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Remember doing those litmus tests in chemistry labs?
You’d squirt the solution on the card. If it turned pink, it meant it was an acid.
If it was blue, it was a base.
I thought about those long-ago days of high school chemistry (shout out Mrs. Bovender) when I look at East Tennessee State’s upcoming game against West Georgia, because I see another litmus test coming,
Let’s take last season’s come-from-behind win by West Georgia out of the equation. This is a different team, one where its head coach Steve Engelhardt had to miss the season opener due to a suspension for nebulous reasons.
West Georgia (0-3) is also the first FCS opponent that ETSU (1-2) has faced since Week 0. The Bucs faced Division II Tusculum in their second game, then traveled to North Carolina Saturday,
So, in theory, it’s the first chance since the Campbell game to evaluate how ETSU fares on relatively equal footing against another FCS program. And, when evaluating these two teams as they presently are comprised, it’s a game that the Bucs should win.
It’s also a chance for the defense to show something. Whether it’s been a fellow FCS team, a Division II foe, or a power conference opponent, we’ve seen the same issues with blown coverages, regardless of the matchup or the caliber of the opposition. And, with three games against three opponents at three different levels, the ETSU defense has yet to force a single turnover this season.
I don’t think there is any doubt at this point that the offense can move the ball and score points. Yes, North Carolina held the Bucs out of the end zone, but Mason Mims has proven to be a solid quarterback. He’s got at least two capable targets in the passing game in wide receiver Suderian Harrison and “giraffe” tight end Charlie Browder. And TJ Peyton and Jaiden Daniels have proven to be solid options in the rushing attack.
But can the Bucs stop anyone? Can they generate pressure on the opposing quarterback with consistency? Can they force turnovers? Can they avoid blown coverages in the passing game?
Saturday’s home game with West Georgia is the non-conference finale, and a final chance to right the ship before entering the rigors of Southern Conference play. It’s also a conference that looks wide open and, simultaneously, quite mediocre, after SoCon preseason favorite Mercer got upended Saturday by a Furman team that had not looked very formidable through two weeks.
So, it’s time.
It’s time for ETSU to show it can get to the quarterback. That the defensive line, espoused as a strength of this team in the preseason, coached by J.C. Price, a position coach Will Healy espoused as one of the best in the country, can get the job done. That the defensive backfield can avoid busted coverages and lost assignments.
One-fourth of the season is already in the books.
The time for excuses is over.
It’s time to get the job done.