Willamette - Marist is here and Oh, What a Game

Willamette at Marist - It's Here!

I've had this game circled on my calendar since before the season began. After last season ended for Willamette, I thought the Wolverines were in good shape for the 2011 season. The Wolverines had a very good running back returning in Jordan Visarraga, some very good receivers in Mitch Crownover, Zach Hatefi and others and had the tall qb who threw a sweet ball - Kamerun Smith. Then the trade rumors started.

My big concern before teams started playing games was whether or not Willamette could find a qb to replace Smith and whether the Willamette line would develop. Of course, Willamette has found their QB in Dustin Leber. He's completing 58 per cent of his league passes, compared to Smiths 60 percent. But, as good as Willamette's receivers are, they haven't been warp speeding their way to the end zone like Marist's Taylor Walcott and Austin Baird. So Leber is averaging 'just' 186 yards a game through the air, compared to Smith's 247. Leber's feet almost closes the gap with Smith. Leber averages 35 yards a game rushing, while Smith is heading the other way, with a minus 9 yards a game rushing. (Smith almost got back to zero yards rushing after a long, juking run in the Springfield game. The long run brought out a cheer from Marist fans, but the play was called back for holding)

Willamette has the advantage in overall rushing with Visarraga's 940 rushing yards in league, more than the entire Marist team's total of 853. The Wolverines are also getting rushing production from Dante Giles (184 yards) along with Leber's 177 yards. Willamette has 1377 rushing yards as a team in league. Greg Park leads Marist with 494 yards with James Banks next on the Spartan list with 102 yards.

You'd think it would be easy to stop Marist's passing game, the Spartans only throw to three receivers - Walcott, Baird and Josh Paiement. The problem is that they average nearly 20 yards a catch. It would be more, but they tend to run out of field as they cross the end zone too often. Willamette counters with Crownover, Giles, Hatefi, Bryce York and Jordan Edris. Can't call it even in the receiving category due to the speed of Marist, but Willamette can cause problems with more options to throw to.

So, it boils down to the line, as it always does. Willamette's line has a little size advantage, but they'll be battling the strong, conditioned,  technique freaks at Marist - Spartans Mitch Olive, Paxton Miller, Eric Hammertimesmith, Tony Ford, Dante Castille, Josh White and crew. The Wolverines counter with Trent Waggoner (baseball player , 6' 0 ', 220 lbs), Mitch Wilkens (6' 5", 245), Tyler Johnson (235), Sam Duncan (6' 3", 210), Lane Henderson (6' 2", 285), Drew Clements and crew. For Willamette to have a chance, each lineman will have to be quick to the punch on every play, and then get the secondary block or continue to pursue on defense. Willamette should hire a motivational speaker to pump up the limemen non-stop before and during the game.

Is Marist getting soft on D? Last year Marist gave up just one first half touchdown during league play and  just four league touchdowns in total. This year, Marist has given up 3 first half touchdowns and seven altogether, with two league games to go. Is the Spartan armor getting rusty?

MWL fans are voting for Marist 61 to 39 as of Tuesday afternoon. I thinks that's a good reflection. Marist should be solidly favored, but Willamette can win it if they can focus, fire out and play out each play to the very end. Click to vote in MWL polls. I'm going to this game and I hope it's a good one, just like last week's overtime game at Springfield, speaking of which.

Springfield 35 Eagle Point 34 in Overtime.

The first five weeks of the season I try and see each team at least once. After that I try and choose what I think is going to be a great matchup. I chose right the first time out.

Did you see the article in the Register-Guard about Springfield's head coach, Skip Raish, having a heart attack during the Marshfield game and subsequently not coaching in the Churchill game the next week? Did coach Raish get too excited as the Millers beat the Pirates for a second year in a row, becoming the first ever Springield team to win back to back games against Marshfield? What I want to know is how coach Raish survived the Eagle Point game?

The Millers know how to put on a Friday Night Football Show and homecoming and senior night made this one extra special.

I didn't see any articles that gave any kind of justice to the game. I wish I would have taken notes. Strategically , there wasn't any doubt how this game would be played. Eagle Point would try and ram the ball like they did against Marist and Springfield would go through the air.

So it figures that Eagle Point scores first on a pass. Then they ram it down the field to go up 14-0 in the first quarter. It looked like Springfield was enjoying Homecoming a little too much and didn't show up to play.  I'm sure the Miller fans were worried, but you can't stop a good passing team and Springfield scored on a 36 yard Auxier to Banks pass. The Millers quickly got the ball back and looked like they were going to take over the game by passing when Eagle Point's #58, Manny Valdovinos picked Auxier and took off with a big lead on a long run to the end zone....  too long of a run to the end zone for a lineman and a Miller caught Manny and stripped the ball deep in Miller territory, and Springfield recovered. No one was giving up in this game.

Eagle Point went into halftime up 14-7 and it was anybody's game. The Millers scored first in the third quarter on a pass to Taylor Travess. Eagle Point kept ramming the ball with Garrett Snow (27 punishing, clock controlling carries for 149 yards), but it was Jakob Combs who ran it in the final 5 yards to make it 20-14 Eagle Point in the third. It seemed like Eagle Point could ball control this game away if they could get the ball back. But Auxier hit Jon Emerald for a 31 yard td and a 21-20 Miller lead. Eagle Point seemed to fade and momentum shifted to the Millers. Coach Raish and the Miller fans behind him must have been feeling confident when Springfield drove past midfield to the 37 and then lined up to punt and pin Eagle Point deep with less than four minutes to go. So I line up in the Eagle Point end zone to get a photo of the Millers converging on the punt returner, but I never take the photo because Eagle Point blocks the punt and Kyle Zerger takes it in 63 yards for a go ahead TD. Snow runs it for a 2 point conversion and a 28-21 lead.

Springfield can't do anything on offense. Eagle Point takes over and gets within field goal range and kicks it with about a minute to go, but the attempt hits the crossbar and bounces off short. Still, Springfield has to go 80 yards in less than a minute. Eagle Point coach Schauffler has to like his chances. But the Millers roar down field with no time outs and Auxier hits Dylan Piquette with a 5 yard td pass. Ashton Summers kick ties the game with ten seconds to go.

I have to think Eagle Point is at a disadvantage in overtime because they don't have the type of passing game that can strike deep if they get stuffed in their running game. Eagle Point goes first and just rams it down Springfield's throat with Snow capping it off with an 8 yard run. But the 2 point conversion attempt gets foiled. Springfield's turn and they can cover ground fast. They do via the air, but it's Auxier who puts it away with his feet on a 5 yard run. Summers has been money all year, and the pressure of overtime doesn't faze him. He kicks it through the goal posts towards the Miller balloon to win the game. The balloon goes wild.

Stats

Just a reminder that the stats on the site are for league games only.  For a bunch of quarterbacks who didn't have much varsity  experience, the qb's are doing a great job.  It's pretty rare to have a season where all but one quarterback have more td's than int's.  (I don't have stats for North Eugene and Marshfield)  Rushing, we have four backs over or near 100 yards per game.  Visarraga is almost 200, at 188, Volz has 103, Snow 99.6 and Park 98.8.  Air Lancer is in gear after a slow start.  Molinski has taken over the league lead in yardage and teammate Andrew Bennion is fourth.  Marist has three of the top 7 receivers.  Visarraga is off by his little lonesome self with 19 rushing td's and 114 points.  Baird is second with 68 points and qb White is third with 50. 

Passing  Receiving   Rushing  Scoring

Predictions tomorrow as well as How I voted in the Oct 11 OregonLive poll and how MWL teams are looking as far as playoffs go - not everybody goes to the playoffs this year.  (Marist  picked up another first place vote in the OregonLive poll, but is still second behind Sherwood.  Ashland is alone in 8th)