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Not your typical 35-6 game

Posted by: Tony Bleill

Saturday, September 6, 2008 1:01 AM

Central beat Urbana 35-6 Friday night to take the Wright Street trophy, but if the score makes it look as if Friday was a hum-drum night at Urbana's McKinley Field, think again. There's plenty to digest.

Such as ...

--Central had more trouble than the score would suggest. The Maroons watched Eric Miles gain 165 yards on the ground, one week after Normal West's Darius Bell gained 165. This time, however, the Maroons were playing a bit shorthanded, as standout linebacker Brandon Ward was one of the players not in uniform after missing the team bus.

Coach Dave Jacobs has been unfailingly positive in his public comments about this group of players, repeatedly speaking about how much enjoyment he gets in coaching this team. So, when he spoke Friday of how "some attitudes" need to be adjusted, you know he's a bit concerned. If there's anything that can derail a promising season in a hurry, it's attitude problems, and I suspect Jacobs is trying to clear them out before they become unmanageable. Ward is expected to play next week against Decatur Eisenhower.

--Special teams have, at times, been a sore spot for Central in recent seasons, and Friday was another rough night in that area. Punter Scot Chapman had two punts blocked, one of which was negated because Urbana was flagged for a defensive holding penalty. Because the holding occurred before the change of possession, it wiped out the blocked punt. Still, it's a bad sign for a team that can't afford special teams slip-ups if it wants to win postseason games.

--As for the positive news, the Maroons used Denzel Stewart to full advantage, which was Jacobs' plan going in. He carried only 12 times in the opener, but Jacobs wasn't of the mindset to repeat that.

"I have to get him the ball more," Jacobs said. "We’re trying to spread the ball around, and we have guys that can certainly do that. We’re kind of young at receiver and depleted right now with injuries, so we’ve got some kids out there that don’t have a lot of experience, and they’re good players. They just need some experience and some confidence. We’re trying to spread it around a little bit and make us hard to defend, but we have got to get him the ball more, there’s no question."

--I was impressed with Urbana. If the Tigers had scored on two trips inside the Central 10, the final score might have looked much different. Urbana was surprisingly effective on the ground, a good sign for a team that hasn't been physical up front in many seasons. Whether that's a bad sign for the Maroons will be revealed once the schedule gets a bit tougher, starting in Week 4 with Bloomington.

Urbana hung in well despite falling behind 14-0 after Central's first two possessions. It's clear coach Mike Hoskins has his team playing with some desire and determination, a trait not found on every Urbana football team in the last decade. If the Tigers can stay away from depth-depleting injuries, they'll win some games. More than one, in my opinion.

--I hate to bang the officials, because they get paid very little to do an absolutely thankless chore. However ...

Friday's crew struggled, to say the least. And that's a shame. I saw a few things on Friday that you rarely see in a high school football game. One that sticks out: Urbana's Tyrece McCurry appeared to make a sensational catch just above the grass (about 10 feet away from me, and the Urbana coaching staff). The officials closest to the play ruled it a catch. But the linesman on the far side of the field -- ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE FIELD, HE SAID -- came running from 25 yards away and talked the other guys into making it an incompletion. Don't know how he could have seen it, but he must have made a convincing argument. Perhaps he has a future as a trial lawyer.

--The final interesting piece of the evening involved Central's final touchdown, which came with less than 4 minutes to play. The Maroons, using a first-string offense, completed a pass play on that drive, and Hoskins wasn't particularly pleased, saying he had his second unit in the game.

"I don't think you do that," Hoskins said.

Central coach Dave Jacobs gave credit to Urbana, saying he didn't feel comfortable with the way the game had progressed, and he didn't want to give the Tigers' offense another opportunity.

I'll take Jacobs' sentiments at face value. Perhaps he just didn't think the game was in hand at that point. But I can understand Hoskins' side. When it is 28-6 with 4 1/2 minutes to play, you don't expect a team to throw the ball. And there was no way Urbana was going to wipe out that deficit, even if Central had been forced to punt. It would have required one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of interscholastic football.

After covering prep football for 22 years, I've seen plenty of similar circumstances occur. Without specifically referring to Friday's game, I'll say this: Coaches -- especially football coaches -- are a paranoid bunch. (The most high-profile case of over-the-top paranoia is one Bill Belichick.) In cases like these, it sometimes happens that the winning coach simply doesn't want to take any chances, looking for one more score to feel secure that the win is in the bag. Sometimes, there's no sinister intent at work. I've seen it happen many, many times, with coaches in our area being on both sides of the situation. That's why I always preferred the path used by ex-Monticello and Normal coach Hud Venerable, who often found himself on the winning side of a lopsided score. Venerable liberally used his subs, and even when he did, he ran the ball over and over without trying to score. It was nice to see.

--Back on Wednesday with a few thoughts about Centennial's loss against MacArthur, and a look at Stewart's chances of breaking some Twin City rushing records.

Until then, enjoy the weekend.