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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels September 3, 2004 No stars, no problem By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings The stars that soaked up the spotlight for the better part of four years at Raider Stadium are long gone, leaving behind a dust trail of records and memorable moments that define the greatest stretch in team history. Nevertheless, Southern Oregon University head football coach Jeff Olson is not reminiscing about one of Dusty McGrorty's great runs, or Andrae Thurman's spectacular catches, or Nick Daniken's bone-jarring hits. Nor is he talking about rebuilding. Actually, what he's doing is a little out of character and unusual. He's leaning back in his chair, describing the cast of no names that make up his 2004 roster, clearly trying to hide a smile as he's doing so. "This group, they don't have the track record that our last couple teams have had," he said. "There's not going to be a lot of name recognition. But these are a bunch of guys that are just going to go play. They're anxious for their turn." They'll get that turn Saturday at home against Si Tanka Huron, and if Olson's expression - the nodding of the head, the raising of the eyebrows - is telling the truth, the Raiders may not suffer quite the drop off some people expect. Olson and company have reason to be optimistic. Despite heavy losses to graduation, SOU will roll out a team loaded with talent - thanks to great back-to-back recruiting classes and a few key transfers - and anxious to prove itself. Nowhere will that talent be more evident than on the defensive line, where the Raiders will average more than 300 pounds in the middle. Leading that unit will be 5-foot-11, 325-pound tackle Pete Tuialuuluu, 6-3, 315-pound tackle Josh Redeau-Clark and 6-4, 235-pound lineman Dustin Mari. All three are quick for their size, but the addition of Tuialuuluu - he transferred here from Division I school Southern Utah - could lift the unit from the ranks of very good to great. "This is going to be a fun group," Olson said. On offense, the Raiders will take the field without a star tailback for the first time in nearly a decade, but will look to a slight change in philosophy to improve their offensive production. Senior Bill Jolin (5-11, 185) and senior transfer Antar Mahasin (5-7, 185) will be the running-back-by-commitee crew, with Jolin starting. Sophomore Curt Stout (5-9, 190) will start at fullback, but will be required to do more than just block if Olson sticks to his plan to utilize backs more as receivers. It's a change Olson said will open up the offense. "Screens, hot releases - when people bring pressure we can release backs now and we're going to get the ball to people out of the backfield," he said. That's not the only change the Raiders will be making. Behind quarterback Brandon Griffith - one of many seniors who's been waiting in the wings and will finally get his shot - SOU plans to air it out a little more this year in an attempt to stretch the field vertically. Griffith (6-1, 220), who started the final game of 2003, has two of the Raiders' top-three receiving threats from a year ago back - of course, the one who's moved on is Thurman, one of the best Raider receivers ever. Junior Bobby Poeltl (5-9, 170) and senior Carl Dice (6-3, 190) will start and play together often, except when the Raiders go to a two-tight end set. "It's an impressive group," Olson said. "I think Bobby's our home run hitter, a guy that can shake and bake and make things happen, and Carl Dice has the ability to go deep." Whether or not Griffith - or second-string QB Boomer Marshall - will have time to throw is another matter. Southern will start a young offensive line that probably represents the least experienced crew on the entire team. It includes a true freshman (Adam Akau) at center, a sophomore (Travis Wheeler) at right guard and a two-year backup (Steve Thomas) at left tackle. "It's a young group," Olson said, "but they've worked their tails off and like I've always said here, when somebody leaves - whether it's by graduation or injury - it means it's an opportunity for somebody else, and that's the way this offensive line is going to be." While the line should be the strength of the defense, the Raiders will also field a solid crop of linebackers that have good chemistry and, most importantly, know defensive coordinator Shay McClure's system. David Zauher (6-0, 210), last year's leading tackler, Chad Harrell (6-1, 215), Taylor Hermes (6-0, 240), David Pettersen (6-0, 205) and James Williams (6-3, 210) all will see time there. In the secondary, Olson said free safety Mike O'Brien (6-1, 185) will be the glue that holds things together. He'll be playing with strong safety and team captain Toby Walker (5-8, 170) and cornerbacks Kellan Quick (6-1, 180) and Madison Caeser (5-9, 175). Walker, one of the team's vocal leaders, predicted that the Raider 'D' will be better than last year. "No stars," he said. "It's just a lot of hard-nosed football players. We've got guys solid everywhere, all over. So, we're not going to stand out anywhere, but we're not going to have any holes, either." And Olson's grin - the look of a man who has a surprise in the closet - suggests that Walker's synopsis of SOU's defense can go for the Raiders as a whole, too. "It's just a group of young guys that are ready to play," he said. "And if they can weather the valleys and stay pretty humble on the peaks, this is going to be a fun group." 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