Aug. 12, 2008

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Western Washington University football team is hoping a season that brings many new things also brings a return to success.

The Vikings were just 2-8 last season, the fewest wins in more than two decades. But with most of the offense returning as well as some key players on defense, there's reason to believe Western can turn things around.

Western football will certainly have a new look in some respects. The Vikings spent the last two years as a football-only member of the North Central Conference, but when that league folded after an eight-decade history, Western returned to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, which in football also includes Central Washington, Western Oregon, Humboldt State and Dixie State.

The top team in the conference not reaching the NCAA Division II playoffs earns a berth in the Rotary Bowl at St. George, Utah.

"Everything is new again," said third-year Western head coach Robin Ross. "We go into a new conference, we have a chance for a post-season bowl game, and we start 2008 undefeated."

One of the biggest changes this season is the schedule. The five GNAC schools will play each other home-and-home. While it is a format unusual in college football, it has some familiarity to Ross from his time as an assistant with the Oakland Raiders.

"It's a bit like trying to win a division in the NFL, where you play everyone twice within the division," he said. "It changes everything, because you can be a game behind and still have a chance to make that up."

Here's a unit-by-unit look at the team:

OFFENSE

The Vikings had moments of brilliance last season, including a 42-point, 472-yard performance against national power North Dakota. If experience brings consistency, Western could be outstanding offensively, as nine starters return.

"The offense should be a strength for us," Ross said. "We have seniors who could start at every position but running back, so there's a lot of experience, and that showed in the spring, especially on the offensive line." Triggering the offense is senior quarterback Adam Perry (Longview/R.A. Long).

Perry threw for 1,587 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions last season. An efficient performer, he has thrown just five interceptions in 311 career passes. Perry will be backed up by junior Cole Morgan (Seattle/Ballard), a transfer from Washington State. Senior Tony Gardiner (Bothell) threw for 92 yards last year, starting the final game when Perry was out with an injury, and redshirt freshman Chris Bolt (Lynden) is the signal-caller of Western's future.

"Adam was solid most of the year until injuries started to slow him down at the end," said Ross. "He's got a better handle on the offense now that he's in his second year with it."

Nearly all of Western's receiving corps is back. Senior Travis McKee (Bothell) has led Western in catches the last two seasons, making 43 grabs for 381 yards and three touchdowns in 2007. Another senior Rick Copsey (Camas) had 25 receptions for 351 yards and one touchdown last season.

Senior Pat McCann (Olympia), who sat out last season because of NCAA transfer regulations, had an outstanding spring and also is expected to be a key contributor.

At tight end, senior Logan Cullen (Anacortes) has 21 career starts, including all 10 games last year. He had 10 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown last season. Junior Zach Hekker (Bothell) also saw regular action, making four grabs.

The offensive line returns almost entirely intact. Anchoring that group is senior center Dan Trask (Aberdeen). Trask, an honorable mention all-NCC pick last season, has started every game the past two years. Three other senior starters also return. Tackle Chris Corey (Federal Way/Decatur) started all 10 games in 2007, and guards Phil Hayes (Renton/O'Dea) and Scott Allanson (Everett/Jackson) each made nine starts. The relative newcomer is sophomore tackle Nick Bassett (Gig Harbor/Peninsula), who started three contests.

There is also good depth, with junior Jason Paull (Vancouver/Mountain View) and 6-foot-6, 335-pound junior transfer Chris Awambu (Hayward, CA) pushing for time at tackle, and senior Zach Myers (Sammamish/Skyline), sophomore Russell Piette (Vancouver/Columbia River) and 295-pound junior transfer Travis Pierce (Redmond) in the hunt at guard.

"Our experience on the offensive line showed in the spring," Ross said. "It's such a difficult position, with so much to learn. Everything starts up front, and they've shown improvement."

The biggest change in the offense is at running back. Second-team all-NCC pick Craig Garner is gone, but the position is in good hands with junior Randall Eldridge (Lynnwood) and redshirt freshman Kevin Sampson (Seattle/Rainier Beach). Eldridge, who redshirted last year, was the Golden Gate Conference Offensive Player of the Year for Chabot JC in 2006, rushing for 1,277 yards and 12 touchdowns in 10 games. Senior Matt Clark (College Station, TX/A&M Consolidated) returns as the starting fullback.

"We need to run the ball as well as be effective throwing," Ross said. "Negative plays hurt us last year, we can't be in third and long so much this season."

DEFENSE

The most experienced area of the defense is the secondary, especially on the corners. Back is senior Anthony Rosso (Walla Walla), an honorable-mention all-NCC pick who had four interceptions, and another senior, Kevin Jones (Seattle/Kentwood), who was a starter in 2005 prior to missing the last two seasons with hand and Achilles injuries. Sophomore Anthony Zackery (Spokane/Ferris) is also a candidate to start on the corner.

Sophomore Zach Schrader (Issaquah/Skyline) returns at free safety. He had 24 tackles despite missing five games with injuries. Junior strong safety Danny Cumming (Friday Harbor) made three starts last year, and had 24 tackles. Redshirt freshman Reggie Christor (Spanaway/Graham) had an excellent spring, and the safety positions are bolstered by the addition of Jordan Carey (Olympia/Capital), a former state Class 4A Player of the Year who lettered two years at University of Oregon.

"The secondary made big strides at the end of the spring," Ross said. "They came together as a unit, and began to understand the defense better."

There is also some experience on the defensive line. Senior Shea Thorstad (Stanwood) and sophomore Don Thomas (Kent/Kentwood) return at tackle. Each had five tackles for loss last year, with Thomas sharing the team lead in sacks at 2.5. Another key returnee is junior William Jackson (Seattle/O'Dea), who has seen action in all but one game over the last two years. Returning after lettering at end are sophomores Nick Rocco (Sammamish/Skyline) and Casey Hamlett (Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway). The end position is bolstered by Ami Faalevao (American Samoa/Samoana), who had 11 sacks at Fresno City JC.

At linebacker, the Vikings have lost five seniors from a year ago, including graduated All-American Shane Simmons, and two other players were lost to injury. The top returnee is junior Caleb Jessup (Kenmore/Inglemoor), who had 60 tackles last season. He figures to be at one outside spot, with the other being filled by C.J. Green (Federal Way), who makes the move from cornerback, where he started all 10 games, being credited with 35 stops. At middle linebacker is junior transfer Jonathan Ve'e (Alameda, CA), who was an All-American at Laney JC making 75 tackles and four interceptions. Sophomore outside linebacker Nick Cragin (Sammamish/Skyline) also is in the mix

"We can't give up so many big plays this season," Ross said. "We allowed 27 touchdown passes last year, we can't do that again. We also need to force more turnovers - getting turnovers and winning the kicking game is how you beat good opponents."

SPECIAL TEAMS

Senior Ace Younggren (Snohomish) and junior Josh Lider (Bellevue/Sammamish) shared placekicking duties last season. The hope is that Younggren will be the placekicker this year with Lider taking over as the punter. Younggren, who also handled placekicking in 2005, was 7-of-8 on PATs last year and 1-of-2 on field goals.

Copsey and Sampson figure to be the key return men. Copsey averaged 18.9 yards on 19 kick returns and 7.1 yards on seven punt returns.

WWU FOOTBALL: Vikings open practice with high expectations

Western Washington University football coach Robin Ross will open his third fall training camp with the Vikings today.

Aug. 23: First fall scrimage (6:30 p.m. at Civic Stadium)Aug. 29: Second fall scrimage (7 p.m. at Civic Stadium)Sept. 6: First regular season game vs. Western Oregon (7 p.m. at Civic Stadium)

JOE SUNNEN, THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

The Western Washington University football program holds its first official practice of the fall on Wednesday, Aug. 13, and entering its third season under head coach Robin Ross expectations couldn't be higher.

With most of its starting offense returning from last season, and a handful of new faces expected to contribute immediately on defense, Western will be looking to put last season's 2-8 campaign behind it and return to the top of the standings in the reformed Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

"In that first year we went in thinking let's be the best that we can be," Ross said. "This year we're heading into our third year, and I expect the offense to be dominant. And I think they expect that of themselves. They have a lot of seniors, a lot of veterans and should be ready to go."

The Viking open camp with a helmets-only practice at the campus field at 1:45 p.m. then move into two-a-day practices on Monday, Aug. 18, after five acclimatization days. All practices are open to the public.

"The first five days we basically don't have depth charts," Ross said. "They are going to earn their positions on the field. And then we're going to look to have the best 11 players on the field."

While the offense easily returns the most experience, there's no shortage of intrigue on the defensive side of the ball. The Vikings could see as many of six new starters on defense this season, including a mostly revamped linebacker unit.

"We have enough new players on the defense that I'm not 100 percent sure where all of the new players fit in," Ross said. "That's what we'll be looking at in the first few days."

Ross expects strong competition for playing time at many starting positions on both sides of the ball. He said the depth Western added to its roster this offseason has made the Vikings better.

"I'm looking forward to just seeing the competition on the field," Ross said. "I really am. Any time you can get good competition at a position it's a good thing, and we have that."