Things started out well enough for the SFU football team in their home opener on Sept. 28. The Clan jumped out to an early lead, had a couple of long drives deep into Western Oregon territory, and for a long while stymied the WOU Wolves offence.
Then, like the weather the game was played in, things got messy.
The Clan would twice drive into the red zone, before being forced to kick field goals. On a third offensive opportunity from inside the Wolves’ 20-yard line, quarterback Ryan Stanford threw an interception. In horizontal rain and droves of fog, the Clan struggled to put points on the board when they had the chance — mistakes that would cost the team later in their home opener when their opposition found ways to score touchdowns.
Granted, the Wolves had lots of help from the Clan: SFU took 11 penalties for a whopping 117 yards in the game (by comparison, Clan running back Chris Tolbert ran for 112 yards in the contest). Big penalties — pass interference calls, personal fouls, and a roughing the kicker penalty — gave WOU plenty of second chances on third- and even fourth-downs. No matter who the opponent, give a team that many chances and they will capitalize.
“The penalties we took and the response to some guys having to miss plays wasn’t the image of Clan Football,” said head coach Dave Johnson. “Western Oregon is a good enough team that if we make mistakes we’re going to get a result like we did today.”
The result was the Clan’s offense being kept on the sidelines while the Wolves were handed extra plays. The Clan scored only three points in the second half, while WOU scored three touchdowns. The result was a 30–9 loss, the Clan’s first defeat of the season.
But it wasn’t the football team’s only loss of the day. Adding injury to insult, Stanford, who had been a star for the Clan early in his first season with the team, was forced out of the game with an apparent shoulder injury. After rolling to his right on a play, he was belted by a defender for a sack — but when the defender got up off the ground, Stanford didn’t.
Clutching his shoulder, he was eventually helped to the sidelines before having his arm put in a sling. It’s unknown how long the injury will keep him out — he didn’t play this past weekend at Dixie State — but after already losing superstar wideout Lemar Durant to an ankle injury in Week 1, the Clan can ill-afford to lose their starting quarterback.
That said, head coach Dave Johnson is no stranger to injuries and adversity and steps were made this offseason to help ensure the team’s success. Of course, only time will tell whether Johnson and company can cope with the losses of players, but if the Clan can’t stop beating themselves, it will be tough to keep the losses off the score sheet.
