In its three full years as a four-year school, Haskell Indian Nations University has had three football coaches.

Now the Fightin’ Indians are blessed with relative stability as they enter their fourth year as a member of the NAIA; Eric Brock is back for his second season as head coach.

“We’re shooting for the stars,” Brock said, “but if we reach the moon, that’s OK, too.”

Brock’s first team shot a lot of blanks — the Indians were shut out three times — but HINU’s defense was respectable during a 2-7 season that featured the end of the school’s 24-game losing streak.

Those two victories came during the last three weeks, and Brock hopes to build on that momentum with five returning starters on offense — including quarterback Peter Hahn — and eight on defense, including first-team all-league linebacker Matt Kalfsbeck.

“The point is to be better than the year before,” Brock said, “and having eight seniors will be a step in the right direction.”

Eight is the most seniors a Haskell football coach ever has had since the school decided to elevate itself from junior-college status.

Most notable among those eight seniors is Brett Blythe, a defensive back from Cleveland, Okla., who tied for second in the NAIA last season with eight interceptions. Blythe also is the Indians’ place-kicker.

Another senior defensive standout is Ben Baker, a strong safety from Kiefer, Okla., who was an NAIA all-academic pick in 2002.

Defense is the least of Brock’s worries. The second-year coach knows he has to crank up an offense that averaged only 183.8 yards a game last season, worst in the Central States Football League.

Having Hahn, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound junior, back at quarterback is a start.

“I kept forgetting he was just a sophomore last year,” Brock said.

Hahn was more effective as a runner than a passer, completing only 42.8 percent of his passes and throwing twice as many interceptions (six) as touchdown passes (three). Hahn did lead the CSFL in one category — he was the league’s top punter with a 36.03 average.

Brock believes Hahn will be more effective this fall with an improved running game.

“The focus of our recruiting was running backs and tailbacks,” Brock said, “and we have, we think, five quality guys coming in.”

Brock won’t know how many of those five newcomers will report until Sunday, the day before two-a-days begin in anticipation of the Indians’ Aug. 30 home opener against Waldorf College, a former two-year school in Iowa.

Brock, who came to HINU last year after a stint as defensive coordinator at Fort Lewis State in Durango, Colo., expects between 80 to 90 players to report Sunday, about half of them newcomers.

On paper, the Indians’ weakness will be the offensive line with only left tackle Dale Black Cloud returning. Black Cloud, a 6-0, 260-pound junior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was a second-team All-CSFL pick in 2002.

Brock is counting on three red-shirts who practiced in the spring to fill the up-front holes.

Notes

• HINU will return to a 10-game schedule this fall. Principia and Colorado College have been dropped and replaced by Dallas U. and Panhandle State. Waldorf is the addition. Only four of the games will be at Haskell Stadium.
• Martin Woods, a junior defensive back who led the CSFL in punt returns (11.1 yards per return), has been battling groin injuries this summer, Brock reported.
• Marcus Begay, who was voted the MVP of the inaugural Native American All-American game two years ago at Haskell Stadium, is expected to report, Brock said. Begay played baseball at New Mexico Military Institute last year.
• Haskell’s record since becoming a full-time NAIA member is 4-26.