The Chart Online

Watchful eyes not able to pull out needed win
Philip Martin

Sports Editor

The Missouri Southern Lions ran silent, ran deep during the Nov. 9 game.

Unfortunately, they weren t able to stop the visiting Emporia State Hornets, who defeated the Lions, 47-16.

A win against the Miners of the University of Missouri-Rolla on Saturday will help stop the six-game losing slump the Lions are in and help end the season on a positive note.

Ryan Burpo, junior safety, said he would like the game to be an upset, and he believes the team can do it.

The Lions have a 15-2 lead over the Miners in the all-time series, and UMR has dropped 44 straight MIAA conference games. The first time the Miners were shut out this season was against Washburn, 49-0, Nov. 9. The head coach for UMR, Kirby Cannon, is in his fourth year with the team and has compiled a 4-39 record.

The Lions average 31.4 points against UMR and Rolla averages 12.4 points against Southern. This only makes the Miners hungry for a win.

You can t go into the game and not be the hungrier team, Burpo said.

Bill Cooke, head football coach, said if the Lions fail against UMR it leaves a black mark by our name. He said if the team isn t ready, then they can sneak up on you.

It would require a major miracle, in my opinion, for them to beat us, but stranger things have happened, Cooke said. The average score up there is probably about 20 or 14 or something like that. They have always felt that they could beat Southern; they have not with Coach Cannon, obviously.

He said the Miners defensive line players average weight is about 230 pounds, and their offensive line players average 280 pounds.

Cooke said the Lions have a lot of character and are playing just as hard as they did when they showed up Aug. 10.

We are not going to accept mediocre performances on the practice field, Cooke said. We re not going to be average, anybody can be average. We want to be excellent, in the excellent category.

Cooke said the team does a couple of fun things at the start of practice. It does an exercise called Fight on the Ice drill. He said he puts Josh Chapman on the field and allows him to pick who he wanted to throw off the MS (on the 50-yard line). Chapman picked Jarrod Murphy, the starting linebacker, and pancaked him.

That was interesting to say the least, Cooke said. We re having a little fun out there, because the game was designed to be fun. If you don t laugh out there, if it s all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy. We re going to have fun out there.

He said he can go to bed at night knowing that our kids are doing what s right on and off the field.

In years past, I couldn t make that statement..., Cooke said. You never know when you re going to get that phone call at midnight from the police chief. That has not happened with this crew.

He said the team members play hard and make the correct plays. Cooke said it is all about making plays.