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| Josh Ehrlich and his Susquehanna teammates will go into their playoff game having played once in three weeks, and that being a 55-7 rout of archrival Lycoming. Susquehanna athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
When you rest, you rust.
It might be cliché, but Susquehanna is well aware of that and has been working hard to eliminate any stagnation, having played one game in the past three weeks heading into the postseason.
The No. 6 River Hawks’ schedule played out that the team was off in Week 10. It closed the regular season with a 55-7 win at Lycoming in Week 11 and then was awarded a first-round bye for the NCAA Division III playoffs before it opens against Hobart on Saturday.
“It’s new for everyone,” Susquehanna coach Tom Perkovich said. “There are 24 of us trying to figure out a bye week before a playoff game. I do enjoy a bye week because it allows us to get a lot of the little things taken care of before having to focus on your next opponent.”
Susquehanna approached the latest bye week a little differently than its first one.
“We used our Week 10 bye to get our feet back underneath us and get healthy,” Perkovich said. “For this bye, we stayed with our normal week, but practices were a lot shorter. We got some situational work, individual work and special teams work and tried to develop our younger guys and backups – going lighter and shorter and giving some guys rest that need it. Then, we went right into our normal week to get ready for the game.”
Closing the regular season with seven consecutive wins by an average margin of 54.1-17.7, Perkovich knew his team had to find the “Goldilocks” zone while tiptoeing on the border of doing too much and not doing enough.
“That was my whole thing – are you doing more or less? How hard are you going? How do you keep them sharp?” he said. “At this stage, guys have a lot of miles on them, you know? For our seniors and fifth-year guys, it really can be an accumulation,” he said. “So, we had to figure that out and stay sharp. It’s the playoffs, right? We were playing well two years ago and played terribly against Utica. I am still trying to figure this one out with our guys. We’re trying to do the best things we can and stay focused on an excellent Hobart team and knowing we have to play our best football.”
The River Hawks didn’t mind another off week, though.
“It’s definitely helpful for the guys who needed the rest to get a little break with our bodies,” Susquehanna senior offensive lineman Nick Gonzalez said. “We’ve just been focusing on ourselves a lot and making sure we know what we’re doing and having fun doing it.”
“Not playing definitely gets you out of your rhythm, but we practice really hard and our coaches put the gameplan in early in the week. I think, with the intensity and competitiveness on the team, there was no drop off, so I don’t think it affects us a whole lot,” Susquehanna sophomore quarterback Josh Ehrlich added. “We kind of wanted to peak at the right time and we feel like we are. Everything has come together.”
It culminated in a 55-7 win at Lycoming to conclude the regular season. Gonzalez, a 6-foot-3, 285-pound left tackle, put the finishing touches on the victory when he got a chance to score a rushing touchdown. He took a handful and plowed his way in from the 2 for the rare big-man score.
“That was awesome. The coaches are great for doing that. It was a blessing. It was a lot of fun,” he said. “I knew I had to get in. There was always a little thought in the back of my mind about what if I didn’t get in the end zone. But, when I got back there, I calmed myself down and I knew I’d be fine.”
The River Hawks look forward to beginning the postseason on home turf for the third year in a row. They dropped decisions to Utica (17-10) in 2022 and Grove City (21-20) the past two years.
“After losing in the first round the last two years, getting another opportunity to play in front of our home fans is awesome,” Gonzalez said. “Having that experience, we know what it takes. We’re playing a really good opponent. We’ll be locked in.”
Susquehanna hopes it can get its offense reignited against the Statesmen (9-1), who yield just 8.3 points per game.
“We have a very veteran team up front and the skilled guys we have are tremendous. We feel really confident where we are as an offense,” Ehrlich said. “Hobart has a really good defense. So, while we’ve spent a lot of time on us, it’s been about how we prepare and get ready to go against a big-time team with a big-time defense, too.”