'Necks persevere for third win
Ryan Ferguson
Issue date: 9/24/07 Section: Sports
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"If I had to sum it up in three words, it would be outstanding mental toughness," said coach Don Patterson. "I don't want to give too much credit to the X's and O's. I want to give more credit to the attitude of the players."
Junior corner back Robert Hodges deflected a Lumberjacks (0-3) pass on third-and-goal, forcing a field goal try that was missed wide left. Junior running back Herb Donaldson rattled off three runs totaling 39 of his 122 yards before Alex Douglas scampered into the end zone from 37 yards to give Western a 25-13 advantage early in the fourth quarter.
After a time-out to discuss his options, Patterson voted to try for a two-point conversion with Donaldson that succeeded, putting the 'Necks (3-1) up by two touchdowns.
"A typical two-point play is a pass play for a lot of teams," Patterson said. "We were just running the ball effectively enough where I thought we could run it in, and sure enough, (Donaldson) did."
Junior linebacker Jason Williams highlighted a defensive performance by Western that forced three turnovers by Stephen F. Austin. He recorded a game-high 13 tackles as well as two sacks.
The defense held the Lumberjacks to 121 rushing yards, an average of 3.3 per carry, despite playing without defensive linemen Buck Townsend (senior) and Daniel Speight (sophomore). Redshirt freshman Victor Visoky along with juniors Clinton Barley and Chad Groenhagen filled the void.
It was Groenhagen's second game of the season after having surgery on his legs at the beginning of August, recording two tackles Saturday night.
"It really is a collective effort to get things done," Patterson said. "Players recognize that injuries are part of the game, and if you're injured, you can't allow it to get you down. You have rehab as quickly as you can (and) get back into playing status as soon as possible, because there's always a possibility you'll be replacing someone else who just got injured."
The Leathernecks' special teams also served to be a vital part of Saturday's game. Besides a 14-point effort by junior kicker Taylor Rowan, including two field goals of 50 or more yards, two other instances played a big part in determining the outcome of the contest.
Visoky, who was playing for the injured Townsend, blocked a PAT try after the Lumberjacks' second score of the game, making the deficit three rather than four. Junior linebacker Mike McEachern also made his presence felt, blocking a punt.
"It seems like the players really did make an effort to have a decided edge in the kicking game," Patterson said. "Really, there were no weak performances in the kicking game."
Offensively, redshirt freshman Matt Barr compiled 137 yards on 11-for-19 passing with a long pass of 32 to junior receiver Carl Sims. The two also hooked up for their first touchdown of the season.
"It couldn't have happened at any better of a time because it was third and eight," Patterson said.
Barr saw several of his long completions called back because of penalties. In the third quarter, he hit Sims for a 54-yard gain, but because of a holding call against Western, the play was brought back. Paterson said a play like that may look like a 10-yard penalty, but really the team was assessed a 64-yard loss.
While Western lost in the penalty category, it was able to win the battle for possession by more than 10 minutes, a statistic Patterson said a winning team, like Saturday night, has in its corner more times than not.
"The team that was going to win was the team that was able to persevere, the team that was able to be mentally tougher than the other," Patterson said. "The longer the game went, the stronger we got and the more discouraged they got."
Time of possession will be one of several battles the 'Necks will face next weekend when it welcomes No. 4 North Dakota State to town for its Homecoming Game Saturday at 1:05 p.m.
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