Southland Notebook: Secondary Issues

By Cody Stark
Assistant Sports Editor

March 26, 2008 11:22 pm

— There is no question that one of Sam Houston State’s biggest problems on defense last season came in the secondary. The Bearkats ranked sixth out of eight Southland Conference teams in passing defense, giving up an average of 213 yards a game.
So, it’s obvious that Sam Houston is looking to address the concern this spring and there are several holes to fill. The Bearkats have to find replacements for all three safety spots with the graduation of All-SLC performers Byran Richmond and Carlton Cobey and Josh Moore.
“We have been really fortunate here the last few years with some very good safety play,” SHSU head coach Todd Whitten said. “We have lost those guys so we need some younger guys to step up. I think that will happen. It’s just going to be a process and it’s going to take a great spring training session and a lot of work over the summer. You hope that by the time two-a-days start it will have worked itself out.”
Right now, seniors Billy Skinner and Jeff Sparks, sophomore Randy Stewart and walk-on Colby Lange are vying for the three starting safety positions and have the next few weeks to win a job heading into the summer. All four made some nice plays during Wednesday afternoon’s practice, including an interception by Skinner during 7-on-7 drills.
The Bearkats would also like to add some depth at the safety spots, which are very important positions in the 4-2-5 defensive scheme SHSU employs.
“Skinner and Sparks are running with the first group right now,” Whitten said. “Sparks has really been a delight. They have both been really solid. Randy Stewart and Colby Lange have been really active and made some good plays today.
“Those four guys are doing well, and I was thinking today that we might still do a little tinkering there. We just want to find some athletes because we need more than four guys ready to play.”
The Bearkats return both starting cornerbacks in seniors Stanley Garrett and Wonseleh Brewer. Garrett had the better overall season of the two in 2007, but Brewer, who got beat deep quite a few times after transferring from Blinn College, settled in toward the end of the year and finished with an interception and eight pass breakups.
Both have been sidelined this spring. Garrett is day-to-day with an ailing hamstring and Brewer will miss all contact drills following offseason shoulder surgery.
Sam Houston added a pair of transfers to bolster the battle at cornerback. Jamal Skipper from Kilgore College and D.J. Emerson from SMU are taking snaps with the first team with Garrett and Brewer out. The Bearkats also moved former running back Femi Ogundare to corner.
“I like the way our corners are playing, we have most of those guys back,” Whitten said. “We also added some new guys, and I think we will be all right. There are just a lot of unknowns right now.
“We would like to have Garrett and Brewer but it’s kind of a blessing to get Emerson and Skipper a lot of work. I don’t know if they will be able to win a starting spot but they are getting better each day. I think we are pretty athletic, it’s just getting those guys ready to go before our first game.”
The Bearkats will have an intrasquad scrimmage Saturday morning at Bowers Stadium. The team will take the field for warmups around 10 a.m. and the scrimmage will probably begin about 20 minutes later.

SFA’s Kaspar finalist for coaching honor
After helping guide Stephen F. Austin to its best record at the Division I level, men’s head basketball coach Danny Kaspar has been named a finalist for the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year award.
The Lumberjacks went 26-6 and claimed a share of the Southland Conference regular season championship. SFA received the league’s automatic berth to the National Invitational Tournament, where the Jacks lost to UMass in the opening round.
The Hugh Durham award is handed out by CollegeInsider.com and is voted on by a panel of 20 members. The winner will be announced at the Final Four in San Antonio.

Roadrunners explode at the plate
Checking the linescore, Texas-San Antonio’s 27-4 victory over Prairie View A&M on Wednesday looks more like a football score than baseball. But that would be impossible considering the fact the Roadrunners don’t play football and it’s not the fall.
Still, UTSA set a school record for runs scored in a game at Roadrunner Field. Senior Trent Lockwood had a career day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with three home runs and nine RBIs (both new program records for a single game). Ryan Hutson also belted two homers for the Roadrunners, who improved to 16-9 on the season.