This is the latest installment in a series of weekly columns about USD Toreros football by a six year veteran of the team, running back J.T. Rogan. This week, J.T. offers a frank assessment of where the Toreros stand after a disappointing 21-14 loss to Drake:
The game of football is generally viewed as a competition between two teams where there is ultimately a decided victor. The unique component that is not typically recognized within the game of football is the existence of individual battles between players on opposing teams.
There are plays where if 10 guys do their job whilst one player does not, then detriment befalls the team. Conversely, there are plays where if 10 guys don’t do their job and one player does, the team benefits from the extraordinary effort of the one individual. However, most regularly, it is the team that consistently wins the majority of the individual battles that wins the game.
It was apparent to any onlooker that Drake University wanted to win the game more than we did. They were committed to winning as many individual battles as possible and they wouldn’t leave San Diego until they had won the game.
Unfortunately for our team, we have grown accustomed to playing at a fixed level of performance. We have difficulty making the “big play” to drastically alter the course of a game in our favor. We have beaten only teams that we were supposed to have beaten. We have played and lost three games where we competed against an opponent that rose to the occasion to do what was necessary to emerge victorious.
Frankly, our situation is not all too different from the San Diego Chargers. We have lost to teams that we are capable of beating, while failing to establish ourselves as one of the elite teams in our league as we were projected to be in the pre-season. We have a previously injured running back splitting time with a running back who was successful last year, we are depleted at defensive line and the deficiencies of the special teams play cannot be ignored despite the quality plays in some facets of the special teams units.
Both the Chargers and Toreros are trying to find reasons for the underachieving, but when it comes down to it, it is never more than the players making plays. I said last week that I couldn’t get mad at a player for committing a penalty out of overexertion and extreme effort, and I will only reaffirm that sentiment while stating that we don’t have enough players capable of the extreme effort and overexertion necessary to commit the before mentioned type of penalty.
Our head coach acknowledged in our team meeting Sunday that our team does not have enough guys that know what it takes to win league championships. He also mentioned that our players on our current teams might be living off of the successes of previous teams.
Regardless of any circumstances that our players might be mired in, we have to commit ourselves to winning individual battles within every game. Mental toughness and resiliency are difficult to evaluate within a player and they are even more difficult to instill within a player. The individual commitment to competing at the highest level, on each play versus your opponent, is what is necessary for success for any football player.
A former Defensive Coordinator for the San Diego Toreros with over 40 years of NFL and collegiate coaching experience, Dave Adolph swore by the statement, “I Must Win.” He told players to compete while not accepting defeat. That message still resonates with me and I will continue to attempt to spread Coach’s Adolph’s wisdom. Losing is unacceptable. I must win and we must win.
Offensive Grade: C- Defensive Grade: C+ Special Teams: C- Personal Grade: C+
