Moline Was Really Good. UTHS Could Be.
By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current
Since Geneseo joined the WB6 a few years ago, we've come to expect a free-flowing fusillade of points when the Panthers square off against the Maple Leafs.
Geneseo and UT are old neighbors. They get excited about playing each other.
UT has been steadily improving the last several years, and after a 3-0 start, Panther fans were starting to talk about being a playoff team this year.
That's still on the table, for both teams. But the sense of urgency on making improvements is a little more prominent now. Geneseo already has two losses. UT has one, after riding under a low bridge against Sterling last week.
The Panthers were up 21-3 in the first half, but mistakes happened. Sterling scored 33 straight points, and ran off with a 49-28 win.
“They'll run a spread on offense,” said Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong about UT. “They have a very talented sophomore quarterback and a good running back they like to get the ball to out in space.”
That sounds something like Moline, but maybe not quite like the Maroons, who passed the ball out to a rangy tight end one time, ran it off tackle with a quick, balanced runner the next. All of this behind a collegiate-size offensive line that employed three different blocking schemes.
Moline beat Geneseo 28-7 last week.
On defense, Moline didn't miss many open field tackles. They also messed up quarterback exchanges with Geneseo's backs. “We improved on that some in the second half,” Furlong said. “All of that is a lot for an offense to absorb and execute, but you can imagine how hard that is for the defense,” he said.
“That's the best Moline team in a few years,” Furlong said, with some emphasis.
“We studied film on Saturday to start preparation for UT,” the coach added. “We had three good weeks of practices prior to Moline, but we were not as sharp last week, for some reason.”
“This week, our focus will be to apply what we've learned.”
If not?
“We can't replicate some of the speed and ability we'll be facing,” Furlong said.
Sounds like trouble might be just ahead.
But the little things you learn along the way – the details - can more than make the difference – if you apply them.
For years, Geneseo teams have written their proud history by doing just that. Their 45-10 win over Rock Island a couple weeks ago was their 700th win in program history. That's a lot of details, absorbed and applied.
