Scott Turns The Corner Forgettable Start Convinces Ewu Star To Change Direction

Two years ago Chris Scott was a young man on a mission. His mission, as it turned out, was headed nowhere - along with the other members of Eastern Washington’s young football team.

As an eager but undisciplined and overweight defensive tackle, he was doing things his way, making the occasional big play but, more often than not, getting blown off the football like a bug.

That year Scott had a hand in a seven sacks. He also made 15 tackles for losses, forced three fumbles, recovered two and intercepted a pass. But the Eagles finished 3-8 and last in the Big Sky Conference in every major defensive statistical category after allowing an average of more than 6 yards per play.

If nothing else, the experience convinced Scott that his way was not the right way. So he decided the following summer to drop some weight, train harder and buy into the conservative 4-3 defensive scheme of coordinator Jerry Graybeal.

Eastern’s defensive numbers have improved ever since.

Scott, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound, fifth-year senior, has lost 35 pounds since that dreadful season of ‘95. He is quicker, stronger and better-conditioned than at any time in his life.

And now, instead of pinning his ears back and madly rushing the quarterback on every snap, Scott has learned to stay at home, take on double-team blocks and control his gap. He still gets his share of sacks, as in 10 this season, but his approach is much more team-oriented.

“Chris had some spectacular games in the early part of ‘95 with a blocked kick, an interception, a fumble return - he was making huge plays,” recalled Eagles coach Mike Kramer. “But he was also free-lancing a little bit, and when you free-lance at defensive tackle in a 4-3 defense you cause much pain and anguish for your defensive coordinator.

“Once Chris settled down and accepted the fact that he needed to plug holes and occupy blockers on the run, he became a better football player. And we became a better football team.”

The proof is in Saturday’s quarterfinal pairings of the NCAA’s Division I-AA football playoffs, which have EWU (11-1) matched up against Western Kentucky (10-1) in a 12:30 p.m. showdown at Albi Stadium.

The Eagles, after winning their first outright Big Sky Conference championship, are seeded No. 3 in the playoffs. During the regular season they allowed just 81.5 rushing yards per game and led the league in every major defensive statistical category.

And Scott - despite his modest personal numbers - was named the Big Sky’s defensive player of the year over more publicized players such as Montana’s Jason Crebo and Montana State’s Neal Smith.

“I thought it was a joke,” Scott admitted when asked about his reaction to being named his league’s top defensive player. “There were other people out there with higher stats than mine, even some on my own team. I thought there were people more deserving than me.”

Scott was not honored once during the season as the Big Sky’s defensive player of the week. Crebo and Smith each won the award once and Idaho State’s Trevor Bell won it twice.

But Scott’s consistency, which resulted in his contributing to 62 tackles - including 18 for losses - was enough to convince Kramer and several other Big Sky coaches that he was the best defender in the league.

Along with buying into the Eagles’ defensive scheme, Scott said he benefited from a 1995 postseason lecture from Kramer.

“I got up to about 285 pounds,” Scott recalled, “and he told me I needed to lose some weight if I wanted to be a good player. So I took it to heart.”

That summer he went home to work on his dad’s cherry farm near Wenatchee and concentrated on dropping weight. By watching what he ate, avoiding second helpings and running twice a day, Scott slipped to 250 pounds without losing much strength.

“It was like taking a piano off my back,” he recalled. “It really helped my quickness, my speed and my stamina.

“I figured after that I’d be lying on my back every play, but that isn’t how it has worked out.”

This Saturday, Scott will be one of the key players against Western Kentucky’s I-Bone option, which has produced more rushing yards than any I-AA school.

And he’s looking forward to the challenge.

“This reminds me of high school when all teams did was run the option,” Scott said. “Obviously, your not going to get a lot of sacks, so you just have to take a couple extra Advil, buckle up and take on a double-team (block) every play.”

It might not be as exciting, personally, as his free-lancing days when he was blocking kicks, recovering fumbles and blind- siding the quarterback.

But Chris Scott has learned to live with a more conservative approach - one that made him the best defensive player in the Big Sky.

And one he hopes will help lead Eastern Washington to a national championship.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: COMING UP Saturday: Eastern Washington vs. Western Kentucky, Albi Stadium/12:30 p.m.