By By Jerome Bailey, Staff Writer
Over the years at Waldo Stadium, the home of the Western Michigan football, the Broncos have had 10 undefeated seasons, and under current Head Coach Bill Cubit, the Broncos have posted a 17-5 mark. So, the Pride (2-2) (0-1) knew coming into Waldo Stadium, they would have to play a mistake-free game to come away with the victory.
Well, the Pride did play turnover-free, for the first 12 minutes. However, they had two costly fumbles, and wasted unnecessary timeouts, which in the end came back to haunt them.
“Were still shooting ourselves in the foot too much, and we’ve got to eliminate mental mistakes,” said Hofstra Head Coach Dave Cohen following the game.
In the first quarter, the Pride played well on both sides of the ball. The defense was tremendous as they stopped the Broncos (2-2) from converting on a fourth and goal attempt. The defense also came away with an interception, by senior cornerback Ray McDonough. On the last play of the quarter, Pride senior quarterback Corey Christopher connected with wide receiver junior Aaron Weaver for a 43 yard touchdown pass to give the Pride a 7-0 lead.
Following the first quarter, the Pride made crucial mental mistakes, which cost them this football game. First, freshman running back Miguel Maysonet fumbled, and the Broncos recovered at the Hofstra eight yard line. However, the Pride defense again stood strong, as they held the Broncos to a field goal, making the score 7-3 in favor of the Pride.
The Pride came roaring back, as Christopher connected with Weaver for 37 yards, which brought the Pride to the five yard line. The Pride coaching staff called for reserve quarterback sophomore Steve Probst and he answered the call, as he scored a three yard touchdown run. On the play, there was an illegal shift on the Pride, so the touchdown was taken away, and the Pride settled for a field goal, extending their lead to 10-3.
Another mistake the Pride made countless times in this game was calling useless time outs. The Pride wasted five time outs, in trying to avoid a delay of game penalty. The rowdy Bronco crowd of 16,000 plus may have had something to do with the confusion on offense for the Pride.
Despite the turnovers, the Pride’s offense played well. Christopher completed 17 of 27 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown. Weaver had eight catches, with a season high 109 receiving yards. The running game was in full effect, as it piled up 140 yards, with sophomore Kwabena Asante posting a team-high 50 yards on 10 carries, while Maysonet added 33 yards on five carries.
“I think the one thing we are lacking right now is the ability to score points. When you have (325-330) offensive yards I think you should score more than 10 points, and if we become more disciplined I think we will,” said Cohen.
The defense had problems containing the Broncos offense. Bronco quarterback senior Tim Hiller was 34 for 48, tallying 388 yards of passing, and two touchdowns. Senior running back Brandon West also had a huge day, as he ran for 128 yards and scored a touchdown. The Broncos as a whole recorded 471 yards of offense.
The Pride will look to end their two-game losing streak on Saturday as they take on the James Madison Dukes (2-1) (0-0). The Dukes were (12-2) (8-0) last season. The Dukes lead the series, 6-2, against the Pride. During the last meeting between these teams, the Dukes flat out annihilated the Pride, 56-0. In that game, the Pride was held to 195 yards of offense, including 67 on the ground. Christopher completed 21 of 34 passes for 128 yards. The Dukes were led by quarterback Rodney Landers, who completed 7 of 13 passes for 92 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for a game high 133 yards and one touchdown. Coming into this game, the Pride know they have to play hard for a full 60 minutes.
“They are too good to be playing from behind, there’s no question. This is the fastest defense we’ve seen thus far, and they play hard. I am not going to enjoy it on Saturday, but I really enjoyed watching them fly around on film,” said Cohen, when talking about this weekend’s upcoming game.