No Quit

Trailing 41-19 entering the fourth quarter, most teams would have just given up and played out the final 15 minutes. That is not what Assumption did in their second round playoff game. They fought tooth and nail until the final play of the game.

Assumption scored 20 points in the final quarter but still fell at Slippery Rock 41-39. It was a valet effort for the Greyhounds as they trailed the entire game.

"The word 'quit' is not in their vocabulary," Assumption head coach Bob Chesney said after the game about his team. "The fight is something that I would never question with this team."

Assumption ends their best season in program history at 11-2. They hoisted their first NE-10 championship in football. They advanced to the playoffs for the first time in school history. They won their first playoff game in school history. It was a year of first for the Greyhounds.

Turnovers

Turnovers were the deciding factor in the game for Assumption. They had five of them against Slippery Rock and the first four resulted in points for the home team.

Assumption had three turnovers in the first quarter and it resulted in 20 Slippery Rock points. The Greyhounds fumbled on the opening drive of the second half and that led to a touchdown by Slippery Rock. Turnovers doomed them all afternoon.

The final turnover of the afternoon occurred on the final drive for the Greyhounds. Marc Monks was picked off by Titus Howard and the comeback dream ended.

In the playoffs, it is very important to take care of the ball especially against the level of competition that qualifies. It was simply amazing that Assumption nearly won the game despite the five turnovers.

Fourth Down

Slippery Rock struggled on third down and that was a tribute to the Assumption defense making plays. But fourth down was another story.

The Rock converted three of four fourth down opportunities to keep drives alive and to take the spark out of the Assumption defense. Incredibly, Slippery Rock was just 4 for 17 on third downs for a mere 24% conversion rate.

Injury

Slippery Rock running back Shamar Greene was a thorn in the side of the Assumption defense. Through three quarters, he had rushed the ball 31 times for 160 yards and a touchdown. But was absent for the fourth quarter.

Slippery Rock head coach George Mihalik said after the game that is a minor injury. The broadcasters for the game said that Greene was on the sideline without his helmet on during that crucial fourth quarter. Isiah Neely filled in nicely for the Rock but didn't have the same big play ability that Greene possessed early in the game.

Mr. Excitement

Deonte Harris had a typical Deonte Harris game. Every time he touched the ball, he had the chance to take the ball to the end zone and was a huge part of the game plan for Assumption.

He finished the game with 12 receptions for 160 yards. He also had a 21 yard rushing touchdown on a nice reverse play that fooled the Slippery Rock defense. He added another 69 yards on three returns (two kickoff and a punt).

Harris was especially dangerous on the bubble screens in which his fellow receivers gave him solid blocking in order to spring him for 10-15 yards after the catch. His elusiveness is one of his major assets and Slippery Rock was not able to tackle him with the first defender to touch him.

The scary part of the equation is that Harris is just a freshman. NE-10 teams have to deal with him for another three years and most importantly, the Assumption coaching staff gets three more years of his big play capability.

Special TeamsOwn Medicine

Slippery Rock pulled a little Assumption special team razzle dazzle in the first quarter.

The Greyhounds lined up to bring their usual pressure on the punter. The Rock recognized the pressure and snapped the ball to Brett Crenshaw. He threw a quick jump pass to Brian McNally who snuck out of the backfield and went 36 yards on the reception for the first down.

It was a huge play for Slippery Rock at the time as they make a nice adjustment to the pressure of Assumption in the punting game.

Redemption

Assumption place kicker Cole Tracy struggled with field goals in the Bowie State victory but definitely stepped up last Saturday.

He drilled a 47 yard field goal at the end of the first half to give the Greyhound momentum going into the locker room. It was his 22nd field goal of the season and has been called one of the better kickers at the Division II level.

Tracy was also four for four on extra point attempts and consistently kicking the ball deep on kickoffs including one touchback on the afternoon.

Tracy was a big part of the success of the Greyhounds this year and is just a sophomore. He still has plenty of big kicks ahead of him in his career.

Wide Open

Last week in the postgame press conference, Chesney joked that Ashton Grant says that he is open on every play. On his touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, nobody could dispute that.

Grant was lined up on the Assumption sideline for the play with Harris lined up directly behind him. He ran downfield and the two Slippery Rock defenders played Harris and forgot about Grant. He was standing alone in the open field and Monks threw him the ball. He sprinted to the end zone for an easy 45 yard touchdown.

That play pulled Assumption with two points with 3:47 to go. The two point conversion failed as they tried to get the ball to Grant again but the defender made a nice play to deflect it away.

Future

Coming off of a solid season, Assumption welcomes back the majority of their playmakers and will probably be the favorite to capture the NE-10 in 2016. Chesney only loses a handful of players but the key positions are underclassmen and will use this offseason to continue to sharpen their skills.

"There are a lot of freshman and sophomores on the roster," Chesney said. "We are really in a neat spot that we have a good foundation built here."

There are just 15 seniors and graduate students on the roster for the Greyhounds. They will return a solid nucleus and be a team to be reckoned with over the next several seasons.

Playoffs

I have written for many years that the NE-10 needs to win playoff games in order to get respect in the region and on a national level. After the Assumption loss last Saturday, the league is just 4-16 in the playoffs against conferences outside of the NE-10. In 2006 and 2007, the NE-10 played each other in the playoffs and I have eliminated those games from the record.

Teams from the NE-10 are now just 1-11 on the road in the playoffs. That lone victory belongs to then CW Post in 2005 when they won at Shepherd in the second round. Even worse, the league is 0-7 against the PSAC in the state of Pennsylvania in the playoffs.

Despite Assumption's effort and near victory last Saturday, it still goes down as a loss and historians remember victories, not solid efforts.

I do feel that the NE-10 has taken major strides over the past five years and is very close to being a perennial contender in the region. The effort and near upset by Assumption is something that gives the NE-10 hope for years to come.

The opening weekend was another indication that the league is starting to become a player in the region. Assumption, LIU Post and Stonehill defeated PSAC East teams on the road. A number three seed in the region and a home game for Assumption in the playoffs. The strides that this league continues to take are showing in the box scores.

The 2016 regular season is just 277 days away and everyone can't wait to get going again.