One week after posting the largest margin of victory in program history, the UTPB football team had to adjust to playing against tougher competition.
It proved to be a challenge as the Falcons came up short in their 35-27 loss to Western Colorado last Saturday in Gunnison, Colo.
Still, there were plenty of promising signs UTPB head coach Kris McCullough saw as the Falcons (1-1) overcame a sloppy start to keep things close.
Going from playing NAIA Texas College to facing NCAA Division II Western Colorado out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference early in the season and on the road was bound to have its obstacles.
For one, Western Colorado (2-0) doesn’t lose at home often, having only dropped four home games since 2019.
“Obviously, it’s a disappointing loss,” McCullough said. “It’s a tough environment to play in. They’re a good team. We didn’t start out well. We got punched in the mouth to start the game.”
UTPB trailed 14-3 at the end of the first quarter and 28-6 with 1:40 left in the second quarter.
After that, however, things started to go in the right direction as UTPB answered back quickly with an 18-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kenny Hrncir to wide receiver Ben Patterson with 25 seconds before halftime.
UTPB didn’t go away as the Falcons managed to keep things close.
“We have to be proud and excited to see what happened after that,” McCullough said. “The second quarter, we finally came together and looked like the team that I know we are. We beat them for two-and-a-half quarters. We just lost that first quarter-and-a-half. Our defense played lights out. Offense played well, too.
“We weren’t quite prepared like they were,” McCullough said. “That’s on me. But this week, we’re preparing like Southwest Baptist is the defending national champion.”
>> Field positions: Numerous times against Western Colorado, UTPB found themselves deep in their own territory.
The first three offensive drives for the Falcons began at their own 5, 17 and 25, respectively.
Western Colorado, meanwhile, enjoyed ideal field position throughout the game and began their first drive on their own 38.
A UTPB fumble recovered by the hosts allowed the Mountaineers to begin their second drive at the Falcon 11-yard line which ended in a touchdown.
Western Colorado’s third drive began on their own 38 which also resulted in a touchdown.
“The key difference was field position,” McCullough said. “Most of their possessions started around the 40-yard line and we started around our 13 each time. We were having to get almost three first downs just to catch up to where they were starting each drive. It was a slow start. We couldn’t get going early, but we found a way to get going soon after. We have to start better and that’s on me as a coach and our preparation.”
>> Wake-up call: McCullough said last Saturday’s loss served as a wake-up call to the players, following the Falcons’ 96-0 win the week before.
“When you win 96-0, everything’s great,” McCullough said. “But you have to go back to work and get ready for the next game and Western Colorado was a much better opponent. They’re a playoff team.”
McCullough took the blame for the team’s preparation against Western Colorado.
He promises it’ll be different this week when the Falcons play at Southwest Baptist at 1 p.m. Saturday in Bolivar, Mo.
>> Southwest Baptist: For the third consecutive year, the Falcons will face Southwest Baptist (1-1), which plays in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
So far, UTPB is 0-2 in the series against the Bearcats, losing 24-16 on the road in 2021 and 41-17 in Midland last year.
Even though McCullough was still the head coach at East Central University last year, he’s not going to let anyone forget about last year’s 24-point loss to Southwest Baptist.
Running back Abel Carter leads the ground game with 139 yards from 26 carries so far this season.
“Last year, they also punched us in the mouth,” McCullough said. “Their running back is really explosive and physical and he’s going to try and run through us. He’s s tough to face.”
The Bearcats began the season with a 65-7 win on the road at Oklahoma Panhandle State University before losing to Black Hills State University, 39-33 last week at home.
McCullough is confident that the physicality UTPB faced from Western Colorado will help prepare them for this week.
“We know what to expect,” McCullough said. “We’re not going to start slow. We’re going to come out strong early in the game.”
Quarterback Collin Sutton leads the offense, going 32-53-2 for 492 yards and five touchdowns.
“They have a strong quarterback who if we fail to contain will make some plays,” McCullough said. “Defense, they’re a little multiple in what they do. But if you look at the stats, we’re a top five offense in the country and so are they. We’re a top five defense in the country so you can see it playing a couple of different ways. We can see it being a high-scoring affair, but with our defense, I don’t see that happening. Our defense has a good plan to execute. If we can execute, then that’s all we have to do. If we execute this game, we’ll win. We just have to stick to the game plan.”
