BY DEVIN BAKER – STAFF WRITER
The Centre Football team (4-1) is coming off of a big win over Austin College. This follows a tough loss to Berry in Rome, Georgia on September 23. The Berry matchup had seriously playoff implications for both teams. Going into the game, Centre and Berry were both undefeated and in control of their own destiny. The colonels put up a strong fight but ultimately lost in a heartbreaking game 14 – 28 in a much-anticipated Southern Athletic Association matchup at Valhalla Stadium.
Colin Burnam, a junior running back from Bowling Green, Kentucky says that despite the loss to Berry, there is still hope.
“Moving forward, we have an upcoming game against Austin and we’re just wanting to play with more passion and focus on the details,” Burnam says. “At this point, we can’t lose another game. We need to stay in control of our destiny after losing to Berry.”
Fortunately, the Colonels still have hope for the conference championship and potential bid to play in the NCAA tournament—something that Burnam says is this season’s end goal:
“The end goal is to be the conference champions and earn a bid to the NCAA playoffs.” To accomplish this, Burnam says it is important to focus on the details and each individual opponent in order to achieve the dream of winning it all. “I want to win it all. If we’re gonna do it. We gotta do it big.”
In order to achieve these goals, Burnam emphasizes the importance of his leadership role on the team: “I want to continue to be a good team leader and make sure we hold each other accountable. I want continue to be a leader through my actions and verbally.” In addition, Burnam says it is important for he and his teammates to follow the game plan that they are so familiar with. The Colonels want to continue to play their game.
“The coaching staff has been telling us we have to know the details and we can’t be our own worst enemies. We need to stack our reps,” Burnam says. “Centre can’t beat Centre.”
The Colonels return to the field on Saturday, October 14 at 1:00 at Trinity (Tex.). The Colonels will look to improve to 5-1 and continue their quest for another SAA conference title.