Vikings hoping to end first half unblemished

Missouri Valley College played textbook road football for the second time this season last week against a team which had beaten it in 2007.

As it did a fortnight earlier at Graceland, the Vikings built up a big lead -- thanks to a defense which wouldn't surrender a touchdown -- during a 47-10 romp at Evangel. Despite how it may have looked on paper, though, MVC head coach Paul Troth considered the effort "far from perfect."

"We're overcoming some mistakes by hustling," he conceded, "but we're still making too many mistakes."

Valley hasn't trailed for more than two minutes through four games this season, but two years ago -- when it ran the table on the Heart of America Conference -- it fell behind early to Central Methodist, this week's guest at Gregg-Mitchell Field.

"We haven't had to play from behind, but each week it gets harder and harder," Troth said. "We're going to have some games where we'll have to."

The Eagles (1-3, 1-2 HAAC) gave new head coach Alan Dykens a lift to begin the season, beaten his alma mater Graceland -- where he served as defensive coordinator last year -- before losing competitive contests to league foes William Jewell (24-13) and Evangel (27-17), followed by a 47-19 blowout at the hands of NCAA Division II member Tennessee Tech.

"Their offense is so much more diverse" than in past years, Troth observed about the changes Dykens' staff has wrought at Fayette. "This has been the most difficult game to prepare for due to having so many things to get ready for."

Methodist has a proven quarterback in junior Brock Brockmeier, a third-year starter who has passed for 595 yards and three touchdowns -- with five interceptions -- this season.

"He's smart and he gets rid of the ball," Troth said. "They formation you with so much stuff."

Still, the Eagles remain primarily a running team, with senior Rashad Lee topping the list with 152 yards on 23 carries. By comparison, senior Robert Holmes leads the Vikings with 397 yards and five TDs, and usually gets plenty of rest by alternating with senior David Allen.

Allen was on the shelf last week, but Ethan Leigh -- a freshman from traditional Class 4 power Camdenton -- filled in nicely with 83 yards on nine attempts.

Whether Valley will be able to pound the ball at a defense which ranks fourth in the league (323.3 yards per game) is the question.

"They have a lot of different stunts, they blitz and bring guys from all different directions," Troth said. "They remind you of our defense with all the different things they do."

Yet, Methodist doesn't quite stack up statistically, even against three common opponents. The Vikings rank second in the NAIA in run defense (21.0 ypg) and in preventing opponents to convert on fourth down (14.8 percent), and are third in the nation in total defense (141.5).

With an open date next week and a huge contest at No. 6 MidAmerica Nazarene -- the HAAC's only other unbeaten team -- two weeks away, the mid-point game could be a trap for third-ranked Valley (4-0, 4-0).

"I think our guys understand Central Methodist presents the challenge this week," Troth asserted. "Our goal is to improve something every week, and we've got to do that against Central Methodist."