Bob Eblen's National Column

December 4th, 2012 12:00am

 

The dream season at Minnesota State continued with a 17-10 win over Missouri Western in the Super Region Three final last weekend. The Mavericks added to their school record for wins last week and have advanced further in the playoffs than any other team in school history.

I think many people had the Mavericks tabbed as a team to watch coming into the season because they had so much talent returning to a team that narrowly missed the playoffs a year ago. But a 13-0 record and an appearance in the national semifinals? I do not think many saw that coming.

Making the Maverick run even more remarkable is the distraction the team has overcome. Back on August 17th-- as the team was going through a preseason practice-- Head Coach Todd Hoffner was escorted off the field by school officials. The following week he was charged with possession of child pornography. Apparently Hoffner had questionable videos of his own children on his university-owned cell phone and he was immediately placed on paid administrative leave with the charges pending. Offensive Coordinator Aaron Keen was named Acting Head Coach.

So think about it: A young team (MSU has very few seniors) less than two weeks from playing its first game loses its leader. And not only that, but that leader has some disturbing charges leveled against him. All of the players on the MSU roster were recruited by Hoffner and I cannot imagine the thoughts and doubts many of them must have had after his arrest.

But instead of folding or falling apart, this MSU team came together. Certainly much of the credit has to go to Keen and veteran Defensive Coordinator Joe Klanderman for their leadership roles. If you ask me, Keen deserves to be the Coach of the Year in D2. If MSU does win the national championship, it will have to go down as one of the all-time best accomplishments I have seen in team sports.

Last Friday, the charges against Hoffner were dismissed. The judge in the case ruled that the videos did not meet the legal definition of child pornography and were simply playful videos of his kids.

Hoffner now wants his job back. But the official response from MSU is that their internal investigation continues and that he remains on administrative leave. Hoffner now has the collective bargaining unit for the Minnesota State College and Universities system working to assist him.

I have no idea how this situation will turn out, but it is unfortunate on so many different levels. Even though Hoffner is innocent of any crime, his reputation is probably damaged forever. Yet I cannot blame him for wanting his life back. I also cannot blame the school if they are hesitant to reinstate him. Hopefully this gets sorted shortly after the season ends so everyone can move on.

Harlon Hill Finalists

Missouri Western running back Michael Hill, Shippensburg quarterback Zach Zulli and Bloomsburg running back Franklyn Quiteh are the top three vote getters among the eight Harlon Hill finalists. The trio will be in Florence next week as the winner is named at a banquet the night before the national championship game. I still lean towards Hill as my favorite, but quite honestly I feel a very good case could be made for all three candidates this year.

Thoughts on Last Week

-I have already seen the 80-yard Minnesota touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to beat Missouri Western referred to as The Drive. The Mavericks wore down MWSU with their rushing attack and were able to move the ball with ease late in the game. Football is still a game about being physical running the football and stopping the run and the Mavericks do both very well.

-West Texas A&M really took it to Colorado State-Pueblo last week. The Buffaloes have been remarkable this postseason and have completely redefined their program in my eyes. WTAMU has had the reputation as a program that folds when the going gets tough but that has certainly changed this postseason.

-Colorado State-Pueblo took another step forward this season by winning a playoff game, but as proven last week, the Thunderwolves are not quite there when it comes to competing nationally. Brandon Misener saw the game live and in his opinion the Thunderwolves need to get more physical on both lines and the secondary needs to be bigger and more physical.

-The Indiana/ Winston-Salem State game was a slugfest with two outstanding defenses going at it. I thought the Crimson Hawks outplayed WSSU in the second half, but the Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half that gave WSSU a seven point lead was a huge play in this type of game. I spoke with IUP coach Curt Cignetti on Sunday and he told me he and his staff had to spend nearly the entire halftime period just making sure that the team could recover emotionally from that big play going against them.

-Carson-Newman moved the ball effectively against Valdosta State, but the Eagles had to settle for too many field goals attempts when they needed to score touchdowns. The only chance C-N really had was to outscore the Blazers and that was too tough to do three points at a time.

National Semifinals

Valdosta State (10-2) at Minnesota State (13-0)

This is the first time MSU has ever reached the semifinals while the Blazers are the only team left standing that has reached the national championship game before. VSU has made three appearances in Florence over the last ten years, winning it all in 2004 and 2007.

The Blazers strength is their offense, led by a talented and experienced offensive line. VSU has run and thrown the ball with equal effectiveness this season, and maintaining that balance will be key against a MSU defense that is quite frankly playing lights out.

What I question in this match up is how the VSU defense is going to stop MSU? The Blazers are not great defensively. The Maverick offense is effective not in that it scores a lot of points, but they run the football so well and keep moving the chains, which keeps the opponent offense standing on the sidelines. Case in point: Missouri Western ran just 46 offensive plays last week.

The other variable has to be the weather. VSU fans will point to the fact that their team won in the semifinals at California in the snow and cold in 2007. But 2007 could just as well be 1987 in the sense that none of the current Blazer players were on that team. It is forecast to be below freezing in Mankato on Saturday and Blakeslee Stadium can be a wind tunnel if there is any sort of breeze. It would be naīve to think that the cold will not have an effect on a team is used to 75 degree weather.

Prediction: Even if this game was at Valdosta, I still think MSU would win because they are the more physical team. The Mavericks do not really have any defensive weak spots to attack and they are deep up front and can get after the quarterback. I also do not think the VSU defense can hold up to the physical pounding and the mobility of Maverick quarterback Jon Wolf is something that is difficult to contain.

Minnesota State 27 Valdosta State 20.

West Texas A&M (12-2) at Winston-Salem State (13-0)

WSSU makes its second straight trip to the semifinals and the Rams will be seeking to win this time after losing 21-14 to Wayne State last year. This is the first time WTAMU has ever reached the semifinals and the Buffaloes have won three straight road games to get to this point.

I think WTAMU is the favorite in this game and there are three things WSSU must do to have a chance. First, the Rams must find a way to run the football. They managed just 33 yards rushing last week against IUP and that kind of production will not cut it in this game. The Buffaloes lead the nation with an incredible 58 quarterback sacks and WSSUs massive but immobile offensive line will not be able to hold up against the relentless pass rush if they are forced to throw all day long. Kameron Smith is a fine quarterback, but WTAMUs pass rush has forced Ashlands Taylor Housewright and CSU-Pueblos Ross Dausin into their worst games of the season over the past two weeks.

Secondly, the Rams must force turnovers. This is the most talented offensive unit they have faced this season (yep, I am including Shippensburg) and I think the Buffaloes will move the football. Forcing a couple of turnovers and playing well in the red zone will be critical.

Lastly, WSSU has to play with the lead or stay within one score. A deficit of more than one score would force them out of their comfort zone and play directly into the WTAMU strength (the pass rush).

Prediction: It seems every year recently we get that one team that gets it going in the playoffs and strings a bunch of road wins together on the way to Florence. I really think WTAMU has more talent and as long as they can slow down the WSSU running game, the Buffaloes should prevail. Khiry Robinson also gives the Buffaloes a running threat that is difficult to deal with from their spread sets. WTAMU also has a MUCH better kicking game if it is close at the end.

West Texas A&M 30 Winston Salem-State 21

Mailbag

[Q] With Minnesota State beating two MIAA teams in the playoffs and Winona State beating Lindenwood from the MIAA in the Mineral Water Bowl do you think NSIC might deserve to be called the best conference this year?

Kyle

[A] The NSIC teams have certainly played very well this postseason and they have presented a strong case for the league. I still think the MIAA and GLIAC are deeper conferences but there is no question that the NSIC is somewhere in the top three. In five years the NSIC has gone from one of the bottom five leagues in D2 to near the top. That is a pretty remarkable improvement.

Contact Me

Feel free to contact me with any comments or criticisms or if you have a question you would like answered in the Mailbag.