Central Michigan University Athletics
Football Ends Spring Practice
4/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 22, 2002
MOUNT PLEASANT -- The Central Michigan University football team ended the spring season anxious to get started for the fall.
?I liked what I saw on the field on Saturday afternoon,? said head coach Mike DeBord. ?The hitting was good, there were some quality defensive stops and some good execution by the offense. I thought both sides of the ball played well. Neither of them dominated but they played well.?
CMU finished its spring season pitting its offense against its defense. The Chippewas ran about 60 plays, 20 for each quarterback Derrick Vickers (Miami, Fla./Jr.), Derek Gorney (Clinton Twp./Sr.) and Kent Smith (Toledo, Ohio/Fr.). Grant Arnoldink (Holland/So.) is still in the hunt for the role of starting signal caller but sat out the final practice with a minor shoulder injury.
?I thought Vickers played well on Saturday,? noted DeBord. ?We wanted our top three quarterbacks to get 20 snaps on Saturday. There's a good competition going for quarterback. I'll let each one know where he stands right now but the position is still open.?
The receiving corps seems to have solidified some more in the spring. Rob Turner (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Sr.) returns as the top receiver from last season, 50 catches for 668 yards. But, Steve Messam (South Bay, Fla./Jr.) has stepped it up and become another downfield threat for the Chippewas.
?Messam had a good spring,? commented DeBord. ?He is playing some of his best football. He started as a freshman and did some nice things for us. Last season, he wasn't ready. Now, Messam is doing things that get us excited.?
The offense started to get into its groove in the final week, culminating in a consistent performance in the final spring practice. After getting over a turnover barrage a few weeks back, the offense has taken the field with a new understanding.
?We had the whole fumble fiasco two weeks ago,? DeBord recalled. ?But now, our offense understands that you can't win with the ball on the carpet or in the hands of the defense. The quarterback has to go out and take what the defense gives you.?
The offense wasn't a question mark going into the spring. The question was whether it could hold on to the ball. The Chippewas finished the 2001 campaign 10th in the Mid-American Conference in passing, fourth in rushing, ninth in scoring and 12th in turnovers.
?When you look at how our team stacked in the MAC last season ? and you take out all the turnovers and turn those into scores, we could have won some games in the fourth quarter,? DeBord said. ?Our team needs to start seeing that.
?At the end of last season, we showed the offense every single turnover, the defense every single missed tackle and it showed them why we lost. We went to work on that and now we are a better tackling team and better at protecting the ball.?
Now, there's a sense of familiarity floating around Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The growing pains are starting to subside and the coaches and players are starting to do what comes natural and play football.
?The first year I was here, I was feeling out the team and seeing what I had,? DeBord said. ?On the flip side, they were feeling me out, too. Last season, they heard me and this season they are now listening.
?This senior group will now have been in the program for three years. They know the staff and they know what is expected of them. They are anxious to get out there and lead this team.?
Fall practice starts on Aug. 8 with the first game of the 2002 season a home date on Thursday, Aug. 29, against Sam Houston State.
