December 8th, 2015 12:00am
Being the head football coach at a program with great tradition can be both a blessing and curse.
On the one hand, the winning tradition and the support from alumni and fans can make the job easier: Recruits want to play for the successful teams. The programs that win generate huge followings and all of that support generally leads to better facilities, a bigger pool of money for assistants and many other factors that directly impact the win/loss record.
But being the head coach at a blueblood program is not without its pitfalls: Every move the coach makes is more closely scrutinized. The pressure to win is tremendous. Winning seasons and even conference championships are an afterthought. National championships are the expectation.
Grand Valley State, of course, fits right into the description of blueblood program in D2. The Lakers' track record of success- four national championships and six championship game appearances- is only matched by Northwest Missouri among schools currently in D2.
With all of that success comes the aforementioned pressure on the coach and in all of my years of covering D2 football, I have not seen a coach be more highly scrutinized and criticized than current Laker head coach Matt Mitchell.
Mitchell had the impossible task of following in the footsteps of Brian Kelly and Chuck Martin- both of whom won a pair of national titles at GVSU. At times it has not gone smooth in Mitchell's time at GVSU: I think the Lakers' 2010 playoff loss to Augustana in Mitchell's rookie season created some angst with certain portions of the GVSU fan base and missing the playoffs in subsequent seasons has only added to the negative feelings. A 6-5 season last year followed by a 37-point loss to rival Ferris State early this year had many calling for Mitchell's head.
But here we are in mid-December and the Lakers are still alive. They avenged both regular season losses during the postseason, including putting an end to the Lakers' four game losing streak to Ferris State. Obviously Mitchell and his staff have done a tremendous job as this team has grown up over the course of the season. If GVSU can win Saturday and make it to the national championship game for the first time since Chuck Martin roamed the sidelines, it will hopefully silence those that may still think Matt Mitchell is not up to the task.
Observations from last Week
-All four region finals were decided by double digits, with really just the Super Region One game between Shepherd and Slippery Rock still in doubt in the fourth quarter. SRU had a 7-0 lead early in that game and were driving, but a huge penalty negated a run to the two-yard line and a blocked field goal by Shepherd two plays later swung the momentum. After that it was all Rams.
-CSU-Pueblo won the toss against GVSU but elected to defer to the second half and let Grand Valley have the ball and the wind (blowing at 20 MPH) in the first quarter. This turned out to be a huge mistake as the Lakers scored on a long pass on their first play from scrimmage and scored 21 points in the quarter. I wonder if CSU-Pueblo head coach John Wristen would like to have that one back?
-For the 22nd time in a row Northwest Missouri State defeated Emporia State. As I mentioned last week, very few of those games have even been close. The Bearcats just seem to have ESU's number and that was the case again last week.
-The Tuskegee defense did a nice job of slowing down the UWG running game, but the Golden Tigers had no answer for UWG quarterback Dallas Dickey, who threw for 398 yards and three touchdowns on just 24 pass attempts.
National Semifinals
West Georgia (12-1) at Northwest Missouri State (13-0)
This is the first ever meeting between these two schools. These have probably been the two strongest teams in the country this season so this has the potential to be a classic game. The weather in Maryville on Saturday is supposed to be unseasonably warm (in the 50's) so the fact that a team from the Deep South is going north should have minimal effect on the game.
There are several more similarities between these programs. They are coached by two of the most respected young coaches in D2- Will Hall for UWG and Adam Dorrel for Northwest. Both teams are fast and physical on defense and tough to move the ball on. The offenses are balances with both teams featuring senior quarterbacks that are smart enough to take what the defense is giving them.
I think the key to this entire game will be the play of the respective offensive lines. With both defenses being so sound and fast it will be the team that can get some semblance of a running game going and that can protect the quarterback that will win this game. I give a slight edge to Northwest because the Bearcats are playing at home and quarterback Blake Bolles has played so well over the last half of the season. Northwest Missouri 27 West Georgia 20
Grand Valley (12-2) at Shepherd (12-0)
This is Shepherd's second semifinal appearance, but the first time the Rams have hosted the game. Considering this is the school's first home semifinal game, it would not be a stretch to suggest that this is the biggest game in the history of the Shepherd program. GVSU, of course, is veteran program when it comes to these situations. The Lakers reached the semifinals in 2013 and have been in this position nine times since 2001.
Shepherd is a veteran team lead by a veteran coach in Monte Cater. The Rams do all of the little things it takes to be successful, like play solid defense and take care of the football. This year the Rams have been a bit different in the sense that they rely much more on the passing game than in years past. Quarterback Jeff Ziemba has been terrific this season as the Harlon Hill finalist has thrown 29 touchdown passes with just four interceptions.
The Lakers, of course, have come on in the playoffs after being a bit up and down during the season. Quarterback Bart Williams has thrown for 3872 yards and 42 touchdowns and has really played well in the playoffs. GVSU did lose senior running back Kirk Spencer to a season-ending injury last week, but talented freshman Marty Carter stepped in and rushed for 231 yards last week in his absence. The Lakers also have plenty of receivers that can stretch the field on what has become a very formidable offense.
If Shepherd had a great running game, I think the Rams would have a good shot of winning this game because they could potentially control the clock a bit more. But the Lakers are really clicking right now offensively and they possess a different level of size and athleticism than any opponent the Rams have seen this season. With Shepherd's lack of running game and offensive explosiveness, I think the Rams will have trouble matching points with GVSU. Grand Valley 33 Shepherd 23
Mailbag
[Q] CSU-Pueblo dropped yet another home playoff game and they were not even competitive. Would you be willing to admit that last year's national championship was a fluke?
[A] I do not think winning a national championship is ever a fluke. CSU-Pueblo had to beat some pretty good teams on the way to winning that championship and it is never easy to be the last team standing. Last year's CSU-Pueblo team was not among the best D2 championship teams I have seen, but all that really matters is that they were the best in 2014.
I think what matters is what happens going forward. As long as John Wristen is the head coach I think the Thunderwolves will continue to dominate the RMAC which of course means they will consistently be in the playoffs. Getting to the point where they are a strong contender to get to KC year after year is the hard part and has been elusive even for programs with more resources than CSU-Pueblo.
Contact
Feel free to contact me with any comments or criticisms or if you have a question you would like answered in the Mailbag.