Hangin' Out With Joe Walsh Off My Office Floor.... For more reasons that one, this past week has been difficult on JD… Just like the remaining opponents on the 2004 Bison schedule. The patsies are gone, so it’s time for the NDSU football team to raise their own level of play. Carson-Newman visits the dome this week, followed by a bye week and then the Bison battle 7 Division I-AA opponents in 7 weeks. And the best part of it…. I’ll be at every one except the UC Davis game on November 13th. So let the games begin…. It’s time for some NCAA Division I-AA football. Well, I guess after this week…. On the other hand, this isn’t Valporaiso or Montana Tech coming to town…. Life isn’t always…. For one collegiate athlete and their family this past week, life took a turn towards the landfill. A moment in time so devastating that athletics no longer meant life or death, but represented inspiration and hope. We’ve all been there…. On our high-horse looking at the world from our elevated perch and then our life crashes and brings us back to reality. The son of a former associate of mine, Al Waite, was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease or cancer of the lymphatic system. Jesse Waite, a college sophomore, possesses the God-given talent of throwing a baseball 95 mph… Major League Baseball scouts were drooling over this lanky young man since the end of last season. But now? His father was so filled with pride when Jesse was on the mound. But now? As I talked to Al on the phone last night, the worry for his son’s health was very evident in his voice. Baseball wasn’t important… Life was…. The story is true, Mike Maresh. Getting busted by the cops just isn’t that important…. Life is. So learn a lesson, because life is staring you right in the face…. As for Jesse, I’m not so sure…. The Test…. The Carson-Newman Eagles football team will be competing in a dome for the first time in school history. Which makes me believe it’s time to test the decibel meter in the Fargodome. Not worried about the NDSU student body…. Not worried about 20 percent of other Bison fans…. It’s the other 80 percent of Bison fans that need to get on their feet and makes some noise. I feel a story coming on…. Back in 1995, I attended a University of Nebraska Cornhusker game at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Those Husker fans were on their feet 99% of the game…. Bison fans get tired just standing up for the kickoff. Now I understand that some people are not able to stand and that’s perfectly fine. But if your mouth works… use it. Bison stars…. Over the first three games, NG Isaac Snell has made an impression on this Bison fans. Snell enters the Carson-Newman game with 7.5 tackles for loss and has definitely established himself as a man to be reconed with in the middle of the defensive line. Originally recruited by the Bison as a linebacker out of Pipestone, Minnesota, Snell didn’t immediately blossom onto the scene as a top-line defender. Several years of seasoning and hard work have paid off for the senior Bison nose guard and now he has become a true leader on the NDSU defense. Another Bison player is starting to make an impression on fans for his hard running and athleticism. HB Mark Moore was recruited from Shorewood-Messmer Co-op (WI), a high school football program that only won a fistful of game during Moore’s playing days there. Last week against Montana Tech, Moore cracked a 64 yard touchdown run and I couldn’t have been more proud of the young man. I knew his time would come because Mark is just too good of a football player. Quality RB depth is Bison luxury…. On a side note…. Okay, I know… Some of you don’t like it when Bison Insider columnist come down on the Bison program for virtually anything. How do I know?… The Bison Insider mailbox is full the next day…. But the new Thundar head has got to go!!! It would be okay if the head actually looked like a Bison head, but not a horse. The snout is too long and it’s time for a redesign. I wouldn’t even mention anything, but I’ve heard comments from too many people saying exactly same thing. One more time…. I’ve heard talk from numerous Bison fans that Carson-Newman is just another cupcake on the Bison schedule. I shouldn’t need to remind Bison fans that the Bison football team is only one year removed from NCAA Division II football. And also shouldn’t need to remind you of a certain top NCAA Division II team heading to Montana last year and knocking off the ‘king dogs’ of Division I-AA. Carson-Newman is a top Division II team, but the Bison aren’t a member of the DI-AA elite yet…. The Bison should win, but they better bring their ‘A’ game. Let’s take a quick look at the Eagles…. The Offense.... Base Offense: Veer Option…. The Eagles have seven starters back from last year’s team are very deep at quarterback and running back. The Eagles were fifth nationally in total offense last season with an average of over 479 yards per game. Carson-Newman also led the nation in rushing offense (341 yds./game) and were fifth in scoring offense. Senior Shane Kelly (5-11 185 Sevierville, Tennessee) is one of the top signal-callers in the South Atlantic Conference this season. He has thrown for 262 yards and 1 touchdown in 2004, while carrying the ball 15 times for 237 yards and 4 touchdowns. In other words, Kelley has averaged 15.8 yards per carry this season. Four Eagles runners are featured in the offensive backfield; J.J. Chatmon (5-9 200 Cartersville, Georgia), Ray Hightower (6-0 193 Belfast, Tennessee), Rayvon Howard (5-9 190 Brewton, Alabama) and Kiel Angry (5-9 205 Smithville, Georgia). The Carson-Newman ‘running back committee’ has rushed the ball 74 times for 505 yards and 7 touchdowns. Leading the Eagles’ receiving crew is TE Leonard Weaver. In 2004, Leonard has hauled in 5 catches for 114 yards and 1 touchdown. The Carson-Newman offense has averaged 366 yards on the ground and 131 yards throught the air for an average total offense of 488 yards of total offense per game this season…. The Defense.... Base Defense: Multiple 50… On the defensive side of the ball, Carson-Newman is led by inside linebacker Eric Solomon (6-0 215 Fort Valley, Georgia), the teams leading tackler from last season. After the first 2 games of the 2004 season, Solomon leads the Eagles defense again with 19 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 2 quarterback sacks. The Carson-Newman defense also features LB Eric Rice (5-11 190 Thomasville, Georgia) 13 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 interception; FS Brandon Walden (5-11 175 Thomasville, Georgia) 10 tackles and 3 pass breakups; and DT Brad Yearout (6-2 265 Knoxville, Tennessee) 9 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 1 quarterback sack. For the year, the Eagles defense has given up an average of 256 yards on the ground and 134 yards through the air per game. History.... This will be the first meeting between the Carson-Newman Eagles and the North Dakota State University Bison football teams…. Show Me the Keys.... * Again this week the Bison offensive line has a huge weight advantage…. This game should favor the Bison offense in a game of good ole’ smash mouth. The Bison offensive coordinator would be wise to play this game between the tackles. Bison fans should see FB Tyler Roehl carry the ball for the first time…. * Bison QB Tony Stauss must capitalize on the Eagles putting 8 or 9 defenders in the box. Slant patterns by the Bison wideouts will be key to a successful passing game…. * Sacks, interceptions, fumbles... Goal for takeaways this week? Three…. Three turnovers from the Bison defense equals a comfortable win this Saturday…. Four sacks means a Bison blowout…. * The full stable of Bison wide receivers; Marques Johnson, Allen Burrell, and Travis White all showed up big time for the Bison last weekend…. Consistency from game to game is the key…. * Score early! It never hurts to put the smack on lesser competition early and often. The longer the Eagles stay in this game, the higher their confidence will soar…. * The Bison linebackers Mays, Zimmerman, Kittleson, and Erenberg must control the running/scrambling of Carson-Newman quarterback Shane Kelley…. Three yards is okay but 15-20 yards will put the Bison defense on their heels. * The Bison coaching staff can’t be afraid to switch quarterbacks if the Bison offense struggles. Sometimes change is good…. * One word -- 'Consistency'.... from play to play; from game to game.... Bison consistency on both offensive and defensive will make the Bison awfully tough to contain. Young players such as LB Joe Mays, FB Tyler Roehl, WR/P Mike Dragosavich, RB Cinque Chapman and RB Shamen Washington will play a major factor in the success of the Bison program this year… And bring Bison football back to the standards set by the 80s and 90s teams…. Jottings.... - The weight in the trenches: Offensive line: NDSU 301, Carson-Newman 267 Defensive line: NDSU 268, Carson-Newman 252 - Injuries this week: Last injury report showed a full go this week…. - Saturday night’s game in the Fargodome will be the first time any Carson-Newman football team has ever played indoors…. - Carson-Newman offensive Coordinator Mike Turner was named the 2003 American Football Coaches Association Division II Assistant Coach of the Year… - 2004 SAC Football Coaches Pre-season Poll: 1. Carson-Newman 2. Tusculum 3. Catawba 4. Mars Hill 5. Wingate 6. Presbyterian 7. Newberry 8. Lenoir-Rhyne….. - Audio of Carson-Newman football games is available on the internet free of charge… - Roger Thomas is a weenie.... Most of you probably don't know who this is anymore. Let's see if I can trigger some memories? He is an athletic director for a small time college in North Dakota.... - The Carson-Newman football team has won 17 of the last 24 South Atlantic Conference championships…. - The Carson-Newman Eagles offense returns seven starters from a team that led the nation in rushing offense in 2003 with 341 yards per game, including two-time All-American offensive lineman Reggie Perkins…. - Bison RB Shamen Washington was named Great West Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for last weeks performance against Montana Tech….. Washington returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. The first Bison kickoff return for touchdown since Richard Lewis scored on a 94 yard return in 2001…. - Poll Watch: The Bison are currently ranked #35 by the Weekly Football Gazette. Carson-Newman is ranked #3 by both D2football.com and in the AFCA Division II Coaches Poll.... - The NDSU defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in the 2004 season…..