quarter with a broken collarbone after having thrown for 236 yards.
This Saturday, the Bears travel again, this time to MacMurray College, who defeated the Bears last season. MacMurray is coming off of a 10-6 win over Manchester College and presents a formidable barrier between the Bears and .500.
Making the game even tougher for the Bears will be the absence of Alley. Injured and still unable to play, Alley will be relegated to sideline duty against the Highlanders. In his place will be the quarterback who was first off the bench against Simpson, Adam Meranda.
As Alley had a year’s advantage and more field experience than Meranda, the Bears stand to lose some poise with his departure. Meranda will be forced to step into the void and demonstrate his skills quickly. Luckily, he will be motivated by the birth of a baby to his wife on Tuesday.
Aside from strong quarterback play, the issue of stopping the running game will be another critical concern for the Bears. They did a less than stellar job against Simpson, and head coach Larry Kindbom has been working the squad in practice so that the Bears improve.
“We’re working hard to stop the Highlanders’ running attack,” Kindbom said. “They motivate me by their attitude. This team could be very good.”
Kindbom identified stopping the run as one of three major keys to the game; the others were winning the turnover margin and playing well on special teams.
The later two keys must concern Kindbom after the Bears’ performance against Simpson. The team committed three costly turnovers, including a late fumble off a punt by Blake Westra on the Bears’ one-yard line. The second turnover was a fumble on a kickoff return by Zak Clark that gave Simpson the ball at the Bears’ 29-yard line. If the Bears can clean up their play in this phase of the game, they should see a nice improvement on the scoreboard.
The Bears will also look to get better in their own running game. A.C. Dike got the start at running back against Simpson. He rushed for just 44 yards on 13 carries, but he was still instrumental by scoring two touchdowns on the ground. Senior Matt Plotke was actually the Bears’ leading rusher for the day. Plotke was given 14 carries, with which he produced 53 yards and one touchdown. They will most likely continue to share time, but they must collectively improve if the Bears are to strengthen the attack, which can complement their experienced receivers quite nicely.
With a pre-season all-conference title and last year’s regular season championship under their belts, the Bears are expected to be strong this season. But this game marks a critical point in their early schedule; a fall to 0-2 would be a major disappointment
A great sign for the Bears was Adam Meranda’s touchdown drive that pulled the team within a field goal with only four minutes left in the game. Although he couldn’t lead them to the comeback win, Meranda’s showing was very promising.
“They are disappointed [about losing],” Kindbom said. “At the same time, they have seen flashes of how good we can be, and are excited about playing another game.”