In the spirit of homecoming week, Hastings College head football coach Matt Franzen incorporated a field trip into this week’s schedule to give his team a stress-free outing upon which to draw from when it takes the field against Doane at 1 p.m. Saturday at Lloyd Wilson Field.
Having fallen to 2-6 overall and 2-5 in conference play following last week’s 26-7 road loss to Midland, the Broncos will be looking to a salvage a season that hasn’t exactly gone as planned. The hope is that Wednesday’s team-bonding field trip to Hastings Museum will help set a positive tone for its final three games of the season.
“It’s just a way to kind of get away, relax, and have a little fun,” Franzen said. “We needed to do a little team something that really wasn’t about football.”
Despite its five-game losing streak, Doane still projects as a young-but-developing football team that continues to show improvement from game to game. Led by freshman quarterback Sam Hartman, the Tigers’ offense amassed 344 total yards but couldn’t overcome three turnovers in its 45-10 homecoming game loss to Concordia last week.
Hartman enjoyed perhaps the best game of his young career, completing 30-of-44 passes for 325 yards and one touchdown. His primary target, redshirt senior Zack Perez, had four catches for 97 yards including a 51-yard touchdown grab in the fourth quarter. Doane actually bested Concordia’s offensive time of possession but was ineffectual on defense, surrendering 670 total yards including 285 on the ground.
And while Franzen said he doesn’t expect HC to shut out its opponent, its offense will be looking to exploit what weaknesses Doane’s defense may show.
“They are doing some good things,” Franzen said of his former school. “They are in a position with a new coaching staff that most of the guys are hold-overs from last year. They don’t have many wins to show for it (1-6 in conference, 1-7 overall) but they have improved as a team from the first few weeks.
“Their quarterback (Hartman) has been effective within their system for sure (59% completion rate, 1,298 yards, five touchdowns). Defensively, they’re giving up some points, but I told our guys they play exceptionally hard and are going to keep coming at you no matter what happens.”
With injured offensive linemen Sal Nacarelli and Jayden Lagunas, and freshman running back Deven Brady all expected back on the field Saturday, Franzen is hopeful the offense behind sophomore quarterback Carson Kudlacek will be able to move the ball downfield early and often. Nacarelli returned to the lineup last week and played the majority of the game, while Lagunas and Brady return after each missing the last couple games.
“Offensively, we have to execute,” Franzen said. “Last week, we just couldn’t find our rhythm. Our game was out of sync. We weren’t seeing things in the run game (and) dropping balls.
“We do feel like with getting our offensive line more healthy that it will help our run game. We want to run the football and commit to that a bit more, but obviously that helps our passing game, also.”
For his part, Kudlacek will look to exploit the beefed-up offensive line to his advantage. The sophomore signal-caller was a pedestrian 11-for-18 for 114 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the Midland loss. Back-up quarterback freshman Cassius “Cash” Campbell is penciled in to see some first-half action against Doane after being cleared to play from his game-ending injury last week.
“We need some competition, (so) we expect both guys to play in the first half,” Franzen said. “After that, it will probably depend on how they both do.”
Franzen will be counting on Kudlacek to be more decisive when throwing the ball this week. His indecision in recent games has largely stunted his passing prowess, he said.
“We’ve talked to him about throwing the ball (more) to the first read, that he doesn’t have to be wide open to get him the ball,” Franzen said. “That’s something we’ve been trying to encourage. He doesn’t have to be perfect. He just needs to get the ball out and things are going to be OK.”
Freshmen players who have made an impact in recent weeks include punter Travon Shaw, outside defensive lineman Dawson Kissinger, nose guard David Lopez and defensive back Dion Tovar. The foursome was largely responsible for keeping the Broncos in the game last week, Franzen said.
“They are really starting to figure some things out,” he said of the freshmen quartet. “They are getting better each game.”
One key to watch on Saturday will how the Broncos respond when or if adversity strikes, an issue they have struggled with much of the season. Keeping the heat turned up on defense and special teams will also be a pivotal factor in determining the outcome. With Homecoming motivation on its side, Franzen said he expects an inspired effort from his team come kickoff.
“It’s going to be nice weather and we’ll have a nice crowd, with people back for a hall of fame (induction) event,” he said. “You always want to play well, but when you have that Homecoming crowd coming, you really want to show up and represent your school and make them proud.”
