With the 71st Cowhide game nearing, coaches share the team’s preparation. Head coach Curtis Allen, defensive coordinator David Clements, and offensive coordinator Jackson share the preparation for the big game and the love they have for it.
By Olivia Banos
Cowhide is Redwood’s biggest game of the year, so a lot of pressure goes into preparing the players to play their best and hardest.
Head coach Curtis Allen is making sure that the team doesn’t lose: “Focus with all this stuff going on on campus, that our guys stay focused, continue to focus on the game and not necessarily the pageantry that goes along with it,” said Allen.
Staying focused in a game is hard, but especially with everything else going on outside of it, it can make it a little harder for players to keep their head in the game.
In the eyes of offensive coordinator Kenny Jackson, the team has been focusing on Attention to detail. Jackson believes a lot of students have a lot of things going on throughout Cowhide Week, so making sure that doesn’t get in the way of practice is crucial.
On what specific areas of the game will determine the outcome, defensive coordinator David Clements said that Cowhide is odd, as sometimes those that are favored to win underperform; the underdogs tend to have a good performance. This has happened a good amount of times, and the team has to go in making sure that doesn’t happen to them as they are favored.
For Allen, what will determine the main outcome of the game is, “Special teams, for sure. Special teams are always a great part of it. 25% of the game is special teams. Then we just got to play great defense and don’t turn the ball over, stay away from mistakes, and then we should be good.”
Allen has played in this game himself. “I played in the game, so I couldn’t believe it because I transferred here my last year of high school, so I couldn’t believe how the stadium was all packed like that; it was unbelievable,” said Allen.
Jackson said that Cowhide means a lot. Football and tradition go hand in hand, and when there is an opportunity to coach in a game with the prestige and history of Cowhide, it is a privilege, and Jackson doesn’t take it lightly or for granted.
For Clements, this will be the 6th or 7th game he has coached in, so it has been fun as an ex-player to play in three Cowhides and then also coach in it.
On how he feels coming into the big game, Allen said, “Last year there was a really great atmosphere. So we’re looking forward to another great atmosphere. Looking forward to getting the cowhide.”
Olivia Banos
Tags: #redwood athletics, 71st Cowhide, coaches, cowhide, football, gigantea, redwood football
