Bears hope to seize the moment vs. WNEC
Win would put CGA in position to earn NCAA playoff berth
New London — Coast Guard Academy football coach Bill George isn't positive what the best approach is to Saturday's game.
His? Take into consideration the magnitude of the game against Western New England, with a possible NCAA tournament berth at stake, know the opportunity doesn't come to the banks of the Thames every single day and worry for every minute of every day leading in?
Or his players' approach: Face it like just another game.
He suspects his players might be on to something.
“When you're 18, 19, 20, the future is endless,” George said this week. “And with the college game maybe it'll always be that way. It's their time. Maybe the way they do it is right. But history doesn't necessarily repeat itself in four years.”
Coast Guard (5-3 overall, 4-1 New England Football Conference) plays Western New England (8-0, 5-0), the No. 1-ranked team in New England and the 19th-ranked team in Division III beginning at 1 p.m. at Cadet Memorial Field.
A win over Western New England and a season-ending win at Endicott and the Bears would claim the league title and head to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the first time since 1997.
There are a few conditions George puts on playing well: Moving the ball, not turning it over and not giving up big plays.
The Bears struggled with all those things in last year's 22-7 loss to Western New England when the Golden Bears were also No. 1 in the region.
In last year's game, Western New England intercepted the Bears four times in the heavy rain and returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown. Coast Guard gained just 43 yards in the first half.
“In big games, turnovers play a factor,” George said. “Our quarterback starting his second game, that's a factor. When you're the underdog coming in there, there are key things. When you play an opponent that's 19th in the country and 8-0, you can't turn the ball over; you have to battle.”
Coast Guard's Adam Davis of Griswold took over at quarterback last week after a season-ending thumb injury to record-setting junior Derek Victory and went 25-for-46 for 301 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 24-6 win over Nichols.
George said this week Davis has been even “smoother.”
Last week Davis drove the Bears 80 yards in seven plays, covering just 1 minute, 37 seconds, on the game's opening possession. The quarterback was 4-for-6 for 76 yards on the drive with a 44-yard touchdown to Cody Bain.
“When you're the second-string quarterback, you get a lot of reps. It's not like being the second-string right guard,” George said of Davis' experience level. “Ray (LaForte, offensive coordinator) has done a good job prepping him throughout the season.”
“Adam did a great job,” said senior wide receiver Jordan Groff, who leads the team with 42 catches for 421 yards and three touchdowns. “We tried to make plays for him, make a play whenever we can. … He trusts us. That's what you have to do.”
Also in the win over Nichols, strong safety Joe Rizzardi returned an interception 52 yards for a touchdown and was named NEFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Tyler Henning kicked a 32-yard field goal and unleashed a 69-yard punt, another weapon for the Bears as he's ranked sixth in the nation in punting (41.9 yards per kick). And the Bears had three sacks, led by backup noseguard Logan Mars, who had two and a half tackles for a loss, one sack.
The Bears' league wins have all been narrow ones, precipitated by defense and special teams, including a 21-20 victory over Salve Regina (now 6-1, 4-1) in the NEFC opener on Sept. 26. The Bears blocked two punts in that game, allowing Henning to kick a game-winning 37-yard field goal with three seconds remaining.
“We go into every game knowing it's going to be a tough game,” Groff said. “This game's going to be no different.”
“Just focus on my one small job I have to do,” Mars said of what it will take to stop Western New England. “It's a game of inches. We're just trying to move them back.”
Western New England is led by graduate quarterback Tyler Ward (75-for-127, 1,162 yards, 14 TDs, 4 INTs) and junior running back Nick Connell (135 carries, 797 yards, 9 TDs). The Golden Bears are averaging 494.5 yards offense. v.fulkerson@theday.com Twitter: @vickieattheday