Hayden Wadsworth wasn’t around when the news broke. Finals week was over Dec. 12 at Louisiana-Monroe, and he packed and left for Natchez after a fall semester that included a frustrating 1-11 campaign for the Indians.

Ask him now what he thinks of the new offensive coordinator hired for a team that was the lowest-scoring team in the Sun Belt Conference and one of the worst teams in the nation in regard to turnovers, and he really can’t give you an concrete opinion.

But the hiring of former Army head coach Todd Berry as offensive coordinator is good, just as change is always good following a rough campaign.

&uot;Last year kind of felt like something was missing,&uot; said Wadsworth, the ACCS alum who completed his junior season and second year starting at center. &uot;Hopefully this guy &045; I’m sure he’s got some good credentials. Hopefully he’ll be able to help us out. But we lost six or seven games last year by seven points or less. I can’t give you much explanation on that.&uot;

But what Wadsworth can tell you plenty about is how things really weren’t as bad as they sounded at Monroe, that guys on his line suffered some injuries and that everyone on the team really never quit.

The 11 losses set a school record for futility, and the ULM program is still a young one that requires money games &045; that 73-7 pounding at Auburn, the 59-14 hammering at Ole Miss &045; to build for the future.

And head coach Charlie Weatherbie &045; a former head coach at Navy &045; didn’t get on the scene until late summer.

&uot;I think it’s tough getting used to a new guy,&uot; Wadsworth said. &uot;This is my third head coach to play under, and this will be my fourth offensive coordinator to play under. I’ve been there for four years, and it’s been kind of turbulent. It’s always tough getting used to a new guy. I’m not saying that to make an excuse, but that’s how it is.&uot;

You won’t hear Wadsworth tell you how things got ugly and players wanted to throw in the towel. Quite frankly, that didn’t happen. The season didn’t have many high moments &045; a late fumble allowed Northwestern State to drive and score to take a 14-10 win over the Indians.

&uot;One of the things Coach likes to say is don’t get tired of doing things that are right,&uot; Wadsworth said. &uot;We’ve got to keep pressing on and what we can. It’s hard to describe. It just takes a toll on you, especially as many close games as we had. I don’t think we gave up at all, and I think our last game (a 28-24 loss to Troy State) showed that. We fought our hearts out.&uot;

There’s no doubt the Indians have to minimize turnovers and score more points, and they’re hoping Berry can provide a spark. But Wadsworth will also tell you there may more to fixing the team than a new offensive coordinator.

&uot;I think our emphasis needs to be on coming together as a team,&uot; Wadsworth said. &uot;We lost around 15 seniors this year, which is going to hurt us. We’ve got some great athletes, and we should be able to compete with the best in the conference. It’s on the players’ shoulders.&uot;

Adam Daigle

is sports editor of The Natchez Democrat. You can reach him at (601) 445-3632 or by e-mail at

adam.daigle@natchezdemocrat.com.