It was evident on the first drive of the afternoon, with the Troy Trojans in possession. Troy QB Jacob Free had avoided a sack and a near-pick to take his squad to the 29 yard line. What followed was predictable – Free found Luke Whittemore wide open in the middle of the field for an easy touchdown.
Normally, and quick surrendering of points from the defense is a signal for the offense to step up. Not this time. The Red Wolves executed a crisp, three-and-out, thanks in part to a perfectly tossed pass the normally reliable Jay Adams dropped in stride. The two possessions would prove representational to the game’s remaining minutes.
It’s November 1, and the Red Wolves are done. Democrat-Gazette beat scribe summed it perfectly with this succinct tweet that was pregnant with foreboding and meaning:
After Adam’s drop, the only Red Wolf who seemed to want to play football was Lincoln Pare, the gusty freshman running back who probably wondered what zombie movie set he had accidentally stumble onto. Nobody on the sideline even seemed to notice Pare was contributing the lion’s share of hustle. Every time the Red Wolves sniffed the Red Zone, Pare was Phantom Zoned to the sideline.
What’s going on, my beautiful, beloved Red Wolves? Is it the absurdity of playing in this weird COVID-19 season? Is it the chagrin of seeing a Sun Belt start-up like Coastal Carolina rise to #15 in the nation this Sunday? Is it the dismay of being coached by a staff who seems completely out of ideas?
Whatever it is, with four more games left on schedule, the Red Wolves are done. AD Terry Mohajir has hinted that a make-up game to replace Tulsa’s cancelation is in the works, by why bother? If the team can’t get up for a rivalry game with Troy, our ancient enemy, then what’s the point of playing whoever Mohjair digs from the recycling bin?
Elevating Nick Paremski did not inspire the defense to greatness – and it somehow sucked all the energy out of the offense as well (who knew Dave Duggan was the key to scoring touchdowns). We’ve come to the point when ESPN commentators have more to say about our stadium’s waterfalls than our game play.
It’s a shame. The team has something special in Jay Adams, Forrest Merrill and Justin Rice – and they’re being wasted by this dipshit season. It’s not like this team is without talent. It’s more that this team is without confidence. We can’t settle on one QB. We can’t allow the hot RB to take on the workload. We overload the backfield with so much secondary that nobody seems to have an assignment. How do opposing receivers get so wide open when we’re only rushing three?
It’s over. At least for the time being. The Red Wolves will rise again – too much has been invested for the program to fail. But this season is crap. It’s the Coy and Vance year of Dukes of Hazzard. It’s a piece of candy corn stuck to the bottom of your plastic pumpkin.
But hey, at least we beat Kansas State.
Howlraiser 