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The Stangs will take on University of Alaska Anchorage this Saturday. The Seawolves are 5-2 with their losses coming against D1 opponents; Houston and Washington State. We do have a common opponent in Hawaii Pacific; they beat HPU 82-66. We should have beat them. this will be a long trip and a difficult trip for the Mustangs; but they are on a high with 2 wins in a row and we know that young teams are more susceptible to emotion so maybe it will help them.

UAA is a strong shooting team 45% from the floor (41% 3 pt) but they only score 71 a game on average. They do only give up 63 a game. If the Stangs can keep UAA at their average we can get hot and have a chance. Watch out for Malcolm Campbell; 6′ 9″ 265 lbs averaging about 16 a game. We could hang 2 of our players off of him and he’d probably not even notice. Maybe thinking a bit of a zone? Or maybe up tempo and tire him out. Or JW, TJ and Chad driving on him and getting him in foul trouble.

I wonder if Ed Johnson has any eligibility left?

Stefan Mirabal continued his hot shooting hitting 7 of 11 from 3 pt range to tally 28 pts but the Stangs couldn’t overcome a 30 pt effort from Justin Smith and dropped the contest 91-82. The Stangs got off to a good start leading 12-2 but then Smith got hot and it was a race to the finish. WNMU again had 4 players in double figures as Chuck added 13, Eli 12 and Justin 10. The Mustangs also held the Vulcans to only 7 offensive rebounds and forced 6 turnovers while turning over the ball only 15 times. But cold shooting in the 2nd half hurt the Stangs as they hit only 37% of their 35 shots. The Vulcans on the other hand shot 69% in the first half and 48% in the second ending up shooting 58% for the game. The teams will meet again tomorrow so we’ll see if the Mustangs can pull off the revenge win like they did agains ENMU on Saturday.

The Stangs tip off the first of 3 in Hawaii tonight as they visit Hawaii Hilo. The 2 teams will play again on Friday. Hilo is coming off a 12-12 season and they are 0-2 already early in the season. They have not been able to get their shooting going and have also been committing a lot of fouls. But Hilo always plays tough competition and they will be tough for the Stangs. We’ll learn a little more about the Mustangs after this trip and how they handle being on the road. But this trip is more about the wins and losses; it’s about building some team chemistry and getting the team to work together and believe in each other. That will set up the rest of the season if it works the way it should. So far this team seems to get along well with each other and genuinely likes one another.

So I ranted about the alumni assocation’s gathering before the U of A exhibition. Turns out there were about 70 people that showed up for the shindig. I will give Arlene tons of credit for that effort; that’s the best turn out of any similar event. Nice job. And she is now trying to get something similar going for the women’s game with UTEP. That’s the kind of support you can get behind and help out. So alumni, get busy and let’s get involved with the alumni association. And let’s see you at a home game.

So I was really disappointed with the loss last week. Yesterday I even had 2 guys who had been listening to the radio broadcast tell me they didn’t know the Mustangs lost until Thursday. Boy were they bummed. But you know what? We are all READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!! And today the Stangs will get back in the win column.

Western State got its only win against 3 losses last week over Highlands. (Highlands SUCKS!) It was a 2 point win that came down to WSC stopping a 2 point conversion attempt that would have tied the game. Otherwise WSC hasn’t been close in any game this season. But they do have some big play ability with speed at the wide receiver position in Shaun Suttorp. Really WSC doesn’t produce a lot of yardage; 100 yds/gm on the ground and 163 yd/gm in the air. And their defense gives up a lot of yardage. With focus and intensity, like the Mustangs showed for 2 quarters last week, for 60 minutes Buster Thede, Jaime Trujillo and the D will dominate this game. I like the way our defensive backs played at times last week. Sumpter showed some strong play and smart play. Consistency will be key and don’t give up the big play.

Look for Kevin Breaker and the offensive line to produce some yardage on the ground. The WSC defense gives up lots of yardage so let the big uglies on the O line dominate and push the Mountaineer D back. That will open it up for Dennis Havrilla to either run or pass and the Mustangs, I believe, will look like the team that dominated in week one. I am excited about the passing game too. Markis Sumpter showed real skill last week and is worthy of being mentioned with Sal Garcia and Scotty Crespin as top receivers. And as Coach promised Bubba Tuinei got into the passing game and boy is he a great tight end. He may turn out to be better than Richard Angulo.

In short, look for a Mustang victory today. Don’t forget to listen at 92.9 fm or right here at 12:40 MDT.

I had a long time to think about the Mustangs’ loss to the Mavericks as I drove back last night. Man do I feel bad for the team. The Mustangs showed once again that they can play with and beat, no dominate anyone in this league. They also showed that they can find ways to lose. I cannot put my finger on what it is. Dennis Havrilla made some outstanding individual plays to try and keep the Mustangs in the game but then fumbled the ball at the end of the run or play. The offensive line dominated the Mavericks in the first half but as the game went on their performance lagged. Overall the offense showed that they could score pretty much when they wanted to. The Mavericks were the #1 team in the conference in scoring defense giving up only 17.3 pts per game. And only allowing 2 yards per run. And this is against top ranked teams (ok Highlands sucks but the other 2 games were versus quality opponents) But the Mustangs showed they can, for 2 1/2 quarters anyway, treat the Mavericks like our toys. The Mustangs ran the ball, put together sustained drives, even if they didn’t score but it was the Mustangs ball game.

Defensively the Mustangs showed more than flashes of brilliance. The goal line stand on the opening drive set the tone for the 1st half. And that tone was dominance. Creating turnovers and keeping the Mavericks offense out of synch was the order of the first half for the Mustang defense. The Mavs were averaging 200 yards a game on the ground and the D held them to 35 yds in the first half. Outstanding!

But you could see the momentum begin to swing at the end of the first half. When the Mavs put together a 61 yard drive to get their first score of the game. The Mustangs dropped into a prevent defense. No longer were the Mustangs putting pressure on the QB. And the Mavericks picked the Mustangs apart. And it carried into the 2nd half when the Mustangs really looked out of synch. And the body language from the Mustangs showed confusion and frustration and the D looked tired. I’m not the expert but watching football at all levels and listening to much smarter football experts there is only one thing a prevent defense prevents; that’s winning. Why not stay aggressive and do what you’ve been doing up to that point? It was working very well?

But the Stangs didn’t give up. They hustled and kept pushing trying to find a way to overcome the bad luck. Havrilla showed he is one of the best all around offensive players in the league. We know Breaker can run the ball and Garcia & Crespin are good receivers. But Markis Sumpter and Bubba Tuinei showed they are just as good. I’d put our offensive talent against any in the league. The balance is so good that teams can’t single out one player to try and stop.

Eric Zuniga had an excellent game defensively along with Faifili, Upshaw, Thede, Simmons and the rest of the front 7 showed they can dominate as a unit and individually. I’ve been very critical of the defensive backfield but at times they showed they can be dominating as well. Collins and Bowman are big hitters. Sumpter Jr. has shown that he can cover anyone and will become more consistent as he gets more time. Drawhorn showed solid technique and good field presence at times; something I think the defensive backfield has been lacking.

So what is it? Why can’t the Mustangs get over the hump? after 10 hours driving back in the dark I know one thing, it’s not just one thing that is keeping the Mustangs from winning. It’s a combination of attitude, bad luck, trying too hard and not knowing how to win. Once again staff from the other team, including the AD, radio crew and a coach told me that we have outstanding talent and such bad luck. The one conclusion I came to is that the team can’t give up. If they can continue to gel as a unit, stick with each other and believe in each other and keep playing hard and smart; the ship will right itself and this team will compete for an RMAC championship. And that can happen this year! Yes I believe that whole heartedly. Now does the team?

Mustang Football is already in Grand Junction. I’m about an hour away from heading north and while it will be a long drive I’m pumped up. I’ve talked to some former players and knowledgeable Mustang fans and the overwhelming consensus is that the Mustangs came out flat for last week’s game; a loss against CSM. People that saw both SRSU & CSM said when the Stangs came out for game 1, they were pumped up. Game 2, a loss they came out flat, only one or two guys yelling and ready to go.

That may be the key again this week. Play with emotion. We know the Mustangs have the talent on both sides of the ball but we also now know that they must play with controlled emotion as well. Focus that energy and the offensive line can boost the running game again. Want more proof? When Dennis bullied his way into the end zone for a touchdown off the interception by the Stangs D, he came out PUMPED UP!!! It was contagious. Had that happened in the first half, it may have been a Mustang win.

The D playing with emotion is even more important. Get pressure up field on the quarterback and hit the running back in the backfield (and wrap him up!) It will be a long day for the Mavericks. The Mavs were picked to finish 4th in the conference but played 2 top teams in their first 2 games, Central Washington and NW MO St. Then hammered Highlands 51-7; so just like last week the Mustang’s opponent is playing for the season. But unlike last week, so are the Stangs!