September 4,1992
Quaker football preview '92
ODAC Champs plan to restructure,
hope to repeat
By Doug Bnunley
Sports Editor
Should we quake in our
boots?
The Quaker Football team
that last season matched the school
football record for most wins in a
season and brought home the Old
Dominion Athletic Conference
championship hardly resembles this
year's squad. A comparison of the
two rosters would indicate that many
of the names from last year are
missing—sixteen of them belonged
to starters.
Not appearing on this
year's roster are names such as
Calvin Hunter, Rodney Alexander,
Shannon Manire, and Clarence
Inscore. The loss of players of this
caliber could devastate a team.
Ketchum, however, remains
optimistic.
Ketchum's belief that
repeating as ODAC champions is
possible after such a loss of talent is
based on the quality of this year's
recruiting class, the quality of
returning starters, and the fact that
the team holds the title of defending
ODAC champion.
"I think [the title of ODAC
champs] helps us as a football team
to raise our expectations," said
Ketchum.
"You come after someone
who has already won the title. You
know that you're at a place where
you can win the tide. Now it's up to
you to do it."
"I think it does help when
you win it to get everybody to say,
'Hey! Let's win it again.'"
The key to winning it
again will lie in how the holes on the
team are filled. Several solid players
from last year's squad will return to
bring experience to the team.
However, a tremendous amount of
pressure will be placed on the team's
new faces.
According to Ketchum,
this year's squad freshmen and
transfers are the best he has seen
over the years he has been
associated with team —first as
a player, then as a coach. As
many as nine may step into
starting roles.
"We're not off at all
from where we were last year
physically," said Ketchum,
"but we're off significantly
mentally—our mental
toughness."
"We are an amaz
ingly young football team. As a
coach, you always love to have
experience because you know
the kids have been tested under
fire and you know how they'll
respond. That was the best
thing about last year's team —
that we knew that they would
never, ever not meet the
challenge
"This year's team has
never been tested—it's so new from
top to bottom that they won't be
tested until they get into the season.
So we'll see what we're made of as
the season goes along."
Junior linebacker Max
Appleby and junior defensive back
Drew Baker, the only defensive
starters returning, as well as senior
Billy Hardison, who was moved
from offense to the position of
defensive back, anchor a young
defensive unit.
"We want to control the
ball on offense and keep our defense
off the field because we're still real
young on defense,"said Ketchum.
"We want to give them
time to come together."
" Most of our depth is on
defense. We just really believe
you've got to have a strong defense
to stay in ball games. It doesn't
matter how good your offense is—
some days it's off."
Ketchum hopes to put less
pressure on the secondary at the
beginning or the season by blitzing
less. Hardison, junior Steve Green,
and Sophomore Jamie Corey have
shown promise at the position of
comerback during the preseason.
On the offensive side of
the ball, the loss of the quarterback
Calvin Hunter leaves the Quakers
without a playmaker. Ketchum looks
for the quarterback who takes over
for Hunter to only be consistent.
"This year's quarterback
does not need to be the playmaker—
he needs to take what's there and not
try for the big play," said Ketchum.
"At this point it has been
very difficult to get our quarterbacks
to adjust to that because they're used
to seeing Calvin and they're used to
making the big play or trying to
make the big play, and we're not
asking them to do that."
The role of starting
quarterback is down to a head-to
head competition between junior
Chris Chavis and senior Brindon
Christman. Sophomore Jim Bob
M rji H
r * t _ * -
Defensive back Drew Bakercrushes an opposing receiver.
Baker will anchor a young secondary this year.
Photo by John Bell
SPORTS
PREVIEW
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Bryant and freshman Reuben Burton
are the other two quarterbacks on the
team who Ketchum expects will
receive playing time by the second
game.
All the quarterbacks
expect Burton, who shows potential
as a drop back passer, are more
comfortable with roll-out style of
passing. Ketchum said that the
quarterbacks will not pass fewer
times than last year, they will pass
differendy— utilizing mainly play
action and boodeg plays.
" You just have to do what
your quarterbacks are best at, and
right now we are much better at
moving the pocket than keeping it
still," said Ketchum.
There will be increased
emphasis on the running game in the
offense this year. Junior Pat Tully
and senior Bron Thompson bring
experience to the backfield.
According to Ketchum, freshman
running back Greg Marra will see
quite a bit of playing time and
freshman linebacker-turned-fullback
Bill Neal will start.
Defensive players Max
Appleby and Drew Baker will also
see a litde playing time on offense,
"We have overall more
team speed than last year, which will
really help on the specialty teams,"
said Ketchum.
(Left)
Head
Coach
Mike
Ketchum
directs a
team full of
new faces
this sea
son .
(Right)
Junior
wide re
ceiver J.J.
Rogers
watches
intently for
thesnapof
the ball.
Photos by John Bell
With regards to the rest of
the special teams, Ketchum said
junior Phil Lemons has been punting
the ball well and senior Ty
Clodfelter and transfer student Steve
Bryant have both been kicking well
on field goal-extra point attempts
and kickoffs. Ketchum said he may
have one kick only field goals and
have the other kick only kickoffs, in
order to help save the field goal
kicker's leg.
According to Ketchum, the
team's strong points are its inside
linebackers as well as the team's
overall physical ability.
He cites the lack of
experience on the offensive line as
the team's weakest point.
"Our goal is to win the
conference. Our goal one day...is to
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win the national championship."
"I honestly think the
reason we play is to win. When
you're playing in college and
representing your teammates and
your family and your school you
should want to win every game. And
as a coaching staff and as a group of
players, we've decided that's what
we're going to try to do."
The ODAC race this year
is going to be a close one. In the pre
season media poll Emory and Henry
were picked first, followed by
Hampden-Sydney, then Guilford,
and then Randolph-Macon.
"I feel you can put those
four in a hat and pick one out to
choose a winner," said Ketchum.
"It'll be awfully tough."
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