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St. Cloud State University
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Huskies try to stay focused
When SCSU plays NDSU Saturday night, they might already know if they’ve made the playoffs.
By Matt Janda
Published:
Thursday, November 14, 2002
Keith Heckendorf
Ben Nelson
At about the same time the football Huskies begin suiting up for their regular season finale Saturday night at North Dakota State University, their odds of ending up in the playoffs may already be set.
A 7 p.m. kickoff at the Fargodome means the two games that could decide their fate, Winona State at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Central Missouri at Pittsburg State, will likely have ended and the Huskies could have a much better idea of their fate.
“I don’t know if our coaches will tell us or not whether they won or lost, but guys have cell phones, people know people who can find out for us,” said Huskies’ junior quarterback Keith Heckendorf. “I have a feeling we’ll know before we take the field Saturday night whether we can get in or if we can’t. The bottom line is we still want to come out and play well against North Dakota State.”
The idea of participating in the Division II playoffs is a new one to these Huskies, as is playing well against the Bison. SCSU’s last win in the series came in 1995, and the Bison hold a 21-3 all-time advantage. But NDSU has struggled this season, limping to a 1-6 NCC record, 2-7 overall.
“I think they have talented players, there’s no question about that,” said Huskies’ head coach Randy Hedberg. “I just think their confidence level dropped a little bit early (in the season). They lost a couple of their key players to injury.”
One of their key injuries came in week four, to senior All-American linebacker Leif Murphy, who is the Bison’s big play man. Murphy’s hand injury sidelined him for two games, but may have ruined his whole season. Murphy has only 14 tackles and two sacks in seven games, a far cry from last year’s 34 tackle, 11-sack performance.
Murphy’s disappointing season just about sums it up for the Bison, who have been inconsistent all season on both sides of the ball. They have allowed more yards than they have gained and are minus-two in turnovers, resulting in a nearly seven-point per game scoring deficit. Whatever the numbers, this is another game the Huskies should be able to win, another score they can settle this season.
“You’d hate to spoil a good year by losing your last game up there, especially for our seniors,” Heckendorf said. “They don’t want to go out with a loss. No matter what happens in the other games, all we can control is what we do. We want to send ourselves off on a good note and beat the Bison.”
So, the question becomes this: if either UMD or Central Missouri does happen to lose, do the Huskies even want to know about it? They have done so well in 2002 by living in the here and now, avoiding distraction and keeping their goals simple and clear.
Part of the beauty of the Division II regional rankings is that the top four teams from each region are guaranteed a berth in the playoffs. The downside to all this is that it can be fairly subjective, like the rankings in Division I football. Unlike the BCS, however, there is no indicator of how competitive the field is, leaving the Huskies in the dark in terms of the number of scenarios that could see them in the postseason.
“We don’t really know where we stand, other than fifth,” said senior wide receiver Ben Nelson, who faces the possibility of his last Division II game. “Obviously, we’re hoping one of those teams lose and we win, so it all works out and we get in.”
“Regardless, we need to win the football game and then let it go to the hands of the committee,” Hedberg said. “One of the top criteria for playoff selection is how
you’re playing at the end of the year and if we can play well, that’s the key. If somebody isn’t playing well and they still win, we still might have a chance.”
The Huskies have been at top form across the board since dropping a 41-40 free-for-all against MSU-Mankato, posting their two highest point totals of the season.
The defense has also been playing at a high level, as they forced eight punts, two turnovers on downs and intercepted a pass last Saturday against New Haven; the week prior, they controlled the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s conference-leading rushing attack to the point where they abandoned it completely.
“If we get stopped, it’s almost like it’s our own fault, we’re getting a holding penalty or just missing a few things, but the whole offense feels real good,” Nelson said. “We’re all having a good time out there. We feel like we can move the ball at will. And now our defense these last two games, they’ve really come to play.”
If the Huskies can somehow parlay this season’s success into a playoff berth, they are confident that they would cause some problems for their opponents.
“We’re playing as well now as we’ve ever played in the past,” Heckendorf said. “I think we’d be real tough to beat right now, to be quite honest with you.”
