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It’s amazing how small the difference is between having a
way above average offensive game, and scoring just seven points in a frustrating
loss. In fact, the Bluejays were a couple of dropped passes
away from surprising everyone with three, possibly four TD’s. If you honestly thought
Guthrie would score more than three TD’s against McGuinness last week, your
expectations were a bit skewed.
 Let’s break down exactly what happened. The defense, although shaky early on, knew it may give up a big play or two, but
was not going to let McGuinness run the ball. The Irish
gained just 64-yards on the ground. Yes, let me repeat, just 64-yards of rushing
for the Irish. Are you kidding me, that’s ridiculously good!
Furthermore,
McGuinness threw for 145-yards, which isn’t bad, but, consider this. 64-yards of
their total came on one play, and that was early. The totals
for the Irish: Just 209 total yards. That’s pretty
impressive.
Now, let’s dive into the offense: Bryan Dutton
threw for 95-yards with one touchdown and one interception. Let it be known
that, although his stats were far from mind boggling, he made more than enough
plays to win.
Think about this: You’re a freshman, on the
road, playing a school that has been in three consecutive state title games. Was he
a little nervous? I hope so, otherwise I will have to start believing in aliens.
Did he leave the pocket a little too soon a couple times? Yes, but, my gosh if
that’s the only complaint you have, chalk that up as great.
And, oh by the way,
I forgot to mention that he is replacing the schools all time leading passer, Keiton Callins, who replaced maybe the most celebrated quarterback in the
history of the school, Kye Staley, who replaced Brent Hodge, a two sport all-stater, who replaced a Guthrie legend in #4 Demarko Jones. Pretty big shoes to
fill, and a lot of pressure for a kid that can’t drive himself home from
practice. End result: How can you not be impressed with B-Dutt, as he is known
by his friends. He’s certainly gained my respect.
As far as the rushing game goes, I have a news flash. Our
running backs are pretty darn talented, and, our O-Line will be a strength. But,
again, you had two sophomores making their first varsity starts, and you are
playing a team that prides itself on stopping the run. Analysis of the
situation: to be continued.
Any analysis of their performance is premature and
too early. Smart money would bet that our rushing game will be good in the not
too distant future. It seems as if when people ask how good our line is, they’re
asking with the pretense of how good are they now and not how good will they be.
So, as my fingers keep typing, and my mind keeps analyzing,
it takes me back to a statement that was made last week. Guthrie fans shouldn’t
make this program a victim of its own success. I understand that there is no
such thing as moral victories around here, and I am certainly not promoting such
an idea. But, the positive signs are there. We have become accustomed to teams
that dominate from the first snap of the year. That is not the case this year,
and is rare for any team, no matter how experienced.
Ask OU, Ohio State
or Oregon. The
fact of the matter is that we should have fun watching a young team improve
throughout the year. Is that possible? Are we too spoiled? Surely not!
And, if it is not possible for you to enjoy watching a young team make
mistakes, but learn and get better, please consider revising your opinions of
what you expect from athletics. In many ways, this may be the funnest year to
watch in a while.
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