Rockets blast off at Kelly-Shorts

Lets take a trip back to our childhoods together. Granted, we didn't all lead the same lives as children, but if you were a normal kid, at some point down the line, you made your parents angry. My personal specialty in this area was my method of "cleaning" which usually consisted of trying to hide the mess and hope my parents never noticed.

It didn't really work. 

Worse than my plan not working out was the anger that would follow the discovery. Now, we all make mistakes, we all do things that anger other people, but it generally doesn't last. At that point in our lives, our parents generally forgive and forget, like that TV show, and that's the end of it.

I could deal with my parents being angry with me, that was one thing. However I can think of a few moments in my life where I maybe didn't make my parents mad, but I disappointed them. Being a disappointment to someone, even if just for a few moments, that always stung me worse.

After watching the game this past Saturday in which the CMU football team squandered away it's chances of winning by turning the ball over in the most pivotal moments, I can honestly say; I'm not mad. I am disappointed in this team. Ok, maybe a little bit mad as well.

I am disappointed that a team can show the potential, the ability, to stay with a team that has traditionally been one of the top scoring offenses in the MAC. I'm disappointed that this team has been unable to play two halves of good football in any one single game this year, and has, in the opinions of many, underperformed.

Now, you might be thinking, why would they care if I'm disappointed, I'm just another broke student with no background in college football, and you're right, they probably don't. I'm a firm believer in the idea that if you constantly talk about how bad a team is or how they are doing, then you are contributing nothing of worth to the team as a fan or in any other capacity. I'm not trying to arrange myself on a soapbox here and blast the team to all of you, my adoring readers.

On the occasions when I had disappointed my parents, I was given a similar speech, which left me with the unmistakeable feeling that my parents were, above all, worried about the particular choice I made because they knew, deep down, I could always do better, be better than what I was. That's how I feel about this football team. I don't aim to criticize them while offering nothing to build them back up. I want them to know what I know, that if they want to go out and beat teams that are, on paper, better than them, then they can do it.And if you didn't see that potential from the game this Saturday, then I don't know what game you were watching. Maybe none at all. Maybe season five of Gossip Girl, no judgements.

So here I offer some concise thoughts about the game and certain aspects that I liked and others that I didn't.

• The run game was DYNAMIC. Even with new starter Saylor Lavalli missing some pivotal running lanes that the line opened for him, the beautiful thing is that 1.) those lanes even existed, and 2.) Lavalli managed to find a lot of open space outside of the tackles, which if you've been keeping up with me on these CMU posts is what I've wanted him to do all along. Lavalli managed 144 yards on 26 carries, along with scoring a short touchdown. A universal truth in football is to get the ball into the hands of your play-makers, and Lavalli is that guy.

• The passing game was inconsistent, and could honestly count for both a pro and con of this game. On one hand, Cooper Rush threw two very accurate passes during the game. To Toledo linebackers. On the other hand, seeing Rush throw some of these passes reminds me of better days for CMU football, the days when Dan LeFevour was throwing crisp, balanced passes all around the field. Inexperience and nerves are hurting him right now, but Rush is a true freshman, and if he can work out the kinks, he'll be the future. 
• Defensively, the Chippewas held the Rockets and their two QB's to only 166 yards passing, and also forced one turnover. However, this accomplishment seems a little less glamorous when you factor in the yards the Chippewas allowed on the ground. 252, to be exact, mostly to senior RB David Fluellen, who I swear has somehow entered his 12th season of eligibility for Toledo, the guy has been playing for them as long as I can remember. Someone needs to do a double check there. 

• As a young lad, I never met a sock I couldn't lose. It was such a futile struggle to keep my drawers full of enough socks to keep myself happy, so futile, in fact, that it reminds me of the Chippewas D-line. Oh SNAP. Yeah, I'll harass this group week in and week out until they create some pressure on somebody. Quarterbacks having all day in the pocket is hurting us immensely, and the D-Line needs to step up and do something about it. Just do me a favor, nobody tell them I said anything, okay? They really don't need to know, and honestly, compared to them, I am kinda small.  

I don't enjoy feeling disappointed in this team. I don't enjoy defending them against the horde of Enos  haters who clamor about how horrible this team is. It tires me out and is going to speed up the onset of arthritis. I want so badly for this team to iron out the kinks, namely ball control, and get to the level that I know they can play at. Oh, and once again, don't forget that Cooper Rush is a redhead. Just throwing that out there, do with it what you will .


Enjoy the column? I did too, funny how that works. If you're unaware, a new follower of mine or have just been living under a rock for the past 6 weeks, this is the most recent post in a  weekly series where I recap the Central Michigan University football games, and throw in as many needless puns, anecdotes and sob stories as I can while I'm at it. Also, a small side note. If any of you know a decent alternative (do NOT say Wordpress. I feel filthy just saying the words.) to using a blog site run by a indecent company such as Google, please let me know, I'm  in a bit of a pickle and considering a move.Thanks for reading, and tune in next week as I recap the CMU-NC State game.