COLUMN: There’s always next year for the football team
After the Kent State football team’s 10-6 loss to Buffalo, I went back to my room and watched Varsity Blues because I was just as upset about the loss as the players were.
Buffalo, the worst team in the Mid-American Conference, had a winless record until Saturday, thanks to the Flashes.
I wish I could say that the movie cheered me up, but watching it made me feel worse.
I hate to say this, but the fictional West Canaan Coyotes play a lot better than the Flashes.
It’s more than pathetic that a fictional high school team from a movie can play better – or at least appear to play better – than a Division I-A collegiate team can.
And it’s pretty sad that a D-I team can barely draw as many fans as it seems are there in the movie. The whole town in Varsity Blues goes out for a high school football game.
The only people I usually see at the Flashes’ games are the players’ parents and a few regulars.
But that’s beside the point.
The happily-ever-after type of movie shows a team that deals with the same adversity that the Flashes are going through.
The Coyotes deal with injuries, but overcome their problems to produce a winning season and change their football program forever.
The Flashes changed Buffalo’s football program forever.
Buffalo’s win was their first road win in the MAC – ever.
I wish I could say the same about Kent State.
The Flashes are 1-9 overall and 0-7 in the MAC.
Unless there was some sort of time machine to go back to Sept. 17, there’s no hope.
And for the Coyotes, it seems like there’s no hope when Lance Harbor, the team’s star quarterback played by Paul Walker, goes down with a career ending knee injury.
And injuries are one of the main reasons why the Flashes are on an eight-game losing streak.
The Flashes have no offensive line anymore. Redshirt freshman wide receiver Linwood Jenkins had to play the running back spot on Saturday.
But Jenkins only picked up 29 net rushing yards.
In all 10 games of the season, the Flashes only have 396 net rushing yards.
Their 10 opponents combined?
2067.
Even the Coyotes’ overweight and out of shape offensive tackle Billy Bob was able to score a rushing touchdown.
I’ll spare my readers the rest of the embarrassing statistics.
But just because the Coyotes go through the same adversity with injuries that the Flashes are experiencing, doesn’t mean the Flashes still have a chance.
There’s only one more game left – on Thanksgiving Day at Akron – so having a winning season again is impossible.
And it might be safe to say the Flashes will have their first winless MAC season since 1998.
But there’s always next year.
Contact assistant sports editor Kali Price at [email protected].