Rodgers stymied by nine-man drop

Sunday, November 25, 2012

— Kevin Rodgers’ fade pass floated down the right side of the field in the fourth quarter Saturday afternoon and settled in the arms of Henderson State wide receiver Darius Davis.

It was a 36-yard gain that put Rodgers, the Reddies’ sophomore quarterback, on top of the school’s career passing list as he finished Saturday’s NCAA Division II second-round playoff game with 412 yards, one of his biggest passing days in a season full of them.

Problem was, Davis’ catch was meaningless when it came to the outcome of Saturday’s game, and after three more plays, Henderson State’s first trip to the playoffs ended with a 45-21 loss to Missouri Western State.

In some ways, Saturday looked a lot like most of Henderson State’s games this season, with Rodgers flinging passes and piling up yards.

But Rodgers, who completed his first full season as a starter, also threw four interceptions, a career high, and had eight passes tipped at the line of scrimmmage while Missouri Western slowed and rattled the Reddies’ Spread offense more than anyone had all season.

“You’ve got to bring your ‘A’ game, and we didn’t do that,” Rodgers said. “Give credit where credit is due. Missouri Western is a great football team. They brought their ‘A’ game. It just drives us to work harder this offseason.”

Rodgers finished Saturday 37 of 65 passing to finish the year with 4,002 passing yards and 41 touchdowns, giving him 5,269 career passing yards with two years of eligibility remaining.

By those measures, Rodgers had a pretty good first full season as a starter.

On Saturday, Missouri Western threw off Rodgers by routinely dropping up to nine players in pass coverage to disrupt the Reddies’ crossing receivers.

Rodgers was intercepted by Missouri Western linebackers twice in the first half, the first leading to a Missouri Western touchdown giving the Griffons a 14-7 lead. The second interception didn’t lead to a score, but Raymond Cottman jumped a slant route at the 10 to keep the Reddies out of the end zone and they trailed 31-14 at halftime.

“When you’re a quarterback and you’re trying to make plays, you’re going to do that,” Henderson State Coach Scott Maxfield said. “He’s probably not proud or happy with the way he played today, but I’m still glad he’s my quarterback.”

Maxfield has said Rodgers’ ability to shake off even the smallest of mistakes was key to his success. Rodgers threw two first-half interceptions an October game against Harding, but he ended up with 466 yards yards in a 38-10 victory.

Two second-half interceptions followed the two firsthalf interceptions for Rodgers, including one that led to a touchdown and a 45-14 Reddies deficit.

“Every play is a new play,” Rodgers said. “But I’ll tell you now, I’ll remember that the whole offseason.”

The Griffons kept Rodgers off balance staying back instead of chasing after Rodgers, who wasn’t sacked Saturday,

Defensive linemen and linebackers dropped into coverage, and those at the line of scrimmage were instructed to reach their arms up in the way of a pass.

“We kind of just took a gamble and put our hands up,” said Missouri Western defensive tackle David Bass, who broke up two passes.

The strategy left Rodgers plenty of time to throw, but the more defenders in coverage narrowed his passing lanes and limited room for receivers to run.

Henderson State got its yards, but with only 4 of 67 passing plays going for 20 yards or more, it was missing the big plays that had become a staple.

“It’s very disappointing and very, very frustrating,” receiver Dustin Holland said. “All of a sudden, it’s not going your way. We try pressing a little bit. ... I think we tried to force the plays instead of taking what they were giving us, which was the underneath, and letting our guys run and catch.”

Sports, Pages 32 on 11/25/2012