Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2019)
3C — THE OBSERVER FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 THE BLITZ MONTANA TECH (0-1) AT EASTERN OREGON (1-1) GIMME FIVE — KEYS TO SATURDAY’S GAME 1. TAKE CARE OF THE FOOTBALL Turnovers have been a trouble area for the Moun- taineers early on with fi ve Kai Quinn interceptions in two games. They need to protect the pigskin against what will be an opportunis- tic Orediggers’ defense. 2. ESTABLISH THE RUNNING GAME The Mountaineers were much better on the ground in Week 2, rushing for 151 yards after gaining just 66 in the opener. The ground game needs to get going to set the tone and open up the passing attack. 3. CONTROL POSSESSION Eastern needs to do more of what it did in Week 2, when it held pos- session for more than 35 minutes. That will allow it to dictate the pace of the game and keep the Tech defense on the fi eld. 4. HOLD THE LINE ON DEFENSE Just as the running of- fense was better in Week 2, so was the rushing defense, holding SOU to 96 yards. Tech is more of a run-fi rst team than SOU, so keeping Jed Fike and the Orediggers in check will be key. 5. START STRONG, FINISH STRONG Eastern has three points in the fi rst quarter through two games, and only seven in the fourth. The Moun- taineers need some early touchdowns for momen- tum, and need to keep their foot on the gas throughout. SATURDAY’S KEY MATCHUP UMT WR Trevor Hoffman VS. KEY STATISTIC: Top returning receiver with 511 yards last fall, 149 yards in season opener. Hoffman, at least against College of Idaho, was quarterback Jet Campbell’s favorite target with 11 receptions, which, along with his 149 yards, was a career high. He will be a force to reckon with on the offensive side from a physical standpoint at 6-foot-4, especially considering EOU’s tallest start- ing defensive back (Haziel Ledezma) is 6-foot-1. EOU safety Zack Jacobs said when the Orediggers go to the air, he and the rest of the Mountaineer secondary need to be aware of where Hoffman is. If he gets loose and has a big day, it could be a long afternoon for the Mounties. EOU S Zack Jacobs Hoffman KEY STATISTIC: Two interceptions last week against SOU, nine in EOU career. Jacobs has developed a real nose for the football on the defensive end, and has emerged into not only one of the top members of Eastern Oregon’s secondary, but among the best defensive backs in the Frontier Conference. The junior safety, in fact, led the conference in interceptions a season ago, and picked up where he left off against South- ern Oregon. He likely won’t be lined up 1-on-1 against Hoffman on every play, especially when EOU drops into zone coverage, but when he is, or if he’s in the vicinity of Hoffman pre-snap in zone, it should be a fun matchup to watch. Jacobs EDGE: JACOBS BY THE NUMBERS UMT UMT INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS Passing Jet Campbell Rushing Jed Fike Tyler Folkes Blake Counts Jet Campbell Receiving Trevor Hoffman Nate Sander Jaylen Taggart Kiley Caprara Punt Returns Alec Wooley-Steele Kick Returns Naoki Harmer Field Goals N/A Tackles Carter Myers Blake Allred Tucker Rauthe Ike Schweikert Jacob Clarke Arthur Flynn Justin May Jordan Washington Logan Kolodejchuk Jesse Sims Interceptions N/A C-A-I 17-27-0 Carries 22 4 4 7 Rec. 11 3 2 1 Pct. 63.0 Yards 101 28 13 -24 Yards 149 36 18 15 No. 1 No. 5 M-A N/A Solo 5 2 5 4 3 2 3 3 0 1 No. N/A Yards 218 Avg. 4.6 7.0 3.3 -3.4 Avg. 13.6 12.0 9.0 15.0 Yards 2 Yards 83 Pct. N/A Ast. 9 6 2 3 3 4 2 2 3 2 Yards N/A TD 1 TD 1 0 0 0 TD 1 0 0 0 Avg. 2.0 Avg. 16.6 40+ N/A Total 14 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 3 3 Avg/Ret N/A Yds/G 218.0 Avg/G 101.0 28.0 13.0 -24.0 Avg/G 149.0 36.0 18.0 15.0 TD 0 TD 0 Long N/A TFL 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 TD N/A EOU EOU INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS Offense 218.0 231.5 Passing 118.0 108.5 Rushing 336.0 340.0 Total Defense 163.0 138.5 Passing 347.0 236.5 Rushing 510.0 375.0 Total Passing Kai Quinn Rushing Kaler Moore Victor Dias Kai Quinn Quincy Backes Isaiah Thomas Receiving Saige Wilkerson Isaiah Thomas Conner Falk Tanner Zenke Victor Dias Phoenix Milhollen Punt Returns Chase Van Wyck Kick Returns Tanner Zenke Isaiah Thomas Field Goals Jaiden Machuca Tackles Haziel Ledezma Isaiah Cranford Eli Teuteu Sage DeLong Peter Manville Chase Van Wyck Interceptions Zack Jacobs C-A-I 44-84-5 Carries 12 19 15 9 1 Rec. 10 8 9 5 7 2 Pct. 52.4 Yards 61 52 45 23 18 Yards 125 98 76 51 46 31 No. 1 No. 6 3 M-A 1-1 Solo 8 7 9 8 7 5 No. 2 Yards 454 Avg. 5.1 2.7 3.0 2.6 18.0 Avg. 12.5 12.3 8.4 10.2 6.6 15.5 Yards 25 Yards 144 45 Pct. 100.0 Ast. 4 5 3 3 1 3 Yards 0 TD 2 TD 2 0 1 0 0 TD 1 0 0 0 1 0 Avg. 25.0 Avg. 24.0 15.0 40+ 0-0 Total 12 12 12 11 8 8 Avg/Ret 0.0 Yds/G 227.0 Avg/G 30.5 26.0 22.5 11.5 9.0 Avg/G 62.5 49.0 38.0 25.5 23.0 15.5 TD 0 TD 0 0 Long 33 TFL 0.0 3.0 0.0 5.0 0.0 2.0 TD 0 POSITION MATCHUPS BACKFIELD Tech has arguably the best running EOU back in the conference in Jed Fike, but EOU counters with one of the Frontier’s best quarterbacks in Kai Quinn. This is basi- cally a push, but the edge goes to Eastern. RECEIVERS Both of these teams are still feeling UMT out their re- ceiver corps. Tech has one advantage in a proven asset named Trevor Hoffman, who had 511 yards last fall and already posted 149 yards in the Ore- diggers’ opener. OFFENSIVE LINE Both of these teams are relatively UMT young up front. EOU starts just one senior on the offensive line, while Tech has two. Hard to say this early who is better, so the senior- ity of Montana Tech’s gives it the edge. DEFENSIVE LINE Neither team was able to slow down the EOU powerful ground game of College of Idaho, but EOU has shown it can be better after its effort against SOU. One expects Tech will also be better, but it needs to show it. LINEBACKERS There is veteran leadership on both EOU sides, and this could be one of the better matchups Saturday. EOU gets the edge as it has two of last season’s confer- ence leaders in tackles back in Eli Teuteu and Isaiah Cranford. SECONDARY The Moun- taineers grabbed EOU two inter- ceptions and mostly shut down what is typically a strong passing attack by SOU last week, so they should be ready when the Orediggers do decide to air it out. PREDICTION: EASTERN OREGON 28, MONTANA TECH 21 EASTERN OREGON SCHEDULE/RESULTS AT COLLEGE OF IDAHO AT SOUTHERN OREGON VS. MONTANA TECH AT PORTLAND STATE AT MONTANA WESTERN VS. MONTANA STATE NORTHERN VS. SOUTHERN OREGON AT MONTANA TECH VS. COLLEGE OF IDAHO AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN VS. CARROLL COLLEGE LOSS WIN 48-12 24-21 Sept. 14 1 p.m. Sept. 21 2 p.m. Sept. 28 Noon Oct. 12 6 p.m. Oct. 19 1 p.m. Oct. 26 Noon Nov. 2 1 p.m. Nov. 9 Noon Nov. 16 1 p.m. Response shows no need for fans to panic H ow many of you Eastern Or- egon Mountaineer fans pan- icked a bit after the rough season opener at College of Idaho? Yet here we are, a week later, and the Mountaineers are entering their home opener with that blow- out loss in the rear-view mirror after a thrilling win at Southern Oregon. It points to a reality that head coach Tim Camp talked about at practice this week, and one he has shared with me in the past — that teams show the most improvement between Week 1 and Week 2. That opener is the fi rst time a team gets to line up against somebody other than itself. It’s an opportunity to gauge where it sits and see what it needs to focus on. In the Mountaineers’ case, there was a lot to learn. Defensive end Sage DeLong said the team was exposed in the opener. Camp, who is wont to take the blame after a loss, said he hadn’t done enough to prepare them. Adjustments were made. A high focus was put on physicality in the following week of practice. FROM THE SIDELINE RONALD BOND The offense, while not sterling yet, was better. The defense was much improved. The desired outcome was achieved. But just like that loss two weeks ago is behind and done, so is last week’s win. A team can’t rest on the laurels of a victory anymore than it can sulk after a loss. “(We need to) build off of what we just did. Last week’s game is gone,” Camp said. And the team can learn from both. A loss or a gritty win are better teachers than a blowout win. The team not only sees where it has to improve, but learns whether or not it has the ability to get back up after taking a punch to the jaw. Or the desire to get off the carpet and get back to work. Clearly, the win shows the team is better than the 48-12 loss at C of I. It’s also better than the 24-21 win last week at Southern. So what will this team be? What is the team capable of? What is its identity? One attribute this team has already demonstrated is grit. It has shown thus far an ability to grind when its back is against the wall. That was evident not only in how it rebounded from the Yotes’ game but in how it responded within the game against the Raiders. The Mountaineers faced ad- versity in both. In the fi rst game, the offense was quiet much of the afternoon and the defense was porous. The team was punched in the jaw. Hard. Both the offense and defense were better in the second game. But in that second game, the Mounties dealt with adversity again as they were mere seconds away from a potential 0-2 start. They had played well, had taken chances, and were in position for a win, but didn’t seize it until the Kai Quinn to Saige Wilkerson touch- down in the closing moments. Quinn himself has shown a gutsiness in the early part of the season. From a stat standpoint, it hasn’t been a hot start with fi ve interceptions in two games, includ- ing three in the fi rst half against the Raiders. But he hasn’t fl inched — and neither have the Mounties. “It shows a lot about Kai’s character and how he’s able to keep himself composed throughout the whole game — even after a few interceptions — and to keep fi ghting,” Wilkerson said of the quarterback. That steely, don’t blink mental- ity doesn’t come from just Quinn or Camp, even if they are the most well-known faces and names of the program as the quarterback and head coach. The whole team has to have it. Otherwise EOU would be 0-2 right now. That, in fact, is what I have come to know about this team in going on four years covering it: Eastern has a will to respond when it’s cornered. To step up when nobody expects it to. To prove doubters wrong. I think that is one of the early traits of the 2019 Mountain- eers, which will make them fun to watch — and cover. After Week 2, I no longer see a need for fans to panic. Sage DeLong proves his worth at EOU By Ronald Bond The Observer Sage DeLong had something to prove during last weekend’s game against South- ern Oregon. Not to the opposition — even if it was the team the Eastern Oregon Univer- sity defensive end spent the first two years of his college career with — but to himself. “After College of Idaho I didn’t feel I per- formed as I should, so it was a moment to kind of prove to myself what I was worth on the field, and I think I accomplished that,” he said. DeLong followed a three-tackle effort in the Mountaineers’ 48-12 loss to College of Idaho with a performance that earned him NAIA national defensive player of the week accolades — eight tackles, five for loss, and three sacks in EOU’s 24-21 victory over the Raiders. It was the second time in three games dating back to last year that he has had at least three sacks in a game as he registered 3.5 sacks in the Mountaineers’ 8-7 win at Carroll College last November. The redshirt junior has become an anchor on the defensive line in his short time at EOU, even if his route to joining the Mountaineers — a program he has been familiar with for close to a decade — was somewhat circuitous. DeLong actually has a history with East- ern that goes back into his high school days when he attended lineman and team camps during his prep career at Vale. He was at an EOU camp from at least his freshman year of high school, and, he said, even as far back as seventh or eighth grade. “I’ve known (DeLong) since he was a little kid,” head coach Tim Camp said. “He’s come to every single one of my camps. I’ve always told him that this is the place where he belongs.” DeLong, who played multiple positions at Vale — including defensive end, tight end, linebacker and even some slot receiver — was recruited as a defensive end and as a tight end by multiple schools, including as a tight end by EOU. He initially committed to Western Or- egon for football, but after attending an all- star wrestling match in Ashland, DeLong — who was a state champion wrestler for Vale at 195 pounds his senior year — ac- cepted an offer to join the Raiders’ wrestling program and elected to also walk on to the football program, which initially didn’t give him an offer. “It was kind of the chip on my shoulder,” DeLong said of not being offered. “It made me feel like I wasn’t wanted there, but I wanted to prove that I was, so that’s what I did. I redshirted there (and) earned my spot about halfway through the season my redshirt freshman year.” He was an immediate impact player when he did take the field in 2016, record- ing six sacks, eight tackles for loss and 38 total tackles from his defensive end position. But a desire to be closer to home won out, and he made the move to EOU following the 2016 season. The time at SOU didn’t end on bad terms, though. Even to this day he remains in contact with members of the team. “We all left on good notes. They were very supportive of what I was doing,” he said. Once his release was complete and he met with Camp, he said the coach told him something he knew all along. “He looks at me and he goes, ‘I told you you’d come here. I just knew, eventually,’” DeLong said. DeLong had to sit out the 2017 season due to the transfer, which opened up yet another opportunity to prove himself, this time to his new teammates by putting in additional time training with the team, even if he wasn’t going to play for a year. “(That) winter and spring, people asked, ‘Why are you here? Why are you working out? I would wait until you are eligible,’” he said. “It was kind of my way of proving to everybody out there that I belong, and I wanted to show them that I had the work ethic to succeed for the team, and that they could trust me going into the next year.” Camp also praised DeLong’s character, saying he’s “10 times the person he will ever be as a football player,” said he has gone through a remarkable change from when he first started coming to EOU camps. “The (opportunity) to watch that kid grow from when he came here as a freshman in my big man camp (and see) how he’s progressed has been unbelievable,” he said. “He’s only going to get better. ... He has all the tools and the ability to become great.” DeLong thinks a deep run is possible for EOU. He senses vibes around the program this fall that are similar to what he felt help- ing Vale to a state football title in 2014 and being with the 2015 SOU team that played for a championship. “I could feel it around there,” he said. “You can feel it in the air, (and) I can feel (us) moving toward that goal.”
