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| Under former NFL wide receiver Don Beebe, Gavin Zimbelman and the Aurora Spartans have put up prolific offensive numbers and will have a shot again to make noise in the playoffs. Photo by Doug Sasse, d3photography.com |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
When Don Beebe was a child chasing his NFL dream, he made sure the competition he went up against was bigger, faster and stronger than perhaps he was.
“When I was a kid, I always played against kids two years older than me,” Beebe said. I didn’t want to play against kids my age. I wanted to play people that were better than me because I knew it was going to raise my level of expectations, and that’s the same thing you want to see in your program.”
That approach paid off for Beebe as an athlete. He went on to play in six Super Bowls in his career, winning a ring in Green Bay. It has since transferred to his coaching career where he has Aurora rolling along in 2021.
Sitting at 7-2 overall, the Spartans have rattled off seven consecutive wins and are assured a share of the NACC crown as they sport a 7-0 mark in conference play. They are also headed to the postseason.
“The first thing you need to do is play teams better than you, and that’s what we did this year with our (non-conference) schedule,” Beebe said. “It gives your guys the ability to see what the best looks like and how they go about their business.”
Beebe is referencing the season opener against St. John’s and the Week 2 matchup with reigning national champion North Central. Both were ranked in the top 10 at the time and both are top five teams heading into the final week of the regular season.
Aurora nearly beat the Johnnies in a thrilling rematch of a first-round playoff game two years ago. St. John’s won that 2019 battle 51-47. This time around, a fumble near the goal line in the final seconds cost the Spartans a shot at revenge as they came up short in a 39-33 loss.
That next week, the Spartans hosted the team that won the national title in 2019. It didn’t go well. Aurora was throttled 64-7.
Even in the wake of back-to-back losses to two of the nation’s best programs, there were lessons learned that have helped fuel Aurora’s run of success this year.
“We played Saint John’s right to the end, and that was a real letdown because for two years that’s all we talked about,” Beebe said. “And then you have to go and try to take on the giant that won it all? That might have been a bit much to chew off, but if I had to do it all over again, I’d play those teams again. The experience taught us some really good lessons. It showed us what two great programs look like and what we want to model our program to be.”
Aurora has taken those lessons and run with them. One of the keys has been the presence of veteran quarterback Gavin Zimbelman He was a Gagliardi Trophy finalist in 2019 and has hardly missed a beat.
Zimbelman threw for nearly 1,000 yards (821) and 11 touchdowns in the spring of 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the fall season in 2020.
Now, in a full season, Zimbelman is clicking, having thrown for 2,354 yards and 35 touchdowns. He’s been picked off only four times while completing just under 60 percent of his passes.
“The big thing for me is I’m taking what the defense gives and doing a better job of managing games in key situations,” Zimbelman said.
Zimbelman has thrown 18 or more passes to six receivers and three of those players have caught at least six scoring strikes, including Cameron Moore, who has snagged 12 touchdown receptions.
“We’re able to spread the ball around a lot. To see so many different guys make plays, it’s a lot of fun,” Zimbelman said.
Having an offensive line that was just named to the D3football.com Team of the Week for the second time this season doesn’t hurt Zimbelman’s cause either. Chris Toth, considered by some to be an NFL prospect, along with Jackson Nazos, Oscar Nava, Jalen Cole and Matt Kickel have helped pave the way for an offense that has scored 70 three times and at least 38 in every win while cranking out 502 yards per outing.
“The offensive line is really setting the tone,” Zimbelman said. “Whether it’s run blocking or pass blocking, they are able to do both really well, and when you have that, you are going to be really effective.”
The Spartans have been balanced because of it, rolling up more than 2,000 yards (2,164) on the ground as well behind the running of Tyran Bailey (1,128 yards, 13 touchdowns and Jhe’Quay Chretin (571 yards, five touchdowns).
“If you look at Super Bowl champions and national champions, they are as good in the run game as they are in the pass game,” Beebe said. “We have a great 1-2 punch in the backfield and our line is so much bigger than it was in 2019. That’s taken some pressure off Gavin. He doesn’t have to beat you with his legs as much. However, Gavin can take off at any time. He’s always a threat to run.”
That’s just part of what makes him a great quarterback.
“The kid has all the intangibles to make plays with his legs or his arm,” Beebe said. “I think the difference this year is he’s stepped up his terminology and play calls, and we’re giving him a little more freedom to do certain things. He really understands the playbook. I compare him to a Tom Brady type mentality with what we are trying to do from an offensive standpoint and looking at defensive fronts and coverages.”
And sometimes a coach just has to let his guys do their thing.
“I found as a player that I was at my best when coaches just let me play,” Beebe said. “Coaches don’t win games. Players do. You have to let guys like Gavin just go out and play and use his talents rather than keep the reins on.”
But it’s more than just the numbers on a stat sheet that have taken Aurora on a memorable journey that they hope has more life left in it.
“I’d say chemistry is a big part of it,” Zimbelman said. “During practice, we have a lot of fun and we hang out together. We have great rapport and that ultimately translates to Saturday.”
Beebe agrees.
“He hit the key word there,” Beebe said. “You have to get these guys to love each other, to love what they do and to love to go practice, compete and work out. When you have success that breeds success. That’s my biggest job. It’s not the X’s and O’s. It’s building a team culture and chemistry among the guys.”
This season has been a special one, a season the Spartans have been waiting for since 2019, and they have every intention of not seeing the curtain lower on it anytime soon.
“We’ve had this season circled for two years,” Zimbelman said. “We wanted another shot at the playoffs, another shot to make a run at a national championship. It means a lot for myself and the seniors. We’ve been here five years putting in the work. This is our final go-round. We’re ready.”
