Poynette Turning Point

(09.04.09)-- With the Chiefs seemingly able to run at will against the Poynette Indians, Wisconsin Dells started several offensive series from no better than their own 20-yard line. Each series the Chiefs pounded forward to midfield or beyond.

Moving the chains forward on single runs worked almost flawlessly - until Wisconsin Dells offensive coordinator Jeff Buss decided it was time to pass.

The death of nearly each Chiefs' offensive drive came at the hands of the Chiefs' own passing game. The interceptions that plagued the Chiefs at the Reedsburg scrimmage and continued through the Chiefs' season opener against Kingsford again hurt the Chiefs against Poynette.

As bad as Skylar Liebzeit's first-half interceptions were, the inability of the Chiefs' junior quarterback to connect with sophomore Cody Buss on key third-down situations proved to be the real turning point in this game.

As a scoreless first half wound down Poynette's Cody Odegaard scored the game's first touchdown from 32 yards out on a busted play.

Odegaard's long kickoff then forced Wisconsin Dells to start at their own 20-yard line. Coming out throwing, the Chiefs soon faced a third and long with less than two minutes remaining in a tight first half. Looking only to Cody Buss, Liebzeit's floater was too high for the sophomore and the Chiefs had to punt back to Poynette.

A 24-yard return gave Poynette great field position at the Chiefs' 33-yard line with plenty of time on the clock to add another score. Aided by a pair of Poynette penalties, the Indians' drive stalled and they had to settle for the 23-yard field goal and the 9-0 halftime advantage.

With offensive coordinator Buss more concerned about which Chiefs return specialist called for the ball on Poynette's kickoffs, than finding a receiver who could actually make a play, the elder Buss looked to his sophomore receiver to be the Chiefs' playmaker against the Indians.

During the Chiefs' first two losses of 2009 Cody Buss emerged as the Chiefs go-to receiver. The undersized and inexperienced sophomore should never have been put into that position. It was a role he was not physically able to play and a role that sent the Chiefs offense into another downhill spiral and 0-2 start.

Putting the youngster in that position was not fair to Cody Buss or to the Chiefs, against Poynette it proved to be the turning point of the game, when Liebzeit overthrew the 5'8" Buss and the Chiefs failed to convert on another key third down.

The Indians' first-half punt with 29 seconds left on the clock sealed Poynette's win as the Indians went into the half leading 9-0 after scoring twice in the half's final two minutes.

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• Wisconsin
• Dells
• Chiefs
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• Poynette
• Indians
• Skylar
• Liebzeit
• Jeff
• Buss
• Cody
• Odegaard