By
Pete Fiutak
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2006 Conference USA Spring Analysis
-
2007 Preseason Lookaheads -
Conference USA
East
East Carolina
Spring Practice
Begins: Feb. 28 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... The main focus in spring ball will be
around the quarterback situation with
James Pinkney gone and Todd Fitch coming
over to take over the quarterback
coaching duties. Firth will also work
with Steve Shankweiler to handle some of
the offensive coordinator duties.
The big spring question is ... In year three under Skip
Holtz, will the offense explode and be
more consistent? It might be tough with
the loss of Pinkney, top receiver
Aundrae Allison and leading rusher
Brandon Fractious, but there's more than
enough players ready to step in and take
over after being in the system for the
last few years. With all five starters
returning to the offensive line, and
three of last year's freshmen up front
certain to be more consistent, the
potential is there to finally get things
going as expected.
The most important position to watch is ... Defensive end.
The Pirate pass rush was non-existent
last season finishing last in the league
with a mere 18 sacks and few tackles for
loss. Marcus Hands, Zach Slate, Scotty
Robinson and C.J. Wilson have to show
they can get into the backfield on a
regular basis.
Spring attitude... Take the next step. Seven wins and a bowl
appearance was nice, and now it's time
to do even more and turn into a true
player in the East race. If the offense
can be more consistent, and the defense
can make a few improvements and be
better on the line, an appearance in the
title game is a realistic goal.
Marshall
Spring Practice
Begins: March 27 Game: April 21
The early spring buzz ... What if. Ahmad Bradshaw would've been
one of the nation's best running backs
had he returned for his senior season,
as originally expected, but his last
minute bolt to the NFL means the offense
doesn't have an All-America caliber
player to revolve around. The recruiting
class suddenly had to have running back
depth, and now more responsibility will
be on quarterback Bernard Morris.
The big spring question is ... Will head coach Mark Snyder
work his magic with the defense? The D
was supposed to be far, far better under
Snyder, but it as awful last year,
especially in the secondary. What made
the lack of production more mystifying
was all the help the defensive backs got
from a tremendous pass rush. With major
turnover on the defensive front seven,
and with three starters returning to the
secondary, spring ball will be all about
improving the D.
The most important position to watch is ... Running back.
With Bradshaw gone, it's up to the
speedy Chubb Small and backup Kelvin
Turner to handle the workload early on,
while top recruit Darius Marshall and
Terrell Edwards are expected to come in
and make an immediate impact to pick up
the slack.
Spring attitude... Get to a bowl. The Herd had several
chances to get over the hump and come up
with a winning record, and had a prime
shot to finish 6-6 before losing the
season finale against Southern Miss, and
didn't get it done. A winning record in
Conference USA play will almost
certainly lock up the program's first
post-season appearance under Snyder. To
get there, the defense has to be better,
and Morris has to be efficient and
consistent.
Memphis
Spring Practice
Begins: March 20 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... This hasn't been a good off-season.
Former Tigers Mario Prather and Ryan
Scott were arrested on drug charges, and
young fullback Stacy Jones was diagnosed
with cancer after a tumor was discovered
on the side of his neck. On the field,
the defense that was so woeful last year
got its coach with Rick Kravitz coming
over from NC State after spending a
decade at South Florida.
The big spring question is ... Was last year's disaster just
a one-year fluke? Going 2-10 with the
only victory over a D-I team coming in
the season finale against UTEP wasn't
quite what the team had in mind after
appearing to be headed in the right
direction under Tommy West. Without
DeAngelo Williams to rely on, the
running game went into the tank, while
the defense was stunningly awful all
season long. Expect both to change this
year, but it might not be enough to get
back to a bowl.
The most important position to watch is ... Defensive end.
The Tigers managed a pitiful 44 tackles
for loss and 17 sacks while getting run
all over. Part of the problem was the
coaching, part of the problem was youth
with Josh Weaver, Steven Turner, Greg
Terrell and Jada Brown all freshmen. If
experience can translate into
production, the defense should make a
dramatic improvement.
Spring attitude... It might not take that much work to be
far, far better. Eight starters return
on D including the entire front seven,
while nine are back on offense including
most of the key skill players. Five
games last year were lost by seven
points or fewer; a veteran team would've
pulled out at least three of those.
Southern Miss
Spring Practice
Begins: March 20 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... There's plenty of excitement about
the recruiting class as the Conference
USA runner-up came up with a tremendous
haul of instant offensive players,
especially Julius Gray for the offensive
line and Antwain Easterling for the
backfield. If last year's team could
come within a game of being the
champion, this year's team, with eight
starters returning on defense and QB
Jeremy Young and RB Damion Fletcher
coming back on offense.
The big spring question is ... Will there be more of a passing game
to take the pressure off Fletcher? Young
started to come into his own at the end
of last year with a nice three-game
stretch to close things out, but he's
not a bomber and he needs more help from
the receiving corps. He doesn't have to
throw for 300 yards a game, but he does
have to be efficient and effective on
third downs and he has to at least
provide a bit of a threat to keep
defenses from teeing off on the running
game, especially because ....
The most important position to watch is ... Offensive guard.
Along with center Robby D'Angelo, guards
Travis Cooley and George Batiste are
gone from the league's best rushing
attack. While the ground game will turn
out to be fine in time, the big key
would be pass protection for Young. He
might be mobile, but he needs as much
time as possible to work.
Spring attitude... Get back to the title game. With all the
returning experience and more talent
than anyone in the East, there's no
excuse to not get back to the
championship game. For a program that's
used to being in the hunt every year
under head coach Jeff Bower, anything
less than another big season will be a
major disappointment.
UAB
Spring Practice
Begins: March 21 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... New head coach Neil Callaway didn't
have a whole bunch of time to recruit,
but by all accounts he did a relatively
decent job. JUCO transfer RB Aaron Johns
will make the most immediate impact,
while QB Bryan Ellis is the main man for
the future. The program now has to get
the coaching staff on the same page with
all the players.
The big spring question is ... What's going to be different
under the new coaching staff? If nothing
else, there will be some new ideas and
new blood circulating through the
program. Callaway knows how to do things
at an upper-echelon SEC level and should
come up with crisp, effective practices.
For an offense that averaged a mere 310
yards and 18.75 points per game, expect
an immediate difference in the attack's
production.
The most important position to watch is ... Running back and
quarterback. With the top three backs
from last year gone, the job has Johns'
if he lives up to the hype. Anyone else
who wants to make a statement has to do
it right off the bat this spring.
Figuring out who the top quarterback is
going to be is the biggest issue with
several prospects getting an equal shot
under the eye of the new coaches.
Spring attitude... Time for a change. After the young,
rebuilding team lost the final six games
of last year and dropped five games by a
touchdown or less, and lost the season
finale by eight, there's hope for an
immediate turnaround if the there are a
few more close wins. It might not be
that big a jump from 3-9 to 6-6.
UCF
Spring Practice
Begins: March 21 Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... This was a relatively young team
before, and even though it went through
growing pains to get to this season,
there's still going to be an infusion of
new blood and talent from the recruiting
class. George O'Leary and his staff
loaded up on defense meaning this should
be a wild, spirited spring with several
starters from last year competing for
their jobs.
The big spring question is ... Will all the experience and all the
promise on defense finally come through?
The baby backs in the secondary that
were so effective in 2005 were awful
last year, while the run defense wasn't
anything to get excited about. The
offense will be there under O'Leary, but
the difference between 4-8 and being in
the hunt for the Conference USA title is
the effectiveness of the D.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback. Is
Kyle Israel ready to be more effective,
make fewer mistakes, and handle himself
as the starter? After taking over in the
second half of last year, he threw for
plenty of yards and and a few nice
games, but he didn't hit his stride
until the final two games when he went
lights-out completing 35 of 42 passes
against Tulane and UAB. He has to make
the team his this spring.
Spring attitude... Get the right talent in the right spots.
There's more than enough experience and
more than enough options to play around
with the depth chart all through the
off-season. Cut down on the turnovers,
do more on defense, and do all the
little things right, and UCF will be
right back in the East title hunt.
West
Houston
Spring Practice
Begins: March 6 Game: April 7
The early spring buzz ... The team's best defensive back might be on
the coaching staff. The Cougars added
former Houston Oiler Bubba McDowell to
handle the safeties and help out with
the rest of the secondary. Considering
the defending Conference USA champion
should already has a strong pass
defense, and welcomes back just enough
experience to make another run, this
should be another big season.
The big spring question is ... Can the program go on without
Kevin Kolb? You don't just replace a
heart-and-soul, Player of the Year,
four-year starting quarterback like Kolb
without there being a few problems.
Arguably the greatest offensive player
in the history of the league, Kolb was
everything to the Cougars. Now the
offense needs Blake Joseph to step in
and be efficient right off the bat.
The most important position to watch is ... Running back.
While all the focus will be on the
quarterback situation after losing Kolb,
replacing the running backs might be a
bigger issue. Home run hitter
extraordinaire Anthony Alridge is only
5-9 and 170 pounds; not exactly an every
down workhorse. Jackie Battle and
Roshown Pope will be missed.
Spring attitude... Expect to win the West again by trying to
rebuild in a huge hurry. In the tougher
division of the two, the Cougars will
have their work cut out for them from
the start unless all the returning
starters pick up the slack for all the
lost stars. It'll take a major effort to
repeat without Kolb, Battle's 15 rushing
touchdowns, and leading receiver Vincent
Marshall.
Rice
Spring Practice Begins: March 12
Game: April 14
The early spring buzz ... And so the David Bailiff era begins. After
one of the shocking turnarounds in
recent college football history under
Todd Graham, it's time to start from
scratch again under the former Texas
State head man. The goal will be to keep
the momentum going after the 7-6 season,
and he might be just the man to do it.
Forget last year's 5-6 campaign at TSU,
Bailiff is great at dealing with tough
situations.
The big spring question is ... Can the team do that
again? Probably not, and not because of
the coaching change and not because of
the players. Teams just don't win that
many close games two years in a row. The
Owls lost the season opener to Houston
by one, and later beat UAB, UTEP, Tulsa,
East Carolina and SMU by a total of 15
points. A 7-5 regular season could
quickly turn into 4-8 unless the team
finds a way to get every break, every
turnover, and every big play again.
The most important position to watch is ... Defensive
lineman. It's not like the defense can
afford to get any worse after allowing
414 yards and 33.23 points per game, and
now it has to replace three key cogs up
front in noseguards DeJuan Cooper and
William Wood along with end Courtney
Gordon. The run defense did nothing last
season, but the defense did a great job
of getting into the backfield. That
starts with the front three.
Spring attitude... Don't panic. Bowl games aren't going to be
a regular occurrence, but that doesn't
mean the program doesn't have to be a
doormat for everyone else again.
Bailiff's job is to keep the offense
going and to invent ways of maximizing
the overall talent on defense. The Owls
just have to battle hard every week and
the wins will come.
SMU
Spring Practice
Begins: March 1 Game: March 31
The early spring buzz ... This is the year. SMU has been building
under head coach Phil Bennett, and
rebuilding, and now everything is
expected to all come together in what's
expected to be the team's best year
since 1984, the last bowl season. The
top recruiting class of last year is
expected to pay off (wrong choice of
words for SMU) in a huge way, while QB
Justin Willis should make this the team
one of the league favorites.
The big spring question is ... Is the defense going to hold
its water? Everything else worked well
for the Mustangs in 2006, but the
secondary, despite getting a ton of help
from a pass rush, got torched for 246
yards per game. That's what happens when
you start two freshmen, and now the hope
is for some redshirt freshmen to step in
and make a difference. The defensive
backs might be all that stands between
SMU and a title.
The most important position to watch is ... Defensive tackle.
The run defense was the best in the
league thanked to Adrian Haywood,
Brandon Bonds, and Randy Denman on the
inside. The Mustangs have to find a good
rotation right off the bat this spring
to provide a base for the rest of the
defense and not force the veteran
linebackers to make all the plays.
Losing star end Justin Rogers doesn't
help the cause.
Spring attitude... It's time to win a title. Even with
problems in the receiving corps, the
offensive pop will be there with Willis
along with backs Cedric Dorsey and
DeMyron Martin. No Conference USA team
has more good young talent, and if can
all come together in spring ball, and
new stars emerge before fall, the pieces
are there to represent the West.
Tulane
The early spring buzz ... New head coach Bob Toledo didn't have much
time to work to bring in a recruiting
class, but he came through with a
surprisingly decent haul helped mostly
by retaining all the prospects who
committed to Chris Scelfo. Toledo is
known as an offensive coach able to get
his teams to put up big numbers, but the
change in systems was still an issue for
many. His ability to sell the players
that Tulane was still the place to come
to was a big hurdle to overcome. Part of
the success came from hiring assistants
who knew the area, rather than coaches
from the West Coast.
The big spring question is ... How are things going to be
different under Toledo? On defense,
expect more of an emphasis placed on
forcing turnovers. For a team that
finished 112th in the nation in turnover
margin, that's welcome news.
Offensively, at least early on, the
emphasis will be placed on the running
game until the passing game comes
around. Eventually, Toledo would want a
near equal balance.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback.
Scott Elliott has the experience after
spelling Lester Ricard over the last few
years, and now he has to prove he can be
the type of steady leader and playmaker
who can keep the chains moving. When
Matt Forte eventually returns from a
knee injury, he'll be the main man in
the attack, and Ray Boudreaux, Ade Tuyo
and Andre Anderson might be key backs
early on, but it's Elliott who has to
shine in spring ball.
Spring attitude... Be more competitive. Katrina, the nomadic
season that followed, and last year's
awful campaign that got worse as things
wore on are all over. Under Toledo, the
program has a fresh start with a slew of
new players from the recruiting class
that'll get chances to start right away.
Until they hit campus, the returning
starters, eight on defense and five on
offense, have to show they have the
potential to be far more consistent.
Tulsa
Spring Practice
Begins: March 20 Game: April 21
The early spring buzz ... Tulsa got a huge break snagging Todd
Graham, one of the hottest new coaches
on the scene, to replace one of the new
hot names, Steve Kragthorpe. It got an
even bigger break by getting Gus Malzahn
from Arkansas to run the offense and act
as the assistant head coach. With this
staff, there's no reason to start from
scratch and no reason to expect any of
the momentum created by Kragthorpe to
slow down.
The big spring question is ... How will the Graham/Malzahn
marriage work out? Major Applewhite
didn't follow Graham to Tulsa getting a
fantastic, higher profile gig as Nick
Saban's offensive coordinator at
Alabama, but from all reports, it's not
like the two were necessarily on the
same page. It's not a sure thing that
the Major would've gone to Tulsa had he
not gotten the Bama gig. It's been well
documented how Malzahn and Houston Nutt
weren't exactly eye-to-eye on how things
should be run at Arkansas. It'll be
interesting to note if everyone is on
the same page from the start.
The most important position to watch is ... Wide receiver.
The three top wide receivers, Idris
Moss, Ryan Buff and Donnie Johnson, are
gone taking away the comfort zone for QB
Paul Smith. Jesse Meyer, Kyle Grooms and
Nick Henderson will be some of the new
names involved, and under the new
coaches, watch for one to emerge and
become a Conference USA star. Look for
more passes to the running backs and
tight ends early on.
Spring attitude... Nothing changes. Graham's Rice team did
all the little things right and won all
the close games, and Malzahn will be
coaching with something to prove after
the way things didn't work out at
Arkansas. There are some big holes to
fill on both sides of the ball, but on
talent, Tulsa will go back to a bowl and
be in the thick of the Conference USA
title race.
UTEP
Spring Practice
Begins: March 22 Game: April 20
The early spring buzz ... Just being respectable isn't good enough
for Mike Price, who's teams have been
tremendous disappointments over the last
few seasons. He shook up the coaching
staff by switching around some of the
duties, while cranking up the off-season
workout program hoping for a stronger,
better conditioned team coming into this
season.
The big spring question is ... Will there be any offensive
linemen available? With all five
starters returning, the O line is
expected to be one of the team's top
strengths after a subpar season.
Unfortunately, three projected starters
will be out this spring including
emerging star tackle Tyler Ribitzki.
Considering a replacement is needed for
QB Jordan Palmer, and the running game
has to get far better, the line needs
all the practice time it can get.
The most important position to watch is ... Quarterback.
Palmer might not have been the steadiest
quarterback around, but he was a
long-time starter who made the offense
go. Expect a battle all off-season
between Kyle Wright, Brandis Dew, Lorne
Sam, and Trevor Vittatoe that won't be
settled until opening day, so the more
one can stand out this spring, the more
the coaching staff will have to work
with before summer drills.
Spring attitude... Time to win the title. There are some
major concerns on both sides of the ball
and major replacements needed, but
there's still a lot of speed and
athleticism. Now the team has to figure
out how to focus for a full season and
not collapse again over yet another
second half. How does UTEP avoid that?
Be in better shape, more focused, do all
the little things right, and be much,
much sharper.