The Elephant in the room created by the title is that none of the Football seasons have been canceled outright as of now. There's a chance that the seasons will happen in the Spring but remember that in March & April a common comment was that Summer could bring about a reprieve from this thing. We all know that didn't happen so who's to say that by next March the panic will have dwindled enough, that people will have become immune or that a cure will have been cultivated? No one who isn't a pathological liar can say that any of those possibilities will happen with a straight face or clear conscience. Even with the damage that would be caused by a Football-less school year, it just seems like a bridge too far to assume the games will go on.
Maybe I'll be proven wrong.
I'll be glad if it happens because Football Saturdays (& Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays) are among the best parts of the year, every single year.
But until the games are happening I'm calling it a lost season, and thus these previews. As you'll notice, they're each done with the original schedules in mind so the conjecture will be rampant.
First up are the Cornies!
The 56-man recruiting class for Terry Horan seems like it was announced ages ago. For the record, it was May 11th when the list came out, but it seems like so much more time has passed than that! Even if a normal approach had happened there's only one name from that group that I think had a likely chance of contributing this season. The standout from Oak Grove, by way of NDSU, who will be moving back to offense - Ben Hoggarth. Sure, some others may be able to jump up in their first year but it's tougher to identify those guys.
With graduates Blake Kragnes, Matt Bye & Logan Hatfield no longer leading the offense, opportunity to shine has never been greater for the players that will be back. The prohibitive favorite to take over at QB is Sean McGuire who finished the year with the third-most rushing yards while proving to be a more than competent passer, in only five games. Which leaves the void of trying to fill-in for the dynamic pass-catcher, Bye.
While he's more of a traditional slot-receiver, the best option to be the #1 option is West Fargo's Andy Gravdahl. He finished just ahead of the former Spud in total yards while also being the only other player to score multiple touchdowns last year. That will put a clear spotlight on him from week 1 til the season's end but the quintet of fellow returning options should be able to help.
Not to ignore the defense but they're pretty well set to continue improving off a season in which they allowed less than 20 points & a hair over 355 yards per game. On the backend, Marshall King will have a great chance to add to his 2 interceptions while Angel Ledezma's 2.5 sacks should be his floor this season.
The first two tests have already been canceled, which sets up a September 19th visit by St. John's. With the overtime loss last season in Collegeville still fresh in their minds, it will be a tall order for the semi-new-look Cobbers to make it two wins in a row. But considering that as of now they will be the only game in town on September 19, Jake Christiansen Stadium will be the place to be! JCS may also get rocking on October 24 as St. Thomas makes their last visit to Moorhead, ever. On the heels of that clash, Concordia will be on the road at Gustavus & Bethel to close out the season.
Out of the 8 game schedule, five wins seems about right again. The key stretch will be the three out of four games at home to start October. They'll have to win at least two of them to finish above .500 this year.
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