The current rankings say that we’re 1-5. And, as the phrase goes, you are what your record says. We began the season with the goal of not only improving the culture, but also of improving in the win column. That much is true. They have altered the culture. The team is more disciplined and poised. Clearly, their 1-5 record shows that they are far from flawless, but they’ve played like a squad that is determined to win.
Stubborn Rebuild
Unfortunately, the winning portion has yet to catch up to the hard work. However, better times are on the horizon. I don’t say it lightly. This is a good football team that just has to navigate the pains of an aggressive rebuild. The Wildcats dropped their first three SWAC games by a combined total of 14 points.
That’s two touchdowns, people.
On Saturday, we trailed by two touchdowns, yet we overcame that deficit in just one quarter. This team is devastatingly close to being 3-0 in the SWAC. 14 measly points. That doesn’t, however, make up for the fact that we’ve only won (checks notes) five games over the previous three seasons. That is a fact that cannot be avoided. Until we show otherwise, we are who they claim we are. That is the nature of this sport.
Saturday served as a microcosm of the program’s current situation. Though it hasn’t yet translated into victories, you can see that this team is different and that they are fully committed. That is the challenging aspect of rebuilding. Being competitive enough to compete, but not good enough to win games. For the past three weeks, that’s how we’ve been. Actually, every one of the three loses have come down to a crucial play or two, and we have consistently found ourselves on the losing end of nearly all of them.
Putting Things in Perspective
I have to constantly remind myself that this coaching staff and team are essentially brand-new. It’s easy to forget about the frantic off-season that we all bore witness to. This was always going to be a mixed bag with this rebuild season. But as the season’s second half draws near, we’re going to discover just how talented Coach Raymond Woodie really is and that’s not being hyperbolic. He can inspire his team to finish strong starting this weekend against the vaunted Southern University Jaguars. Furthermore, there are five games remaining and they are all in the state of Florida. That could be huge for us to close the season. The way I see it, winning any three of the remaining five is a positive step in the right direction.
However, the prospect remains that we could also lose out. I take no joy in typing that, but stranger things have happened. Not to mention, we’ve had some tough luck at the quarterback position, which has prevented us from establishing any kind of stability at the most crucial position in football. Additionally, we’ve had the hardest first half of anyone in the SWAC. Two FBS programs, the SWAC Champ, and Alabama State was a tough way to start the season for a program in the midst of a rebuild. Our work was cut out for us from the outset.
Still Plenty to Play For
The positive thing is that this team has competed in each and every game this season. Even against the FBS teams, we’ve played spirited football. Yes, we are 1-5, and while that may not feel good, up close, you see a team one QB away from contending for the SWAC title. In theory, that is still achievable this season as well, but right now, that might just be wishful thinking.
Losing Homecoming isn’t fun and there’s no way to soften that blow. But I implore everyone to take a step back and remember all the obstacles this team faced in the offseason. It’s a miracle that we even fielded a fully functioning team this year. So, all things considered, I think we’ll be okay long term but a win or two would go a long way right now.
All Hail to Thee.
