Sunday, September 2, 2007

Right back to work for UAPB


By Mike Marzelli/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF

ITTA BENA, Miss. — The good news for Arkansas-Pine Bluff is that it couldn't have played much better defensively in Saturday afternoon's season opener. The bad news is that its offense couldn't have been much worse.

With its Week Two contest at Alcorn State four days away, UAPB must find a way to right the ship in a hurry after starting the season with a loss to Mississippi Valley State for the third consecutive year.

Much, if not all, of what the Golden Lions need to improve on is exactly what head coach Mo Forte expected his team to struggle with in the early going: Consistent execution up front from the offensive line.

UAPB's inexperienced line never got untracked Saturday afternoon. It allowed defenders to come across the line of scrimmage throughout the game and never built any momentum going forward in the running game.

The center-quarterback exchange was also problematic, as quarterback Chris Wallace and new center Patrick Kapunaia never seemed comfortable with each other. The result was a handful of muffed snaps and numerous blown chances for the offense.

"There's no secret that the offensive line was a big concern of mine and I knew we would struggle as these guys gained experience early on," Forte said. "We hoped that we would still manage to be better than we were but really after the first week is when you can get to work because you see where you're seriously hurting.

"We have just two days now and we know this was coming because we knew we had a tough schedule. That's just how it goes."

Even if the line is able to correct its flaws in time for the Thursday night clash with the Braves, the potential absence of Southwestern Athletic Conference rushing champion Martell Mallett is a major concern for Forte.

Mallett saw limited snaps during camp after experiencing shin splints and the hip injury he suffered Saturday came after he was bent backwards while taking a head-on shot along the visiting sidelines late in the first quarter.

"Not having Mallett is something that worries me, there's no doubt about that," Forte said. "We're going to have to wait and see what the doctors have to say about him and about whether he'll be ready to go."

If UAPB can hang its hat on anything that came out of Saturday, it was the play of Monte Coleman's defense.

Both Delta Devil touchdowns came after a turnover and a penalty gave them field position inside the Lions 40-yard line and aside from that, UAPB's defense was rock solid.

The Lions gave up just 138 total yards, including 97 passing yards and 41 rushing yards, while their offense produced only 123 yards of their own.

"The defense played an outstanding game and without it, we would have had no chance in this game at all," Forte said. "We talked about it in camp that if we struggled early we would have to rely on our defense and it looks like that will be the case."

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