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Last Updated: Oct 27th, 2008 - 09:26:14 |
Lyndon Rowells sat on the goal line after Saturday's heart-wrenching loss to Siskiyous, his head nearly as low as the helmet by his side.
College of the Redwoods had just blown a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead in the season opener to a team that blew the Corsairs out 72-0 a year ago. They eventually lost 32-30.
The game they had just played was not only supposed to be about revenge; it was also a game that was going to put CR on the map.
”That's what we were hoping,” Rowells said in a voice lower than both his head and helmet, but about as low as the team's spirits at the time. “In the first half everybody came out fired up. We had revenge on our minds. A win would have set the tone for the season.”
Alas, there is still a chance to do just that. That chance will be Saturday's matchup on the road against Santa Rosa, the No. 9-ranked team in the state.
One minor, but telling detail about Rowells' attitude that day was his helmet. It wasn't cast aside. He didn't throw it down in frustration. No, it lay beside him respectfully, facemask pointing forward as if someone were wearing it and looking to play another down.
If the Corsairs are going to have any chance of beating the Cubs and their renowned passing attack, they are going to have to forget about their 32-30 loss last weekend. They must look forward to the challenge that lies ahead and believe that what they accomplished -- despite the loss -- is no fluke.
Because it wasn't. ”We can't look behind us,” said Rowells, who after one week leads the state with 217 rushing yards. “We just need to get mentally prepared. (Santa Rosa) is a good team. We need to get focused and get our minds right.”
And the defense will have better, not to mention the special teams.
Siskiyous had more than 300 return yards on Saturday and started five drives on the friendly side of the 50. Though CR gave up a manageable 237 passing yards, the team allowed big passes at critical points in the game.
Santa Rosa's four-wide offense, which put up 56 points against CR in Eureka a year ago, will be tough, to say the least. The Cubs soundly defeated former No. 8 Reedley on the road last week 38-20 and put up 422 yards (235 passing) in the process.
But the Corsairs' offense is much-improved from the last time these two teams met. For one, the passing game, while not fantastic, is something Santa Rosa will have to account for. Sergio Allen threw 42 times on Saturday (14 completions) and made it known that he has confidence going deep to speedy wideouts Justin Hart and Milo Mitchell anytime they are being guarded one-on-one.
And more importantly, the ground game is 180-degrees different than it was the last time these teams played, and it's 200 percent better.
CR used the I-formation and a lot of single-back against Santa Rosa last year. In that game, Rowells had just 59 yards on 13 carries. At halftime of the next game, CR went to the spread-option offense and turned Rowells into the state's No.2 rusher by season's end.
If CR can run the ball successfully it will keep Santa Rosa's quick-strike offense off the field. Combine that with a few timely stops on defense and this could turn into a barn-burner that may actually be in CR's favor.
Despite all the reasons CR had to look down after the loss to Siskiyous, like that helmet on the goal line, the Corsairs have a lot to look forward to. In all reality, that's all they can do.
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