Editor’s note: 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. J.T. ran for a season-high 130 yards last Saturday but it was not enough to avoid USD’s third straight loss, a 21-14 setback at Dayton.
When I was approached with the opportunity to write for 619Sports.net, I was flattered, excited and eager to contribute my journalistic “two cents.” As the season has progressed, I am still flattered by the opportunity to write for a hometown website. The privilege of informing people about our collegiate football program through a media outlet that covers the city where I was born and raised is something that I have truly enjoyed. However, I envisioned the opportunity to detail several different victorious outcomes throughout the season via 619Sports.
With our most recent loss to Dayton last Saturday our record has migrated south to 3-5. Simply put, I’m on “Let’s Make A Deal” and I am told that we have an 11-0 season behind one of the doors in the form of a light blue, mint condition 1967 Chevy Corvair, we have an 8-3 season behind a separate door in the form of a Maytag refrigerator, and we have a season around .500 behind another door in the form of a pot-belly pig.
The host, Monty Hall, picked door number two for me and now I’m stuck with a pot-belly pig. Worse yet, the pig might have swine flu.
However, there is a silver lining. We have three games left, and Monty Hall is still looking for random trinkets and collectibles in the audience. We might not have won the Corvair, or the fridge, but we can still get $50 for a sequined glove or for a white handkerchief.
Pardon me for being so long-winded and circuitous in my explanation of my sentiments, but I believe you’ll drive yourself crazy if you consistently search for answers to what troubles your team. I have already achieved the aforementioned craziness by spending time making excuses for why we have come up short. We have had injuries, penalties, bad calls, bad spots, drops, turnovers, poor play calls, misalignments, and several other unfortunate circumstances.
There is an adage in football that says good teams find a way to win games. I would say that conversely, poor teams find a way to lose games. We are a poor team only by record. We have lost three games by seven points or less and we have shown ourselves to be on par with the teams to whom we have lost. The past weekend was no exception.
We entered the game with a quarterback who had never played in a collegiate game. Our two previous quarterbacks were rendered useless due to differing setbacks, and we were now forced to play the hand that we were dealt. We traveled to Dayton with inactive personnel consisting of three safeties, two defensive linemen, two quarterbacks, one running back and one fullback among others.
We accumulated a 14-7 lead at halftime by being more physical than the University of Dayton and by taking advantage of opportunities when they were presented to us. We recovered an opponent’s fumble inside our own redzone and our young quarterback threw two touchdown passes to put us into the lead.
The second half saw a reversal of fortunes. Our quarterback threw an interception which wasn’t recorded through any fault of his own, Dayton was accumulating points by throwing touchdowns like we had in the 1st half and we lacked the same physical presence that we had earlier in the game. We didn’t create the same type of positive circumstances for ourselves that were present in the first half and the byproduct was a 21-14 defeat.
I despise Dayton while respecting them immensely. The loss was difficult for me. My mom told me that losing builds character. I have enough character; I need wins. I ran for 130 yards in a losing effort and I felt that I could have done more. There is no comfort to be had when you finish a Saturday with a loss.
The biggest motivation to continue to succeed is the opportunity to win which presents itself immediately after the previous game ends. I am still committed to winning, I had my best game statistically in our 8th game of the year and I want to end my career as the running back that all of my teammates have come to know.
I will be playing the duration of the season for the players who played before me, the players who played/have played with me and the players who come after I am gone. I owe it to the program and so does the rest of the team.
Offensive Grade: C Defensive Grade: C+ Special Teams: C- Personal Grade: B-
Craig Elsten -
Chris Ello -
Chainsaw -
