The fall semester is here and, for college campuses around the nation, that means the beginning of football season. Last year the Texas A&M University-Commerce Lions took the field with high expectations, led by senior quarterback Terry Mayo and wide receiver Willie Thorton, only to post a mediocre 5-5 record.
With head coach Guy Morriss’ hiring in the offseason, expectations are again high for the Lions. In recent Lone Star Conference (LSC) preseason rankings, A&M-Commerce was picked to tie for second in the North Division after a third place finish in the 2008-09 season.
The Lions will have a lot to overcome if they want to meet or exceed predictions. They lost their most productive offensive weapons at all three major skill positions last season in Mayo, Thorton, and running back Nabil El-Amin.
This fact is not lost on Morriss. “I’m anxious to see how we do, and if we can stay together, because there’s going to be a lot of adversity,” he said. “It will come down to how we handle it, and if we can stay disciplined.”
Mayo’s departure leaves the Lions without an established quarterback at the helm. Senior Reid Herchenbach saw playing time at Alabama State University and redshirt junior Adam Farkes threw for 870 yards for the University of Maine last season, but the three other A&M-Commerce QBs are either redshirt or true freshmen.
“I think, in our mind as coaches, we know who is one-two-three, but, this week, we’re still competing for jobs,” Morriss said, when asked who would receive the start against Angelo St. “There’s still competition going on, and that’s a good thing really.”
Without established starters on offense, A&M-Commerce will have to look to its defense for stability. The Lions are putting a strong defensive corps on the field, anchored by an experienced defensive line with eight upperclassmen. While the defense lost some key players as well, LSC pre-season co-defensive player of the year William Green, 2008 second team all-LSC safety Alex Contreras, and 2008 first team all-LSC linebacker Chad Washington should keep the Lions in most games.
Contreras expressed high expectations for both the offense and defense.
“Typically, when you have more returning starters on one side of the ball, that side will be seen as the leaders of the team,” he said. “However, we have talent on both offense and defense. As a defense, we have to perform at the level we know we can. When the offense puts everything together, which they will do very soon, they’ll be hard to stop.”
The offense will definitely need to learn to play together well, and soon. The success of A&M-Commerce’s season depends on their ability to elevate their game quickly.
Abilene Christian University, West Texas A&M University, Tarleton State, and the University of Central Oklahoma are all powerful teams within the conference. The Lions play in the North Division, the weaker of the two divisions within the LSC.
Morriss is communicating high expectations. “I think you have to go into it with the approach that we’re going to win the conference, and that’s our goal, and that’s what we’re going to strive to do,” he said. “If we fall short, we’re going to get back up and try again.”
This thinking is echoed by the players.
“We need the North Division title,” Contreras said. “If we don’t get that, that doesn’t mean we won’t have a successful season, but everyone knows that we can compete for the division title. Often, when you have new starters coming in and a new coaching staff, people look at it as a rebuilding year. But we aren’t thinking that way.”
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Taylor Fore had a more esoteric definition of success.
“I think that the season is made up of a lot of little things, so we’re going to try and take it game by game,” he said. “Obviously, it comes down to wins and losses, but hopefully, by the end of the season, we have more positives than negatives.”
This dogged enthusiasm is necessary to communicate high expectations from both fans and players, but it is important for A&M-Commerce to not expect too much too soon. The Lions are definitely in a rebuilding stage, and, with so many question marks, no one should predict a conference championship.