PERU- The 2021 Peru State College football team's season can be summed up in one phrase— one day at a time.

According to Peru State head coach Casey Creehan, this phrase is the tone setter for the entirety of the season.

"We're worried about one week at a time," Creehan said. "Right now, we are worried about getting better today, and then we will worry about the same thing tomorrow. When it gets a little closer, we will worry about our first opponent."

Peru State finished with a 1-2 record in the 2020 season, a season that was cut short due to COVID-19.

In the 2021 Heart of America Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, Peru State was projected to finish fifth in the division, one slot above the last placed Graceland.

"I haven't even seen the preseason poll," Creehan said. "It's the last thing that I'm worried about because it's the preseason poll. I don't know where we are at in this league... I've never played one opponent on this side of the division (COVID reschedule). I don't know if we are fifth, sixth, third. I don't know, and I'm certainly not worried about it."

With the opening days of training camp in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, coach Creehan says that there are some conditioning concerns that have taken place in the midst of a COVID offseason.

"Some good (conditioning level), some not so good," Creehan said. "Some guys have more work to do than others. A good, core group of guys came back in great shape."

Creehan says that there is no job incumbency at Peru State, meaning that there is no starting job that has already been handed out to anyone on the team.

The identity of the Peru State football team will be playing with great effort and physicality, according to Creehan. 

"Are we there yet (effort and physicality)? No," said Creehan. Creehan says that he is "absolutely" sure that this Peru State football team can attain that identity, but the time table is not set in stone.

Peru State opens the season up August 28th at home, against Missouri Valley at 6 pm.