Hlas: Playoff system works just fine for Coe and D-III

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Coe College finished its football season with the same record as the one owned by the big school at the other end of the Corridor, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

But Coe's 10-2 mark included a trip to the national playoffs and the knowledge of how far it got in a national playoff. It will never wonder how it would have fared in such a tournament, a la the BCS-captive Hawkeyes.

The Kohawks reached the quarterfinals of the 16-team NCAA Division III playoffs, where their season was ended by a 34-7 thumping from the Tommies of St. Thomas. But Coe will always have the Saturday before, when it shocked the Johnnies of St. John's, the perennial D-III power 90 minutes north of the Twin Cities.

And the Kohawks will always have this most excellent 10-2 season, in which they got as deep into the playoffs as ever before, and made a 6-win improvement from Steve Staker's first season as Coe's coach.

“We were picked seventh in the conference,” said Coe senior linebacker Tate Harrison, and that was true. The preseason voting was done by Iowa Conference coaches.

“That was kind of bulletin board material for us. We looked at that every day.”

But the Kohawks had lost five offensive linemen and four defensive linemen from their 2008 squad, so it wasn't as if IIAC coaches were dissing them. Coe simply went back to what it has done in the not-so distant past, which was play fine football. Three shared league-titles since 2002 was a foundation for Staker when he took the job last year.

One unavoidable problem with a playoff system is that teams can physically wither. Coe lost all-conference quarterback Brad Boyle to a separated shoulder at St. John's.

Boyle would have needed to be beyond sensational to lead the Kohawks past St. Thomas, but his absence hurt.

“Brad sees the field so well and is such a strong kid,” Staker said. “He just makes plays happen.”

He also stops bad plays from happening. Boyle had a mere one interception this season. Saturday, freshman Jared McNutt threw three in the unenviable role of making his first college start in a road playoff game.

Realistically, he played about as well as someone in his spot could have. He helped Coe get to the red zone on a few occasions. but the finishing touches were lacking. McNutt will be a good one. This was just too much, too soon.

But Coe had several other players who watched last week's practices from the sideline before suiting up here on Saturday.

Ely's Tyler Takes, a junior receiver, hadn't practiced over the last four weeks because of a nasty leg bruise. He made a fantastic catch on Coe's one touchdown drive here, had the wind knocked out of him, and came back for more. The only time he wasn't hobbling, it seemed, was when he was running routes or fielding kickoffs.

Linebacker Ross Yeast had a stinger last week, but played Saturday. Harrison missed practice all week with turf toe, then battled the Tommies' sturdy offensive linemen.

Top running back Sam Hammes missed last week's game with a knee injury, was cleared to go Saturday, but was reinjured on his first carry and done for the day.

“We were a little short-handed,” Staker said, “but in this game you've got to overcome those odds.”

Sometimes, though, you just can't when the foe is capable and playing well. A tragic loss, this wasn't. A terrific season, it was.

“I think,” Takes said, “it's going to do a lot for next year and years to come.”

“I told our kids they need to hold their heads high,” said Staker. “They had an outstanding year that no one ever expected.”