Sound Off: Lafayette Coach Living a Bad Dream

In the modern era of sports, being a college coach carries with it the burden of constant media attention. Facing dozens of reporters at press conferences, head coaches have gotten savvier—they say what they need to and leave the rest up for speculation. Here at The Back Page, we’re happy to decode some of these media sessions, showing the average fan what we think coaches’ answers “really” mean.

For Lafayette coach Frank Tavani, the 2010 season has been a nightmare the Leopards can’t seem to wake up from. After dropping three close games to Georgetown, Penn, and Princeton, Harvard came to town on Saturday and blew Lafayette out, romping to a 35-10 win. Now the Leopards, with the meat of their Patriot League schedule left to play, are winless against a slate they were 3-0 against last fall. It’s no wonder that Tavani expressed his frustration in this week’s edition of Sound Off.

What Tavani Said: Well, we certainly did enough things to shoot ourselves in the foot. Besides not playing well, then we’re doing those kinds of things…We’ve got to play darn near perfect, and we’re not only not doing that, we’re doing things that are making matters worse.

What Tavani Meant: Tavani’s referencing Lafayette’s 10 penalties for 109 yards in Saturday’s loss, including a pair of penalties totaling 30 yards on the same play and a roughing-the-kicker infraction that set up Harvard’s fifth touchdown. That was a big change from the discipline the Leopards have exhibited thus far—the team hadn’t accumulated more than 53 penalty yards in a game before Saturday. It’s not a coincidence that Lafayette’s biggest losing margin corresponded exactly with its sloppiest play.

What Tavani Said: The frustration just came out. There were a number of things going on down there that I was talking to the officials about, and to have a kid make a great play like that and to get that call …I just at that point had had enough, and rather than hold it in and have a stroke, I let it out.

What Tavani Meant: After yet another ill-timed penalty—this one an illegal block in the back—recalled a 94-yard touchdown run by freshman Jet Kollie, Tavani rushed the field to give the referees a piece of his mind. He also almost gave them a piece of his fist before he was restrained by two of his assistants and brought back to the sideline to calm down. It’s good to hear that Tavani is trying to avoid an Urban Meyer situation, and he certainly has every reason to be frustrated with his team, but the outburst was just the icing on the Leopards’ sloppy cake.

What Tavani Said: We’re fighting a lot of adversity...we had three starters on Thursday go down, and that shook up special teams and some other things. You know, you see an awful lot of freshmen out there, both on offense and defense, and particularly special teams. And even though it’s great for them to get that experience, they’re certainly not quite ready...

A couple of times we weren’t lined up, and the more young guys we’re putting out there, the more that happens. Hey, we don’t make any excuses. We got a good, old-fashioned butt kicking, and we’ve got to get up off the mat to play another day. And it doesn’t get any easier, because Columbia is absolutely blowing Princeton off the field right now.

What Tavani Meant: These two quotes would be excellent to use in a game of “Two Truths and a Lie.” The truths: Lafayette did get its butt kicked, and Columbia destroyed Princeton, 42-14. The lie: Tavani, in reality, did make excuses, citing the three injuries sustained in practice as a factor in the game and blaming the lack of game readiness of the freshmen he fielded. There’s no doubt that those absences did have an impact on the game plan, and there’s also no doubt that the Leopards will have their hands full with the Lions on Saturday. Judging by Lafayette’s performance, health, and attitude coming out of this contest, I’d bet on the Leopards falling to 0-5 in the Big Apple.