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52 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, May 8, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 8, 2005 Skill players shine in SOU scrimmage By DON HUNT Mail Tribune There was a bounce in their step. A flair to their style. And a confidence that bordered on brashness. It may only have been a college football spring game, but the Southern Oregon University offense was determined to have a breakout day at Spiegelberg Stadium on Saturday. Mission accomplished. Senior quarterback Justin Despotakis completed 8 of 16 passes for 160 yards and four touchdowns, junior wide receiver Mike Olson snared five catches for 107 yards and one TD and sophomore tailback Jacobe Krizman rushed for 124 yards on 16 carries in the controlled scrimmage before about 500 fans. The Red team, for whom Despotakis, Olson and Krizman played, defeated the White squad, 35-17. Advertisement "There’s no doubt that our offense looked considerably better today than it did pretty much all of last season," said Raiders interim coach Shay McClure, who took over the team’s head-coaching duties last month when Jeff Olson left for North Medford High. "The theme for the offensive players all spring was to build on last year and get better every day. "I think what you saw was an offensive line that is much improved and skill players who feel more comfortable in what they’re doing." No one looked more comfortable than Despotakis, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound senior from Moss Beach, Calif. Despotakis, who was in a battle with sophomores Dan Downey and Boomer Marshall for the No. 1 quarterback job in spring drills, completed touchdown passes of 40 yards to Olson, 15 yards to Tim Greenidge, 23 yards to Chris Hill and 25 yards to Jason Labon. Despotakis threw just 12 passes during the 2004 season, with four completions, no touchdowns and one interception. "He’s worked extremely hard to be the (No. 1) guy, and what you saw today was a product of all the time he’s put into our program," McClure said. "He had a pocket presence that we didn’t see last season, and I thought he did a great job with his read progressions. He went to his second and third receivers several times. That’s the mark of a mature quarterback feeling comfortable at what he’s doing." Despostakis said the team’s skill players spent eight weeks last winter playing 7-on-7. "That paid off during spring practice, and again today," he said. "Personally, my knowledge of the offense has made a huge difference in how I’m playing. Every time I took a snap today, I knew what the reads would be." Krizman, who set a single-season state rushing record while starring for Hood River High in 2003, also looked comfortable. He slashed his way for 112 of his 124 yards in the second half, breaking tackles on almost every carry. Krizman credits Mike Orthmann, SOU’s new running backs coach, with helping him be a more patient runner. "I was in too much of a hurry last season rather than staying patient and following my blockers," Krizman said. "Today, everything kind of fell into place. It felt great." Marshall, playing on the same field where he guided South Medford to the Southern Oregon Conference championship in 2002, hooked up with Demario Watson on an 18-yard touchdown pass on his first toss of the game. Marshall’s only other completion was a 48-yard strike to Watson. He finished the day 2 of 8 for 66 yards and was sacked twice. While the offensive players ruled the day, SOU outside linebacker Fili Laulu also made his presence felt. The transfer from the University of Utah belted Downey on a blitz early in the scrimmage, the ball squirted loose and Josh McInnis picked it up and ran 13 yards to pay dirt. Downey suffered a concussion on the play and had to sit out the remainder of the contest. "It felt good to make a big play, but I didn’t know it would be that harsh," said Laulu, a 6-3, 235-pound junior who played backup safety and special teams for the Utes. "I didn’t mean to hurt him (Downey)." Southern Oregon will meet College of the Siskiyous in an exhibition game in Ashland on Aug. 31 before officially opening its season one week later against San Diego on the road. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Paris Hilton Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s