TERRE HAUTE —
NFL teams welcome the bye week as a time for injuries to heal and players to take a well-deserved mental break from game competition.
At the NCAA Division III level, Rose-Hulman received a football bye last week that could not have come at a better place in the schedule.
“We had a nice week of practice,” Rose coach Jeff Sokol said. “And it actually fell during our school break, so we got to send the kids home for a few days. So it was good mentally and good physically.”
The Engineers will need all of their available talent back and healthy for Saturday. That’s when they’ll travel to Franklin to take on the perennial Division III powerhouse Grizzlies, who captured the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship last season and sit in a tie for first place with Hanover at 4-0 this season.
Game time is 1:30 p.m.
Rose-Hulman is 2-2 in the conference (2-4 overall) after playing almost two full games without running back Kyle Kovach, the school’s all-time leading rusher who has gained 572 yards on the ground in 2012.
Coincidentally or not, the Engineers lost those last two games — at Hanover (33-27 in overtime Sept. 29) and at home to Bluffton (37-34 in triple OT Oct. 6).
Sokol said Kovach, who’s recovering from a bone bruise in his foot that he suffered in the first half against Hanover, would not have been able to play if his squad had a game this past weekend. But with the extra week of rest, the 5-foot-8, 185-pound senior has a chance to play Saturday.
“We hope he’ll be back Saturday, but as of right now he’s day-to-day,” Sokol said over the weekend.
The Engineers’ second-year coach did not blame the heartbreaking defeats on Kovach’s absence.
“We’ve always talked about how good our backup running backs are,” he explained. “Our backup, junior Danya Francis, rushed for more than 100 yards in both of those games, so he’s doing a great job. … We’ve been a little more balanced between running and throwing without Kyle.”
But Sokol admitted that Kovach’s return will be appreciated whenever it does happen.
“Kyle is a breakaway threat that we definitely miss,” Sokol pointed out, “but Danya has done a great job of making the most of his opportunities.”
Looking at the bigger picture, Sokol realizes the losses to Hanover and Bluffton may have taken the Engineers out of the HCAC title hunt. Any hopes that remain hinge on beating Franklin this weekend.
Sokol took advantage of his rare gameless Saturday last weekend to scout the Grizzlies as they routed Anderson 69-0.
“They’re very, very solid on defense,” he said with much respect. “They don’t have any holes. They’re outstanding at throwing the football — very, very efficient. [Kyle] Linville is as good of a receiver as you’ll see at this level. Their quarterback, Jonny West, is really good. He throws very few incompletions.”
Sokol added that the Grizzlies aren’t perfect, but they’re not far from it.
“There’s definitely stuff that we think we can take advantage of,” he continued. “If they leave a little crack of an opportunity, you’ve got to take advantage of it quickly.”
Unfortunately for the Engineers, that’s something they didn’t do often enough in their two recent setbacks.
“You think about the different opportunities you had to make plays,” Sokol reflected. “It’s definitely frustrating. When you play so many close games, it’s easy to second-guess plays. But you just have to do what you have to do to win football games up ahead.”
The Rose coach praised the 2012 effort of senior quarterback Mitch Snyder of Casey, Ill. He’s completed 121 of 212 attempts for eight touchdowns and 1,224 yards with six interceptions.
“He’s having a nice season,” Sokol assessed. “He’s been a little up and down, but he’s taken a lot better care of the ball this season.”
One injured player who won’t be back for a while is junior safety T.J. Chin, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament early in the season.
Dealing with their fair share of adversity, the Engineers may be challenged to continue their string of seasons with .500 or better records. After Franklin, they’ll visit Mount St. Joseph on Oct. 27, return home for a Nov. 3 matchup against Anderson and finish off the season Nov. 10 with a home contest against Earlham.
The last year in which Rose didn’t finish at least .500 was 2004 when it ended up 4-6. Winning three out of the final four will be needed to keep the streak going through 2012.
“We didn’t do ourselves any favors by losing to Hanover and Bluffton in overtime,” Sokol acknowledged. “Obviously, if we were able to take better advantage of those situations, we’d be playing a championship-level game this Saturday. For us to have a chance of winning the conference now, we’d need a lot of help.
“It’s not everything we had hoped for, but we’ve got no one to blame but ourselves.”
Coming up
• Rose-Hulman continues its season at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Franklin. The rest of the Engineers schedule is:
at Mount St. Joseph Oct. 27
Anderson Nov. 3
Earlham Nov. 10
Sports
Related Photos
-
On the field: Rose senior quarterback Mitch Snyder (above) of Casey, Ill., has passed for eight touchdowns and 1,224 yards with six interceptions. Submitted photo
-
Running back Greg Lee has gained playing time because of the injury to Kyle Kovach, the school’s all-time leading rusher. Submitted photos
Discussion
Home Stretch
Coming off of bye week, Rose ready for rest of season
- Sports
-
IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, stands in his team pit box as he waits for the start of the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
-
Top guns, again
For the sixth time in his Indy career Friday, three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves won the Pit Stop Challenge on Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
-
Sycamores bow out of MVC Tournament
Indiana State’s baseball was out of pitching, and after a loss to Wichita State on Thursday, the Sycamores were out of second-chances too at the Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament. What the Sycamores weren’t out of was heart, guts and clutch performances from some unlikely sources. But in the end, Friday’s elimination game rematch against the Shockers was a sampling of ISU’s season overall — the Sycamores were out of luck.
-
Freshman Hambrock, THS seek semistate tennis title
Having already claimed Terre Haute North Sectional and Greencastle Regional championships in girls high school tennis, Terre Haute South will try to add a semistate title to its 2013 list of accomplishments today as the Braves battle No. 25-ranked Greenwood.
-
Coach adds regional host to job description
John Hayes has been a familiar face at high school baseball games this spring as he always is, enjoying the games but also looking for players who can help his Wayne Newton Post 346 American Legion team that will start its summer season shortly.
-
Prep roundup: South Vermillion reaches baseball sectional final
South Vermillion built an early 7-0 lead late Thursday night, then held off Owen Valley by a 10-4 score to advance to the championship game of the Class 3A West Vigo Sectional for high school baseball.
-
Metro Sports: Chalk up No. 5 for Liz Evans
Senior Liz Evans capped the top career in Rose-Hulman athletics history with her fifth national championship and eighth All-American award at Wisconsin-La Crosse on Friday.
-
Four Indiana State athletes advance to NCAA outdoor track and field championships
Three Indiana State seniors and a freshman have punched their tickets to the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in two weeks at Eugene, Ore., with their Friday efforts in the 2013 NCAA East Preliminary at Aggie Stadium on the campus of North Carolina A&T.
-
West Vigo advances to sectional championship with walk-off win in ninth
High school baseball sectional games between West Vigo and Edgewood have had a tendency to be unpredictable over the years, but the Vikings and Mustangs outdid themselves in that area Thursday evening — and Thursday night.
-
Wichita State shuts out ISU to force elimination-game rematch
Indiana State starting pitcher Greg Kuhlman did his best.
Actually, he did far better than he ever has previously in an ISU uniform, but while Kuhlman’s gutty pitching effort spoke volumes, ISU’s bats remained ominously silent. -
BOYS TRACK REGIONAL: North gets three winners, South two at Evansville
Terre Haute North had three winners, Terre Haute South two, and the Patriots and Braves finished second and third respectively at the Evansville Regional for boys track on Thursday at Evansville Central.
Hurdlers Cam Stewart and Cole Seward and discus thrower Lee Davis were the winners for North, enabling the Patriots to finish with 60 points to 59 for the Braves.
-
Top guns, again
- Local Interest
-
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete
Rose-Hulman senior Liz Evans earned her fifth career NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Field Athlete of the Year honor, according to results released Wednesday by the U.S. Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association.
-
Terry enjoys strong year with Wildcats, and still enjoying suiting up to play
South Vermillion’s Tim Terry is the longest tenured coach in Wabash Valley high school baseball as his Wildcats are set to begin sectional play Thursday against Owen Valley.
But on the Yankees, a 35-and-over team in the Terre Haute Men’s Senior Baseball League, Terry is “just a youngster” if you ask Larry Roesch, his 68-year-old teammate on the Volkers Group Yankees. -
Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
-
Indiana State baseball series canceled
Heavy rain from Thursday through Saturday has forced Indiana State and Tennessee Martin to cancel their three-game weekend baseball series in northwest Tennessee.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman baseball to play DePauw on Thursday after Tuesday's rain
The Rose-Hulman baseball team has rescheduled its non-conference game with DePauw to Thursday night.
The start time remains 7 p.m. for the single nine-inning game that was originally scheduled for today. Tuesday’s scheduled Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game at Anderson was moved to Sunday because of rain.
-
METRO ROUNDUP: Rose-Hulman's Evans honored as Great Lakes' top athlete
- High School
-
-
Freshman Hambrock, THS seek semistate tennis title
Having already claimed Terre Haute North Sectional and Greencastle Regional championships in girls high school tennis, Terre Haute South will try to add a semistate title to its 2013 list of accomplishments today as the Braves battle No. 25-ranked Greenwood.
- Prep roundup: South Vermillion reaches baseball sectional final
- West Vigo advances to sectional championship with walk-off win in ninth
- BOYS TRACK REGIONAL: North gets three winners, South two at Evansville
- PREP ROUNDUP: Martinsville adavances in Class 4A THS Sectional
-
- College
-
-
Sycamores bow out of MVC Tournament
Indiana State’s baseball was out of pitching, and after a loss to Wichita State on Thursday, the Sycamores were out of second-chances too at the Missouri Valley Conference baseball tournament. What the Sycamores weren’t out of was heart, guts and clutch performances from some unlikely sources. But in the end, Friday’s elimination game rematch against the Shockers was a sampling of ISU’s season overall — the Sycamores were out of luck.
-
Metro Sports: Chalk up No. 5 for Liz Evans
Senior Liz Evans capped the top career in Rose-Hulman athletics history with her fifth national championship and eighth All-American award at Wisconsin-La Crosse on Friday.
-
Four Indiana State athletes advance to NCAA outdoor track and field championships
Three Indiana State seniors and a freshman have punched their tickets to the NCAA outdoor track and field championships in two weeks at Eugene, Ore., with their Friday efforts in the 2013 NCAA East Preliminary at Aggie Stadium on the campus of North Carolina A&T.
-
Wichita State shuts out ISU to force elimination-game rematch
Indiana State starting pitcher Greg Kuhlman did his best.
Actually, he did far better than he ever has previously in an ISU uniform, but while Kuhlman’s gutty pitching effort spoke volumes, ISU’s bats remained ominously silent. -
Indiana State baseball now one win from MVC Championship
Indiana State’s Wednesday morning wish list probably read something like this: a dominant complete game effort from starting pitcher Devin Moore, near-immaculate defense to support him, and a steady diet of clutch situational hitting from lineup spots one to nine.
-
Sycamores bow out of MVC Tournament
- Sports Columns
-
-
RAMBLIN' RECK: Sunday promises to be big day in Indy
Sunday promises to be a super day in Indianapolis.
It’s the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 followed by Indiana vs. Miami in the third game of the National Basketball Association playoffs. - TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic
- Shooters compete to fight cancer
- TILL IT'S OVER: Terre Haute Triathlon's new race director seeks more events for his hometown
- TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
-
RAMBLIN' RECK: Sunday promises to be big day in Indy
- Pro Sports
-
-
Luck having fun with his first OTAs
A year ago, quarterback Andrew Luck was unable to attend the Indianapolis Colts’ organized team activity practices due to school commitments at Stanford.
Luck, though, went on to have a stellar year for the Colts despite the lack of summer work with the team. Still, in a sense, he is a rookie during this year’s OTA workouts.
“These are my first OTAs. I missed these last year, so I think it’s great. It’s great to get on the field with the defense and trouble-shoot some stuff. Obviously, some of us ran some of this stuff [offense] at Stanford [under new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton]. But to get out there with the defense and trouble-shoot some stuff is good,” Luck said Wednesday as the team wrapped up its first week of on-field voluntary practice sessions. - Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
- Colts in wait-and-see mode for tonight’s NFL draft
- Colts sign Matt Hasselbeck to back up Luck
- Colts introduce free-agent signees
-
Luck having fun with his first OTAs
- Terre Haute Rex
-
Consultation: Rex manager Brian Dorsett talks with his pitcher and players during a time-out Sunday, July 15, at Sycamore Field. (Tribune-Star file/Bob Poynter)
-
2012 an up, down season for Rex
The Terre Haute Rex went through plenty of trials and tribulations during the summer of 2012.
The team got off to a sluggish start to settle for third place during the first half of the Prospect League race, but manager Brian Dorsett rallied the troops to a second-half title. - Metro Roundup: Dorsett, Rex players honored in Prospect League postseason awards
- Rex out of playoffs
- Rex mix, match their way to win
- Rex turn eye to Prospect playoffs
-
2012 an up, down season for Rex
- Colts
-
-
Luck having fun with his first OTAs
A year ago, quarterback Andrew Luck was unable to attend the Indianapolis Colts’ organized team activity practices due to school commitments at Stanford.
Luck, though, went on to have a stellar year for the Colts despite the lack of summer work with the team. Still, in a sense, he is a rookie during this year’s OTA workouts.
“These are my first OTAs. I missed these last year, so I think it’s great. It’s great to get on the field with the defense and trouble-shoot some stuff. Obviously, some of us ran some of this stuff [offense] at Stanford [under new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton]. But to get out there with the defense and trouble-shoot some stuff is good,” Luck said Wednesday as the team wrapped up its first week of on-field voluntary practice sessions. - Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
- Werner, 36 others open Colts’ mini camp
- Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
- Werner at top of game
-
Luck having fun with his first OTAs
- Auto Racing
-
IndyCar driver Helio Castroneves, of Brazil, stands in his team pit box as he waits for the start of the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Friday, May 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
-
Top guns, again
For the sixth time in his Indy career Friday, three-time Indy 500 champion Helio Castroneves won the Pit Stop Challenge on Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- Looking for Indy breakthrough, Kanaan enjoying role as team mentor
- TRACKSIDE: Local drivers, owners looking to have strong night at Tony Hulman Classic
- Carpenter arrives as Indy 500 threat
- Carpenter wins Indy 500 pole
-
Top guns, again
New Galaxy Star Robbie Rogers Makes History
George discusses Game 2 performance
West happy with Game 2 win over Heat
Spoelstra on Heat's missed opportunities
Stephenson talks big Game 2 win
Castroneves, Franchitti on making history at Indy
Wertheim: Women's French Open Preview
Mattingly's Dodgers days still may be done
LeBron: 'My turnovers hurt more than anything'
Bosh, Heat not playing up to par
White Hot Heat! Heat vs. Pacers tonight
Cavaliers Use Day Off to Prepare for FSU
Nate Allen is looking for a bounce back season
Seabrook on Canucks series in 2011
Three and Out: Wheeler or Pineda
Cubs' Sveum on Jackson's struggles
Game 4: Blackhawks played against a "really smart team"
Game 4: Blackhawks' Seabrooks "deserved limited minutes"
Game 4: Blackhawks started, couldn't finish
Phil Jackson on leadership: 'You have to follow your intuitive nature'
Massive Flooding in San Antonio Area; Rescue Efforts Underway
Hope For The Boy Who Can't Smile
Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k
Young protestor goes viral on Youtube
High Wire Spectacle Thrills Crowd in Austria
Toronto Mayor says he's not a crack head
Maine island offers lighthouse getaway
Suspect in Killing of Officer Found Dead in Cell
Should We Prepare for Quakes?
Lynn Kindergarten Class Rescues Ducklings
Congressional gold medal awarded to civil rights heroes
Charles Ramsey visits Kentucky
Unique Display Greets Guests At Revel Casino
Cape Cod Train Service Worries Residents
BASE jumper rides snowmobile off cliff to honor dead friend
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
SHOCKING: School Guard Throws Girl Down Stairs
Star Wars X-Wing Star Fighter Made of Legos
Actress Amanda Bynes Arrested in New York
Singer Psy Has An Imposter
