 CSC FOOTBALL
CHADRON – It’s safe to say the Chadron State College offense has plenty of desire, talent and experience. The one thing it doesn’t have yet, though, is an identity. According to sixth-year head coach Bill O’Boyle, that’s a work in progress. “Finding an identity for us on offense is the biggest thing,” said O’Boyle, who is also the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. “We have to know what type of offensive football team we’re going to be. Right now that’s a question mark because we haven’t played a game with this set of guys. What we do know is that we’re going to try and be balanced with the run and pass so we can maintain drives.” The Eagles return five starters – left guard Tim Hiett, center Sean McGowan, right guard Shane Dennehy, right tackle Jake Finerty and quarterback Garrett Treffer – but they lack experience in the backfield and wide receiver. John Ritzen, a senior tailback from Chadron, is the only ball carrier who has suited up on game day for CSC. He has appeared in 32 games during his career, running for 928 yards and six touchdowns. “Right now, John is the guy for us and he had a really good preseason camp,” O’Boyle said. “He’s battled some injuries in the past and this year he was healthy, which helped him out a lot.” Behind Ritzen is a cadre of talented runners, including sophomores Alex Rodriguez and Cody Wilson, redshirt freshmen Glen Clinton and Jojo Phillips and junior transfer Dominic Morris. O’Boyle said Rodriguez, who ran for over 70 yards and a touchdown in the spring game, gets better every day of practice. “He’s not going to beat anyone in a footrace, but he has a lot of ability and he pairs with John to give us a good change of pace,” he said. Clinton has also practiced at wide receiver, but the offensive coaches have been pleased with his progression at tailback. The wide receivers will be young and although the returners don’t have gaudy stats, they are talented. Junior inside receiver Jeff Alcorn has seen plenty of playing time and the same holds true for junior Allan Schmaltz. Sophomores Quinell Atkins, Cody Roes, and junior inside receiver Jared Hanson are also steady veterans. “We have a lot of talent but hardly any experience,” O’Boyle said. “We have to get all these guys playing hard at the same time.” CSC is also relying on young players on the outside with redshirt freshmen Travis Reeves and Nate Ross, and junior transfer Brandon Gunter. Getting the ball to the wide receivers will be Treffer, a fifth-year senior and Scottsbluff native, who became the full-time starter last season. “Garrett is the best guy for what we want to do on offense,” O’Boyle said. “He’s gained a lot of experience and he really settled into the role of being a leader last season.” Treffer started nine of 11 games and led the team to a 6-3 record in his starts. Although he had a slow start to the season, he finished with 1,754 yards and 16 touchdowns, while completing 63.5 percent of his passes, second on CSC’s all-time list. Redshirt freshmen Jonn McLain and Logan Rogers are both talented quarterbacks and O’Boyle is pleased with how their progression. With four returning starters and two others who have started in their careers, the strength of the offense is the line. “It’s a veteran group and we have a lot of experience with starting time,” O’Boyle said. “Now, it’s just a matter of playing together and getting used to being on the field.” In addition to the returning starters, left tackles Garrett Gilkey and Jake Blackburn each started last year, and Jake Rogers and Brandon Ratcliff add depth at tackle and guard, respectively. The Eagles open their season Saturday at home against the University of Mary. Kickoff is set for noon. —Alex Helmbrecht, Sports Information Director Copyright by Double Q Country Radio |