<p><br /><em>This segment is the final one of the 11-part series, highlighting game recaps of the 1988 Savage Football season. The Savages became the only football team in Southeastern’s Athletics history to finish the regular season undefeated en route to their 11th conference championship before upsetting No. 1 Central Arkansas in the first round of the NAIA playoffs at Paul Laird Field. Southeastern fell to Adams State (Colo.) in the second round, also at Paul Laird Field.</em></p><p><em>The stories, written by then-Sports Information Director Harold Harmon, were published in the</em> Durant Democrat<em>, and reproduced for web use by M. Shane Baxley.</em> </p><p>December 4, 1988<br />No hearts and flowers, please.</p><p>The Southeastern Savages ended the season with a 38-7 loss to Adams (Colo.) State in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Division I National Football Playoffs.</p><p>It wasn’t the real Savages, of course, but Coach Jon Lantz offered no excuses.</p><p>“Our defense didn’t play well in the second half and offense didn’t play well the whole game.</p><p>“Penalties hurt us but I don’t want to offer excuses and take from Adams State. Coach (Jeff) Geiser runs a class program. When you get into the National Playoffs you deal with class people. That’s the kind of people who get there.</p><p>“I’m disappointed we didn’t win, of course, but I really hope Jeff does well the rest of the way.”</p><p>Adams State swept the Outstanding Player awards with quarterback Bobby Saiz and tackle Greg Maul named the top performers in the game.</p><p>Saiz hit 18 of 41 passes for 323 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.</p><p>Maul (what a great name for a defensive tackle) had six solo stops, three assists and two quarterback sacks for minus-12 yards.</p><p>It was actually two football games with Indians leading only 12-7 at the half.</p><p>As Lantz pointed out, penalties played a key role all game. On Southeastern’s second possession, the Savages were going for it on fourth and seven at the ASC 36.</p><p>Quarterback Greg Neece, playing with an injured shoulder that had severely limited in mobility and throwing ability, fired a pass to tailback Corey Ransom that picked up 18 yards and a first down at the Indians’ 18.</p><p>Whistle, flag, illegal procedure, punt.</p><p>“I thought that was a key series for us,” Lantz said.</p><p>“We haven’t been stopped very often when we get inside the 30. We had a chance to be ahead 7-0 and instead we just went flat.</p><p>“If we had gotten that first TD, it might have been a different game, but that’s second guessing and anybody can do that.”</p><p>“We got the penalty instead of a possible touchdown and it went downhill from there.</p><p>“The most disappointing thing of all is the fans didn’t get to see the real Savages.”</p><p>Adams State went ahead 3-0 on Wes Polk’s 40-yard field goal on their second possession following the Savages’ aborted drive.</p><p>The Indians’ first TD came on a fake punt with Mike McIninch taking the short snap, breaking a tackle at the line of scrimmage and going 49 yards for the TD.</p><p>Polk’s extra point try was wide left and it was 9-0, ASC, with 13:16 left in the second quarter.</p><p>The Savages bounced back with Neece hitting Oscar Wright for 37 yards to cap a 9-play, 83-yard drive that included a roughing the kicker call against ASC that gave Southeastern new life.</p><p>That got the crowd back into the game momentarily.</p><p>Neece looked like Neece on a couple of plays on the scoring drive. He ran for 6 and 8 yards, the latter coming on third and seven and ended with Neece using a trademark headbutt on a linebacker to get the final yard for the first down.</p><p>Unfortunately, Neece just couldn’t compete at anywhere near his normal level over the entire game.</p><p>Coach Geiser said, “you have to say something for Southeast. Neece was not himself. He looked like quarterback who hadn’t practiced in a week.”</p><p>Polk toed an 18-yard field goal with just 56 seconds left in the first half after the Savage defense had thrown up a valiant goal stand.</p><p>The Indians had a first and goal at the Savage 3 and it took seven plays to get the field goal.</p><p>The ball was snapped from the Savage 2, a gain of just 1 yard. There were a couple of incomplete passes and the Savages were <br />flagged for pass interference in the end zone.</p><p>Two officials were right on the play – one made the call from behind.</p><p>The Indians took a 12-7 lead into intermission and nobody dreamed how the second half would turn out.</p><p>The Run and Shoot kicked in for the Indians in the second half. After hitting 8 of 25 for 120 yards in the first two periods, ASC completed 11 of 19 for 211 yards in the last half.</p><p>The Savages were unable to play their usual ball-control game with Neece directing a ground-oriented attack. ASC snapped the ball 89 times to Southeastern’s 65 and the defense was dragging.</p><p>Todd Rutherford caught a 9-yard TD pass thrown by the Indians’ sharpshooting Bobby Saiz and pass for two points failed.</p><p>That made it 18-7 with 10:01 left in round three.</p><p>The handwriting went up on the wall when Rick Arford played volleyball in the end zone, finally coming down with a pass from Rutherford after it bounced off several hands.</p><p>Polk hit the point-after to make it 25-7 with 3:15 left in the third.</p><p>The Indians scored three times in the fourth quarter with Polk hitting field goals of 19 and 29 yards around a 48-yard touchdown pass from Saiz to Alex Bajza.</p><p>The TD was set up by an interception and the drive covered 48 yards in one play and 8 seconds.</p><p>Coach Geiser said, “If you had asked me before the game if we would beat Southeast 38-7 before the game, I would have said you weren’t thinking correctly.</p><p>“There’s not much emotion in our locker room right now. Our young men played their hearts out and spent it on the field.</p><p>“We thought we could pass coming into the game. This part of the country isn’t used to seeing sophisticated passing attacks like we are.</p><p>“The difference in us and Southeast is that our young men know they can beat if they don’t play hard.”</p><p>Both teams played hard, no doubt about that.</p><p>The score is reflected in the statistics. Adams had by far the better of it in all categories.</p><p>The Indians had 47 carries for 178 yards and one rushing TD.</p><p>The Savages ran the ball 34 times for 97 yards and no touchdowns.</p><p>Adams State’s aerial game lived up to its billing as Saiz hit 18 of 41 for 323 yards and 2 TDs. Rutherford added 1 of 1 for 8 yards and a touchdown.</p><p>Neece completed 6 of 27 passes for 68 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Oscar Wright threw one incompletion.</p><p>Obvious unable to follow through, Neece several times harrowly missed receivers he would normally have hit in the numbers.</p><p>Neece carried the ball 12 times, most not by choice and picked up 10 yards after 35 in losses.</p><p>Ransom had 11 carries for 46 yards and failed to score for the first time this season.</p><p>Eight Indians caught passes with Bajza hauling in 4 for 76 yards and a TD to lead the way. Corey Williams caught 5 for 71, James Huerena 2 for 61 and Mark Krasovich 2 for 59.</p><p>Greg Jones and Greg Maul led Adams State defensively. Jones had 6 solo tackles and 4 assists, Maul 6 and 3 with 2 quarterbacks.</p><p>David Hall led Southeastern with 8 solo stops and 7 assists and Elmar Perry was right behind with 7 and 4, plus two QB sacks for minus-14 yards.</p><p>Gary Pearson and Girardeau Chisholm were in on 10 tackles each and Charles Love on 9.</p><p>Coach Lantz said, “I told our kids after the game this was the greatest team and the greatest year Southeastern football ever had.</p><p>“I’m just really sorry the fans and Adams State didn’t see the real Savages. I am sorry for our seniors who couldn’t win it all.</p><p>“We just didn’t get any pressure on them in the third quarter, really the last half. Momentum is so important in football and we did our darnedest, but just couldn’t get it.</p><p>“We’re embarrassed. Because of the score, not because of the effort. We played hard. We weren’t surprised at the fake punt and had the guy tackled at the line of scrimmage.</p><p>“He broke the tackle and made a championship play.</p><p>“Their quarterback is a fine player. He’s a competitor, the type of kid I’d like to coach.</p><p>“We weren’t sharp and were afraid of that all week after our big win over Central Arkansas.</p><p>“I really don’t think the game swung on two or three plays, though. We just didn’t do the job and they did.”</p><p>Lantz said the Savages should be proud of all they accomplished this season and not let this defeat spoil a great year.</p><p>“What I’m proudest of,” Lantz said, “and I think of it when I see (SOSU President) Dr. Williams walk into this room, is that our university, and it’s a great university, has had so much negative publicity over the last two or three years and now we have something positive.</p><p>“You hear about drug busts in this part of the state and things like that.</p><p>“I think this whole are needed something to believe in and get back on top. I think our football team is part of that something this area can believe in and Dr. Williams is a big part of our football team.</p><p>“I’m just so proud of our young men. We have 16 or 17 starters back for back for next year. It’s really exciting.</p><p>“We’ve had great leadership from our seniors and we’re definitely going to miss No. 8 (Neece).</p><p>“If anyone could be irreplaceable, it’s Neece. Quarterback is our number one recruiting goal, but that’s a few days away.</p><p>“For right now, I just want to wish Coach Geiser and his kids good luck and tell our kids to hold their heads high and be proud to say they are Savages.</p><p>The Southeastern Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is hosting the 1988 Savages for a reunion on Nov. 8 during the annual SE-ECU rivalry game. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. </p>
