Posted: Sep 09, 2022
Red Devils Heading into Week 2 Challenge at Olivet ‘Together’
OLIVET, Mich. – At the end of opening day, EC football coach Kurt Barth saw some positive signs and things the Red Devils could build on this fall.
The Red Devils' 31-6 loss against Nebraska Wesleyan wasn't the desired result, but the effort and mentality that the team was looking for was present.
"I thought that our guys stayed together, which was one of the things that we wanted to see," Barth said. "Obviously, the outcome was not what we were working for, but at the end, we saw some good things."
On Saturday at 12 p.m. CT, the Red Devils will look to correct mistakes and make necessary adjustments when they take on Olivet (Mich.) on the road.
Barth and the EC coaching staff are expecting a big jump in execution from Week 1 to Week 2. A lot of Eureka players saw primetime experience for the first time last week. Now that they've got a taste of college football in 2022, they need to level up for a tough non-conference contest. The Comets handed Eureka a 42-23 loss in the first-ever meeting between the teams last season.
"Olivet is a very strong, talented team," Barth said. "They're fast. They've got a lot of great athletes on both sides of the ball. They're definitely going to be a test."
Defensively, the Red Devils' put together a solid performance as a unit in Week 1, showing significant improvement from a year ago. There were fewer breakdowns in coverage, and when mistakes were made, the maroon and gold often found a way to be resilient and keep the Prairie Wolves from scoring.
"When those guys were coming off the field after making a mistake, they already knew what they did," Barth said. "They were taking ownership and saying 'okay, this is my fault. What do I need to do to get it fixed?" and the other guys rallied around them.
"To me, that's what helped our defense play so well. they got things fixed and stayed together."
There's more room for improvement on the other side of the ball, where Barth didn't believe the offensive line was physical enough up front and the passing game struggled to make enough plays to extend drives and reach the end zone.
"We've got to be better," Barth said. "We've got to focus on being more physical and execute in a way that we've shown. And then obviously, we've got to be more efficient throwing the football as well."
The Red Devils' offense did, however, see a strong performance from wide receiver Sebastian Hill.
The sophomore hauled in eight catches for 118 yards and scored the team's lone touchdown of the day. He also made two impressive snags near the Nebraska Wesleyan sideline that were called back for offensive pass interference and being out of bounds, respectively. If viewed differently in the eyes of the officials, both could have been game-changers.
"There were some plays that we could've made that would have made that day even better for him, but I thought he played stellar offensively," Barth said.
Defensively, Barth thought, everyone played well collectively. Everyone did their job and picked each other up when necessary.
The tackle totals were pretty even, with Taijaun Johnson tallying a team-high seven total tackles, Chuck Weathersby and Brendan Durr each recording six and Garrett Wayne having five. Weathersby also forced a fumble that led to a Red Devils recovery in the first quarter. Ben Wright recorded his first career sack and Alex Brittain and Brendan Durr teamed up for a sack at the end of the first half.
In the secondary, Johnson, Brandon Simmons, Jack Arnett and Kavion Nichols all recorded pass breakups, and so did lineman Christian Miller.
The Red Devils also have the benefit of coming out of Week 1 with minimal injury concerns. There are the expected bumps and bruises, but for the most part, Eureka is intact, together.
Olivet is coming off a hard-fought 35-31, non-conference victory over Franklin. The Comets came back from down 10 points in the fourth quarter to secure a season-opening win.
Trailing 31-21 with 11:26 left in the game, the home team responded with a 12-play drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Nyassinu Crowell Jr with 4:51 left. The Comets' defense followed that with a critical three-and-out that gave the offense the ball back at its own 38. Six plays later, freshman Thomas Foust found Jalen Broussard in the end zone for the go-ahead 15-yard touchdown pass.
The Grizzlies got the ball back at their own 28 and drove 48 yards to the Olivet 24, but it wasn't enough. The visitors' final attempt was broken up in the end zone by senior Isaiah Moon to secure the win.
Olivet racked up 505 yards of offense, with 309 coming on the ground. Crowell Jr. tallied 122 yards on 16 carries and scored once. Dontal Wright added 84 yards on 10 carries and Deonte Higgins followed with 72 on six with a touchdown. Quarterback Evan Ormsby completed 9-of-20 passes for 149 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
"They've got speed in a lot of places," Barth said. "They've got a very strong running attack, and I think they've got the ability to throw as well, but their running attack really popped out to us on film. They have such great vision and cutting ability, so they present a lot of challenges."
The Comets are no slouches on the defensive end, either.
"They're physical up front, especially defensively," Barth added. "They've got speed in the secondary. They've got experience. They're a very well-coached, disciplined defensive unit."
The Red Devils departed from campus on Friday morning. For many players, it is their first college road trip. The next time the team heads on the road, it will be to take on a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference opponent – and the stakes will be higher.
"It's a great opportunity for us to play a strong opponent," Barth said of Week 2 at Olivet, "And to get another game of experience to get ourselves ready for the conference season."