Questions abound for football during spring practice

After two weeks of spring practice, the football team has gained little except more questions. The team lost 23 seniors to graduation and played spring ball with 17 players out either because of injuries or because they were playing another sport.

One of the biggest losses, however, did not fit in either of those categories — former junior linebacker Zak Keasey, who led the team in tackles the last two seasons, was announced as academically ineligible for the 2003 season on March 26.

Head coach Roger Hughes described his defense as a "doughnut" because of the lack of strength in its center — defensive tackle and linebacker.

With Keasey gone along with his fellow starters at linebacker, seniors J.R. Sauder and Drew Babinecz, the heart of the defense will have to rely on help from the rest of the defense, as well as from some youngsters, like freshman Abi Fadeyi, who made his name on special teams last year.

"You have got to keep the offensive line off our linebackers," Hughes said he told his defense line and secondary repeatedly during spring practices, because of the lack of depth at the position.

"We'd like our linebackers to have to play when they're juniors," Hughes said, "but they're going to have to play when they're sophomores."

The defensive line returns all four starters but is not very deep. Junior defensive ends Tim Kirby and Joe Weiss are "two of the premier defensive linemen in the league," according to Hughes. The secondary should be solid, with all but one starter returning, senior strong safety Kevin Kongslie.

"[Junior] Sam Snyder and [freshman] Rob Anderson will battle it out for the position," Hughes said.

Snyder has a slight lead in the race because of his coverage skills, Hughes said, though Snyder spent the spring working out with both football and track.

After losing so many players, the Tigers will be happy to have tight end Mike Chiusano back. He took the current year off from school after breaking his collarbone. Chiusano started at tight end as a junior and has watched most of spring practice, though he could not participate.

"[Chiusano] looks great," Hughes said. "That year of physiological development is a huge difference, and Mike has certainly taken advantage of that. He's ready to step back in right where he was."

His return should shore up a gap that was filled by a number of players last year, making it one of the most unstable positions on the team.

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The position that will probably garner the most scrutiny this year, however, will be quarterback. Junior captain David Splithoff missed much of last season because of shoulder and head injuries. Splithoff underwent shoulder surgery in late December. At the spring scrimmage, he did not throw the ball over five yards, but Hughes said that he can now throw 25 yards. "He's way ahead of where they expected him when rehabilitation started," Hughes said, "So we're cautiously optimistic, I guess, that he'll be back at full strength."

The other man to vie for time at that position will be sophomore Matt Verbit, who got every rep with the first team because of Splithoff's shoulder.

"Matt improved tremendously," Hughes said. "The kids around him are more comfortable, but both guys [Splithoff and Verbit] will play."

The offensive line is yet another question mark for the Tigers, with three starters graduating from an already porous group. The two returning starters, sophomore guard Paul Lyons and junior tackle Kevin Manning, both missed much of spring practice to track and a hernia, respectively. Depth in numbers is not as much of a problem as depth in skill, though.

"We feel we'll be able to have eight, maybe even nine guys who can play, and I don't think there'll be that much of a drop-off," Hughes said. "The key is how high is that level of play. I could be making that statement, and everyone is in the middle of the pack. I think we have a chance to be decent up front. I think our defense is going to have to carry us early in the year."

The skill positions on offense are the core of the talent on this football team. They face only the happy question marks of who will rack up the most yards. Sophomore wide receiver B.J. Szymanski is an exciting playmaker who runs a deceptive 4.5-second forty-yard dash. Branden Benson will share time at running back with Jon Veach, who Hughes describes as the "more polished" running back, though Benson has the lead in "gross talent."

Who gets the tackles? Who gets the snaps? Who gets the blocks? Who gets the yards? Who knows? The Tigers added some experience but answered few questions about a team that looks to continue its winning ways from last season.