COLUMN: It’s time to win
The fan base for the University of South Dakota football team is proud to be a part of the Missouri Valley football conference. We get to play teams that have been able to find a lot of success. Playing SDSU, NDSU, Northern Iowa, etc. is all fun and games, and like I said, it’s a cool thing. It really is. But, yes the big but, the USD fan base is like any other fan base. They become restless, and when they become restless all they want is wins!
With that being said, April 20 was the big spring game, a time for all of Yote nation to see where their beloved football team stood.
All last season, we heard Coach Joe Glenn preach that his team needed birthday, needed some experience under their belt. This was true. He was given the job of turning a mostly young, inexperienced group into a competitive Missouri Valley foe. I think he’d be the first to say it isn’t easy.
The game wound up having its moments, with the clear face of the team being sophomore quarterback Josh Vander Maten. Next year, Vander Maten is going to be a junior, with a full season of starting experience under his belt. He finished the game 8-12 passing for 112 yards and two rushing touchdowns. The future looks bright for our QB.
Where experience was clearly lacking was at the offensive line. The team had minimum experience up front last year. It definitely showed at times, leading to too much pressure for Vander Maten and not enough holes for the running backs. The first-team offensive line seemed to hold up fairly well during the spring game, only having issues stopping junior Tyler Starr.
The offense was able to put up points, and that was definitely encouraging. On the flip side, the defense also showed some encouraging signs. The secondary looks to be much improved next season. Returning starters Aaron Swift and Devin Taverna were making plays.
The team is desperately trying to forget about their one win season. As a realistic fan, all we should be asking for is improvement. The school didn’t hire Glenn seeking immediate success. What is expected is continual growth, and that’s the direction we hope to go.
The final score of the game was irrelevant, as the offense and defense tied 28-28. What mattered was that signs of growth were shown, and as fans, that’s good to see.
