By James J. Parziale
Don't get him wrong, Joe Gardi is not happy his football team will likely be left out of the playoffs this year. Blown fourth-quarter leads, injuries, a bad call here, a ball that could have bounced the Pride's way there all irk the head coach.
Talking about "oughts" and "could haves" is about as enjoyable as watching his starting quarterback go down with a season-ending knee injury, but he acknowledges there is a gleam in his eye.
"I think I'd be proud of my youngsters," Gardi said after being asked about winning the final two games. "We lost our best receiver [Marques Colston in August], our best cornerback [DeWayne Whitaker] and our starting quarterback [Bobby Seck]; 7-4 would be a great year in terms of [overcoming] adversity. But am I happy with it? No. This team had the potential to be a playoff team."
Gardi lamented the losses he felt potentially could have swung the Pride's season in a different direction.
"Had Bobby stayed healthy would've beaten Delaware, JMU and probably New Hampshire and we'd be thinking about going to the playoffs right now," he said.
Even with the playoffs out of sight, the two remaining games can serve as a harbinger of the Pride's potential next year.
"You can't get [the team] psyched about the future because you never know," Gardi said of 2005's prospectus.
Yet he cannot deny that after a strong 31-20 victory at the University of Maine before 4,239 fans at Morse Field, a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2001 is realistic. The defense held the Blackbears scoreless in the second half and quarterback Anton Clarkson continued to raise eyebrows.
A week earlier Gardi said that the sophomore transfer from Oregon State University had to beat a good team in adverse conditions to take the next step as starting quarterback. After beating the Blackbears on a frigid, windy night in Orono, did Clarkson pass his test?
"Yeah," Gardi said. "Absolutely. And we needed him to do that."
Clarkson's toughness is something the coach respects and said that even in windy conditions, Clarkson throws well.
"He's got a great arm. You can do a little more with Anton like run the option," Gardi said. "He's tough. He's like a Timex; he takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin.'"
Clarkson - the Atlantic 10's Player of the Week for the second straight week - completed 30 of 50 passes for a career-high 408 yards with three touchdowns, two going to receiver Isaac Irby (seven catches for 54 yards). Freshman Charles Sullivan, who garnered Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week Honors, continued to astound with 10 catches for 210 yards.
"He's probably out biggest surprise," Gardi said of Sullivan, who is second in the A-10 with 69 catches and a virtual lock for Rookie of the Year.
The Pride's (5-4, 3-3 Atlantic 10) defense, which for the second consecutive week allowed no points in the second half, set up the game's clinching touchdown. Freshman linebacker Tom Daddino intercepted Maine (4-5, 2-4) quarterback Ron Whitcomb at the Blackbears' 40.
Nine players later, on third-and-goal, Clarkson found Irby in the end zone to make it 31-20. Daddino, a coveted recruit during the off-season, has combined with Gian Villante - the A-10's second leading tackler - and Cole Haley to solidify the Pride's best unit, which stays in tact next season.
"They're all back next year. They're young. They're playing and they are producing I'm excited about them as well as the defensive line. The d-line is turning from projections into players," Gardi said. "Gian continues to amaze me. He's genuinely the most productive guy on our defense."
The defense forced four consecutive three-and-out possessions to start the second half, and the Pride took the lead for good with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Terry Crenshaw (25 carries for 93 yards). It was set up by Clarkson's 37-yard pass to Sullivan.
The first half was a seesaw battle with Maine taking the lead with five seconds remaining on Marcus Williams' 1-yard touchdown. Williams, who is second in the A-10 with 933 rushing yards, was held to just 73 yards on 24 carries but was hurt during the game.
Quarterback Anton Clarkson continued to impress, completeing 30 of 50 for 408 yards and three touchdowns as Pride improves record to 5-4 and 3-3 in Atlantic 10. (Photo courtesy athletic dept.)