Mutka: Valparaiso rookie gridders stride with baby steps

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TAB MUG MUTKA 100109 Andy Lavalley/Post-Tribune ptmet

Updated: January 13, 2012 8:20AM

VALPARAISO — Going 1-and-10 is nothing to write home about. So put away your fountain pens if you’re a Valparaiso University football fan.

Progress is painfully slow when you’re relying on freshmen and sophomores to absorb bumps and bruises and the Crusaders finished the season with 30 on their 56-man traveling squad.

Dale Carlson came to VU with a reputation for jump-starting programs, something he established in coaching gigs at Tri-State (now Trane) and Ohio Dominican, but neither school was handicapped by a legacy which has produced just six winning seasons in the last 30 years.

Unlike 2010, which Carlson refers to as Year Zero, the Crusaders showed signs of life, particularly in their last four games. Still, rebuilding is moving along with baby steps.

“It’s taken a little longer to change the culture than I anticipated,” he shrugged, “but given the history and (negative) tradition ... I thought we made significant strides in the last month.”

They snapped a 29-game losing streak against Campbell, which was a major upset, and were competitive in four other games, most notably Franklin (49-35) and Davidson (30-22). 

Along the way VU’s offense began to stir with underclassmen bubbling to the surface.

Carlson’s optimism starts with an amped-up passing game, which generated nearly 900 more yards (2,673) and twice as many touchdowns (16) as his first team. Redshirt freshman Eric Hoffman played through injuries to  develop confidence. He topped 300 yards three times  and should benefit from a virtually intact receiving corps in 2012.

Gabe Ali El, who led VU in rushing and receptions, and wide receivers Tanner Kuramata (30 catches) and Cole Anderson, who scored three touchdowns, are freshmen. 

Talented receiver Tim Bennett (26 catches) will be a fifth-year senior and junior Mike Gerton established himself as one of the premier tight ends in the Pioneer Football League.

Much of the time VU’s running game was nothing more than a rumor. The Crusaders netted just 61 yards, a figure significantly eroded by 37 sacks. They didn’t cough up the football nearly as much as a year ago. Fumbles dropped from 29 to 18. All but eight were covered, a plus-10 improvement in turnovers.

Defensively, the Crusaders will rally around eight holdovers from a solid linebacking corps. All are underclassmen except veteran Cody Gokan. 

Containing rival quarterbacks continues to be a major obstacle. Valparaiso’s rookie secondary — only one upperclassman and three freshmen starting — sprung more leaks than the Mississippi during monsoon season. The shell-shocked Crusaders yielded  32 touchdown passes against only eight interceptions. 

Carson’s staff should concentrate on recruiting to fortify the trenches, particularly the defensive end, which produced only 10 sacks and loses three starters. Offensively, they’re in better shape with nine of their top 12 linemen returning.

Valparaiso also needs an upgrade in the kicking game, which produced only one field goal all season.   Field goals were missing in action because Carlson couldn’t trust his kickers to convert anything longer than 30 yards.

Recruiting is complicated by the high cost of education ($40,000 a year) and the economic woes of a nation saddled with 8.6 percent unemployment and a do-nothing congress.  

Valparaiso does provide packages based on need and academic status, but the PFL prohibits athletic scholarships, which shrinks the talent pool.

“We have to do our homework on recruiting,” concedes Carlson. “You have to find kids who can afford it.”

Locally, Valparaiso is making some inroads with linebackers Chris Howard (Andrean), J.T. Rotroff (Crown Point) and Mike Sekulowski (Lowell) and lineman Mike Schroll (Michigan City) on the roster.  Between Carlson and assistant coach Robert Lee, who claims Gary roots, the Crusaders are blanketing Northwest Indiana, but a significant part of its athletes still hail from the Chicago Area.

How the Crusaders fare under Carlson in year three depend on how they recruit defensively. Unless they plug those leaks look for more baby steps from what will still be a very young team.

If you’re looking for a grade,  Carlson gives the Crusaders an incomplete.

“Our next step is learning how to finish off drives,” he said, noting their erratic production in the red zone.

That’s a start.

They’re back: Beating a No. 1 for the first time since Duke cooperated in 2002 confirms that Hoosier Hysteria is no longer hibernating at Assembly Hall.

How crazy was the atmosphere and pre-game silliness? Tickets for IU’s stunning upset of Kentucky’s rattled rookies were reportedly going anywhere from $350 to $2,000 at such sites as www.stubhub.com depending on where you wished to plant your fanny.

Nutty students, not to be confused with the Occupying protest groups, risked frostbite to camp outside for choice seats until the IU administration shooed them away with vouchers.

Give thanks to Christian Watford, who turned in one of the best all-around performances ever witnessed at Assembly Hall, for living up to the hype. In addition to scoring 20 points, he smothered Kentucky’s top scorer Terrence Jones. The talented Wildcat managed just four points, was limited to one rebound and charged with six turnovers.

All this raises the question of what’s the craziness going to be like when Ohio State ventures in on Dec. 31?