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Last Updated: Jul 21st, 2008 - 09:27:48 |
The Corsairs began the 2007 season in a hole, and they didn’t start to climb out until week 3 against Shasta.
From there on, College of the Redwoods made due with a young roster thin, both literally and physically, in the trenches. It was the emergence of the play along both lines and the offensive backfield that kept the team in most games and gave CR a chance at repeating as Bay Valley Conference champions.
It was a tough climb, one that didn’t appear nearly as daunting in the months heading up to the season. Then grades hit. So did life.
When the time came to strap on the pads in August, eight players, six of them starters a year ago, either didn’t make grades or left the team for personal reasons.
“It makes a big difference,” CR head coach Dave Banducci said. “By not having them, we lose that stability. Like when you have a lot of seniors on high school teams, it makes them all better than playing with juniors.”
Through the first two-and-a-half games of the year, the Corsairs looked like a junior varsity team playing against the big boys. They were outscored 152-14 in the opening 10 quarters and out-gained 1,558 yards to 614.
One decision at halftime just before that 11th quarter saved CR’s season.
Banducci told offensive coordinator Dave Newton to scrap the “I” formation they were running on offense in favor of a shotgun look, out of which quarterback Keoki Burbank could hand off to running back Lyndon Rowells or keep the ball himself, all the while having three or four receivers to throw to.
Burbank and Rowells thrived in the new system, as did the rest of the offense.
Rowells, who rushed for 32 and 63 yards in the first two games, had more than 130 yards in six of the team’s final eight games and finished as the state’s second-leading rusher with 1,366 yards and 12 touchdowns. Burbank ended the season with 1,716 passing yards, 734 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns evenly split between both categories.
Both broke school records, Rowells the single-season mark and Burbank the all-time scoring record (234 points).
The change in scheme also helped out the offensive line, which at points was only five players deep, and even brought over nose tackle Van Dunn to help out at guard. The group, which had problems overpowering teams, excelled in the shotgun because it asked the linemen to re-direct opponents much of the time rather than bowl them over.
If only Banducci had the same kind of quick fix for the team’s defense.
The defensive line came on later in the season, getting quicker and more physical, which gave the unit the flexibility to lose Dunn. That only had a limited effect on the team’s pass defense, though.
In the Shasta game, Redwoods scored 28 second-half points but lost 38-35 because it couldn’t stop the Knights’ offense from leaking out a couple of scores in the final two quarters, one a 61-yard bomb and the other after a nine-play drive.
They were emblematic of the problems to come.
The Corsairs were susceptible to the big play all season, and it hurt them in each of the team’s final three losses.
After beating DeAnza handily in week 4, Redwoods fell at home to Monterey Peninsula 37-31, due in no small part to 73- and 37-yard touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.
CR opened BVC play with a dominating win over Solano 62-42 in the next game, but couldn’t build off that momentum and loss to Mendocino 40-13 on a muddy field at home the following week. In that game, each Mendocino receiver had a catch more than 20 yards.
The Corsairs came back again, hammering Contra Costa 68-34 at home after the Mendocino loss, only to see their defense give up touchdowns of 80, 61 and 24 yards in a 19-7 loss to Yuba that officially eliminated them from bowl contention.
While the defense had trouble stopping big plays, the team’s offense was noticeably lacking during its losses. To the Corsairs’ credit, they beat all the teams they were supposed to beat and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 3-2 in the BVC (third place). But against the tougher teams on their schedule, they were close, but couldn’t pull out a win — possibly a sign of inexperience.
Redwoods played with just 10 returners and 11 sophomores this year, but Banducci expects to return at least 20 next year.
“Against Shasta, MPC, Mendocino and Yuba, we were comparable,” Banducci said. “We could just have easily won those games.
The freshmen are going to be stronger next year and better because of it.”
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