For UAPB (1-4, 1-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) the bye week couldn't have come at a better time.
Consecutive conference losses at the hands of Jackson State in Little Rock and on the road at Alabama State is giving Coach Monte Coleman's team a chance to look inward.
"Everything going forward is going to be focused on us," Coleman said. "Our kids are fighting each week, but we've got to focus on us."
For the second consecutive week, the Golden Lions surrendered more than 200 yards rushing. UAPB is ninth in the SWAC and 79th out of 122 teams in the Football Championship Subdivision, allowing an average of 188.8 yards per game rushing.
"We've got to go back to basics," Coleman said. "We've got some tendencies that we've got to overcome. Having this week off gives us an opportunity. We get an opportunity to go back and look at film and really scout ourselves."
One area that won't require much study is penalties. The Golden Lions are the worst in the SWAC and third in the nation with 10.6 penalties per game. The 53 penalties called against UAPB actually lead the NCAA. Against Alabama State, UAPB was flagged 12 times for 162 yards. That was more yardage than any individual Golden Lion collected in all-purpose yards.
"That's one of the things that we've got to eliminate," Coleman said. "It's hard enough playing against a good football team, but you shoot yourself in the foot when you commit penalties.
"My personal opinion, I thought some of those calls were questionable. But, if it's a questionable call, you shouldn't have been in that position to have the officials make a call. It's something that we've got to put a bigger emphasis on in practice these next two weeks."
Despite being near the top of the conference in turnover margin, the timing of UAPB's turnovers troubles Coleman.
"I wouldn't say that Alabama State played harder than us, they made more plays than what we made," Coleman said. "We can't fumble the football in the end zone for a touchback. It's points on the board that we leave out there and momentum."
Down but not out
Despite losing two of their first three conference games, the Golden Lions are not out of the running in the SWAC race.
UAPB hosts Alabama A&M for homecoming Oct. 15. The Bulldogs and Mississippi Valley State (Nov. 5) are the only two teams that the Golden Lions face the rest of the season that aren't SWAC division foes. They'll take on all four teams currently ahead of them in the SWAC's Western Division the last six weeks of the season.
But, Monte Coleman is trying to keep his team focused. A week after beating two-time defending SWAC champion Alcorn State on the road, the Golden Lions went down without much of a fight to Jackson State.
"We've got a lot of football left," Coleman said. "There's six games left. The thing that we're not doing or preaching to them is mentioning the SWAC championship game. We're talking about one game at a time. Alabama A&M, that's all we're talking about. We worry about the next game after that."
Young ones
When Monte Coleman says that his team is young, he isn't being hyperbolic.
Of the 85 players on the Golden Lions' roster, 29 are upperclassmen. If redshirt sophomores are included, the number is still a paltry 37. And it's something that he tells his coaching staff, most of whom have been in Pine Bluff less than the players.
In the 10-team SWAC, only Mississippi Valley State has fewer juniors, seniors and graduate students on its roster.
"I have to remind the football coaches that we have a very young football team," Coleman said. "Last night I talked about the youth on our football team. We've got two guys on the offensive line that played for us last year. That makes a big difference. In the secondary, there's one guy who suited up last year, David White. Our starting quarterback only played four games for us last season."
With that said, Coleman says he has seen growth.
"The thing that I won't do is throw the baby out with the bathwater," Coleman said. "We're going to continue to work hard week in and week out in practice. They are giving me the effort that we need, we've just got to get better."
Sports on 10/07/2016