Baum’s Away: The agony of defeat
By University of Dayton Defensive Cordinator, Gary Pottebaum
Any time you lose, it’s tough. It’s even more difficult, when you have the game in hand, and let it slip away with selfish mistakes, mental errors, and slow play. I guess the word is out. Dayton likes to ball watch. At least that is how it felt last Saturday. There are high hopes for the team this year, and we had our first setback of this season. As a matter of fact, it was our first “setback” on a Dayton home field since I have been associated with the program. A 17 game home win streak that began 2006 has been snapped.
Uninspired play will get undesirable results. We were out hustled, out worked, and out coached.
Last weekend we beat Davenport in the last second of the game, and beat St. Johns handily. We got to empty our bench against the Johnnies in fact. There were still deficiencies that we had on and off the field, but we made those up with hustle, determination, and team play. I think our heads got a little swollen after that weekend, because practice wasn’t the best this week. Our effort just wasn’t there. Add the fact that the University let us use varsity athletic facilities for the first time in our history, and our heads just kept getting bigger. Grand Valley sure did a good job of bursting that bubble. Every time we scored they had an answer. The weren’t bigger, faster, or better for that matter, but they were hungry. We aren’t and that scares me. Hunger is what has gotten us to the National Championship Tournament the last three years, and I think we have lost it. We have more talent now than ever. Try to shut out one of our attack, and our midfeld will beat you. Think you have the number for my poles? I have another on the bench, just as good that will take it to you. With the exception of one or two guys, everyone is looking for the other guy to get the job done. We just don’t get that it takes a team to win, and not just one guy.
I am confident that our first four wins have made statement enough to help our cause for Denver, and maybe our guys are resting on those laurels. If we are nothing less than impressive the rest of the way out, I fear we will be looking at a seed anywhere from 8 to 16, and fighting an uphill battle the whole tournament. We have to potential to be the best, but we are holding ourselves back.
My top 25 for this blog:
1. University of St. Thomas
2. Grand Valley State
3. Dayton
4. Davenport
5. Westminster College
6. Grove City
7. St. Johns University
8. Utah Valley University
9. Elon University
10. SCAD
11. University of Northern Colorado
12. Western Washington
13. Tenessee Wesleyan College
14. Western Oregon
15. Tennessee Wesleyan College
16. Kennesaw State University
17. Hope College
18. Emory University
19. Southern Oregon University
20. Coastal Carolina University
21. Missouri State
22. Fort Lewis
23. Cal State Fullerton
24. Whitman
25. Sam Houston State University
