Vikings head to winless Jewell

Senior Colin Smith and the Vikings' defense hope to shut down another dangerous, if luckless, HAAC foe Saturday at William Jewell. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Those concerned about the direction the Missouri Valley College football team would take after eking out a one-point win at Benedictine the previous game were heartened Saturday.

"We had better intensity and focus," head coach Paul Troth said about the Vikings' 36-12 win over Graceland. "We wanted to see an improvement in that."

While the Yellowjackets had a dangerous weapon in prospective NFL running back Jerome Messam, winless William Jewell -- which Valley will meet Saturday in a Heart of America Conference contest at Liberty -- seems to offer considerably less.

Still, the Cardinals (0-4, 0-4 HAAC) may not be as feckless as their record suggests.

"That's the concerning thing about this," Troth said. "They haven't had any breaks this year."

Jewell is in the middle of the league pack in total offense (298.3 yards per game), but last in scoring (7.8 points per game) and possess a minus-5 turnover margin.

"They've struggled to score points," Troth noted. "You hope they don't figure it out against us."

The passing numbers of junior quarterback Drew Witman are up considerably from last year, putting him fifth in the loop at 221.8 yards per game, but Troth said some of that is because "they've been trying to come from behind. They've been throwing a lot to catch up."

That, and the Cardinals are last in the league in rushing offense (75.5 points). Nonetheless, they have three solid receivers -- each of whom had 13 receptions, with junior Taylor Gallagher averaging 15.2 yards per catch.

On the flip side, Jewell boasts the HAAC's top pass defense (138.5 yards per game) and is fifth overall in total defense (333.3). So why are the Cardinals eighth in scoring defense (28.3 ppg)?

"They've given up some big plays, but they're busted plays," Troth explained. "It's not like they're not executing."

The way Jewell uses its secondary can be a challenge for opposing offenses.

"They mix up their coverages a lot, they disguise it," Troth said. "They do a couple of things that are unorthodox."

Coming off an emotional win and with Homecoming the following week, 11th-ranked Valley (4-1, 4-1) cannot afford to overlook a struggling opponent.

"Any time you're playing a team that on paper people say you should beat, you worry about it," Troth remarked. "If you don't play and execute, there are a number of teams that can beat you."