McMenamin: Both quarterbacks will play for Bearcats
JON DYKSTRA/THE FORUM
Northwest coach John McMenamin leads the Bearcats to the field last week in Mankato, Minnesota.
MARYVILLE, Mo. — The question around town was a predictable one for Bearcat fans coming off of last Thursday’s loss in Mankato. How will the quarterback snaps be divided up in Game 2 at Washburn.
“We didn’t execute against a good team and they took advantage of it,” Northwest Missouri State coach John McMenamin said.
Against Minnesota State, both Chris Ruhnke and Zechariah Owens saw time with Ruhnke getting the first three drives then Owens getting the fourth. Ruhnke came back for the final three drives of the half, but with a 21-0 deficit at halftime, Owens played the entire second half in the 38-14 loss.
Ruhnke finished 6-of-16 for 41 yards and an interception. Owens was 10-of-12 for 160 yards and a touchdowns. Ruhnke’s time in the game was marred by first-game jitters and drops by the young receiving core.
“Both did well,” McMenamin said. “It wasn’t that Chris did bad. It seemed like every time Chris was in, it was a monsoon. That was a hard rain. We had a couple drops early that didn’t help things out for him to get in the flow. We put Z in and he moved the ball and hit some throws when we needed him to.”
McMenamin says that the plan is for both quarterbacks to play on Saturday at Washburn and their quality of play to determine what the split ends up being.
“We will continue that model,” McMenamin said. “Both those guys are great players and we’ve got a couple great players behind them who can help us. … Both those guys are going to play again. Both of them I expect to have good games.”
Around the quarterback position, the Bearcats will need stronger play to allow either Owens or Ruhnke to play their best.
“I’ve said it to our team multiple times,” McMenamin said. “The mistakes are fine. We do not have a fear of failure. Just like losing, we aren’t going to win every game. It is how you bounce back and if you are repeating those same mistakes. That’s what I’ll be looking for out of Chris. And Z had a couple mistakes too. If they get those handled, I think we will be pretty good. If they don’t, then you are going to see playing time go down.”
Aside from Luke Mathews, it was the rest of the skill group’s first start in a Bearcat uniform last Thursday. The trio of running backs was limited to 12 combined carries for 48 yards while Owens and Ruhnke were the team’s most efficient runners.
“Joe Q (Quinlin, strength coach) says it to us a lot in the weight room — a mistake is something that happens once, it is a problem if it is repeated,” Mathews said. “… It is on coaches to determine what role each of those quarterbacks will play in the next game, but like I said, I have all the trust in the world that whoever it is will come in and make the plays that need to be made.”
While the Bearcat offense had its growing pains, so did the Washburn offense in a 20-17 win over Truman State. The Ichabod rushing offense had 24 carries for negative-37 yards with the leading rusher being running back Ky Thomas with 12 carries for just one yard.
While the run game was non-existent, the pass game was sharp for Washburn. Merrimack College grad transfer Justin Lewis was 33-for-42 for 352 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“I think they want to be a physical football team,” McMenamin said. “They adapted to the game and what Truman did defensively. … They took what they gave them. They attacked the flats a lot. What I thought they showed is a lot of patience. They took a lot of short passes and just acclimated.
“Make no mistake, Coach (Zach) Watkins is an old D-coordinator and he understands what it is going to take to win a game. I don’t think that is their plan to do that every game. They will attack us.”
Lewis’ favorite receivers were two returners who didn’t get utilized much last season. Chase Allen-Jackman didn’t have a catch in nine games last year, but had nine for 127 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday against Truman State.
Junior D.J. Bell appeared in his a starring role for the Ichabods as a freshman with 44 catches for 563 yards and five touchdowns, but last season, that production dipped to 19 catches for 246 and no scores. On Saturday, he was back in the mix with nine catches for 98 yards.
Defensively, the Bearcats faced attrition last Thursday with the spine of the defense coming in as the strength, but defensive tackle Nile Schuett leaving the game early and middle linebacker Carter Edwards having to be helped off the field several times.
“We are expecting those guys back and to play again and help us out,” McMenamin said. “We are definitely a lot better when they are in there. They will take care of their bodies. They will get themselves right and we will be ready to go.”
For the Ichabods, defensive back Kamble Haverkamp is a player to watch after registering seven tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks against Truman State.
The game will kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday in Topeka. The early forecast is sunny with a high of 74 degrees.
“Make plays when they are there,” Mathews said. “We are confident going into every single game. We were confident going into the Mankato game. We are just as confident going into this game.”
