The Washburn-Topeka Ichabods Topic

In what was, quite possibly, the ugliest win of my Washburn tenure, we eked out a 14-6 win over Central Missouri State to win our third conference title in four years. This salvages the season for me; we got held to 236 total yards by another team much better than its record would indicate, but our defense forced three turnovers, and that was huge.

We got a 7-seed in the playoffs, and we get 13-1 Newberry in the first round. Here's my usual quick-and-dirty look on the team.

Team link: HERE
Head coach: superv97 (19th season)
Record: 13-1
WIS/Press/Coaches: #5

Everything this team does, they do well. Offensively, they've scored 98 touchdowns this year, and they're very balanced. They avenged their one regular-season loss in their conference title game, and they've beaten several good human-coached teams. We're absolutely the underdogs here, and while it's not quite a hopeless case if our defense shows up, my guys could do an AWESOME job just to limit them to 35 points or so. If we win, I'll be pretty stunned.

12/23/2014 10:37 PM
My prediction was almost spot-on. Our defense played an incredible game, limiting a genuine title threat to a single offensive touchdown. However, we yielded six field goals and a special teams score, our offense never came close to getting going, and we fell 32-3. Senior retrospectives are coming, most likely after the holidays.

12/24/2014 5:55 PM
WR Edward McKenzie

Athleticism 65 4
Speed 71 3
Durability 64 4
Work Ethic 72 6
Stamina 59 5
Strength 58 3
Blocking 38 -4
Tackling 15 -4
Hands 78 3
Game Instinct 64 4
Elusiveness 68 4
Technique 59  

First impressions (page 1): "Edward McKenzie is one of a few recruits I battled pretty hard for. Ultimately, I got him after promising him a start next year (as a sophomore). He's got all the tools to be a really successful receiver going forward."

Final impressions: McKenzie started for three years and was a primary threat for two of them. We're a run-first team, so our receiver stats are never going to be otherwordly, but McKenzie proved himself to be a very strong, consistent wideout.

Year GP GS Rush Yds Avg TD 20+ Lg St Rec Yds Avg TD YAC Thr Dr
Senior 15 15 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 71 844 11.9 4 472 112 1
Junior 15 15 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 68 728 10.7 7 332 106 2
Sophomore 14 14 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 31 311 10.0 2 110 43 0
Freshman 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2 16 8.0 0 3 3 0
  53 44 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 172 1899 11.0 13 917 264 3
12/27/2014 12:21 PM
WR Howard Leon

Athleticism 53 3
Speed 76 2
Durability 66 2
Work Ethic 35 2
Stamina 68 2
Strength 52 2
Blocking 32 -4
Tackling 12 -4
Hands 72 2
Game Instinct 55 3
Elusiveness 52 3
Technique 67  

First impressions (page 1): "I nailed down Howard Leon early. With only four wideouts on the roster, we needed depth. He won't develop into a superstar, but he's a high-floor player who should be a solid part of the offense."

Final impressions: Leon's low work ethic hindered his development, but with limited potential, it isn't like I was robbed or anything. I was really surprised he turned into our leading receiver this year, but he had a heck of a senior season.

         
Year GP GS Rush Yds Avg TD 20+ Lg St Rec Yds Avg TD YAC Thr Dr
Senior 15 15 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 77 873 11.3 8 397 109 2
Junior 15 15 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 30 274 9.1 3 108 42 0
Sophomore 14 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 5 34 6.8 0 0 8 0
Freshman 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2 11 5.5 1 0 3 0
  48 30 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 114 1192 10.5 12 505 162 2
12/27/2014 12:25 PM
OL David Hilton

Athleticism 67 3
Speed 23 3
Durability 63 4
Work Ethic 72 6
Stamina 70 3
Strength 71 3
Blocking 67 4
Tackling 1  
Hands 22 3
Game Instinct 56 4
Elusiveness 29 4
Technique 52  

First impressions (page 1): "The one battle I lost this time around was for an otherwordly offensive lineman who would have easily been a three-year starter. This was my back-up plan. David Hilton isn't a blue-chipper, nor will he turn into one, but he fills a need, as I have three seniors who are graduating after this season."

Final impressions: Hilton was a three-year starter and turned out a bit better than I thought he'd be. As a senior, he was our #3 lineman behind two very good juniors, and any three-year starter will be missed.
12/27/2014 12:35 PM
DL Charles Johnson

Athleticism 53 5
Speed 45 2
Durability 73 4
Work Ethic 78 6
Stamina 63 5
Strength 80 3
Blocking 23 -4
Tackling 80 3
Hands 38 2
Game Instinct 78 3
Elusiveness 54 4
Technique 61  

First impressions (page 1): "I got in a prolonged battle for Charles Johnson, and I'm thrilled to have him. He's going to be a fantastic player, as he'll improve a lot over four years. I see him as a rotational player this year before starting as a sophomore, and I can't wait to see him develop."

Final impressions: Charles Johnson was a force the past two years, totaling 31 sacks in his final 30 games. Defense was our strength this year, and he was certainly one of our best players.

Year GP GS Tackles Sacks Int PD FF BK SFT TLo
  51 44 195 33 0 0 6 0 0 45
Senior 15 15 66 15 0 0 2 0 0 16
Junior 15 15 85 16 0 0 1 0 0 19
Sophomore 14 14 42 2 0 0 3 0 0 10
Freshman 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12/27/2014 12:56 PM
DL Charles Hamlin

Athleticism 61 3
Speed 40 2
Durability 58 3
Work Ethic 47 3
Stamina 68 2
Strength 63 3
Blocking 20 -4
Tackling 72 2
Hands 26 2
Game Instinct 79 2
Elusiveness 52 2
Technique 59  

First impressions (page 1): "Completing a freshman defensive line class consisting entirely of recruits named Charles, Charles Hamlin is a smart player who I got for cheap. He's not as strong as the other two, but he's athletic and can still hit. I did need to promise him a start as a sophomore, but that shouldn't be an issue."

Final impressions: That actually WAS an issue, as the WIS depth chart burped several times and denied him a few starts as a sophomore, thus lowering his work ethic. Hamlin was still good, and a perfectly fine starter, but he was nowhere near Charles Johnson, largely due to his limited potential.

Year GP GS Tackles Sacks Int PD FF BK SFT TLo
  49 39 126 6 0 0 1 0 0 11
Senior 15 15 53 3 0 0 0 0 0 4
Junior 15 15 44 2 0 0 1 0 0 4
Sophomore 14 9 27 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
Freshman 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12/27/2014 1:54 PM
DB Raymond Gorman

Athleticism 69 4
Speed 81 3
Durability 65 4
Work Ethic 75 6
Stamina 74 4
Strength 66 2
Blocking 1 -3
Tackling 63 5
Hands 63 2
Game Instinct 59 6
Elusiveness 76 3
Technique 73  

First impressions (page 1): "I wish his tackling and game instinct were both a little bit better, but he's an excellent prospect otherwise. I didn't have to promise him anything, but I could've promised him a start as a sophomore given that our secondary has a bunch of seniors."

Final impressions: Gorman was actually a four-year starter and improved a ton. The biggest hole this team will have next year is replacing its top two defensive backs (the two DL's will hurt, but we've got some depth there), as Gorman and Scott Kendall both developed into very strong starters on good teams.

Year GP GS Tackles Sacks Int PD FF BK SFT TLo
  60 59 248 0 6 45 0 0 0 2
Senior 15 15 80 0 3 17 0 0 0 1
Junior 15 15 81 0 2 15 0 0 0 1
Sophomore 14 14 75 0 1 9 0 0 0 0
Freshman 16 15 12 0 0 4 0 0 0 0
12/27/2014 2:18 PM (edited)
DB Scott Kendall

Athleticism 62 3
Speed 85 2
Durability 44 5
Work Ethic 48 4
Stamina 61 4
Strength 42 4
Blocking 5 -4
Tackling 71 3
Hands 59 2
Game Instinct 58 4
Elusiveness 71 3
Technique 68  

First impressions (page 1): "Scott Kendall is lightning-quick, and I got in a brief battle for him. I had to promise him a start as a sophomore, but that won't be an issue at all. I have high hopes for him, and once the rest of his attributes catch up to his quickness, he could be REALLY good."

Final impressions: Kendall led the team in interceptions as a senior (though three picks came in the same game), and one of those interceptions was a huge play in the conference title game. He was a very good three-year starter, and as I said earlier, it's going to be tough replacing these two DB's next year.

Year GP GS Tackles Sacks Int PD FF BK SFT TLo
  58 46 217 0 8 41 1 0 0 3
Senior 15 15 80 0 7 17 0 0 0 1
Junior 15 15 74 0 0 6 0 0 0 2
Sophomore 14 14 58 0 1 18 1 0 0 0
Freshman 14 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12/27/2014 3:23 PM
P Michael Phillips

Athleticism 55 3
Speed 50 2
Durability 64 3
Work Ethic 68 6
Stamina 69 2
Strength 53 3
Blocking 1  
Tackling 2 -3
Hands 23 2
Game Instinct 54 3
Elusiveness 18 -4
Technique 81  

Finally, Michael Phillips is the lone holdover from before my tenure. I redshirted him my first year here because it didn't make sense to have two active punters. He was fine for a few years.

Year GP GS FGM FGA % Long XPM XPA % P Avg Long TB P20
  30 30 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 228 42.6 66 47 66
5th Year Senior 15 15 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 123 42.9 66 27 30
Senior 15 15 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 105 42.2 63 20 36
12/27/2014 3:24 PM
One last look at this season:

Non-Conference

Date Opponent Record WIS SOS Coach vs. School Spread Result  
12/10/14 Texas A&M-Kingsville 7-6 75 100 Sim AI 3-0  -15.5 0-55 W
12/11/14 at #21 Michigan Tech 12-3 21 21 zod007 4-1  -3.5 24-28 L
12/12/14 #19 Bryant 13-3 19 33 bribigdog 2-2 +5.5 39-25 L
12/13/14 #11 Kentucky State 14-1 11 96 tlreese77 3-3 +14.5 30-7 L
12/14/14 at #2 Slippery Rock 17-2 3 1 jlin05 0-8 +10.5 20-27 L

Conference

Date Opponent Record WIS SOS Coach vs. School Spread Result  
12/15/14 Pittsburg State 3-10 139 136 Sim AI 33-7  -2.5 6-55 W
12/16/14 at Truman State 4-9 137 142 Sim AI 29-20 +3.5 39-6 W
12/17/14 Northwest Missouri State 7-6 80 130 Sim AI 36-4 +2.5 3-56 W
12/18/14 at Southwest Baptist 7-6 103 139 Sim AI 69-7  -1.5 34-16 W
12/19/14 Lock Haven 2-11 144 144 Sim AI 53-23  -10.5 7-41 W
12/20/14 Missouri-Rolla 4-9 118 121 Sim AI 58-18  -5.5 0-40 W
12/21/14 at Missouri Southern State 4-9 116 87 Sim AI 57-19  -13.5 20-7 W
12/22/14 Cheyney 9-4 43 118 cincyson 50-27 +6.5 20-30 W

Conference Championship

Date Opponent Record WIS SOS Coach vs. School Spread Result  
12/23/14 at Central Missouri State 9-5 38 31 jmb123 19-47  -2.5 14-6 W

Post-Season

Date Opponent Record WIS SOS Coach vs. School Spread Result  
12/24/14 at #6 Newberry 14-2 6 18 superv97 3-3 +3.5 3-32 L

Our five losses all came to playoff teams. Slippery Rock lost in the title game, in fact, while Michigan Tech, Bryant, and Newberry all advanced to the second round.
12/28/2014 3:34 PM
I'm qualified for all listed D1-AA jobs, and I'm looking to see what's available. I'm not dead-set on leaving, as Washburn should have another tournament-caliber team coming back, but if the right opportunity comes along, I might jump at it. We'll see.
12/29/2014 5:01 PM
MSNBC Fresh start at Appalachian State University -- hrtvandrew named new head football coach 12/30/14 12:06 PM

I'll probably update this thread with senior retrospectives after each season until my guys are all graduated. This was a really fun D2 gig, but a D1-AA job popped up that was too good to pass up, and I'll be starting THAT thread momentarily.
12/30/2014 12:09 PM
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The Washburn-Topeka Ichabods Topic

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