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Thursday, October 15, 1998 pPpPpj|-|P_-p-jp— — THE MAROON TIGER PAGE 13 With each game, Tigers improving we ve come. Hickson said the team has come under unfair fire from the students and the newspaper, and stressed that the campus-wide negative By Joe Carlos Sports Editor Be patient. Better days await the Maroon Tigers. The team is coming off two straight weekends of strongly-contested losses to Alcorn State and archrival, Tuskegee. The narrow margins of defeat have injected a new dose of optimism to the team and Head Coach Frank Hickson. "Have you been to the games? Then you can see the improvement we are making every week," said Hickson, in an interview with The Maroon Tiger. "We were two plays away from making a national statement [in the game against Alcorn State]. By beating them — a team in a higher division — we would have shown all of the critics just how far sentiment regarding football has to change. "There needs to be an attitudinal adjustment in regards to football on this campus." he said. "We're experiencing growing pains, which is natural for any team that is rebuilding." "You've got to realize that we've got guys, young guys, that in a regular program would have been red shirted," Hickson added. "Instead, we had 250 lb. freshmen linemen playing IAA defensive linemen who were about 3251bs. And they were fighting them and holding them off all day." The confidence oozing into the team following their recent performance is slowly making a difference on the field, said Hickson. All the team needs now is for the college to rally behind it. "It's sad," said Hickson. "Before the guys go out on the field, they say, 'Nobody believes in us but ourselves. Let's do it for us.'" Hickson also cleared up the rumors that began circulating around campus after students misinterpreted a story that appeared in the last issue of The Maroon Tiger. He is here to stay, Hickson said. "I'm building a lifetime career. I want to be at Morehouse for the rest of my life," he said. "I have moved eight times in sixteen years. back to an HBCU, that's my heart, my roots. I'm a guy who wants to make a difference here." When asked about homecoming, Hickson expressed confidence that the Tigers will put up a good fight. "It's always good to come home," he said. "It's an exciting time. And with the progress that we've been making, hopefully we can pull it off for Homecoming this week." K|ys to victory The rapidly improving play of the offensive line In the past couple of weeks, the offensive line, led by center Jason Perry, has given quarterback Chivalrik Daughtry the necessary time to make reads, and has opened up holes for the running backs. In the Tuskegee game, running back Jason Taylor ran very well in the second half behind the vaunted Maroon Tiger line. Consistency at quarterback Sticking with freshman quarterback Chivalrik Daughtry has build a level of within the offense. In the last couple of weeks, Daughtry has shown poise and skill at his position, and has led his offense to numerous scores and near victories against Alcorn and Tuskegee. Cornerbacks Opposing offenses have repeatedly gone to the air to challenge the Maroon Tiger corners. * Challenging the comers is to be expected with the successful play of the defensive line. However, with improved coverage at the wideouts and in the flats, more first downs and deep plays will be prevented. Special Teams The Maroon Tigers enjoy a particular luxury in the fact that place kicker Marcus Shaw is so consistent. Shaw attributes for a great percentage of the Maroon Tigers' offensive points, and is basically dead on accurate from upwards of 30+ yards. Fan support is so important. In order to win, it takes mental preparation, execution of plays, and support from the fans. Screaming, yelling chants and cheers are invaluable psychologically for the team as well as the fans. Fan Support Players hungry for first win By Levar Smith • Staff Writer Through the taunts and criticism, they've been silent. Amidst the doubts, they have stayed focused on the game, preparing for the homecoming showdown against Virginia Union. The Maroon Tigers' impressive showing against Alcorn State and Tuskegee may have been just what the players needed. The optimism and enthusiasm of the team are now apparent on every face. "We haven't given up yet. We still want to finish strong," said freshman business major Kent Davis. "The team is taking the losses one game at a time, and I try to get better every game and during practice," added Camy Smith, a freshman business major. The players admitted it takes time to get to know one another's playing style, but said the unity and chemistry this year was better than in the past. "We're close-knit, but we're still trying to get to know each other better," said junior mathematics major Patrick Carter. Key to their success is increased student turnout and support, the players stressed. "The fans are important to team success" said Carter. "The more fans we have, the more morale the team will have." In defense of our football team By Keddrick Franks • Editorial Columnist Let's face it; football is obviously not where Morehouse excels as a school. We're half-way through this season and we're floundering at a pathetic 0 and 6. And in the past three years, we've only been able to crack the win column a meager 5 times. But look at it this way: No matter how many times our team has been ripped in half, they continue to get up and go back for more. This year, we practically have a new team, including a new head coach. Different faces from different places and backgrounds who've been thrown together without being given enough time to learn to work together. Now, they are expected to turn a team with a legacy of losing into champions. That takes time. For many of the returning players, it is their second or third coach. This means, these players constantly have to learn and re-learn how to work under new leadership that they know has very little chance of past two seasons. To put it plainly, our football program is unstable at best, and we as students don't exactly make things easy for them. Everyday, students, myself included, can be heard ridiculing our football team. But if we were in their shoes, could we really do any better? That's the question we should be asking ourselves. Anyone can be a Monday-morning quarterback, but can you really play the game? In the end, it's the team, not its critics, that is going out there week after week doing the best it can to work cohesively and bring home a win. Sure, their best may fall short at the present, but given a chance, I have confidence that this team can be a force on the field and bring the glory back to our football program. We can criticize all we want, but until we actually strap on the pads and hit the field, what we say really doesn't matter. — Joe Carlos