Changes In Store For Ewu: Eagles Intent On Running Ball
Mike Kramer made a promise Saturday.
The Eastern Washington coach told the media gathered at the annual Big Sky Conference Football Kickoff that the Eagles have landed this year.
“We only averaged 99 yards rushing per game last year,” Kramer said. “That’s not going to be the case this year - if I have to go out and block people myself. I may not be able to block people, but I can hold ‘em, as Chris knows.”
Kramer, a former lineman at Idaho, then looked to the back of the Elkhorn Resort conference room to new UI coach Chris Tormey, an ex-Vandals teammate.
“He can hold big-time,” Tormey nodded.
Holding together the 1995 Eagles may be a more difficult chore. EWU’s secondary and defensive line will be a bevy of new faces. Same goes at quarterback, where University High grad Brian Sherick takes over from the graduated Todd Bernett.
Sherick, a sophomore, lacks experience with only one career pass attempt, but he seems to have won Kramer’s favor through savvy leadership.
“He’s a calm, cool kid,” Kramer said. “He’s got some tools and does things I like to see a quarterback do. As long as he plays within himself, we’ll be OK.”
Mixing equal parts humor (“We’re trading water bottles for pacifiers” due to a preponderance of underclassmen) and brutal honesty (senior linebacker Dion Alexander, an All-Big Sky pick two year ago, “has been overrated,”), Kramer clearly wants to cleanse a disappointing 1994 season from his memory.
Problem is, this year may not be any better. If that’s the case, so be it, Kramer said, because EWU is going to regain the toughness, in particular the running game that was the program’s backbone during predecessor Dick Zornes’ tenure.
“We’re not going to be a quarterback-centered team; we’re going to be more of a tailback-centered team. We have to,” the second-year coach said. “What we (EWU coaches) really know best is being physical. We have to regain that edge.”
Kramer didn’t dismiss himself from blame for 1994, when a team he believed would contend for the Big Sky crown fizzled to a 4-7 record.
“I made horrible mistakes all along (in 1994), but I think I was forced to,” he said. “When you take over and inherit an entire staff and football team, the reality is I wasn’t hired to bring in change, I was hired to continue the success of 1992-93. I just reacted too late to problems that manifested themselves.
“We just have a definitive plan now that’s my plan. And that’s good for all of us.”
He cautions not to expect immediate dividends.
“In ‘95 we’re going to scramble just to be competitive,” Kramer said. “In ‘96, ‘97, ‘98 we’ll grow to be a very good football team.”
EWU, known for turning out NFL offensive linemen, is potentially strong up front. Tackles Aaron Barfield and Tom Ackerman, a preseason all-conference selection, are solid and Kevin Peterson returns after starting last year at center as a freshman. Kramer said guards T.J. Ackerman, Tom’s younger brother, and oft-injured Ken Henningsen are capable.
Senior running back David Lewis returns after an inconsistent ‘94 season. He’s backed by Rex Prescott and Joe Sewell. The receivers are anchored by tight ends Jesse Hardt and Tim Hunsaker and wideout Jerrold Jackson.
Kramer admitted his defense is raw and untested and his kicking game continues to be a source of migraines. And while Alexander has posted decent stats, Kramer expects more of the senior.
Kramer said sophomore linebacker Justin Guillory, from Lapwai, Idaho, is the team’s best defensive player. The secondary is untested, but sophomore safety Doug Dorton and junior safety Aaron Woods appear reliable.
The young Eagles - 50 of the scholarship players are freshmen and sophomores - better be prepared for a grueling fall camp, Kramer warned.
“We’re going on a death march,” said Kramer, whose Eagles open at Southwest Texas State on Sept. 7. “It’s the only way we’re going to get our young guys ready. I’m not afraid of attrition and we’ve had some already - if that’s what it takes to forge a new beginning.”
Consider that a promise.
, DataTimes