11/6/2009 12:01:00 AM WABASH COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Focus on discipline Penalties have been killer
Photo provided by Wabash College
Wabash College junior wide receiver Wes Chamblee (No. 84) returns to the starting line-up this week after missing last week with a knee injury.
NOTES: Wabash trails conference rival and No. 14-ranked Wittenberg (8-0, 6-0 NCAC) by one game in the standings . . . Wabash junior wide receiver Kody LeMond is out of Saturday's game with a sprained ankle and junior wide receiver Wes Chamblee returns after missing last weekend's game with a knee injury.
Erik Raeburn might go nuts if he sees yellow penalty flags fly at such an alarming clip again.
After last week's abysmal first half where the Little Giants committed eight penalties and backed themselves up time after time, their football coach wants some discipline.
"If you don't bring the same intensity level and focus, anybody can get you," said Raeburn, whose team finally awoke in the second half, scoring four third-quarter touchdowns en route to a 41-9 win at conference rival Oberlin. "We had [eight] penalties in the first half. We can't have [eight] penalties and think we can sustain drives."
On Saturday's Senior Day, No. 16 Wabash (7-1, 5-1 NCAC) takes on conference cellar-dweller Hiram (0-8, 0-5 NCAC) - a team which hasn't won a game all season.
Wabash still trails conference foe and No. 14-ranked Wittenberg (8-0, 5-0 NCAC) by one game in the standings.
The Little Giants still have a slim shot at earning at least a share of their fifth consecutive conference title and chance at an automatic NCAA Division III playoff berth.
Wabash must win Saturday against Hiram and have either Wittenberg lose its final two games or have Wittenberg beat Allegheny and lose to Wooster next weekend, along with Ohio Wesleyan beating Allegheny next weekend.
Raeburn remains frustrated about his team's increasing number of penalties and worried about some injuries (especially on the offensive side).
But what concerns him most this week is Hiram's pass defense.
The Terriers rank second in the conference in opponents' passing yards allowed (129.9 yards per game) and opponents' completion percentage allowed (53.1).
They trail only conference leader and No. 14-ranked Wittenberg (90.1 yards per game average and 50 percent) in both categories.
With junior wide receiver and the team's hottest offensive weapon Kody LeMond (50 catches, 864 yards, 13 TD's - including six in the last two weeks) out with an ankle sprain, that leaves the Little Giants with one less threat.
They'll have junior and second-leading wide receiver Wes Chamblee back from a knee injury and also have junior Brady Young and sophomores Jonathan Horn and Geoffrey Wright to pick up the slack.
But Raeburn would still like to have his full complement of receivers against this stout passing defense.
"It doesn't help to not have all our weapons," Raeburn said. "We do have an experienced quarterback [senior Matt Hudson] who hopefully will be able to go through his progressions and find the guy, even without Kody in there."
On the plus side for Wabash, Hiram ranks last in the 10-team conference in rushing defense.
The Terriers allow an average of 242.9 yards per game, nearly 100 more than ninth-place Oberlin.
That spells good news for freshman running back Kyle Stevens (50 carries, 205 yards, two TD's) and junior running back Tommy Mambourg (139 carries, 654 yards, 4 TD's).
Stevens has emerged as the team's hot back over the past two weeks.
He's rushed for 107 of his 205 yards in the past two games, gaining 59 on 10 carries at Wooster and 48 in 10 carries at Oberlin.
"I'm more of a power back. I like to run in between the tackles," Stevens said. "I just try to run around. It's easier for me to get yards up the middle than it is trying to bounce it to the outside."
Raeburn said Mambourg has hasn't been as healthy the latter part of the season and Stevens has emerged as another strong back.
"Kyle has really played well the last two games," Raeburn said. "He's run the ball hard."
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