Published: August 14, 2008 11:44 pm            

A Work in Progress

An injury and inexperience has Sam Houston State offensive linemen learning under fire

It’s been almost a week since the Bearkats lost a key returning starter on their young and inexperienced offensive line.

Last Saturday, preseason All-Southland conference tackle John Dirk was lost for the year with a dislocated and fractured left ankle, leaving Sam Houston State with only one starter — guard Hunter Schmidt — on a unit that paved the way for back-to-back 1,000-yard rushers the previous two seasons and the league’s second-ranked passing attack in 2007.

So far, the new guys have shown some good things in practice, but with six freshman linemen listed on the two-deep roster, the Bearkats are going to need some players to step up in a hurry with only two weeks to go before the season opener.

“We really need some guys to grow up fast if we are going to meet all our goals this season,” SHSU head coach Todd Whitten said Thursday. “We are going to have a redshirt freshman starting at strong tackle, a junior at guard, a junior at center, a senior at weak guard and a senior at weak tackle.

“The only problem is that the upperclassmen haven’t played a lot and are inexperienced. That is where we are and we have to deal with that. Hopefully we can stay healthy because we do have some young backups.”

Aaron Saunders is penciled in as Dirk’s replacement at weak tackle. The 6-7, 314-pound senior has seen some playing time as a backup the past two seasons after transferring from Missouri along with Dirk in 2004.

Saunders knows the system and has started to settle in this week after getting more snaps with the first-team unit.

“If I could have done anything, I wouldn’t have wanted to become a starter this way,” Saunders said Thursday afternoon. “But I have this opportunity now and I just want to do what I can to help my teammates. I feel like I’m starting to get better because I haven’t played much the last five years.

“Hopefully I can live up to what John did last year in his first year starting. He’s one of my best friends and my roommate, so I’m going to get all the help from him that I can.”

The only position on the offensive line where there hasn’t been any question mark is at strong guard where Schmidt has been an anchor, starting all 22 games as a freshman and sophomore. The junior from Alvin was an honorable mention All-SLC selection in 2007.

The Bearkats have three other new starters up front. Senior Nick Grimes, who transferred from Tulsa in 2006, has moved to weak guard after serving as the backup center the past two seasons. Junior Jordan Bowersox, a transfer from Coffeyville College in Kansas, is the center, and redshirt freshman Travis Watson is the strong tackle.

The loss of Dirk was not only a huge blow to the starting unit, but it also hurt the Kats depthwise. On the second unit, Sam Houston has two true freshmen in Riley Smith (tackle) and Hadji Woods (center), a redshirt freshman in Chris Crockett (tackle), junior Travis Best (guard) and senior R.C. Fairchild (guard), who have seen very limited playing time.

“Around here we are a little thin on the o-line with guys that have experience,” Saunders said. “We have a redshirt freshman (Watson) starting at the other tackle that I think is really good and might be one of the best players we have on the offensive line.

“Chris Crockett is going to be good when he gets more experience, and Riley Smith just needs more time because he is in a tough spot as a backup in just his first year. Hadji is going to be good in the future too, but these guys have to step up now because if something happens to another guy, they are going to have to play.”

The newly adjusted starting line and the young backups will get a much-needed test Saturday morning when the Bearkats have their first full intrasquad scrimmage at Bowers Stadium. Last weekend, Sam Houston State only worked on situational drills.

“We are going to have a little situational stuff but have more of a traditional scrimmage when we move the ball the length of the field Saturday,” Whitten added. “It will be good for these guys to get more game-type work in.”



A new look for the Kats

Fans who want to make it out to Saturday’s scrimmage will have a pleasant surprise in store when the Sam Houston State players take the field at Bowers Stadium.

The Bearkats unveiled new practice uniforms Thursday morning with numbers and names on the jerseys so there will be no more head scratching and wondering who is who on the field. Players on offense are wearing white with black lettering and the defense is wearing black with white lettering.

        

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