The past couple of weeks have not gone as planned for the Northern Virginia Rampage, as they’ve lost consecutive games. This Saturday they are hoping to change course as they prepare for the Ducks to come to Chuck Coles Stadium.

Head Coach Dennis Cornwell talked about what led to last week’s 31-12 loss to the Beast. “We battled and didn’t quit,” he said. “However, when we got some momentum, there were a couple of questionable spots and calls by the referees. Normally, I don’t throw that in as an issue, but clearly it affected us.”

“The first possession we had a drive in the first half and on fourth and 4 we went for it,” he continued. “We threw a short read route and thought we made it, but they spotted the ball short. Very bad spot.”

The second half was none too kinder to the home team. “In the second half, the Beast had a decent pass play down the middle of the field, and we clearly touched the guy down as he landed. He got up and ran an additional 50 yards for the score. That’s when the momentum started to truly swing. We dropped a touchdown pass as well.”

Cornwell states that there’s another factor leading to recent results. “We see glimpses of the potential here as a team but something is always holding us back including ourselves. One thing that has hurt us this year is not having a field goal kicker for field goals, extra points and kickoffs.”

As with last year, turnovers are ending drives prematurely. “We turn the ball over on offense, giving opponents great field position and putting our defensive backs against the wall. We have to make better decisions to prevent that going forward.”

The losses were more than just on the scoreboard, but two injuries going into tomorrow night’s game. “Still fighting the injury bug losing a great offensive lineman and our starting running back is questionable as well.”

Looking ahead, they are going to prepare for the Ducks’ up-tempo offense. “They have a fast QB that we must contain. They also have some big linebackers that fill the run well. However, we feel that we have found some areas we can attack to be successful. Most importantly protect the football and help our defense.

Despite the challenges, he’s still confident in the Rampage’s ability to overcome and get back on the winning track. “We still believe in these men on both sides of the ball and we are working to improve.”