If someone were to walk into Byron P. Hollett Stadium just after Wabash’s opening game last Saturday, they surely would have seen the shocked and silent crowd and assumed the Little Giants had lost. This was not the case, as the team defeated Franklin College in dramatic fashion, 35-33. But the standing crowd wasn’t paying attention to the scoreboard, but rather the training table on the sideline.
In the second-to-last play of Wabash’s exciting victory, a Franklin onside kick attempt, fifth year senior and pre-season All American quarterback Dustin Huff suffered a broken leg, an injury that will most likely mark the end of Huff’s career at Wabash.
“The mood was very somber,” Head Coach Chris Chreighton said of his team after the game. “Here’s the thing I realized: how true the football family is. We’ve worked hard for this game for 365 days, and it was a great game, a hard fought battle. And it hit me that guys’ concern for their brother trumped the emotion of the win. It was a really meaningful thing.”
The injury cast a huge shadow over what was an exciting game and a huge win over a good Franklin team. The Little Giant offense established itself on the first possession of the game with a 10 play, 68 yard drive that ended in a seven yard touchdown pass to senior Gabe Guerrero.
But the powerful Franklin offense answered right back with a huge, 75 yard run from R.J. Hartsfield followed by a 32 yard field goal from Machy Magdalinos.
Two more Huff touchdown passes, including a 53 yard bomb to Bart Banach, would put the Little Giants on top 21-10, but a Chad Rupp pass to Neil Craig with 14 seconds left in the second quarter would shrink the Wabash lead to 21-17 at half.
The Little Giants came out strong in the second half, with another 53 yard pass to Banach, punctuated by a one yard touchdown run by sophomore J-Back Brock Graham. The Grizzlies refused to go away, however, and answered with another Magdalinos field goal.
Huff continued his dominance over the Grizzly defense by answering right back with a nine yard pass to Guerrero, again extending the lead to 35-20. Franklin answered yet again with a Rupp pass to Austin Gorrell with just under 11 minutes to play. Wabash drove the ball all the way down to the Franklin 11, but a fumble and missed field goal kept the Grizzles alive.
With just two minutes left, Franklin started their final drive at their own 39. The Grizzlies drove the length of the field and scored on a diving Kevin Lynch catch in the endzone from four yards out. On the two point conversion attempt, Rupp found an open receiver in the end zone, but a Rich Lehman tip would seal the victory for the Little Giants.
It was on the very next play that Huff would suffer his injury, while on the hands team to recover Franklin’s onside kick attempt.
Huff’s injury was a tragic and inappropriate end to his day. Huff was 27-44 for 477 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 22 yards rushing for a total of 499 yards, a Wabash school record.
“I was just heart-broken for him,” said sophomore quarterback Matt Hudson, one of the two quarterbacks who might be faced with the daunting task of replacing Huff as the starter. “We work hard to stress that we area a family. Right now, we need to surround him with the love he needs.”
Hudson, at 6’6 and 228, is more of a pocket-style passer than Huff, and even though he doesn’t have a lot of varsity experience, Creighton is confident he has a good grasp of the offense after two years.
“(Hudson) is bright, has good size, and throws a good ball,” Creighton said. “The guys on the team like him, and that goes a long way.”
Hudson’s competition for the starting job is sophomore Kyle Augustinovicz, a transfer from Quincy University in Illinois. Though this is Augustinovicz’s first year running this offense, Creighton is impressed with his athleticism and strong work ethic.
Despite the loss of the offensive leader, Creighton is confident this team will not only overcome the loss, but has a chance to improve.
“The power of the team is always stronger than the individual,” Creighton said. “In terms of getting better, if all 120 guys raise their play a little bit, we’re going to be great. Anyone who knows football would take the total team over one standout player.”
Hudson is also confident that the injury will galvanize this team, and inspire everyone to improve. “We follow our coach, and he loves to be challenged,” Hudson said. “The last thing we wanted to happen was losing our All-American quarterback, but everyone is looking forward to overcoming this challenge. We want to go out there and prove that this is a team game.”
Augustinovicz agreed, and cited the senior leadership as the main reason the team will overcome the injury. “These (seniors) have worked way too hard to let this season go down the drain,” Augustinovicz said.
The Little Giants’ first opportunity to prove their resilience will be this Saturday at 1-1 Millikin. “Millikin is always big, strong and talented. They have a great tradition,” Creighton said. “If those guys put it all together, they’re going to be scary- good.”
Only time will tell how Huff’s injury will affect this season, but if the team’s confidence and intensity are any indication, this team will be just fine.
“Adversity brings out your true character,” said Creighton. “The true character of our football team is something I’m proud of. If that has an opportunity to flourish, we’re going to see something special.”