Following Western’s 24-20 loss to Florida Atlantic on Saturday, junior running back Marell Booker said the team needs to stay together even when it seems like the 2-6 season if falling apart.
“We just have to keep staying together mostly,” junior running back Marell Booker said. “Our record’s not that good, but we just can’t get down on each other. We have to stay together, pull each other up and get healthy.”
With Saturday’s loss, the possibility of Western having a winning season ended. This eliminated the 12-year streak of winning seasons by the program.
The loss also eliminates three out of the team’s four main team goals, beating a Bowl Championship Series team, beating Kentucky, and becoming bowl eligible for the season.
The Toppers still have one goal attainable, getting a winning record in the Sun Belt in preparation for full conference eligibility next season.
“You have to adjust,” Elson said after the game. “We had a goal of having a winning record in the Sun Belt conference, and that goal is still out there, and that is what we have to focus on. The number one priority to achieve that goal is to improve as a football team during our off week this week, and we have to get ready and get our spirits back up.”
The Toppers have some hope.
Elson said the upcoming bye week will give the team time to rest and rehab injuries, as well as refocus for the task ahead.
Also, Western’s next opponents, North Texas, have yet to win a game, going 0-7 on the season.
The winning-season streak began in 1996 when, a year after winning only two games, then-coach Jack Harbaugh went 7-4 in his seventh season at the helm.
Harbaugh would coach for six more seasons, winning seven or more games and each of those except in the 1999 season, when he went 6-5.
Harbaugh’s portion of the streak culminated in 2002 with a 12-3 record and a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division 1-AA) national championship.
Harbaugh retired after that season, and David Elson was promoted from his defensive coordinator position to his current head coaching spot. Elson won nine games each of the next two years, before finishing each of the following two seasons one game above .500.
Senior defensive lineman Dan Cline said that he and his fellow seniors aren’t going to let the younger players get discouraged.
“We are not going to get down about it,” Cline said. “We have a tremendous attitude, and that is a credit to this group of seniors and this team, which is full of great character. I can promise you we are not going to give up on the season.”
The Toppers have a bye week this week, before facing North Texas on Homecoming at 6 p.m. Nov. 1 at Smith Stadium.
Reach Chris Acree at sports@chherald.com
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