Cougars Kick Off Second Half of Season with Red Devils

What: CUC Football at Eureka
Where: Pete FioRito Stadium at McKinzie Field, Eureka, IL
When: Saturday, Oct. 19 at 4:00

What a difference a decade can make. In 2008, just one of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference's eight teams averaged over 30 points per game. In 2009, the Cougars were the only team with that distinction, as they put up 33.1 per game. Fast forward to 2019, where three NACC teams are averaging over 30 points, with a fourth team - CUC - on the brink at 29.8 per game.

With that in mind, we look at the Cougars' opponent for this week, Eureka College. The defending NACC champion Red Devils are averaging 37 points per game - second only to the unreal numbers being put up by Aurora's offense (51.0). However, Eureka is allowing the most points in the NACC at 38.0 per game. For the average fan, is there any reason to think that this Saturday's game won't be akin to a high-scoring Wild West shootout?

Of course, the Cougars' offensive production has been no mystery. Last week, Lance Moise became CUC's all-time leading rusher as he amassed 205 yards in 28 carries at Aurora. Moise passed Khyree Copeland's standard of 3,957 on a five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and the senior will head into his final five games looking to build on a new standard of 4,059 yards. Both Moise and CUC head coach Jason Aubry have been quick to point out the role of the offensive line and their part in that record, with Aubry stating that "it all starts with those guys. Credit (first-year CUC coach) Jack Rustman too for the job he's done working with them. Whether it's blocking for Lance, protecting our quarterbacks or everything else they do, our offense doesn't accomplish nearly as much this year without them."

As for Eureka's offense, it figured that they might take a big hit after losing Le'Anthony Reasnover, the number two rusher in the nation last year with 2.178 yards. However, the Red Devils have retooled behind quarterback Drew Barth. The senior has thrown for 308 yards per game and has a great 18-2 ratio in touchdowns to interceptions. His top receiver is James Douglas III, averaging over seven catches and 137 yards per game while reaching the end zone 10 times. And while the Red Devils have achieved a great deal of success with the passing game, last week's 26-20 win in overtime against Wisconsin Lutheran saw Eureka gain more yards on the ground than through the air. Joe Hughes ran for 180 yards on 38 carries with three touchdowns, including the game-winner.

How might the two teams' defenses try to counter the opposing offenses? For CUC, the sack attack continues to be a factor, and at the halfway point of the season, the Cougars' 19 sacks have them on a pace to break the 1994 team's season record of 31. Tyler Creamer added two sacks last week, and he is fast gaining a reputation for making the big plays as evidenced by 3.5 sacks (tied with Matt Henning for the team lead) and two of CUC's four interceptions in his first five games.

For Eureka, their pass rush has brought down the quarterback 10 times, but their secondary has been disruptive too. Seven of the team's nine takeaways have come on interceptions, with Nehemiah Butler and Adrian Walker accounting for two picks each.

For Coach Aubry, it's all about CUC moving forward on a consistent basis, When the Cougars lost 54-24 to Olivet College back on Sept. 14, the team regrouped in their practices before going out and putting together two consistent, improved and winning efforts against Finlandia University and Lakeland University. Now coming off their second loss of the season at Aurora, Aubry reports that the Cougars have responded with an attitude in practice this week similar to what they showed after Olivet. "We know that we still have a lot of games in front of us, and the commitment to learning from those losses and getting better in our particular areas has not diminished. We still know the kind of season we are capable of having, and we believe in what we can do."

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Players Mentioned

#8 Khyree Copeland: RB; 5' 8"; Senior

#13 Matt Henning: LB; 6' 0"; Senior

#24 Lance Moise: RB; 5' 11"; Senior

#7 Tyler Creamer: DB; 5' 9"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#8 Khyree Copeland
: 5' 8"; Senior
: RB

#13 Matt Henning
: 6' 0"; Senior
: LB

#24 Lance Moise
: 5' 11"; Senior
: RB

#7 Tyler Creamer
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: DB