Published: September 22, 2008 11:50 pm            

Another Bueltel steps up for Rose football

Calvin Bueltel follows brother’s path, adds speed to Engineers’ attack

TERRE HAUTE — Week 1: Calvin Bueltel returns a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter to help Rose-Hulman open its season with a 42-35 home victory over Earlham College.

Week 2: Bueltel rushes for 109 yards on 21 carries as the Engineers slip past North Park 10-7 during a constant downpour of rain in Chicago.

Week 3: Bueltel gains 77 yards on the ground, including a 4-yard TD burst in the second period, but Rose drops a 25-15 decision to Greenville at Cook Stadium.

Yes, Bueltel — a junior running back, a two-sport standout and the second member of his family to play football for Rose-Hulman this decade — is making the most of his first opportunity to be featured in the Engineers’ offense and special teams.

Having toted the rock just 80 times (for three touchdowns) and returned three kickoffs in the previous two seasons combined, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Bueltel is getting the most action he’s had since his senior season at Southridge High School in 2005.

So far, he’s racked up 213 yards rushing on 47 attempts and brought back three kickoffs for 150 yards.

“I’ve been hitting the hole hard,” he assessed after Saturday’s setback to Greenville. “My main thing is just keeping my eyes up and being patient. I mean, I have a great [offensive] line that does a lot for me. I just need to trust them more and wait for them to get on blocks before I hit the hole.”

Rose coach Steve Englehart knew last season that Bueltel would probably be the Engineers’ primary ball carrier in 2008.

“I think he’s proved that he can take on that role,” Englehart said. “Calvin’s a good athlete who, if he gets a crease in the defense, he can explode through it and take it the distance.

“He’s got great speed and he has been a focal point of our offense this season, in the running game especially. He is somebody we want to get as many touches as we can.”

A chemical-engineering major, the busy Bueltel also sprints for Rose-Hulman’s track and field team in the spring. He owns the school’s second-fastest outdoor times in the men’s 100-meter dash (11.03 seconds) and 200-meter dash (22.51) in addition to running a leg on the school-record 800-meter relay team.

But asked which sport he likes best, Bueltel didn’t hesitate in giving his answer.

“I’ve got to say football right now,” he said. “There’s just so much more adrenaline going on. It’s just something you have to love to do.

“I definitely love track too. I love the coach [Larry Cole]. I love all the guys. It’s just a big family out there. It’s not all about the races. We just go out there and have fun.”

In the fall, Bueltel doesn’t want to be known as a fast track guy who happens to play football. Make no mistake about it, he’s a football player first.

“Calvin’s a tough runner, especially when he has the mindset and makes it a point to be a tough runner,” Englehart said. “There are some times with probably all running backs when they think they can dance around and just use their speed and outrun people. He can fall into that trap sometimes as well. But when we get on him and tell him to hit up in there and run it hard, he does a good job and runs it hard.”

“[Assistant] Coach [Wayne] Stahley has been hammering [the running backs] all year to get north and south, get north and south,” Bueltel mentioned. “If we see a hole, we’re supposed to just go full speed for it, put our head down and try to get whatever we can get. If we need 3 yards for a first down, I’m not going to try to bust it outside for a big play. I’m going to make sure we get the first down.”

Bueltel and the Engineers will begin the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference part of its season Saturday when they travel to Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, so they won’t be thinking about the disappointing loss to Greenville’s Panthers.

“It was mostly just a learning game,” Bueltel reflected. “They were a non-conference opponent, so it doesn’t really affect our goals. Our main goal is to win conference this year, so we’ve just got to put this [Greenville] game behind us and learn from it.”

Older brother Brett Bueltel, a standout defensive back and punter for Rose in the early 2000s, never experienced a conference championship with the Engineers. But Calvin remembers Brett having a good time as a member of the football team.

“I don’t know if I would have ever looked at Rose if he wouldn’t have come here,” Calvin admitted. “I had wanted to do something science-based [for college]. I’d always been intrigued by chemistry. That’s why I came here, to become a chemical engineer.”

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.