The first practice of his NFL career was 2 hours old, and Austin Coleman had yet to distinguish himself.FORT WAYNE – Having lost 81 of the last 87 games after disembarking from their buses, rarely is it a good time for visiting teams to come into Bishop D’Arcy Stadium. But this Saturday the task becomes even more daunting for Concordia University.
First of all, there is the long-awaited 7 p.m. kickoff, which marks the first night football game in Saint Francis history.
Then there is homecoming – always an emotionally charged atmosphere.
And because Concordia comes to town with a 0-3 record and has lost the three by an average margin of nearly 30 points, the visitors from Ann Arbor, Mich., could be considered the easiest mark thus far on the Saint Francis schedule. As additional proof, they lost to the Cougars 69-0 last year.
But what trumps all other items is this: Since a 15-14 home loss to Saint Ambrose two weeks ago, Saint Francis coach Kevin Donley has not been a happy man.
“I’ve been angry because we’re so much better,” Donley said.
“If I think we’re making progress toward our potential, I can live with the outcome, and I’m going to make sure we do (reach their potential).”
Often a coach who emphasizes his team’s positives rather than dwells on their negatives, Donley said with assurance that his team knew that he was upset with the loss to Saint Ambrose, when they let the visiting Bees take the lead with 1:45 remaining in the game.
“They knew it. They knew it,” Donley said. “It starts here – all my responsibility. But it rolls downhill – to coaches, to players.
“And we all have to assume responsibility as a team.”
Saint Francis watched a 14-7 lead evaporate in the late stages when Saint Ambrose scored a touchdown with 1:45 remaining, then converted the two-point conversion for the win. It was the first time the Cougars lost to Saint Ambrose.
“We gave the football game away,” Donley said. “We had no business losing it. We played sporadically. We played stupidly. We made dumb mistakes. We extended their drives with penalties in conversion situations.”
Now, after Saint Francis’ loss to the Bees, here comes Concordia into a hornets’ nest. But the Cougars have some of their own issues.
Linebackers Brody Kalbaugh and Quinn Doan are out – Kalbaugh, indefinitely with a fractured leg suffered on the final play against Saint Ambrose. Defensive end Rex Drabenstot is out. Cornerback Tracy Hathaway is out for the season with a torn ACL.
The starting quarterback position is still up in the air. Josh Miller is listed as the starter on the depth chart, but he was removed from the game two weeks ago, while David Yoder and Wesley Hunsucker saw limited action. All three threw interceptions.
“It’s just not clicking right now. I don’t know what it’s going to take to get it like that,” starting center Brice Darling said. “Coach Donley always says you have the size of your bucket; are you going to fill it up with all your potential or not? I just kind of feel that right now, we’re not overflowing our buckets. I think it’s there. I think it’s going to start clicking.”
