Over The Pylon

Charlie Cardinal thinks the Cards are still #1

Remember last week when BSU jumped out to a lead against Eastern Michigan? Remember how when it slipped away you thought to yourself, “Boy…. that sucked. But clearly that was a one time thing. No way that will happen again. After enduring several heartbreaking losses this year this team will remember how bad it felt to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and that will never happen again.” Yeah… about that.

Another Sunday and here we sit wondering how in the hell another one slipped away. Would it have stung as bad if Toledo jumped on us early? Would it feel as disappointing if we were beaten from pillar to post? I doubt that it would. Unfortunately, not all losses are created equal, and no matter how you do the addition, subtraction, or evaluation, this one just plain sucks. It sucks long, it sucks hard.

Losing to Toledo isn’t something to be ashamed of. They’re undefeated in the MAC and control their own destiny for the conference title. That I am fine to wrap my head around and penciling in an “L” on the schedule isn’t the hard part. The hard part is how that “L” came to be. This wasn’t a loss where we were dominated. This wasn’t a loss where losing was an absolute certainty. This wasn’t a loss that was inevitable, unavoidable, or predestined. This was one of those special kind of losses that crushes your soul and leaves you without much. Long on questions, anger, and disbelief but short on things like optimism, hope, and positivity. After jumping out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, BSU let Toledo score 31 unanswered points en route to a 31-24 loss. That kind of performance leaves a pretty bitter taste, one that isn’t easily erased and one that hasn’t faded 24 hours after this punchbowl got turd-ified.

There were of course some good things to note from the game, as it wasn’t all failure and lead squandering. Quale Lewis rushed for 96 yards, his highest total of the season. Jack Tomlinson looked damn good, with 2 scores and 89 yards on five catches. Jason Pinkston and Travis Freeman both had picks and Ian McGarvey was perfect on his extra point and field goal attempts. All positives.

Positives aside, the pressing question after yet another loss is where we go from here. I can only imagine the fever pitch around the angry mob with their “Fire Stan Parrish” mantra will only intensify, and I can say that it is neither possible nor entirely unwarranted. Each and every person associated with this program now has their line in the sand type moment. For the players and coaching staff, there is a choice to either throw this season in the shitter or prove the naysayers and negative people wrong. For athletes and competitors, that should be an easy choice. For the students and fans, there is a choice to be made as well. It’s not an easy choice and there is no clear cut answers, but a choice must be made about what kind of fan you are. Are you a fan of a program when undefeated seasons are going on and ambivalent when losses come? Or are you a fan of this program regardless of the on-field results? That doesn’t mean that criticism cannot be levied, it can. In fact, it must. But those kinds of fans remember that when the rubber hits the road they are Cardinals fans. And those fans show up, support this team and support these players whether their record is 11-0 or 0-11.

Filed under: Ball State |