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Printer-Friendly ModeCards knocked out of playoffs
28 unanswered points doom Cardinals in opening round loss to Lopers
November 16, 2009 —
For the fifth time this season, the Cardinals passed for more yards than they rushed for.
For the third time in those games, the Cardinals were defeated.
After advancing to the playoffs for the first time since 2005, the Cardinals allowed 21 points in the fourth quarter to lose to Nebraska- Kearney 35-20.
A turnover by Nebraska-Kearney put SVSU in good position early, and they took advantage of the good field position when junior quarterback Charles Dowdell connected with red-shirt freshman tight end Zach Cecich from 16 yards out, giving the Cardinals a 6-0 lead after the extra point attempt was no good. The early momentum was just what the Cardinals had wanted.
“Our defense came out fired up,” senior offensive lineman Jerry Wichman said. “They caused a huge turnover early on and the offense was able to turn that into some early points.”
Early in the second quarter, the Cardinals added on to their lead when Dowdell hit senior tight end Galen Stone for a three-yard touchdown.
The Cards went for the two-point conversion and were successful, giving them a 14-0 lead.
In a game that had limited scoring early on, Nebraska-Kearney scored a touchdown with 17 seconds left in the half, giving them what they thought would be a 14-7 game at the half. The Cardinals had different plans.
With no time left on the clock, sophomore running back Brandon Hayes scored a one- yard touchdown, giving the Cardinals momentum, as well as a 20-7 halftime lead.
“We were excited to be in that position at halftime, especially after the last second touchdown,” Wichman said. “We knew we had to keep fighting though because they [Nebraska-Kearney] weren’t going to lay down for us.”
Both offenses were quiet in the third quarter, although Nebraska- Kearney was able to get back in the game with an 11-yard run with 42 seconds to go in the third quarter.
Leading 20-14 going into the fourth quarter, the Cardinals seemed as if they were going to close the deal and move on to the second round of the playoffs, until the Nebraska- Kearney offense came to life.
Three scoring drives, all of which were at least 60 yards, quickly ended any thoughts the Cardinals may have had of advancing to the next round.
It was a tale of two halves for the Cardinals, both offensively and defensively.
“As an offense, we didn’t execute the way we normally do in the second half,” Wichman said. “We had some great chances on their side of the field but we just couldn’t take advantage of them. Things started snowballing for us and we weren’t able to recover.”
Throughout the season, the Cardinals offense had been most successful when it rushed the ball effectively, taking pressure off Dowdell and the defense, although it attempted 41 passes compared to only 38 rushes.
“We had good success rushing early but for some reason or another, we got away from it as the game progressed,” Wichman said. “Our coaches saw a weakness that we were trying to exploit. It just didn’t work out the way we had hoped.”
For the game, the Cardinals racked up 470 yards compared with 465 for Nebraska-Kearney, although they were unable to take advantage of their opportunities.
Although they didn’t make it as far as they had hoped, the Cardinals finish the season 9-3 and will have fond memories of what Wichman said can be “remembered as a tremendous year that everyone should be proud of.”
“Looking ahead to next season, the Cardinals lose a number of key players including senior linebackers John Jacobs and Mike LeVand, although Wichman believes the Cardinals have what it takes to continue to compete at a national level.
“The cupboard is full and there are a number of younger guys waiting to step into a bigger role,” Wichman said. “There are also a lot of leaders returning next year. We had a great season and I expect nothing less from them next year.”
Key Players Returning
QB-Charles Dowdell
RB-Brandon Hayes
RB-Xavier Walker
TE-Zach Cecich
DB-Carlton Downs
WR-Nick Gallina
DB-Ja’Vae Ingraham
Key Players Leaving
OL-Jerry Wichman
LB-John Jacobs
LB-Mike LeVand
TE-Galen Stone
OL-Jordon DeRosia
DE-Toby Goetz
DL-Bryan Klobucar