Article

Minnesota State Football Team Should Play Tougher Nonconference Schedule

By Chad Courrier
Free Press Staff Writer
MANKATO

This thought seemed absurd just a year ago, but it might be time for Minnesota State to strengthen its nonconference schedule.

Now, this isn't a complaint because you have to schedule football games a couple of years in advance, and when Minnesota State lucked into a two-year agreement with Oklahoma Panhandle State, the Mavericks were in the 'Holley years,' desperate to find any team they could beat.

So you get Oklahoma Panhandle State, Upper Iowa and Concordia-St. Paul on the schedule, although it's possible that Concordia-St. Paul will someday be the program that the North Central Conference tries to recruit into the league.

That was fine last season, just like the men's basketball team was fine scheduling Crossroads College last season.

But 63-7, which is the record-breaking score the Mavericks put on Oklahoma Panhandle State last week? You might as well schedule Minnesota-Crookston–South Dakota and St. Cloud State did–which has lost its first two games by a combined score of 130-7.

Last season, it seemed like a good idea to have a couple of softies on the schedule, though it should be pointed out that it wasn't too long ago that the Mavericks were the softies on another program's schedule. A team needs an easy, confidence-building game to get its top players a simple workout and get the reserves some much-needed game time should injuries hit the starters.

This season, given an overtime loss to a national championship contender (Northwest Missouri State) and an oldfashioned whipping (Oklahoma Panhandle State), the Mavericks appear ready to battle the bigger programs and get a better test from its nonconference foes.

There's nothing wrong with playing Bemidji State. The Mavericks have their sights on the Beavers, given how Bemidji State won last season's opener at Blakeslee Stadium, basically overpowering and out-muscling the home team.

Coach Jeff Jamrog's voice gets serious when he talks about playing Bemidji State on Saturday. Defensive coordinator Ken Gordon's eyes squint and jaw tightens when he guarantees that the Beavers won't match last season's output of 42 points and 460 yards of total offense. This is a good nonconference rivalry, though it's one the Mavericks should now win nine out of 10 times.

The North Central Conference will be as tough as ever, so it's not like the Mavericks have to search the Top 25 to find its nonconference games, but the Oklahoma Panhandle State and Upper Iowa games have to go. It might not be so easy to find better teams to play; opposing coaches aren't likely to be so quick to call back now that the Mavericks appear to be on the proper course of rebuilding.

But there's nothing to be gained from 63-7, though it's got to feel good to be on the winning side of those games again.