TUSCOLA — Long gone are the days when the Jim Ned football program was viewed as a finesse team — an offseason workout for a more successful basketball program on a grass surface. 

That perspective has been laid to rest, courtesy of an 11-1 season that has seen the Indians hammer their way to a 3A DI regional title game against Pilot Point tonight at Tarleton State.

A high level of physicality, years in the making, is at the heart of Jim Ned’s rebirth, which as seen the Indians produce their best run of success in more than 15 years.

It has seen a much-publicized ground-oriented offense develop on one side of that coin. But a lesser-known, and equally important element of Jim Ned’s success has been a consistent, hard-hitting defense which has held the opposition in check on a weekly basis.