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Taking the next step
 |
| Clayton Kirven looks to make a block in action for the Cowboys. Kirven started for the first time in his college career this season. |
Ex-Bison tell their gridiron tales
By Grant Smith
The atmosphere changes.
The hits are bigger, the crowds are larger and the entire play of the game passes at breakneck speed.
This is college football, where the heart and soul of the game that you learned in high school is amplified to epic proportions.
Several ex-Bison have successfully made the step to the collegiate level, and they weighed in on the nuances of their experience.
In the trenches
Clayton Kirven, offensive guard, University of Wyoming
Playing at the highest level of college football, Kirven lines up against some of the fiercest defenses in the nation. Despite the challenge, he claims it’s just a matter of keeping your poise and playing the part.
“There’s a lot of thinking going on down there,” said Kirven. “The defenses are always changing and moving; you have to learn to be dedicated and know your responsibility. Usually the center will make a point call, and from that you can see how he is going to block and you get your assignment.”
With the amount of hard hitting and competitive heart, Kirven notes that things can turn rather nasty on the line.
“I wouldn’t say that any of the play is meant to be dirty,” explained Kirven. “You’re down their fighting as hard as you can and stuff happens. People will stick hands in your facemask and stuff, but I don’t think any of it’s intentional. There are definitely guys that trash talk out there. I probably shouldn’t name names, but they just use that as part of their game. It makes me want to run the ball at them so I can block them.”
Being dependent on the audible snap call from the quarterback, Kirven can think of only one time when crowd noise became an issue.
“We were backed up on our own goal line against Tennessee,” remembered Kirven. “The crowd was so noisy in that stadium, and I couldn’t hear the quarterback. You just have to be committed and watch the ball out of the corner of your eye. After awhile all these things just become second nature and you don’t have to worry.”
Out in the flat
Chris Prosinski, junior free safety at University of Wyoming
Making his presence felt on the national level, free safety Chris Prosinski brought his never-say-die attitude to the gridiron this year as a starter for the Cowboys.
Playing in the last line of defense, Prosinski admits to feeling the pressure that accompanies his role.
“As a free safety in our defense we run, we have a lot of checks,” explained Prosinski. “We get the play and once it comes in we see what we have and how many receivers and how many running backs they have out. Then we check back into a different coverage or stay the same. You have to be on cue with all the other guys because one little mishap can go for a big play. It will probably go for a touchdown. To be a good safety, you have to have good speed and vision.”
While game-day performance is the aspect viewed by most, Prosinski tells of the hours spent in preparation.
“The pre-game work is huge,” he said. “We watch film two to three hours a day, and then the coaches send us home with DVDs. I would say we watch about 20 hours of film a week. You learn which quarterbacks are going to throw you off with their eyes and which ones will look at their intended receiver.”
As for the coaching change for the Cowboys from Joe Glenn to Dave Christensen, Prosinski sees it as a bittersweet deal.
“It was rough seeing Glenn go,” he noted. “But at the same time we didn’t get the job done. Something had to change and unfortunately it was at the coaching level.”
Friends turned foe
Kyle Cummings, junior outside linebacker for the University of Sioux Falls
Cummings couldn’t wring any more out of this season. Playing a pivotal role in the stalwart Cougar defense, Cummings blocked a first quarter punt that led to a defensive score in the NAIA national championship game against Carroll College, helping his team cement a 23-7 victory and garnering the Buffalo native the Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year award.
“We played the national title game in Rome, Georgia, so it was a neutral field,” remarked Cummings. “It was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played before. It is such a switch to that different atmosphere. It’s so much bigger than high school. It’s quite a feeling. I couldn’t sleep two nights before the game. I wasn’t scared, I was just anxious to get out there and play that first series.”
The intrigue to the game came with Cummings being matched up against Buffalo teammate John Camino, who plays tailback for the Carroll College Saints.
“It was different playing against Camino,” noted Cummings. “I had to look at him almost like an enemy. I couldn’t look at him or talk to him, but once the game was over we were friends again. I didn’t get a solid hit on him, but I was in on a couple of tackles that brought him down.”
That hometown tie is something that Cummings wears on his sleeve.
“The community in Buffalo is great,” Cummings said. “My parent made it to all the home games, and that’s a great feeling. Everything you do makes them proud and it gives you that higher confidence level to do better. They really contribute to my success.”
John Camino, red-shirt sophomore at Carroll College
Choosing Carroll College because of the strong academic atmosphere and the presence of his older brother on the football team, Camino has been making his mark in Montana.
“I got a lot of experience and really matured as a football player this year,” Camino said. “I got to see some playing time as red-shirt freshman but this year I played a bigger role.”
The increase role came at the cost of higher scrutiny from the sidelines.
“The coaching staff at Carroll is really intense,” remarked Camino. “They love to see you succeed and I can’t say enough about them, but they’ll get on you to make you better.”
Noting his championship match-up against fellow Bison teammate, Camino saw the opportunity as a challenge.
“It was a pretty unreal experience,” said Camino. “I’m glad I was fortunate enough to play in such an important game. There was a couple of times that I ran into Kyle on field, but we still remain close friends. He’s a heck of a ball player.”
The anatomy of a kick
Travis Atter, junior kicker for Chadron State in Nebraska
Having broken several season and career point setting records this year, Travis admits that a good kicker has to throw all the fanfare to the wayside.
“I don’t think about the records at all,” noted Atter. “I didn’t even know I broke the point record until they announced it over the loudspeaker at the stadium. You can’t really think about anything when you go out to kick the ball, just do what you do in practice.”
For Atter, practice can take a different turn than for other positions.
“We have a drill in practice where the entire team tries to distract me,” Atter said. “They can do anything but touch me or the ball. They’ll throw grass in my face, squirt me with water, lay down right next to the ball. The coaches will scream at me and throw their hats, so I think if you can kick in those conditions it’s pretty tough to crack. As for the other team trying to call a time-out right before I kick, that’s really not going to faze me when I practice in situations much worse.”
As for the other players on the field during the kick, Atter recognizes them as the key to his success.
“It’s really a talent to be a good holder,” explained Atter. “We have a guy with the best hands I’ve ever seen; the ball is always in the right spot. Of course the long snapper is also key. He has to get that ball in the right spot and be prepared for everyone coming at him. When we line up for a kick, the line is just the biggest guys on the team; we put linebackers and defensive lineman out there just to make a big wall.”
As is the case with all ex-Bison, Atter relishes the support of the community.
“It’s great to come back home and have everyone ask how you’re doing and tell you that they’ve been following you,” he said. “And my parents are always at the game and continue to be my biggest supporters.”
The hits are bigger, the crowds are larger and the entire play of the game passes at breakneck speed.
This is college football, where the heart and soul of the game that you learned in high school is amplified to epic proportions.
Several ex-Bison have successfully made the step to the collegiate level, and they weighed in on the nuances of their experience.
In the trenches
Clayton Kirven, offensive guard, University of Wyoming
Playing at the highest level of college football, Kirven lines up against some of the fiercest defenses in the nation. Despite the challenge, he claims it’s just a matter of keeping your poise and playing the part.
“There’s a lot of thinking going on down there,” said Kirven. “The defenses are always changing and moving; you have to learn to be dedicated and know your responsibility. Usually the center will make a point call, and from that you can see how he is going to block and you get your assignment.”
With the amount of hard hitting and competitive heart, Kirven notes that things can turn rather nasty on the line.
“I wouldn’t say that any of the play is meant to be dirty,” explained Kirven. “You’re down their fighting as hard as you can and stuff happens. People will stick hands in your facemask and stuff, but I don’t think any of it’s intentional. There are definitely guys that trash talk out there. I probably shouldn’t name names, but they just use that as part of their game. It makes me want to run the ball at them so I can block them.”
Being dependent on the audible snap call from the quarterback, Kirven can think of only one time when crowd noise became an issue.
“We were backed up on our own goal line against Tennessee,” remembered Kirven. “The crowd was so noisy in that stadium, and I couldn’t hear the quarterback. You just have to be committed and watch the ball out of the corner of your eye. After awhile all these things just become second nature and you don’t have to worry.”
Out in the flat
Chris Prosinski, junior free safety at University of Wyoming
Making his presence felt on the national level, free safety Chris Prosinski brought his never-say-die attitude to the gridiron this year as a starter for the Cowboys.
Playing in the last line of defense, Prosinski admits to feeling the pressure that accompanies his role.
“As a free safety in our defense we run, we have a lot of checks,” explained Prosinski. “We get the play and once it comes in we see what we have and how many receivers and how many running backs they have out. Then we check back into a different coverage or stay the same. You have to be on cue with all the other guys because one little mishap can go for a big play. It will probably go for a touchdown. To be a good safety, you have to have good speed and vision.”
While game-day performance is the aspect viewed by most, Prosinski tells of the hours spent in preparation.
“The pre-game work is huge,” he said. “We watch film two to three hours a day, and then the coaches send us home with DVDs. I would say we watch about 20 hours of film a week. You learn which quarterbacks are going to throw you off with their eyes and which ones will look at their intended receiver.”
As for the coaching change for the Cowboys from Joe Glenn to Dave Christensen, Prosinski sees it as a bittersweet deal.
“It was rough seeing Glenn go,” he noted. “But at the same time we didn’t get the job done. Something had to change and unfortunately it was at the coaching level.”
Friends turned foe
Kyle Cummings, junior outside linebacker for the University of Sioux Falls
Cummings couldn’t wring any more out of this season. Playing a pivotal role in the stalwart Cougar defense, Cummings blocked a first quarter punt that led to a defensive score in the NAIA national championship game against Carroll College, helping his team cement a 23-7 victory and garnering the Buffalo native the Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year award.
“We played the national title game in Rome, Georgia, so it was a neutral field,” remarked Cummings. “It was the biggest crowd I’ve ever played before. It is such a switch to that different atmosphere. It’s so much bigger than high school. It’s quite a feeling. I couldn’t sleep two nights before the game. I wasn’t scared, I was just anxious to get out there and play that first series.”
The intrigue to the game came with Cummings being matched up against Buffalo teammate John Camino, who plays tailback for the Carroll College Saints.
“It was different playing against Camino,” noted Cummings. “I had to look at him almost like an enemy. I couldn’t look at him or talk to him, but once the game was over we were friends again. I didn’t get a solid hit on him, but I was in on a couple of tackles that brought him down.”
That hometown tie is something that Cummings wears on his sleeve.
“The community in Buffalo is great,” Cummings said. “My parent made it to all the home games, and that’s a great feeling. Everything you do makes them proud and it gives you that higher confidence level to do better. They really contribute to my success.”
John Camino, red-shirt sophomore at Carroll College
Choosing Carroll College because of the strong academic atmosphere and the presence of his older brother on the football team, Camino has been making his mark in Montana.
“I got a lot of experience and really matured as a football player this year,” Camino said. “I got to see some playing time as red-shirt freshman but this year I played a bigger role.”
The increase role came at the cost of higher scrutiny from the sidelines.
“The coaching staff at Carroll is really intense,” remarked Camino. “They love to see you succeed and I can’t say enough about them, but they’ll get on you to make you better.”
Noting his championship match-up against fellow Bison teammate, Camino saw the opportunity as a challenge.
“It was a pretty unreal experience,” said Camino. “I’m glad I was fortunate enough to play in such an important game. There was a couple of times that I ran into Kyle on field, but we still remain close friends. He’s a heck of a ball player.”
The anatomy of a kick
Travis Atter, junior kicker for Chadron State in Nebraska
Having broken several season and career point setting records this year, Travis admits that a good kicker has to throw all the fanfare to the wayside.
“I don’t think about the records at all,” noted Atter. “I didn’t even know I broke the point record until they announced it over the loudspeaker at the stadium. You can’t really think about anything when you go out to kick the ball, just do what you do in practice.”
For Atter, practice can take a different turn than for other positions.
“We have a drill in practice where the entire team tries to distract me,” Atter said. “They can do anything but touch me or the ball. They’ll throw grass in my face, squirt me with water, lay down right next to the ball. The coaches will scream at me and throw their hats, so I think if you can kick in those conditions it’s pretty tough to crack. As for the other team trying to call a time-out right before I kick, that’s really not going to faze me when I practice in situations much worse.”
As for the other players on the field during the kick, Atter recognizes them as the key to his success.
“It’s really a talent to be a good holder,” explained Atter. “We have a guy with the best hands I’ve ever seen; the ball is always in the right spot. Of course the long snapper is also key. He has to get that ball in the right spot and be prepared for everyone coming at him. When we line up for a kick, the line is just the biggest guys on the team; we put linebackers and defensive lineman out there just to make a big wall.”
As is the case with all ex-Bison, Atter relishes the support of the community.
“It’s great to come back home and have everyone ask how you’re doing and tell you that they’ve been following you,” he said. “And my parents are always at the game and continue to be my biggest supporters.”
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| BRRR ... it’s cold in here! |
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