Ross leads new-look offense for FHSU football in role as OC

Story by MAYAN PAZ Photo by BENNY ARMSTRONG

Tiger Media Network

Fort Hays State University’s football team went through some changes over the last summer, one of the most significant ones being the hiring of a new offensive coordinator, Tom Ross. Ross, a former quarterback for Adams State University, served as a quarterback coach for Morehead State University in Kentucky before joining the staff at FHSU. This is his first season as an offensive coordinator. 

Season openers are never a stroll in the park, and Fort Hays had lost the last four home season openers. However, with a new staff member and No. 24 Angelo State, the team was confident and relaxed ahead of the game. 

There was a peak of excitement on Thursday night as the entire campus polished itself and prepared for the highly anticipated game, but with thunderstorms hitting the Hays area, it was decided to postpone the game to the next day and play it on a Friday afternoon, right before Labor day weekend. The delay affected the atmosphere in the stands, as fewer fans could attend, but the debut was still exciting for Ross.

“Under the circumstances, it was still very exciting,” Ross said after the game. 

Ross had another reason to be excited. In addition to his debut as OC, FHSU’s offense dominated the field from the jump and didn’t leave much room for ASU’s defense to respond. A well-deserved 21-7 triumph for FHSU was the perfect way to start Ross’s campaign as the new offensive coordinator.  

Ross seems to have formed a good connection with his players on the offense, even in the short period of time he has been part of the team. FHSU Head Coach Chris Brown was also impressed and indicated that Ross had a positive effect on the team.

“I’m impressed and delighted with how coach Ross managed to connect with the team and form personal relationships with the players already,” Brown said. “The way he works with Jack (Dawson) and the Watts brothers is really impressive.”

Ross thanked Brown for the trust he is given running the offense and addressed the importance of connecting with the players and being able to understand how to utilize them. 

“Jack Dawson has a lot of experience, and he is a quarterback like I was, so it’s easy to connect with him, especially when I know he has the experience and the ability to control the game. I feel confident to trust him,” Ross said. 

Ross also highlighted the performance of Trevor Watts, who led the team with six receptions for 73 yards and was used as bait for Angelo States’s defense on multiple occasions. 

“Trevor is a really talented and intelligent player,” Ross said. “We used his ability to be creative and instinctive to move forward with the ball.”

FHSU’s short passing game shined during the first quarter; however, in the second quarter, Dawson started trying some longer passes, resulting in a scoreless quarter that included one intercepted pass. The second half saw Dawson returning to shorter passes and better control of the game, in a process that showed Ross’s ability to trust his players but take charge when needed and get the team back on course. 

“For us, it was the way the game developed in the second quarter, and I trusted Jack to make the right decisions,” Ross said. “Also, we had some penalties that forced us to make some more dangerous plays, but we adjusted well for the second half.”

A promising start it was for Ross’s time here at FHSU, with an impressive win against one of the best pass defenses in the nation last season. 

“Actually, they have a very similar defensive style to ours, so we really had the ideal preparation playing against our own defense in practice,” Ross said. “But our system works for now, and a short passing game is something that we will use a lot during the season as a game plan.”

Ross and FHSU’s new-look offense will return to the gridiron this Saturday against Missouri Western State University. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm at Lewis Field Stadium.