Davidson game kind of summed up the Coffman season pretty well. Ole defense [Might as well wave a cape at the ball carriers } , poor tackling , and pretty consistently give up about 40 . Check check check . I can't be brutally honest indefinitely. So as we enter the last home game [ Not going by choice not from an another commitment, call it fair weather fan if you will, but not going to the same bad movie back-to-back Friday's. Can't do it. Goodfellas , the Departed ? Those movies I can go to multiple times with different people. Coffman football 2021 ? Sorry , i just can't watch the same exact thing each week. Offense will have a chance to move the ball but the defense which is playing a handful of kids who are in a bad position. it's not their fault that they have to play this year . In any other year in the last 20 they would be playing on Saturday mornings . You can't play the schedule they do with this many players on defense who are at the JV level.
Davidson went through it last year . Their defense isn't Davidson like again this year but better as I expect Coffman to be next year ? Not sure about that TBH, but they 'should " be . When you play good teams with too many JV level guys you give up big plays big yards and a lot of points. That's what we see each week. The Rocks have been a very hospitable host this year. They give up 39 a game, with their opponents having a lot of time and or space to operate . They have given up a handful of either TD's or longer runs on KO's , they were very generous sharing the ball with Liberty [5 turnovers} and basically teams coming into Coffman Stadium have found the accommodations better than at any time in over 25 years .
Fans and teams come in with zero apprehension and leave smiling . OK Jerome wasn't smiling exactly , but they did set a school record with 3 Kick returns for TD's . UA comes to Dublin tonight. They have lost to the Rocks 8 straight times in mostly really close go either way games. This won't be one of them. For the first time that I can remember this game wasn't included in the staff picks at This week's news sports. Obvious unanimous pick . FIRST time . Cal Preps accurately has this line at 34 . I think the Rocks can cover it because the offense and QB are good enough to score 'some" points and UA does not run up the score on folks. I expect UA to not be unfocused like they were against a gritty Orange team who played UA surprisingly well on the stat sheet snap for snap and were only down 7-3 at the break.
My score prediction is 42-14 so a cover for the hospitable hosts. In trying to be more positive lets take a quick look at the 8 game streak that will come to an end tonight .
Last loss was 2012 when an undefeated 9-0 Rocks team laid a huge egg and lost to an average UA team 23-14 , 6 turnovers and having a pooch KO not covered giving UA the ball again doomed the Rocks .
2013 - Rocks needing a win to get into the play-offs pull out a 17-14 win with a great last drive led by Junior Dre Kendrick and an improved O-line who got it done against a disappointing UA team that were the king at the younger levels , beating both Coffman and Davidson by 35-40 points at the Frosh level. Coffman Seniors really improved as they lost most of their games at the MS level and Frosh year was MEH at best including that blowout loss to UA. Team beat up Centerville the next week in the play-offs before falling to Wayne the next week. Centerville opened up a can on them in a pre-season scrimmage as the staff did one of their best coaching jobs as the team opened at 1-3 and had to win every game to make it in including that week 10 rival game with UA.
2014 - 9-0 Rocks team won 20-19 vs a gutsy UA team , as Coffman held on at the end . That excellent Rocks team went toe to toe with a Wayne team losing a shootout, Wayne later made the final losing to St Eds.
2015 - Coffman needing a win after squandering an 18 point lead to Central Crossing in the last 5 minutes got it in a shootout. 38-31 . Kentucky recruit Gunnar Hoak was outstanding as was Soph. RB Sturdivant , [Sr. RB Headings who missed most the year also had two Td's } and UA was led by two Senior transfers QB Murducco and Slot/ WR / RB Speight.
2016 - UA comes into Coffman stadium and does whatever it wants grabbing a 21-0 lead . Rocks score late in the half has the XP blocked and are down 21-6 . Rocks defense shots them out led by an inspirational effort by Duke recruit and wrestling heavyweight state runner up Ben Frye , and the Rocks come all the way back led by a running game that wore down the Bears . Casey Kirk a Cincinnati walk on and back-up player led the way . Rocks win 27-21 holding off the Bears only second half drive with Ibn Willaimson picking off a pass .
2017 - Rocks came out and were as flat as Olive Oyl . I mean they were sitting out a few kids including leader Griffin Hoak, but this was bad. UA missed a couple short field goals or the 7-0 margin could have been worse. Rocks woke up a bit and got back in the game when TE Holcomb [Air Force} made a catch near the sideline and ran through a couple kids galloping into the end zone from about 35 yards out.
RB Cam Scott scored the game winner on a 4th and goal from the inch line , making it by an inch. UA had a few throws late to the end zone as the Rocks were very sloppy trying to close out the game . 14-7 final
2018 - A cold windy rainy night . Miserable . A 8-1 Rocks team beats a 5-4 UA team 17-0 in an ugly game. Junior DE Sebastian Bramonte picked off a screen pass and raced into the end zone . Bramonte who was a good story of working hard and improving his game , strength and speed was a big loss the next year as he and his family moved to Florida for his Senior year . I really believe that if the 2019 defense that held Springfield to 7 points [Still lost outgaining S-Field but not being able to score more than 3 } wasn't missing Michigan State recruit AJ Kirk and Bramonte they may be go as far as any Rocks team ever.
2019 - Rocks get down early, were behind early second half , but rally . Drennan was in his usual place on the sideline , Threats was hurt and missed portions of the game , so OLB and Minnesota recruit Devon Williams carried the ball for a while. Threats re-entered and did what he does. Finds the end zone . 28-14 win.
2020 - Bears and Gresock get off to a 14-0 lead , the Rocks come back , the game is in the balance , but the Rocks make a few plays [Threats again} . First time this game isn't played in week 10 in quite some time . Bears down 21-14 late has a pass picked by DB Austin who takes it to the house . 28-14 final again .
This year is a different day at the start of a different era. Some seem to think it's the start of a glorious era of football because the previous staff who they felt was lacking is gone. I've heard some pretty dumb musings [OK that's harsh, I'll say misguided } in these spaces. We have a real coach now who will right that embarrassing ship that was the last 20 years . Basketball program is eroding with kids transferring out [McDonald the latest heading down Brand road to Jerome AD's son and terrific player and great kid AJ[Ohio recruit} will get to be a one man band basically so that's a positive thing right?} } the football program looks like it's in trouble in terms of winning anyway going forward . {Adminstration and AD Legacy will be tarnished IMO if things continue like this } May be success will be measured another way now. The administration wanted a clean break from the embarrassments . The embarrassment is still kind of present. It's just in a different form .
Bears break the streak and just might build one of their own in this series going forward. If this is in fact the start of a longer Bear winning streak vs. Coffman , take heart Rocks faithful . We will lose the 'right " way . Bears 41- 13
