2003 Football Spring Preview
3/19/2003 12:00:00 PM | Football
March 19, 2003
Toledo, OH - If coaching savant Yogi Berra was asked for his evaluation of the 2003 Toledo football team, there's no doubt what ol' Yogi would say.
"It feels like deja vu all over again."
Tom Amstutz, another coaching sage with a proclivity for homespun wisdom, would certainly agree. As he looks at his football team on the eve of the 2003 spring practice season, Amstutz can't help but feel like he's been here before.
A year ago the Rockets came into spring drills high off MAC and Motor City Bowl championships, but wondering how they would replace the likes of running back Chester Taylor and quarterback Tavares Bolden. This spring UT is coming off a MAC West title and Motor City Bowl appearance, but again needs to replace its quarterback and other key skill players.
"It is very familiar," said Amstutz. "Once again we have to replace some big-time players: Tom Ward, David Gardner, Chris Tuminello, Brian Jones, Carl Ford, Dontà Greene. Those are guys who were very important players on two championship teams."
Despite the similar challenge to last year, Amstutz pointed out that he doesn't have quite so many starters to replace this year.
"It wasn't quite as traumatic as last year," said Amstutz, whose teams have gone 10-2 and 9-5 in his first two seasons as head coach. "This year after taking off the senior names, there was still a football team up on that board. How we will be is still up in the air depending on how hard we work and how the team chemistry develops. So it's a football team with some unanswered questions."
The first and most important question remains the same as 2002: who will line up as Toledo's quarterback?
"Everything starts with the quarterback," Amstutz agreed. "We need to find out who will fill the leadership role at quarterback. Our candidates this spring are (junior) Cedric Stevens and (sophomore) Bruce Gradkowski. The good news is that both have been around for a couple of years running our plays and learning the offense. Both are athletically gifted. Both have leadership personalities. I would feel good with either one of those players as our starting quarterback."
Just whom the new quarterback will be throwing to is another important question. Toledo lost three wide receivers who had started a combined 118 games in their careers. Questions on the defensive side of the ball mostly surround the departure of the Rockets' bookend inside linebackers, Tom Ward and David Gardner.
"We do have a lot of work to do," said Amstutz. "At the same time, we are optimistic. We have young players who have contributed that have a chance to step into new roles."
And while Amstutz agrees there is a degree of familiarity between this year's team and last year's team entering spring drills, he emphasized that the same success next fall cannot be taken for granted.
"We will approach this season the same as we did last year," said Amstutz. "Each season is unique. Once again we have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us. Each team has its own chemistry and we will have to work to find this team's chemistry. And that starts with spring football. It's the time when we get to evaluate our personnel, figure out where players can best help the team and what style of football we will play next fall."
In other words, this spring Amstutz and his staff will be following the advice of another famous Yogism: "You can observe a lot by watching."
The following is a closer look at the Rockets heading into 2003 spring drills:
Offense
If Amstutz knows whom he favors in the battle for starting quarterback, he isn't tipping his hand. "I think they are coming into spring head to head. It's an even battle right now," he said.
Neither junior Cedric Stevens nor sophomore Bruce Gradkowski played much last year behind record-setting QB Brian Jones. Stevens completed 9-of-14 passes in four games, while Gradkowski saw most of his action as the team's holder. Nevertheless, Amstutz feels either player is ready to step up.
"I think both Cedric and Bruce got to see how much Brian improved and how important it is to understand the offense," said Amstutz. "I think you will see the same kind of improvement in Cedric and Bruce that you saw in Brian last year."
To make matters even more challenging for the new quarterback, the Rockets will have a brand-new set of starting wide receivers in 2003. Carl Ford (79 receptions in 2002), Donta' Greene (63 catches) and Manny Johnson (34 catches) are all gone, leaving the door open for a group of hungry juniors.
"We have a lot of young receivers who have either played quite a bit or taken a lot of reps in practice," Amstutz said. "These are guys with similar skills as Carl Ford or Dontà Greene, but now will have the chance to develop. Lance Moore (23 receptions in 2002) has shown that he can make plays. Corterris Reese, Chris Charleton and Terrance Hudson all have experience. And we've got some guys who redshirted last year who are eager to get their chance to prove themselves."
On the plus side, Toledo has an experienced and accomplished offensive line. Junior Nick Kaczur (6-5, 320) is a two-time All-MAC left tackle, while seniors Erik Faasen (6-8, 345), Tim Dirksen (6-4, 309) and Darric Randolph (6-4, 318) help make up one of the biggest offensive lines in the country.
The Rockets are also loaded at tight end, with juniors Andrew Clarke (37 receptions, 7 TDs in 2002) and Chris Holmes (21 receptions) combining to form one of the most productive tight end duos in the country.
"Thinking about the tight ends makes me smile," said Amstutz. "We've got two good ones there. They're solid players who are as good or better than any tight ends in our conference. Both guys are productive and dependable. It's a unique situation to have two tight ends with their ability."
If a team can be both young and experienced at a position, then that would be UT's situation at running back. The Rockets played three freshmen running backs in 2002, dubbed the "Baby Backs" by Amstutz. They combined for over 1,700 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns, led by Astin Martin (785 yards, six TDs), Trinity Dawson (754 yards, 12 TDs) and Quinton Broussard (228 yards, four TDs). All three are likely to be part of a three-man rotation next fall.
"The way we run our offense we do have room for several running backs to rotate in and play," Amstutz said. "That's the way we like to do it. We feel with a year to develop and get stronger, all three of those guys can be better than they were a year ago."
Defense
The Rockets lost more than a pair of first-team All-MAC linebackers when David Gardner and Tom Ward graduated last year. They lost the heart and soul of the defense. But a veteran defensive backfield, an improving defensive line and an eager group of linebackers should help anchor the Rocket 'D.'
The top priority for Amstutz will be finding a new pair of inside linebackers. He is confident he has the talent on his squad; all they need now is experience.
"We're going to move (sophomore) Anthony Jordan from defensive end to inside linebacker. That's his natural position anyway," said Amstutz. "(Junior) David Thomas is another guy we will be looking at, along with(redshirt freshman) Seth Thitoff and some others. They are all very athletic. Now it's their turn to show what they can do."
A year ago it was the defensive line that was green. Though the D-line had some growing pains early in the season, by the end of the year the front four showed considerable improvement. All four starters are back, so Amstutz is counting on them to be a plus for the defense this year.
Typical of the defensive line's performance last year was senior Frank Ofili. Bothered by injuries early on, Ofili found his groove in the second half of the season, ending up with four sacks and nine tackles for loss.
"I think Frank Ofili will be a good player for us," said Amstutz. "He had some nagging injury problems but he came on at the end of the year when he was healthy and his conditioning improved. We have Chaz Williams back from a solid year, along with (senior) Lantz Jeudy who we think will be much improved. He's worked himself into great shape right now. (Junior) Phil Alexander improved as he played more. (Senior) Robert Menefee did a great job in our winter conditioning program and is in the best shape of his life. A year ago none of those guys had played much except for Ofili. Now we can say we have an experienced line and I think we will continue to improve."
Toledo's defensive backfield was solid in 2002, and Amstutz expects more of the same this year. Rover Keon Jackson, runner-up for MAC Freshman of the Year in 2002, had 78 tackles, three interceptions and 11 passes broken up. He earned a reputation as UT's big-play maker in the secondary. Paired up with Jackson is junior Patrick Body, whose mid-season move to free safety from whip helped solidify the secondary. Body had 83 tackles and two interceptions in 2002. The man who moved into Body's whip position, junior Brock Dodrill, finished third on the team with 89 tackles and added eight tackles for loss. Factor in senior rover Paul Dye (40 tackles in 2002) and sophomore free safety Jamar Landrum (25 tackles) and it's clear that the defensive backfield is in good hands.
The two cornerback spots remain somewhat of a question mark, however, depending upon the status of senior Brandon Hefflin. Hefflin, a second-team All-MAC selection thanks to six interceptions in 2002, was suspended indefinitely from the team in January. His status this spring is still up in the air. Fortunately, Amstutz has talented cornerbacks waiting in the wings.
"I'm excited about some of our young guys back there," Amstutz said. "Antonio Malone and Bo Martin have shown us that they have some potential."
Special Teams
The Rockets return sophomore placekicker Jason Robbins and both punters, senior Brandon Hannum and sophomore Jason Cox. However, Donta' Greene, one of the top return men in the MAC in 2002, must be replaced.
Robbins' freshman season started out shaky but finished strong. Though he missed seven extra points on the season, he was 33-34 in kicks in the final six games of the season, including 9-of-9 in field goals. Hannum and Cox shared duties in 2002 and will battle for the position again this spring.
Greene's kickoff and punt return positions are wide open this spring, with a long list of defensive backs, running backs and wide receivers vying for the two spots.
Schedule
A Sept. 20 battle vs. Pittsburgh in the Glass Bowl and four home games against Mid-American Conference opponents highlight the 2003 Toledo football schedule.
Among Toledo's six road games are a Friday night game at Marshall on Sept. 12 on ESPN or ESPN2, and tough non-conference games at UNLV (Aug. 30) and Syracuse (Sept. 27).
The Rockets, 9-5 and MAC West champions in 2002, lost 17 seniors-including nine starters- from last year's team. They will have to replace quarterback Brian Jones, all three starting wide receivers and both inside linebackers. Head Coach Tom Amstutz said the schedule will be a daunting challenge for his young players.
"This very well could be the toughest schedule we've ever had," said Amstutz, who has a 19-7 record and two Motor City Bowl appearances in two seasons as head coach of the Rockets. "We start off at UNLV, which should be quite a challenge for a new quarterback. I'm sure they will have revenge on their minds (Toledo defeated UNLV, 38-21, at the Glass Bowl last year). Then our other two road games in September at Marshall and at Syracuse should be very tough, too. We will have to mature quickly."
The marquee home game is against Pittsburgh, a team that finished 9-4 in 2002 and was ranked No. 18 in the final USA Today/ESPN poll. There is a reasonable chance that Pittsburgh, a 37-19 winner vs. Toledo at Pitt last year, will be in the top 25 when it comes to town, making it just the second ranked team ever to play the Rockets in the Glass Bowl (Marshall in 2001 was the first). "I expect they will be ranked in the Top 25," said Amstutz. "It will be exciting to have a ranked team in the Glass Bowl."
Toledo's other home games include a non-conference home opener vs. Liberty on Sept. 6, and MAC games vs. Eastern Michigan (Oct. 11), Buffalo (Nov. 1), Northern Illinois (Nov. 15) and Western Michigan (Nov. 22). The MAC road games are at Marshall (Sept. 12), Central Michigan (Oct. 18), Ball State (Oct. 25) and Bowling Green (Nov. 28).
The MAC Championship Game will be played at the MAC West Division champion's home field on Thursday, Dec. 4, and will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2.
