If it was a test, Columbian passed it. Ben Davis and the Tornadoe lines practically aced it, and stayed after class for extra credit.
Columbian's 26-13 win over Clyde Friday night was a sign the team that lost its top quarterback, receiver and running back would be just fine.
Just like history told us it would.
But even after so many winning seasons, doubt persisted, to a point. Columbian lost so many players off the 2010 squad that made the Division III regional final, one can't say those doubts have been completely erased after one week.
Still, Clyde should be a very good football team, and Columbian's defense allowed it practically nothing in the first half.
So what to we take from this overall? Here are three things that stood out from last night's game.
1. Columbian was dominant up front on both sides of the ball.
The Tornadoes sacked Clyde's Ryan Meyer five times, while Davis and the TC offense were able to convert a number of third and longs due in part to the protection the line provided. Size has plenty to do with it - before the season TC coach Brian Colatruglio said the defensive line might be the biggest the Tornadoes ever had - but it also has to do with talent.
2. Davis and Jonah Boyer will create problems for defenses all year.
At halftime, Davis and Boyer had connected five times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. It could have been more. Early in the game Boyer broke free from a defender and was wide open down the field. Davis' pass was too long and fell incomplete.
No one's going to forget the combination of Ryan Tittle and Jesse Hernandez, which stretched the field seemingly at will last season. But Boyer and Davis seemed to have little trouble knowing what the other one was doing. What also stood out was that Boyer was not the only guy the QB was looking for. He completed passes to five other receivers.
3. Columbian went conservative in the second half, with good reason.
This stands out because Columbian allowed 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, and Clyde running back Brad Smith had 97 yards rushing, all after halftime.
Davis completed only one pass in the final two quarters, but holding a 26-point lead, one of the goals was to shorten the game.
Still, Colatruglio did express some disappointment that the team didn't finish quite as well as he would have liked.
"We started making mistakes and getting pretty sloppy," he said. "But when you learn lessons in W's, you'll take it."
Fair to say Columbian fans wouldn't mind a season of those learning experiences.
