As the football coaches at William Penn prepare for their next opponent they are breaking down film of fourth ranked Oregon. The Statesmen visit South Dakota out of the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Saturday and the Coyotes opened the season with a 62-13 loss to the Ducks.
“We are not playing Oregon, thank goodness. But they are everything they are everything they are cracked up to be,” William Penn coach Todd Hafner says, “South Dakota, there were times when Oregon guys broke out that they actually caught them, and so that’s a little bit scary to us because everyone knows how fast Oregon is.”
This is not the first time they have seen a national power on film as 8 years ago they went to play the University of Maine and the week before Maine had played Nebraska. It figures to be a tough challenge for the Statesmen but one that Hafner feels is worthwhile. “Just like South Dakota last week got to to play in an atmosphere that they don’t typically get to play in — on a little smaller scale, it’s similar to us,” Hafner says. He says they get to see what it’s like to play on a little grander scale, and the increased speed will help them down the road.
Hafner says the players are eager to prove themselves against an FCS foe. “That’s really the only reason that we are as competitive as we are, is that we have kids that play at a high level,” Hafner says.
The Statesmen opened by rolling to a 52-13 win over Bethel of Tennessee.