September 5, 2018 at 2:33 p.m.
Ready to rebound
Following tough loss, Hodags host Medford to begin GNC play
Ready to rebound
The Hodags had several chances to earn their second win of the season but produced only 12 points on seven trips inside the Wausau East 30 and committed four turnovers in a 13-12 loss to the Lumberjacks at Thom Field.
This week, the Hodags look to bounce back as they open their Great Northern Conference schedule at home against the Medford Raiders tomorrow night at Mike Webster Stadium.
Coach Chris Ferge said his team learned a simple, yet powerful lesson last week - never take any play for granted.
"There's a lot of butterfly effects in a game and a lot of people don't realize that," he said. "It's our job this week to make sure our kids are tougher, more disciplined and understand that they make a difference on every play."
It's the Hodags' job to move on from that tough loss as they try to defeat the Raiders for the first time since 2010.
Medford's off to a 1-2 start after edging Lakeland in overtime 34-32 last Friday. After leading 20-8 at halftime, the Raiders allowed 18 unanswered points to the T-Birds, before scoring a late touchdown and eventually winning the game in overtime.
Ferge said he expects a strong Medford squad to come into Mike Webster Stadium, but said it's up to his team to make it a game late in the fourth quarter.
"We've got to be able to buy our time and, no matter what, make plays and hang in there against this team," he said. "We're looking for it to be very competitive. We're at home. We've got to take advantage of that."
Some other things to follow heading into Friday night's contest.
Rushing Raiders
Medford dominated Lakeland on the ground last week to the tune of 408 yards rushing. All but 41 of those yards came from Medford's dynamic backfield duo of Ean Wilson and Garrett Hill. Wilson rushed for 217 yards in last week's game while Hill rushed for another 150. The two accounted for all five of Medford's touchdowns in the game.
Wilson and Hill are no strangers to the GNC. Wilson rushed for 645 yards and five scores last year in conference play while Hill had 461 yards and six scores.
Ferge said slowing down those two backs will be a key in the contest.
"Winning on first down is everything against this team," he said. "They're very much like the Wisconsin Badgers as far as running the ball. They live and die with it. That's how we're going to have to win this game."
That was easier said than done last year for Rhinelander, which allowed 389 yards on the ground to the Raiders, including 202 yards and three scores by Hill.
Diversified offense
Medford is a power running team, but coach Ted Wilson likes to use multiple different formations to keep defenses off balance. Rhinelander was studying for as many as six different formations during the week, including I, Wing, Pistol and even a variation of the Wildcat look.
Ferge said the key is on the defense to cut through the window dressing and quickly diagnose what is going on.
"It's the same play with a different formation, different kids," he said. "It looks a lot more complicated than it is, but it also has a lot of misdirection with the backs. They're counting on you watching the backs. You need to know who you're looking at and be very disciplined in that case. Defensively, we can't get caught guessing or they'll gouge us for a lot of yards."
Defensive details
The Hodags hope to contain Medford's ground game with what has been, at least through the first three games of the season, a much-improved defense.
With only 33 points allowed so far, Rhinelander's defense is currently the best in the GNC through three non-conference games. What's more, the Hodags have not allowed more than 250 yards of offense to any team.
While those numbers are great, Ferge said he would trade some of that for one of two more marks in the win column.
"They are making plays, but they also making mistakes," he said. "We need to find a way to make a couple more plays and to hang on to the ball a little bit better and not get the penalties we've been getting. Then we'll be in a good spot."
Blitzing backers
Wilson has also had a habit of using the blitz to slow down Rhinelander's spread offense. The Hodags have had a combined 199 yards of total offense the years against Medford, with only 10 of those yards coming on the ground.
"We've got to take our time and understand how they're lining up," Ferge said. "We've got to understand we're running against them. We've got to be more aggressive than they are and use their aggression against them. Our kids have got to understand how important it is to get that key block in the hole we're attacking and to bring extra blockers there as well and make them have to make some adjustments with how aggressive they are."
Conference parity
The investment line "past performance is not indicative of future results" held true last week in the Great Northern Conference as conference favorite Antigo was upset by Ashland, a team many pundits felt in the preseason would struggle to make the playoffs.
Lakeland gave Medford everything it could handle last week, while Mosinee and Merrill played a defensive contest, eventually won by the Indians 20-6.
Rhinelander enters GNC play with a blank slate at 0-0 this week, needing at least three wins over the next six contests to become playoff eligible.
Though the Hodags were picked to finish seventh in the conference by both WisSports.net and a survey of area sportswriters, as Week 3 in the GNC showed, anything is possible.
"Every year I feel like (the conference) is up for grabs," Ferge said. "Every year I feel like any team could beat any team. Home field has a lot to do with it. Homecoming, injuries, there's a lot of things that are coming up here and you can't tell the future.
"Our focus is that our team is the healthiest it can be possibly, that our team is mentally tougher every week, that we get better and understand football, we understand how to win. We'll have a great game plan for every team we're going to face. Our coaching staff is doing a great job and we're going to compete."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.