Wednesday, October 3, 2007 11:05 PM CDT
Area group helping Rose-Hulman to best start since 1994
By Mike Monahan Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Of the 20 colleges and/or universities that have football in the state of Indiana Purdue is 5-0 and Wabash, a Division III school is 4-0. A school just across the Indiana state line is tied for third with a 4-1 record and that school is Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (tied with Indiana, Indianapolis (assisted coach is former Mattoon assistant George Barnett) and Butler). Five former Journal-Gazette/Times-Courier area players are on the Fightin’ Engineers squad that is coached by Steve Englehart, who is in his second year (as head coach and sixth overall), at the Division III school.
Playing for the team that competes in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference are seniors Steve Hawkins and Ryan Pattenaude along with sophomores Adam Garrett, Nick Murphy and Mitch Yates. The Engineers are off to the best start since 1994 when they finished 7-3 after starting 5-1.
Hawkins, a 2004 Casey-Westfield graduate, had six tackles, five in the second half as Rose-Hulman won its first Homecoming game since beating Rhodes 35-28 in 2002. The Engineers won 24-7 Saturday at Cook Stadium on Phil Brown Field in front of 3,150 fans. Hawkins, a six-foot, 200 pound middle linebacker, also recorded his first quarterback of the season as he tackled Hanover’s Tyler Thiems for a loss of 16 in the third quarter.
Yates, a 2006 Casey-Westfield graduate, plays on the kickoff teams and made the opening tackle of the second half. The 5-11, 180 pound mechanical engineering major is the backup free safety.
Murphy, a 5-8, 170 pound cornerback, who has started three games for the Engineers, played some as nickelback in the victory. Murphy, a civil engineering major, is a 2005 Casey graduate.
Garrett, a 2006 Oakland graduate, is listed as the backup defensive right tackle. Garrett a 5-11, 225 pound biomedical engineering major, played on the extra point and field goal attempts.
Pattenaude, a 6-0, 260 pound 2004 graduate of Cumberland, started 21 straight games at center before tearing his MCL over three weeks ago. Pattenaude is expected to play Saturday as the team takes on Defiance College in Ohio.
“Fear the Engineer” is on the back of t-shirts as Rose-Hulman hopes to improve on last year’s 6-4 record, which was the first season that the Engineers finished above .500 since 1995 (6-4). The 2005 and 2003 teams were 5-5.
“We talked about winning the Homecoming game a lot,” said Garrett. “The seniors really wanted it this year. It was really great to come out with a victory and send them out with a winning Homecoming game.”
Rose-Hulman, the home of the NFL World Champion Indianapolis Colts training camp (since 1999), has an enrollment of 1,900 and last year Englehardt, the youngest coach at Division I, II or III, guided the Engineers to the winning season.
Saturday’s game was tied at seven at the half. Rose-Hulman’s defense held the Panthers to just 56 yards in the second half and took the lead for good on a 33-yard field goal by Jeremy Sharp with six minutes, 46 seconds left in the third. In the fourth quarter Calvin Buetel completed a 10-play, 67-yard drive with a 17-yard touchdown run. The Engineers erased any doubt when 2006 Marshall graduate Derek Eitel, the quarterback, hit Reed Eason over the middle for a 48-yard touchdown pass with 8:07 left. Eitel is in a tie for 20th in the nation in Division III in passing yards with 1,115. The Engineers had the ball for 37 minutes, seven seconds and ran 87 plays to Hanover’s 63.
“Last year they (Hanover) dinked us a lot with short routs and got in the open field,” said Hawkins, who has started since he was a freshman. “Our defensive line did a great job of getting in the quarterbacks face. We just did our jobs and when you do your jobs, the offense plays well and controls the clock, you are going to win games.”
Last year Hanover won 41-8.
“We had a total defensive effort,” said second year defensive coordinator Ralph Clark. “We are not a defense where one person stands out. Everyone does their job. In the second half the plays where there for Steve (Hawkins) to make. If you put him in the right place he is going to make the plays.”
During the third quarter the Rose-Hulman Pep Band got in front of the crowd and did a pyramid with five on the bottom, then four, three, two and one at the engineering school.
Hawkins, who is one of the captains of the team, is pictured on the front of the media guide along with four other players, including Eitel. Hawkins earned second team all-conference honors last year as he was second on the team in tackles with 62, including 11 tackles for a loss, three and a half sacks and two forced fumbles. In his first collegiate game Hawkins had six tackles, including five solos in a 16-12 victory over Earlham in 2004. He has started all 35 games and has 133 solo tackles, 87 assists for a total of 220. He has 21 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three interceptions, has broken up 16 passes, seven quarterback hurries, a fumbler recovery and three forced fumbles in his career.
“Steve is not the biggest, strongest or fastest but he finds a way to get it done,” said Clark. “He has played inside linebacker, outside linebacker and last year we even had him stand up at defensive end. He is very coachable and that is what I like about him. He is not a complainer. Sometimes it is the most coachable and not necessarily the most talented that plays.”
In high school Hawkins was on three playoff teams, including the 2003 season, one that saw the Warriors go 9-3 and reach the quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 2A playoffs. Hawkins was a four-year letter winner under Casey coach Keith Sinclair and became the first player in the Little Illini Conference to be named to the first team at the same positions (running back, defensive back, place kicker and punter). He was named to the first team Illinois High School Football Coaches Association first team and was an all-state academic selection as well. He finished with 3,201 yards rushing with 40 touchdowns and 67 extra points as well as kicking seven field goals. He finished with 457 tackles and 14 interceptions.
“It is good to come to a program and help to turn it around,” said Hawkins. “Your goal is to always to do what you can and if things fall in the right direction you get to start. Anyway you can help the team to win. This is just the start-our goal wasn’t to be 4-1 at the end of the year. It has been great here at Rose. I couldn’t’ ask for anything more. Now we get ready for Defiance and keep this train rolling.”
Hawkins, the son of Richard and Susan Hakwins, is majoring in civil engineering.
“I am excited to get out, but I will be sad to go,” said Hawkins. “You have to move on at some point.”
Clark said, “He is a vocal leader and a leader by example. He doesn’t ask anyone to do something that he doesn’t do himself.”
This is the second season the Engineers have competed in the HCAC after spending eight seasons in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Other teams in the HCAC include Mount St. Joseph’s, Defiance, Blufton University, Franklin College, Anderson University and Manchester College.
Pattenaude, son of former Cumberland football coach Jim Pattenaude, earned the team’s offensive player of the week in 2005 in a 48-41 win over Earlham. Last year he started all 10 games at center and helped the offense score 23 touchdowns and helped Cameron Hummel become the third best passer in school history according to career passing yards (4,417, including 971 last year). In 2005 he started all 10 games at center and helped Charlie Key become Rose-Hulman’s career all-purpose leader with 4,400 yards and No.2 in rushing touchdowns (38).
“I have been itching to get back in there,” said Pattenaude. “Everyone that has had to step up has and we are getting ready to go on to big things this year. Coming in (freshman year) I wasn’t really expecting to start and they moved me over to center (played guard in high school) and I took advantage of it. It was a tough transition moving to center, but everyone was there for me and everyone helped out. There was always somebody to fall back on if I had trouble. This win was big. I love it (college football) and I just hope we can continue to win. We still have the HCAC championship to get.”
Last year was Pattenaude’s first time he was on a winning team as the Pirates went 4-5 twice and 3-6 twice when he was in high school
Murphy, a first team all-LIC defensive back and academic all-state player his senior year of high school, has 11 solo tackles and three assists and has broken up five passes. He played in all 10 games last year and had three tackles.
“He is a pretty physical kid that can hit you like a linebacker,” said Clark. “He can come in and give us some relief. He has grown a lot football wise. Last year he was a little uncomfortable adjusting to the game of college football. Against Earlham (a 24-16 win) he held one of the best receivers in the Midwest (Joe White) in check. He is playing with a lot of confidence this year.”
Yates has five solo tackles and two assists this year after missing most of last year due to a torn meniscus.
“At first he went through self-healing, but then tore it again in the spring,” said Clark. “He hasn’t been himself, but has been working back into the groove and it takes awhile.”
Yates, a three-sport captain his senior year at Casey, had 85 tackles for the 11-1 Warriors his senior year.
Garrett earned a letter last year.
“Coming in the first day came as a real shock,” said Garrett. “When you have 300 pound guy in front of you and you just get buried. That was something I wasn’t used to in high school. It was a humbling experience. I was really pleased to letter last year. It was really exciting. You always want to play more, but we have some defensive lineman-quite a few that are upperclassmen and they are really good players. I am just taking my time trying to work in.”
Robinson (a member of the Apollo Conference with Charleston) graduate Ben Wassel, a sophomore linebacker, is also on the team and had five tackles in the game.
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
AREA PLAYERS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Derric Bath Mattoon Fr. DL Pennsylvania
Started at noseguard for junior varsity team in opener
Trent Dahnke Martinsville Sr. OL Greenville
Starting offensive left tackle for Panthers, 1-3 after 16-0 loss to Aurora
Brandon Davis Charleston Jr. RB Millikin
Had one tackle in Millikin’s 28-6 loss to No. 28 Wabash College earlier in the season
Travis Davis Arcola So. WR Eureka
Started at Nose guard in 28-21 win over Concordia
Brett Dyer Arcola So. RB Eureka
Had 24 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown (six yards) and two receptions for 25 yards in Red Devils win over Concordia
Kyle Edgar Arcola So. WR/P Eureka
Had one carry for 4 yard and three punts, averaging 34.3 yards as Eureka snapped 20-game losing streak (longest in school history)
Daniel Fishel Arcola Fr. DB Millikin
Returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown in n earlier junior varsity game; dresses for varsity home games
Adam Garrett Oakland So. DL Rose-Hulman
Backup defensive right tackle plays on extra point and field goal teams-helped Rose-Hulman win Homecoming for first time since 2002
Kyle Glenn Mattoon Jr. LB Truman State
Had one assist in 26-11 win over Fort Hayes as Bulldogs improved to 3-2
Josh Graven Arcola So. WR Blackburn
Steve Hawkins Casey Sr. LB Rose-Hulman
Starting middle linebacker had five of his six tackles in the second half as Rose-Hulman won its Homecoming game, 24-7 over Hanover
Russ Hayes Arthur So. LB Millikin
Played in 23-21 win over Illinois College earlier in the season
Kyle Hudson Mattoon Jr. WR/P Illinois
Had one punt return for 2 yards in 27-20 win over Penn Stat, its first over a top 25 team since 2001
Connor James Mattoon Fr LB Southern Illinois
Redshirting for Salukis, ranked sixth and seventh in FCS national polls
Corey Joergens Arcola Fr. OL Illinois College
Seeing action at center on the junior varsity team
Jimmy Jordan Mattoon Fr. DB Aurora
Has not played in four varsity game
Kraig Ladd Shelbyville So. QB Illinois Wesleyan
Starting quarterback led Titans to 22-19 win over defending conference champions Augustana throwing winning touchdown pass
B.K. Leonard Charleston So. DL Millikin
Had an 11-yard sack in 29-7 loss to Wheaton Saturday
Jaryd Lindenmeyer Arcola So. S Eureka
Starting strong safety helped Red Devils improve to 1-3
Zach McDade Arcola JR. RB Eureka
Had four receptions for 36 yards as Eureka won for first time since Sept. 24, 2005
Raul Mendoza Arcola Jr. DT Eureka
Starting defensive tackle tied for third on the team with five, including two for a loss as Red Devils won 28-21
Brent Miller Arcola So. TE Eureka
Has not played for the Red Devils
Daniel Moore Casey-Westfield R-fr. LB Murray State
Played in 40-24 loss to Jacksonville State as Racers fell to 1-4
Jason Murphy Charleston Jr. DB Illinois College
Starting cornerback had four tackles in 22-18 loss to Lawrence, falling to 2-3
Nick Murphy Casey So. DB Rose-Hulman
Starting cornerback has helped Rose-Hulman to best start since 1994 (4-1)
Ryan Pattenaude Cumberland Sr. OL Rose-Human
Expected to play this week after suffering torn MCL at center-had started 21 straight before injury
Greg Powers Shelbyville Fr. DE Eureka
Had one tackle in 33-12 loss to North Park
Jeremy Shores Charleston Fr. DL Aurora
Has not played in four varsity game.
Mike Siverly Casey Sr. OL McKendree
Starting right tackle for the Bearcats, who topped Quinicy 37-19, improving to 2-21
Collin Smith Charleston Jr. OL Aurora
Starting right guard for 2-2 Spartans, who blanked Greenville 16-0 last Saturday
Kody Smith Arthur Fr. Wr Millikin
Had two punt returns for eight yards and five kickoff returns for 132 yards in 29-7 loss to Wheaton
Travis Wheat Shelbyville So. DB Greenville
Has not played for the Panthers
Brady Woolverton Shelbyville Jr. LS Eastern Illinoi
Recovered a Southeast Missouri fumble on a punt return setting up an EIU touchdown
Mitch Yates Casey So. DB Rose-Hulman
Had one tackle for Fightin’ Engineers, who improved to 4-1 with 24-7 win over Hanover
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