Sports : UCM
Northwest drubs Central 56-14; postseason bowl game in doubt
Nov 8, 2009, 9:24 AM
By Jessi Gerhards, The Muleskinner
MARYVILLE, Mo.--The Central Missouri Mules (8-3, 6-3 MIAA) came into Northwest Missouri State with their playoff hopes on the line.
Its first possession of the game gave Central Missouri some hope, with a six-play, 76-yard drive that resulted in a 27-yard touchdown catch-and-run by running back Anthony Stewart.
This, however, was the only scoring drive for the Mules in the first half, as they were in a tailspin from that point, falling to Northwest Missouri State 56-14.
UCM Coach Willie Fritz said his offense just couldn’t adjust to the Bearcats’ defense.
“They started bringing the heat on us a little bit,” Fritz said. “They started the blitz, and when people start blitzing you like that, you have to have that extra tenth of a second to hold the ball and we couldn’t do that.”
The Mules suffered their worst loss to the Bearcats since 1942, making this game more unfortunate than Central Missouri had hoped for.
With Washburn winning and Missouri Western losing, the three teams have an identical conference record of 8-3. But, since Central lost to both of those teams, its chance of getting any postseason bowl game is in doubt. Fritz said he wished the regular season could have ended better.
“8-3 is a pretty good season for 90 percent of the teams in America,” Fritz said. “But it’s just disappointing because we were playing a last game that had so much meaning.”
The defensive secondary had issues covering Northwest wide receiver Jake Soy. Soy had six catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Fritz explained the main problems the secondary had with coverage.
“When you’re rushing four guys, you have to give a little bit of pressure, you have to cover a little longer and we didn’t do either,” Fritz said. “We just played basic defense and got whipped.”
The Mules offense also had its share of issues to work out in the second half. Quarterback Eric Czerniewski was 26-of-42 for 240 yards and an interception. His receivers couldn’t get open and the offensive line couldn’t hold the Bearcats back long enough to allow Czerniewski to complete passes.
Fritz said Czerniewski simply didn’t have enough time to throw the ball. The Mules didn’t have a lot of difficulty getting the ball to the 20-yard line, Fritz said, but getting the ball into the end zone was the problem.
The game ended with a Central Missouri touchdown after Fritz put quarterback Tommy Corwin into the game to show what he could do.
Corwin went 5-of-9 for 70 yards and a touchdown that ended an eight-play, 91-yard drive by the Mules.
Although the Bearcats' blitz was a factor, Fritz saw other problems on the field.
“There were a couple times we went to find a guy and they ran the wrong route and Czerniewski was stuck holding the ball,” Fritz said. “Overall, it was a full-team loss.”
Its first possession of the game gave Central Missouri some hope, with a six-play, 76-yard drive that resulted in a 27-yard touchdown catch-and-run by running back Anthony Stewart.
This, however, was the only scoring drive for the Mules in the first half, as they were in a tailspin from that point, falling to Northwest Missouri State 56-14.
UCM Coach Willie Fritz said his offense just couldn’t adjust to the Bearcats’ defense.
“They started bringing the heat on us a little bit,” Fritz said. “They started the blitz, and when people start blitzing you like that, you have to have that extra tenth of a second to hold the ball and we couldn’t do that.”
The Mules suffered their worst loss to the Bearcats since 1942, making this game more unfortunate than Central Missouri had hoped for.
With Washburn winning and Missouri Western losing, the three teams have an identical conference record of 8-3. But, since Central lost to both of those teams, its chance of getting any postseason bowl game is in doubt. Fritz said he wished the regular season could have ended better.
“8-3 is a pretty good season for 90 percent of the teams in America,” Fritz said. “But it’s just disappointing because we were playing a last game that had so much meaning.”
The defensive secondary had issues covering Northwest wide receiver Jake Soy. Soy had six catches for 157 yards and three touchdowns. Fritz explained the main problems the secondary had with coverage.
“When you’re rushing four guys, you have to give a little bit of pressure, you have to cover a little longer and we didn’t do either,” Fritz said. “We just played basic defense and got whipped.”
The Mules offense also had its share of issues to work out in the second half. Quarterback Eric Czerniewski was 26-of-42 for 240 yards and an interception. His receivers couldn’t get open and the offensive line couldn’t hold the Bearcats back long enough to allow Czerniewski to complete passes.
Fritz said Czerniewski simply didn’t have enough time to throw the ball. The Mules didn’t have a lot of difficulty getting the ball to the 20-yard line, Fritz said, but getting the ball into the end zone was the problem.
The game ended with a Central Missouri touchdown after Fritz put quarterback Tommy Corwin into the game to show what he could do.
Corwin went 5-of-9 for 70 yards and a touchdown that ended an eight-play, 91-yard drive by the Mules.
Although the Bearcats' blitz was a factor, Fritz saw other problems on the field.
“There were a couple times we went to find a guy and they ran the wrong route and Czerniewski was stuck holding the ball,” Fritz said. “Overall, it was a full-team loss.”
