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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 10, 2004 Olson: Starting QB spot still up for grabs By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings After suiting up and going after one another for almost two hours, the Southern Oregon football team is no closer to answering the quarterback question. Senior running back Bill Jolin pushes through the pile during Southern Oregon University's third-annual spring intrasquad game Saturday at Raider Stadium. The White team pulled away for a 12-3 victory in the defense-dominated game. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings "It just muddied the waters a little bit more," said Raider head coach Jeff Olson. "I think all four had their moments on Saturday." In a defense-controlled shortened game, the White team pulled away for a 12-3 win over the Black squad in an intrasquad scrimmage that capped two weeks of spring training for the Raiders, who finished 5-4 last season and ranked No. 23 in the final NAIA poll. "We got the chance to be in a game situation and go down and distance," said senior linebacker David Zauhr. "We got to go full speed all the way to the ground. We finally got to hit each other after going through the whole spring. Everything we learned, we got to use and I think everyone did a very good job. It was very competitive." That competition peaked at the quarterback position. Black's senior Brandon Griffith led the quartet in passing yards with 70 (on 3-for-10 passing with two interceptions), but it was the White team's redshirt freshman Boomer Marshall from South Medford High who led two scoring drives and completed 10 of 16 passes for 67 yards. Redshirt freshman Dan Downey from Clackamas was 5-for-8 for 48 yards for the Black team and junior Dustin Despotakis completed 5 of 11 passes for 36 yards and one interception on the White side. "All four of them did some very nice things and all four of them will be here all summer so I think its going to be an ongoing competition," Olson said. "So far it's been a friendly competition." The job probably won't be decided until after fall camp begins on August 14, but so far, Olson likes what he sees. "One of the things I was looking for was how the team rallied around them during a live competition and I think in all four situations, players played well behind them," Olson said. "It tells me they did well in the huddle and handled themselves, so that tells me guys want to play with them." While the field general question remains, the spring game did remind the Raiders of their strengths. "One thing I was very pleased with, our defensive line players, I think, played really well overall," Olson said. "Offensively, I don't think we dropped a ball at wide receiver." Time to step up With three seniors graduated into NFL training camps, Southern understands there are some big shoes to fill on the squad. "I think some of the good things were a lot of the younger players came out and showed themselves," Zauhr said. "Spring ball is more of a chance to show yourself. It's a time to shine and its a time to learn." The Raiders continue to search for some of those stars. For example, the past eight years, the Raiders have been able to look to an experienced running back. Going into the 2004 season, the spot is still unassigned. Junior running back T.J. Smith, a transfer from Shasta JC, played for the White team and ended up with a game-high 22 rushing yards on eight carries. Redshirt freshman Jacobe Krizman was the go-to guy for the Black, tallying nine carries for 14 yards. Senior Bill Jolin was also in the mix, as was junior Curt Stout. "The couple of areas we're going to have to solidify is quarterback and running back," Olson said. "I think it's something that's going to have to happen and it will happen, but right now it's something that's very competitive." The other glaring vacancy during the spring game was that of two-time All-American Steve Baker, now a kicker for the Oakland Raiders. His brother, senior Ryan Baker, attempted to takeover the role on Saturday, but stumbled. Baker missed two extra points and a field goal while connecting on a 35-yard field goal. "[Baker] has kicked pretty well during the spring," Olson said. "I don't see it as an area of concern but we certainly need to be better than we were Saturday and we will be." Regardless of the gaps and uncertainties that remain after the scrimmage, the squad will use the spring and summer, and a lot of intrasquad challenging, to try and put together a quality team come September. The team returns 10 starters from last season's squad, although it graduated four first-team All-Americans. "I think one of the things we need to work on is we need to come together a little bit more," Zauhr said. "I truly think that's possible. We have a very young team and out of those guys, we have some very good players." More to come Although most of the starting positions will go to guys who played on the field Saturday afternoon, there's always the chance a newcomer will shake things up in August. "A lot of the positions on defense are either a returning starter or a junior or sophomore who's had experience," Zauhr said. "If a transfer is brought in, he's going to create more competition and that's a good thing." Nine players performed at Raider Stadium for the first time during the spring game, including Smith, defensive lineman Peter Tuialuuluu and Nick Pilon, and defense back Madison Ceasar, and it's nothing's set in stone at this point. "We've got a couple more coming in, " Olson said. "By in large, I think the majority of our roster, the guys we played with yesterday will be the ones we play with in the fall. But we're definitely not done yet. There's going to be some other additions that will help us this fall." Still, the Raiders feel pretty confident where they're at after the spring contest. "We've got a lot of great players on the team, a lot of talent," said senior defensive back Toby Walker. "Now we just need to bring it all together and things should go well for us." The team returns to the weight room and conditioning for the next three months, in preparation for fall camp in mid-August. "I think one of the things that we have to solidify is who will separate themselves and assert themselves in the areas that the competition is very thick still," Olson said. "The competition is just going to get more intense. The spring is one thing but now as we get going for fall, now it's for real. " Southern opens the season at home against Si Tanka Huron of South Dakota on Sept. 4. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams