COLLEGE FOOTBALL

End Zone: UT Rockets

UT will take the final step to league supremacy by just waiting

11/28/2013

Say this about The Most Frustrating Team in the MAC: The Rockets don't always lose, but when they do, they prefer to lose to a better team.

Superiority prevailed again in a fourth straight loss to Northern Illinois. It marked UT's eighth loss in the past two seasons, all against an opponent that stacked up better on paper.

There is belief UT will take the final step to league supremacy by just waiting. QBs at NIU and Ball State will be in NFL camps next offseason, relieving the strain on a breezy Rockets defense with no counterpunch for either of them. The answer to unlocking a division title is likely more complex, but departures of Jordan Lynch and Keith Wenning are welcomed.

UT's QB will also transition to the pros, though in a rookie league where he'll work to develop a slider. Replacing Terrance Owens, despite his inconsistencies, won't be easy. None of the replacements for him have started a college game.

Pieces are in place to get this right. Develop a QB. Let a young defense mature. Continue to recruit BCS-caliber prospects.

One change: Get rid of the halfback goal-line pass. Coach Matt Campbell should use it as a surface to carve his Thanksgiving turkey.

Contact Ryan Autullo at: rautullo@theblade.com, 419-724-6160 or on Twitter @AutulloBlade.