ACU looking forward to 2002
9/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
ACU anxious for kickoff
Wildcats hope 2002 can erase bitter pill of 2001
The 2001 season was supposed to be the one that began to turn the fortunes of Abilene Christian University football.
But the season blew up in the midst of a rash of injuries to key players and a defense that couldn't withstand the weekly bombardment from opposing offenses.
Those factors -- as well as others -- limited the Wildcats to a 3-8 finish, their fourth straight losing season. The road back is full of challenges.
ACU's first three games in 2002 are against teams that participated in the 2001 NCAA Division II playoffs. Central Arkansas visits Shotwell Stadium in the season opener Sept. 7, then the Wildcats face Cal-Davis and Tarleton State on the road in back-to-back weeks. The other 2001 playoff qualifier on ACU's schedule is Texas A&M-Kingsville, which will host the Wildcats on Nov. 9.
Despite the tough schedule, Gaines and his team are eager to get back on track.
"I think everybody -- from coaches and players to trainers and managers -- is looking forward to getting this thing started again and putting last year behind us," Gaines said. "We have a lot of work to do to get better, but I feel good about the progress we made in the spring."
The majority of the Wildcats' work in the spring was spent on improving a defense that ranked next-to-last in the Lone Star Conference in total defense last year, allowing 434.3 yards per game, while also allowing 409 points (37.2 per game), the most ever allowed by an ACU defense.
Transfer defensive back Steven Riddley (University of Oklahoma) should start at one of the safety spots, but the other safety spot is still up in the air. Freshman cornerback Danieal Manning is awaiting an NCAA appeal to find out if he will be eligible this fall. If he is, he will likely start on one side of the defensive backfield.
Defensive coaches also hope to plug in junior college transfer linebackers Derek Degrate, who will could join junior college transfer Larry Conway and returning starter Shawn Taylor in a solid linebacking corps. Redshirt freshmen linemen Jayme Jackson and Clayton Farrell should also play a big role defensively, as should returning starter Brad Walton, who will play right defensive end, and could be in for a big season.
"We've got to develop a tougher attitude defensively," Gaines said. "We were just awful in the early part of the season. We got down on ourselves after the Central Arkansas game (65-16 loss) and lost a lot of our confidence. We played better toward the end of the year, but it was too little, too late."
Offensively, the Wildcats will welcome back starting quarterback Colby Freeman, who broke his right ankle on the first play of the third quarter of ACU?s 35-21 win over Eastern New Mexico on Sept. 29. He missed the Wildcats last five games, and the Wildcats missed his leadership skills on the field.
"Colby has a great presence on the field, and I think some of our players lost some faith in our offensive ability when he went out," Gaines said. "We missed his leadership, as well as, obviously, his talent and ability. A mature team could have picked up the pieces after he went down, but we didn't do that very well as an offensive unit."
The Wildcats could have one of the nation's best running games in 2002 with Freeman at the controls and handing the ball to running backs Eric Polk and transfer Arturo "Sneezy" Beltran. Polk set the Wildcats' single-season rushing record last season with 1,211 yards on a school-record 257 carries, and he?ll return in the fall for his senior season. Beltran, a former all-state player at Abilene High, transferred to ACU from the University of Texas in early January.
The Wildcats are thin at wide receiver where the leading returning receiver is junior Roddy Alexander, who only caught 13 passes in seven games before breaking his leg against Angelo State and missing the rest of the season.
Also missing this year will be sophomore Odis Dolton, who severly injured his knee in an off-season workout. Lettermen Jason Campbell, Dillon Cob, Jason Nadaskay and Shay Ratliff are the only Wildcats who return.
Gaines and the offensive staff are counting on junior college transfers DaRay Sims (first team all-America at Navarro Junior College) and Don Hooks (Waco LaVega HS) to step in and make huge contributions to the passing game.
The offensive line was one of the best in the LSC last year, and it returns virtually intact with honorable mention all-LSC tackle Britt Lively returning to man the left side of the line, along with senior guard Cameron Rosser. Junior center Blake Lewis -- a candidate for post-season honors himself -- returns, giving the Wildcats three of five starters returning on the line. Redshirt freshman Charles Mock of Abilene Cooper HS could start at right guard, and senior Chad Crady could start at right tackle.
Sophomore placekicker Eben Nelson returns after an outstanding freshman season, but the Wildcats have to find a replacement for all-America punter Brad Raphelt.
Here's a closer look at the 2002 Wildcats:
QUARTERBACKS -- Colby Freeman hasn?t suite up since breaking his right ankle on the first play of the second half of ACU?s 35-21 win over Eastern New Mexico on Sept. 29. Freeman underwent surgery shortly after the injury, and he was able to go through spring training. In just five-plus games at the helm, Freeman threw for 745 yards and three touchdowns while completing 58 percent of his passes (60 of 104). He should be ready to return to his starting role when the Wildcats host Central Arkansas in ACU's first game of the season on Sept. 7. Sophomore Greg Wiggins, who had solid, if not spectacular, moments as the starter in Freeman's absence, returns as the Wildcats' backup. Wiggins completed 106 of 213 passes for 1,342 yards, but he threw 17 interceptions, including a combined eight in back-to-back losses to Texas A&M-Commerce (five in a 23-10 loss) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (three in a 35-7 loss). Freshman Caleb Ensor of Abilene Wylie will probably be the club's third quarterback.
RUNNING BACKS -- The Wildcats have never had a back run for more yards in a season than Eric Polk did in 2001 when he chewed up a school-record 1,211 yards on a school-record 257 yards. He missed the season-finale at West Texas A&M with sore ribs, which he injured the week before against Texas A&M-Kingsville, forcing him to miss the second half of that game. Polk, however, did not go through spring drills with the Wildcats because he is reserving his 10th (and final) semester as a full-time student for the fall so that he can play football. However, once fall workouts begin in August, he should be redy to step back into his role in the Wildcats? backfield. He might see his workload drop a few carries per game, though, because of the addition of sophomore-to-be Arturo "Sneezy" Beltran, a former Abilene High standout who transferred to ACU from Texas in early January. Beltran and Polk could be used in the backfield at the same time, or Beltran could see action alone in the backfield. An accomplished receiver out of the backfield, look for the Wildcats to try and get Beltran the football on screens and passes in the flat. Willie Williams proved to be an effective scatback, rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries. Sophomore Brett Unger, who did not carry the ball at all last season, is listed as the starter at fullback going into spring training, and he will be backed up by Braughn Curtis, who makes the move over from linebacker.
RECEIVERS -- The Wildcats will really have to rebuild this area of their squad after losing their top three receivers in Jacob Pruitt, Rodney Vanduren and Nic Shepherd. Those three combined to catch 103 passes for 1,421 yards and six touchdowns in 2001. Also gone is Odis Dolton, who had eight catches for 195 yards and one touchdown in 2001. Dolton went down in the spring with a severe knee injury, and he will miss the 2002 season. Junior Roddy Alexander also returns to the group after missing the final three-plus games of the season after tearing up his left knee in San Angelo. Alexander, who transferred to ACU from Texas A&M last year, caught 13 passes for 99 yards last season. Gaines said he expects to see one of a group of players -- either Jason Nadaskay, Bryson Galloway, Jason Campbell, Shay Ratliff or Dillon Cobb -- prove to the coaches that he is ready to play every week. Cobb caught five passes for 81 yards, while Campbell caught three passes for 48 yards and Ratliff had four catches for 42 yards. The Wildcats' uncertainty at the receiver position means junior college transfer DaRy Sims should step into a starting spot immediately. Sims, a first team all-America last year at Navarro Junior College, should bring the Wildcats the speed (10.3 in the 100 meters) they haven't had at the receiver position in years. Freshman transfer Don Hooks also could be a factor for the Wildcats. ACU also signed freshmen Tony Cunningham of Abilene Cooper and Anthony Nicholson of Arllington High, and both of those players could see playing time. Tight end Doug Ginapp is scheduled to be the starter, although he missed spring drills. Jordan Brock and redshirt freshman Clinton Farrell should also see time at tight end in 2002. Ginapp, who started most of the season, caught six passes for 46 yards, while Brock caught one pass for three yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Nick Anthony is on depth chart at tight end after making the move from fullback.
OFFENSIVE LINE -- This unit was probably the Wildcats' best on either side of the ball in the 2001 season. The line allowed just 15 sacks, and the Wildcats rushed for 1,619 yards, the most an ACU team has produced since the 1995 team rushed for 1,702 yards. They opened the holes that allowed Polk to set the Wildcats? new single-season rushing record of 1,211 yards. The Wildcats will return the left side of their line and their center in left tackle Britt Lively, left guard Cameron Rosser and center Blake Lewis. Lively, a junior-to-be who started last year after transferring from Texas A&M, earned honorable mention all-Lone Star Conference South Division honors last season. Lewis was forced to move from the tackle position to the center spot just before the season started, but he responded with a solid season. The right side of the line is where offensive line coach Pat Rippee has to find some players. He'll have some talent to work with, though, as Cody Stewart and redshirt freshman Josh Lively battle for the right guard spot, while Chad Crady looks to have the right tackle spot nailed down. The backups are expected to be Josh Lively behind his brother, Britt, at left tackle; Charles Mock behind rosser at left guard, Jason Hooper at center and Buddy Dowden -- converted from defensive tackle -- at right guard.
DEFENSIVE LINE -- The Wildcats have played a base 3-4 defense in each of the last two years, but they will start the season in a base 4-3 alignment. Right end Brad Walton, who earned honorable mention all-LSC South Division honors last season as a sophomore, should start again. He finished the 2001 season with 38 tackles (21 solo), including 16 for 76 yards in losses. He also had three sacks for 19 yards in losses. Nick Gray, who started at end last year, did not go through spring training because of a broken foot he suffered prior to the start of the spring. His spot in the spring was occupied by redshirt freshmen Clayton Farrell and Jayme Jackson, both of whom should push Gray for playing time. Farrell and Jackson lead a young group of defensive linemen that need to assert themselves this season. That group also includes tackle Stephen Woodard, who will probably be in the tackle rotation. Woodard was forced into action last year and had nine tackles (six solo), including two for six yards in losses. Junior college transfer Devian Mims will probably start at one tackle slot, while Howard Payne transfer Barrett Allen will start at the other tackle slot. Two-year starter Michael Walker will be in the defensive line rotation, as well as transfer defensive end Mark Malunowe.
LINEBACKERS -- The Wildcats will have to find a replacement for the departed Ryan Boozer, a four-year starter who was the Wildcats' defensive MVP in each of the last three seasons. ACU coaches received another severe blow after spring training when they learned that sophomore Cody Kelley -- who played some last year and was expected to take Boozer?s place -- was forced to quit football because of a degenerative spine condition. Kelley finished his freshman year with 12 tackles and one recovered fumble. Sophomore Shawn Taylor, who turned in a solid season as a freshman on the strong side, could be the man who moves to the weak side to take Boozer's spot. Junior college transfer Larry Conway, an all-conference safety at Dixie College in Utah, is the starter at strongside linebacker, while returning starter Cliff Compton will battle junior college transfer Derek Degrate for the starting job at middle linebacker. Converted running back Daniel Evans-Pickens, who has struggle with injuries the last two seasons, is listed as the backup at weakside linebacker, while redshirt freshman Matt Allen is the backup at strongside linebacker.
SECONDARY -- This is the area where the Wildcats struggled the most last year, allowing 2,556 yards passing and 23 touchdowns in 11 games. The secondary gave up 24 passes of 25 yards or more, including touchdown receptions of 97 and 85 yards. Corrian Thompson and David Jones are listed as the starters at right and left cornerback, respectively, going into the season, while Steven Riddley and Fernando Baeza are listed as the starters at rover and free safety, respectively. Riddley might be the most intriguing player in the secondary. Riddley has been out of football since he last played for the Oklahoma Sooners in 1997. Junior college transfer Kendrick Walker of Navarro Junior College also figures to battle Jones for the starting spot at right cornerback. Another player who could make a huge difference in the secondary is freshman Danieal Manning, one of the most highly sought-after defensive backs in the state in 2001. Manning, who signed with the University of Nebraska out of Corsicana High School, is awaiting word from the NCAA on his appeal for eligibility. The results of the appeal might not be known until just before the season starts. If his appeal is successful, he will probably start at one of the cornerback spots.
SPECIALISTS -- The search is on to replace Brad Raphelt, who is statistically the greatest punter in ACU history. Raphelt averaged 44.1 yards per punt last year (a school single-season record) and finished his career with a school-record average of 40.1-yards per punt. Chase Fishback appears to have the job going into the season. One area where the Wildcats shouldn't have any concern is the placekicking position where Eben Nelson will return for his sophomore season after an outstanding freshman year. Nelson connected on 28 of 29 extra-point attempts, including going 27 for his last 27 after going 1 for 2 in the Wildcats? season-opening loss at Central Arkansas. He also hit 7 of 8 field goals, including a long of 47 yards, which came in the Wildcats' season-ending 34-31 win at West Texas A&M. Nelson provided the game-winning points in that contest with a 40-yard field with just 2:21 to play.
