Chad Courrier
MSU football trying not to get ahead of itself
Minnesota State football coach Todd Hoffner started it, then Randy Earl, Bryce Kinniry and Steve Pachan chimed in immediately following last week’s thrashing of Augustana.
One game at a time, don’t look ahead, stay focused on the present.
Those are the cliched catch phrases that the Mavericks are using these days. After six victories to open the season, the first time that’s happened here since 1926, Hoffner had to smile every time one of his players spoke the company line.
But while the coach isn’t allowing the players to look ahead, that can’t stop fans and friends and parents ... and the media. There’s no question that the last three weeks, with victories over Wayne State, Winona State and Augustana, has been the most impressive stretch in Hoffner’s two seasons, but with that success comes the ability and eagerness to look into the future.
And the view’s pretty good.
The combined record of the five Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams that Minnesota State has beaten is 20-10. The combined record of the five teams remaining on the schedule is 11-19, which means that the Mavericks will be heavy favorites in every game.
The first rankings from Super Region 3 were released this week, and the Mavericks were No. 1, ahead of unbeaten Grand Valley State, with Wayne State at No. 3.
If Minnesota State wins its remaining five games, and Grand Valley State also wins out, strength of schedule will be the determining factor as to which teams gets the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, but given that Minnesota State has already defeated Wayne State, it would be nearly impossible for the Mavericks to fall any lower than No. 2.
If the Mavericks are ranked first or second in the region, that means a first-round bye and a home game in the region semifinals. Despite the obvious drawbacks of playing a game at Blakeslee Stadium in late November, it would still be a giant step in the rebuilding of this program, which went winless six years ago and has had only two winning seasons since.
You couldn’t blame some of the Mavericks’ veterans if they started to peek ahead. This group has been through some tough times, and their hard work has paid off. But as Earl pointed out last Saturday, if you get careless, anything can happen.
The Mavericks could still lose once and qualify for the playoffs, but given the quality of opponent, that kind of a loss would put homefield advantage at risk.
Given what this team has accomplished to date, it would be tough to see that soiled by a loss to an inferior team. The Mavericks’ recipe of tough rushing attack, efficient passing, stingy defense and quality special teams is one that should be less prone to upset, but any time you’re dealing with 18- to 23-year-old men, anything’s possible.
Unless the players believe the one-game-at-a-time approach.
Chad Courrier is a Free Press staff writer. To contact him, call 507-344-6353 or e-mail at ccourrier@mankatofreepress.com.
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