While fans were having the “will they, won’t they” conversation last week about whether the Wildcats would make the national playoffs, head coach Mike Grossner had one message for his players: “Only worry about Avila.”
As it turned out, no worrying was necessary.
“We had to make sure we didn’t overlook them because upsets happen all the time,” junior Levi Calhoun said. “We needed to make sure we made a statement and impressed the coaches from the coaches’ poll.”
After last week’s contest against MidAmerica Nazarene University – a game that was deemed by some players to be the most heartbreaking loss of their careers – the Wildcats rebounded, drubbing the Avila University Eagles 43-9 Saturday at Liston Stadium.
“No. 1, we wanted to win that football game,” Grossner said. “No. 2, we wanted to see how our team was feeling after a tough loss in the conference championship. I don’t think we played our best ball game, but I think we did enough to satisfy everybody.”
Chief among those satisfied were people who love air attacks. The Wildcats put on a 60-minute exhibition of highlights, tallying six touchdowns and 483 yards of total offense.
Grossner, however, wasn’t completely satisfied, telling the team at halftime he expected a sharper performance after the break.
“I spoke to them about it at halftime,” he said. “We played well enough to get a nice win, but I don’t think you can win in the playoffs with how we played.”
Senior Richie Bryant’s name once again littered the stat sheet as he found the end zone four times – three coming on punch-ins from inside the 5-yard line and one through the air. Bryant’s 25 touchdowns on the season lead the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. When the clock hit zeros, he had accumulated 131 receiving yards and 58 rushing yards.
“I think he’s well deserving of (conference Player of the Year),” Grossner said of Bryant. “He’s leading the conference in rushing and all-purpose yards. I think (quarterback) Mack Brown would also be a good candidate.”
Brown flung the football around with relative ease, completing 25 of 37 passes for 361 yards and one score – a 12-yard pass to Bryant. Brown continued his trend of spreading the wealth to his receiving corps as juniors Brett Woods and Brad Fawcett and senior James Hensley had 58, 60 and 61 yards, respectively.
“It was a good effort because our postseason relied on that game,” sophomore Phil Collins said. “It was make or break.”
The win, along with Lindenwood University’s victory over Missouri Valley College, propelled the Wildcats into the national playoffs for the first time in 15 years.
The NAIA’s postseason pairings have Baker traveling to Sioux City, Iowa, for a battle with No. 6 Morningside College at 1 p.m. Saturday.
