University of Evansville - LinC Yearbook (Evansville, IN)

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Moses ' s Final Season Ends in Disappointment by Craig Bohnert It was a year of coming and going for Aces football. First to go were a number of players coach John Moses was counting on to turn the Aces fortune around. Some transferred, others were injured, and still others decided not to play. After hanging up a 2-9 record, it was Moses ' turn to go, as the university decided not to renew his contract. He left with a 6-25 record as head coach over three years. Two months later, Randy Rodgers came to Evansville as Moses ' replacement. Coming from Inver Heights Community College in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area, Rodgers brought many players from his nationally ranked junior college team with him, as well as recruit- ing some of the area ' s more impressive high school players. On the field, the Aces were sporadic, with the key weakness being in the kicking game, which suffered a setback with the graduation of Neil Saunders and an early-season injury to Marvin Boswell. The defense, which performed steadily under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Greg Carlson (who left shortly after Moses), had their job made tougher by the offense ' s inability to move the ball, forcing the defenders to play in the shadow of their own goalposts most of the game. The two wins showed the potential of the Aces, a 17-0 blanking of perennial rival Southeast Missouri and a 30-6 thrashing of DePauw, both before home crowds. Closing out their careers with the Aces was the Scott passing team, consisting of quarterback Scott Topczewski and receiver Charlie Scott. Topper ended his four-year stint with a .505 passing effec- tiveness, with 19 touchdowns to his credit. Scott, one of three Aces named to the Heartland All-Conference team, pulled in 73 passes in four years, averaging 14.1 yards er reception and tallying 7 touch- downs. Other Aces to receive all-conference honors were senior lineman Paul Estridge and sophomore defenseman Carl Bellew. 24