Practice habits change for the USD football team during Dayton Week. Passes are a little crisper. Hits have a little more pop. Coaches scream a little louder and are less forgiving of mental errors.
There is a nervous, excited energy at Alcala Park cresting toward the season's marquee contest against the Flyers – the rivalry game that will likely decide the Pioneer Football League champion. Kickoff is 6 p.m. tomorrow at Torero Stadium.
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But the Toreros, preseason favorites to win the conference, suffered a setback in last week's 30-29 road loss to Jacksonville and sit third in the PFL standings behind Dayton and Butler.
“There is even more of a sense that this game means a lot after what happened last week,” wide receiver John Matthews said. “We have a chance to make up for everything that happened Saturday. They are our rival. We'll be ready.”
Along with the loss came a humbling realization.
“We're not invincible,” Matthews said.
Until that point, the Toreros (6-1, 4-1) appeared to be. And while USD coach Ron Caragher credits Jacksonville for the win, his team graciously missed two extra points, a 34-yard field-goal attempt and had a touchdown erased by a penalty.
“We talk about the enemy within,” Caragher said. “The enemy isn't the team on the other side of the field. It's in this locker room. More games are lost than won.”
Therefore the goal for this week: suppress the enemy within.
Before last week, it was thought tomorrow's game would determine the outright league champ. Now the best the Toreros can hope for is a split of the conference title, which they shared last season with Dayton.
“We can still achieve our goals,” Caragher said. “Regardless of what happened last weekend, playing Dayton is playing Dayton. Their history of success, the respect for their program, it's a big game regardless.”
Dayton (7-1, 4-0) has been the class of the conference since the PFL's inception in 1993, winning or sharing in nine titles. But the Toreros have narrowed the gap recently, splitting the title last year and winning the previous two outright. If there is such thing as a rivalry in the cross-continent conference that spans eight states, this is it.
The last time the Flyers were in town, D drew a record 7,323 fans to Torero Stadium. They are hoping a similar crowd will show as the Toreros try to improve on a national-best 28-game home win streak.
The Ohioans have the league's No. 1 defense – including 10 interceptions and 57 tackles for a loss while yielding 256.1 yards per game. They'll butt heads with the Toreros offense, which ranks first in the league, averaging 426.1 yards per game.
“They sure know how to move the ball up and down the field,” said Dayton first-year head coach Rick Chamberlin. “They score a lot of points. But we have some veterans on our defense. It should be a fun game.”
The pressure will be on the offensive line to leash Dayton's pass rush and allow quarterback Sebastian Trujillo time to let plays develop. With that in mind, Trujillo said the team is feeding off last week's loss.
“It's a blessing in disguise,” said Trujillo, the league's top passer. “It sharpens us. Our focus is sharpened and we're looking at it positively. That's going to make us better as a team. We're going to come out with a little attitude and we'll be fired up for it.”
Missing from USD's lineup will be defensive ends Julian Strickland and Josh Sutchar, who each suffered a broken leg in the Jacksonville loss. The team also lost starting center Conrad Smith for at least three weeks with a knee injury – putting added pressure on the offensive line. Compounded with the loss of NFL prospects J.T. Rogan (running back) and Mitch Ryan (tight end), some Toreros have taken an us-against-the-world mentality.
“It's just more fuel for us,” offensive tackle Deene Kabiling said. “We're playing for all the guys (on crutches) and all the guys who are out here now busting their (butts). Dayton's a great program and we respect them. They are going to make it tough.”
Caragher is also hoping the kicking game improves this week. So far, the Toreros are just 5-of-10 on field goals and 31-of-38 on PATs. During practice this week, kickers James Cullen and John McSorley practiced field goals with the entire team encircling them and screaming.
If there is a hangover from the Jacksonville loss, Caragher said his team isn't showing it.
“It's a clean slate,” he said. “We need to play with confidence and belief in our system. You can't carry around the ball and chain – I expect us to be recharged and energized.”
Kevin Gemmell: (619) 718-5304; kevin.gemmell@uniontrib.com
TOUGH TOREROS
Beginning with the 2003 season, when USD shared its first Pioneer Football League divisional championship, the Toreros have not lost more than one league game in any season and have dropped more than two overall games only once. A season-by-season look:
YEAR PFL OVERALL
2003 3-1* 8-2
2004 3-1 7-4
2005 4-0* 11-1
2006 7-0* 11-1
2007 6-1* 9-2
2008 4-1 6-1
Totals 27-4 52-11
* Won or shared PFL division or overall championship
