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75 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, August 4, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 25, 2004 Raiders are starless as 2004 season nears By JOE ZAVALA for the Mail Tribune ASHLAND — It's Thursday evening at the Southern Oregon University practice field, and with temperatures still pushing 90 degrees, Raider head football coach Jeff Olson can't hide his glee. Yes, Olson is excited about the 2004 season — and it only takes a glance toward the ripped mob of Raiders stretching behind him to see why — but he's always excited in July. What makes this preseason passing camp particularly intriguing for Olson is the fact that, for the first time in a long time, there are no stars on the SOU sideline. No Dusty McGrorty, no Griff Yates, no Andrae Thurman. It's not that he didn't like having those former Raider standouts racking up yards and records week after week, but there's just something about a group of no-names fighting for a common goal that makes Olson's eyes light up. Advertisement "It's big-time (exciting)," says Olson. "It's going to be a fun group, and they seem to be close-knit. There's not any 'Hey, I'm up here and you're down there,' kind of attitude. It's like, 'We're all in this together, and let's go.’" Olson and the rest of the Raider coaching staff are currently in the process of offseason molding, a step which kicked into high gear last week with the start of SOU's annual no-pads passing camp. The two-nights-a-week gathering is not mandatory, but Olson says players who participate will be looked upon favorably when it comes time to determine the depth chart. That's a good sign for quarterbacks Justin Despotakis and Brandon Griffith, both of whom have been working out with the Raiders and are in the middle of SOU's most significant position battle. Former South Medford High quarterback Boomer Marshall has also made appearances at the camp, says Olson, and another quarterback, Dan Downey, will join the team next week. While dealing with an untangled quarterback quartet six weeks before the start of the season may seem like an ulcer waiting to happen, Olson doesn't appear at all fazed. He says he and his staff will be watching how the quarterbacks perform in drills against high school foursomes on Tuesday nights — North Medford, South Medford, Crater and Eagle Point. If those padless scrimmages don't solve the puzzle, the Raiders' practices in full pads will, beginning Aug. 14. "The evaluation process never stops," says Olson. As for the other positions, Olson likes what he has seen so far. Coming off what many in the program are calling the best back-to-back recruiting classes in SOU history, the Raiders should have depth, if not star power. "Watching these kids work out so far this summer, it's a very determined group," says Olson. "It's just a blue-collar team. I really like this group." Olson is particularly excited about the potential of the Raider defense, which was the Achilles’ heel of the 2003 team that finished 5-4 and missed the playoffs. "Coach (defensive coordinator Shay) McClure and I were talking about this the other night," he says. "We've got more depth, we've got guys that can run and get to the football. We just lacked some depth in certain spots last year." Further emphasizing the team's blue-collar personality is the fact that Griffith and cornerback Toby Walker have been selected by their peers to be two of the Raiders' four team captains. Griffith has not started a college game and Walker is one of the shortest players on the team, Olson says, but both lead by example in the weight room and on the practice field. "That's just a testament to their leadership," says Olson. "They don't have the big-time stats here, but yet their teammates respect them for what they've done." Joe Zavala is sports editor of the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 482-3456. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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