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| Senior lineman Conner Cox got to carry the ball once in Trinity's finale vs. Austin College. Trinity (Texas) athletics photo |
By Justin Goldberg
D3sports.com
Going 1-4 was not how Trinity’s new head coach Jerheme Urban wanted the first half of the season to start. But new jobs, new experiences don’t often start the way one wants.
Winning three out their last five was more like it, the Tigers ended the season with a 4-6 record and, surprisingly, a second-place finish in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference standings, at 2-1, behind Texas Lutheran.
Then again, Urban had no illusions that a very young team, adjusting to a new system, would play stellar football. He knew the Tigers would make mistakes — big ones — and that he, a first-time head coach, would also go through the growing pains of a novel situation.
Yet, it’s one thing to imagine an experience and another to go through it. Going through it leads to learning and growth and understanding.
When I spoke to Urban at the beginning of the season, he stressed the inexperience of his team but also the focus he would put on developing good people and teaching in general. And it was after the Tigers’ game against Texas Lutheran on Nov. 1, which they lost 34-27, that some of the growth started to peak through. The Tigers went on to win their last two games against Southwestern and Austin handily.
While two wins are two wins, the Tigers ended up with something much more valuable than better numbers — sharpened young players, who were hungry and prepared for more.
One of those young players is Brandon Donnermeyer, a freshman offensive lineman, who worked his way into a starting role this season. Donnermeyer is one of many new era Tigers who hopes to bring his school back to the mountain top.
I spoke with Urban and Donnermeyer by phone just before their last game.
D3: What’s your assessment of how the team has played this season?
Jerheme Urban: Well, I think that we’ve gained a lot of experience, experience that’s going to help us in the future, for sure. You know, we’ve had a lot of young guys step up and earn playing time this year, and we’ve had a lot of guys come back from injury and kind of get their feet wet again. Unfortunately, we had some adversity early in the year and kind of got behind the eight ball, but we have a chance to finish the year strong, finishing strong within conference as well, and that stuff that we cab build on as we head into the off season.
D3: What adversity were you referring to?
JU: It’s well documented we’ve had a hard time holding on to the football, and a lot times we thought physically we could play with some guys, and when you turn the football over and put yourself in a tough position to sustain drives, obviously games can turn, but the fact of the matter is that our guys continue to work hard all year. They never gave up in games, effort has always been there. Again, it’s just been a matter of getting a little more experience and seeing some guys grow, and we’ve done that. We’ve had some injuries, but that’s football. The next guy in line has to be ready to step up and get the job done as well.
D3: What were your expectations coming into the season and how were the results different from what you expected?
Brandon Donnermeyer: Honestly, I expected it to be hard and it was. Camp was really arduous and it really made me into a better football player. I didn’t expect to improve in technique and just overall as a player in such a short time … I also wasn’t expecting to make such a big impact as I did this year, but I was just grateful for the opportunity and grateful for the time to gain experience.
D3: A lot of the team’s cumulative statistics are pretty good. One of the stats that you’d probably like to improve is points per game. Address the scoring and how you would like to improve that.
JU: I think the only way you can score is if you hold on to the football. And again, there are certain stats that can be kind of misleading at times, and you can always make stats look how you want them to, … but the fact of the matter is when you look at our, just for example, fumbles … we are towards the bottom of Division III. … And again sometimes that’s infectious, it’s almost like the injury-bug seems to float around sometimes. At different times I’ve been a part of teams [that] this just happens. … I think if we learn from this and protect the football better next year, you know, I think that you won’t be asking me as many questions about scoring points.
D3: Other than the quarterback, offensive linemen know the offense as well, if not better, than other players. What’s your take on where the offense is currently?
BD: Really, ever since [the] conference [schedule] has started, I feel like we’re on an uphill climb. I feel like we’re getting better every week and that we keep practicing hard. I think things are finally started to click at the end of the season, which is kind of unfortunate, but hopefully that is momentum will carry on to next year, and we’ll start strong next year.
D3: What has your first year as head coach been like?
JU: It’s been definitely a learning experience for me, as well. We talked about a lot of first-time starters for us on offense and defense; obviously, I’m a first-time starter as a head coach. I’m thankful for the guys being patient with me this year, because I’m sure there have been some things that I’ve done maybe later in the year that they wish I had done earlier in the year. Again, it’s been a good learning experience for me — chance to come back to my alma mater and really start seeing some changes happen within the program to where it’s maybe my fingerprints on it.
D3: Do you have any stories about coach Urban that you think reflect who is as a coach, as a man?
BD: One of things that I remember the most is I remember we were playing a team … they had a mobile quarterback, and coach Urban, himself, stepped in and commanded the offense when we were running scout team … Just seeing him fly around and throw the football and be explosive, like how I thought he would be, it was fun to watch and just helped fuel the practice.
JU: I will say, Justin, the defensive coaches asked me. I didn’t insert myself in there.
D3: What makes this group of young players, freshmen and sophomores, different from other groups you’ve coached? What qualities are specific to, say, Brandon’s class?
JU: The thing about Brandon’s class and the class right before him — obviously they’re very talented. There’s a very good amount of talent. They’re football smart; you know, they’re more than just book smart. … I think the biggest thing about these two groups — they have a passion for the game. They have a passion to get better. … There’s no sense of entitlement from them. I think that they are hungry just to be great in life and that bleeds over into the football field, as well.
D3: What do you want to get out of your football career at Trinity?
BD: Much like [in] high school, I love playing football and it’s always about the love for the game. But what really makes football special is when you’re so successful while still having fun. … What I really want to take away from my football career at Trinity is — more than just winning — I just want to hold my head high that I was a football player at Trinity University and be able to hang my hat on that, at the end of the day, … and stay true to who I am.
A nice Wildcat finish
After a 2-4 start, the Louisiana College Wildcats won their last four games to end the season at 6-4 overall and 4-1 in the American Southwest Conference, winning possession of second place.
The Wildcats’ final victory of the regular season came against Hardin-Simmons (6-3), a tough in-conference foe, which rattled off 21 points in the fourth quarter to just fall short at 42-35.
While the Wildcats may not have achieved the record they were trying for, they have to be proud that of their last five ASC games their only loss was to Mary-Hardin Baylor, 45-24, and in their last four games, they were averaging nearly 44 points per game. In their first six, they were averaging close to 15 points less.
The ASC is a tough conference to excel in and an even tougher conference to win. Often times, the conference schedule is akin to the first couple rounds of an NCAA playoff schedule. Yet, if anything is true in D-III football, it’s the old saying — just wait till next year.
Just wait till next year and the tides will be a different color. Hopefully, for embattled Louisiana College, there will be some Wildcat orange in there.
Looking ahead
Only two games need to be mentioned because two of the three South Region teams in the NCAA playoffs are playing each other.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (10-0), the ASC champion, will host Texas Lutheran (9-1), the SCAC champion, this Saturday, at 1 p.m. It will be a rematch of the Week 7 game that had Hardin-Baylor winning 72-16, an outcome, by way of margin, that was surprising to most. Yet, the Crusaders have proved since that game that they are a driven and very talented group, which will have a opportunity to go deep into the NCAA playoffs.
It would be smart to presume that TLU will play much better and forge a better plan of attack. It would be dumb to assume that anything less than perfect will allow for a Bulldog upset.
The third South Region team that will carry the region’s good name into the playoffs is Centre. Centre (10-0) will play at John Carroll (9-1), which is a member of the vaunted Ohio Athletic Conference. The No. 6 Blue Streaks are coming off a close loss to No. 3 Mount Union, while the No. 18 Colonels beat Birmingham-Southern, 45-15, in an easy final regular season game.
It should be a good battle of southern finesse against northern smashmouth.
