The Chadron State College football team boarded busses Tuesday morning for the 15- to 16-hour trip to play Angelo State in San Angelo, Texas, on Thursday night for both teams’ season-opener. Kickoff will be at 6 o’clock mountain time.
The Rams are expected to be one of the best teams on the Eagles’ schedule. They finished 11-3 last fall, finally having their season ended by Colorado Mines in the NCAA Division II quarterfinals.
Chadron State Head Coach Jay Long said in the early games his team will “lean on” the defense, which has good depth and more experience than the offense. But he said the offense will have some new schemes this fall and should develop into a stellar unit.
The Eagles’ starting quarterback in the opener will be Heath Beemiller, a transfer from Northern Arizona. CSC also will depend heavily on running backs Jeydon Cox and Dorian Collier, both of whom averaged 5.8 yards a carry last fall.
Long said the Eagles’ motto this fall is “Team First.” It is designed to build outstanding unity. He added that he can guarantee that the Eagles will play hard because they are tough and have an outstanding work ethic.
CSC has been fortunate to have had almost no injuries or health problems during the pre-season.