Wildcats to tame the Tigers in last home game
October 31, 2014
It is the final home game of the 2014 season for Central’s football team, as they welcome non-conference foe, the Blue Tigers of Lincoln University Missouri.
Central’s senior players will look to finish their careers strong and make their legacy known.
Senior wide receiver Greg Logan will look to add to his 52 receptions and 693 receiving yards against Lincoln and their pass defense, which has surrendered 254 receiving yards per game to opponents, and 17 touchdowns through eight games.
Logan, who has caught five or more passess in each game this season, currently leads the GNAC in receptions. Logan has noticed his numbers decline over the last three games, but he looks to improve his numbers against Lincoln.
“Logan is a guy who has an internal drive,” coach John Picha said. “He’s always been the hardest working receiver we’ve had out here, and his work has shown up in his production this season.”
Central’s offensive attack is not one-dimensional, as the Wildcats hope to give Lincoln a heavy dose of the running game, with junior workhorse running back, Jordan Todd, and senior running back Ishmael Stinson.
Todd is the Wildcats featured back and is third (130 total rushes) in the GNAC in carries, as well as second in rushing touchdowns, with 11 this season.
Todd’s responsibilities are large, the staff has the utmost confidence in him to place the running game on his shoulders.
“Jordan Todd is the starter” head coach Ian Shoemaker said, “The game will dictate if he is going to carry the ball a lot or if he’s going to be doing other things.”
Todd finds himself with a heavy load, as he is the feature piece of the Wildcat running game, taking a large portion of the carries for the team, catching the ball out of the back field and blocking in pass protection.
While Todd has shouldered a lot of responsibility for the Wildcats, Stinson has shown flashes of brilliance in relief. Stinson’s best outing came against Simon Fraser University when he carried the ball 17 times for over 100 yards.
Recently, Stinson has been held in check in his limited duties, but it will be hard for Lincoln to keep him contained, as he averages 5.1 yards per carry, and has shown himself to be explosive once he finds space behind Central’s big offensive line.
Central’s offensive line has been able to impose their will upon the opposition, showing their ability in the pass protection game. The Wildcats have proven that they have a nasty side in the run game as they have pushed defenders around all season.
Saturday should be no different for senior offensive linemen Marshall Green and Calvin Hoohuli Jr. as they hope to open holes for the running game and push Central’s offense forward.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcat’s senior linebacker JB Torsy looks to add to his 6.5 sacks and four tackles for loss as he helps add to the Wildcat’s disruptive defensive totals.
Currently, Central averages 8.3 tackles for loss per game, tying them for 27th in the nation. That, coupled with Central’s 11th ranked pass, rush averaging 3.25 sacks per game should present a lot of problems for Lincoln’s offensive line, who currently allows 1.88 sacks per game.
Also on the defensive side of the ball is senior defensive back Cole Graves. Graves, a long time member of the Wildcat’s program, has been a leader on and off the field. Graves, who missed the 2012 season with an chipped fibula and torn ACL, has accepted the role the coaching staff has laid out for him and he’s making the most of every opportunity when he’s on the field.
“I just work hard and do what I’m asked,” Graves said. “And if the game allows me to play more or less I just stick to my assignment, and make the play to the best of my ability.”
Lincoln brings “BOXTOROW” National Player of the Week Morris Henderson to Ellensburg. Henderson is an all-purpose running back who is currently 11th in the nation in all-purpose yards, averaging 180 yards per game.
Henderson is an explosive running back in the multiple formation offense that Lincoln employs. The option offense and irregular looks can cause opposing defenses trouble.
“A player like [Henderson] commands attention.” Shoemaker said. “And if he gets in space he’s a special kind of athlete, so we need to make sure we are fundamentally sound and we play our game.”
Central is hoping that they can stick to their assignments and make tackles in the open field and fix some of the problems they have encountered against other heavy running teams.
“We’ve done a great job sticking to our assignments,” defensive coordinator Payam Saadat said. “But we’ve failed to finish the plays and make the sound tackles we needed to.”
Central is hoping that they can continue stick to their assignments and make tackles in the open field.
Wildcat fans can expect the emotions to be high as the rest of the Wildcat team says farewell to five of their teammates.
The crowd at Tomlinson should expect to see amazing things from the underclassmen as they look to send the seniors out on top.