ABILENE -- ACU head football coach Chris Thomsen began his sixth spring training with the Wildcats on Tuesday believing the 2010 Wildcats could be one of his best teams, but knowing that a few key areas must show dramatic improvement over 2009 for that to happen.
Once again the spring's brightest spotlight will be on the quarterback position where the Wildcats return all three quarterbacks that played last season.
Sophomore-to-be
Mitchell Gale started the last seven games of the Wildcat season, winning four of those starts and helping the Wildcats to a fourth straight NCAA Division II playoff berth. Also returning are junior-to-be
Zach Stewart and senior-to-be
Clark Harrell.
Stewart started the first five games of the season -- all victories -- while Harrell played in each of the first five games. Those three quarterbacks combined to throw for 2,604 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing 11 touchdowns. But the work of the three combined could be described as inconsistent at best, and Thomsen knows the Wildcats must see significant improvement at the position in 2010.
"That's going to be an interesting battle," Thomsen said. "Mitchell did some good things last year, but he also struggled some. He's got to find consistency in his game.
"I believe Zach is fully healthy this spring," Thomsen said of his quarterback, who underwent surgery on his right (throwing) shoulder after the 2008 season. "I don't believe he was really healthy all year last year. All three guys are capable, but they've got to be more consistent. They need to take a big step, because we're positioned to have a really good team."
The inconsistent play at quarterback led to an inconsistent offense, one capable of throwing out big numbers, but one that also struggled in a few games down the stretch.
"The entire offense has to take a big step forward," Thomsen said. "We went backwards in terms of production compared to what we'd done the previous three seasons. A lot of that can be attributed to inexperience, but those guys have to be ready to play now.
"This off-season reminds me of the one between the 2005 season and the 2006 season," he said. "If we can take that kind of step (when the Wildcats went from 4-6 to an 8-3 playoff team), then we have a chance to be a very productive offense."
The Wildcats lost another potential NFL player off last year's offense in left tackle
Tony Washington, but Thomsen likes the returning players on the line (
Trevis Turner,
Royland Tubbs and
Matt Webber) and also likes the young players the team has in
Josh Perez and
Blake Spears.
Neal Tivis could step into Washington's spot, while transfer Dyland Blount and returning reserve
Larry Landry will try to earn a starting spot.
The Wildcats return two of the top running backs in the Lone Star Conference in
Daryl Richardson (961 yards and 16 touchdowns) and
Reggie Brown (955 yards and seven touchdowns), a duo that helped the Wildcats run for 2,215 yards last year.
ACU's running game will be bolstered by the addition of junior college transfer
Josh Morgan, who ran for 1,215 yards and scored seven touchdowns while catching 45 passes for 392 yards and a pair of scores.
The Wildcats also return two of their top three receivers in
Edmund Gates and
Kendrick Johnson, as well as
Chris Fowler,
Raymond Radway, and
Terrell Woodall. Thomsen and the offensive coaching staff are excited about redshirt freshmen receivers
Darian Hogg and
Taylor Gabriel.
Defensively, the Wildcats should be in 2010 what they were in 2009 and that was one of the best units in the country. ACU led the nation in rushing defense (55.54 yards per game) and was 21st in total defense.
The Wildcats return the bulk of a dominant front seven, including all-region selections in defensive end
Aston Whiteside and linebackers
Kevin Washington and
Fred Thompson.
Also returning are defensive linemen
Mike Jones and
Marvin Jones and linebackers
Eric Edwards,
Courtney Lane,
Bryson Lewis,
Derek Odelusi and
Casey Carr. Redshirt freshmen linebackers
Thor Woerner and
Chris Jones are also expected to see the field in 2010.
Thompson is expected to move to defensive end this spring as he and Whiteside will form one of the best pass-rushing tandems in NCAA Division II football. Last year they combined for 18 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss. Last year's other starter opposite Whiteside,
Nick Jones, is competing in track and field this spring.
The Wildcats have a "rebuilding job" in the secondary where ACU lost four-year starter
Tony Harp at safety as well as all-conference safety
Major Culbert. Also gone are cornerbacks
Josh Wise and
DuMaurier Jordan.
L.B. Suggs is moving back to safety, while
Richard Havins -- who has started at safety -- returns for the Wildcats. Cornerbacks
James Williams and
Mookie Lewis are also trying to win starting spots.
The Wildcats are set at the specialty positions with placekicker
Morgan Lineberry and punter
Mark Sprague returning. Kickoff specialist
Spencer Covey could be a weapon for the Wildcats, and
David Pillen will try to replace four-year starter
Cody Brown as the Wildcats' deep snapper.
The Wildcats' first full-pad workout will be Thursday (March 4) at 4 p.m. at the
Wally Bullington Practice Facility. The Wildcats will host the annual Purple-White Scrimmage at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, at Shotwell Stadium. ACU will then have two more practices before a final scrimmage on Thursday, April 1, at 7 p.m. at Shotwell Stadium.
The 2010 season gets underway on Saturday, Sept. 4, when the Wildcats travel to Topeka, Kan., to take on Washburn out of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
