Mountaineers offense ready to roll

LEADING THE SHOW: EOU quarterback Chris Ware returns for his sophomore season behind center. - The Observer/PAUL HARDER

While that may not be the case, there is great optimism this season that the offense will pick up where it left off.

The EOU football team opened spring ball ahead of the curve.

For once they had more than 100 players dressed down. They also picked up by running 66 plays on the first day of practice.

“The kids know what to expect when they walked through the doors this season,” head coach Tim Camp said. “(The coaches) didn’t change our philosophy about how we’re doing things on the field or off the field. The kids know that.

“We only had 50 percent of our offense in last year, and had some success.”

Last season, EOU finished the year second in the Frontier Conference in points scored with 27.7 per game. Of course Mountaineer fans will remember the 76-55 win against Rocky Mountain Sept. 27.

A large part of that success came from freshman quarterback Chris Ware.

He finished ranked 22nd in the NAIA in passing yards per game. Ware ranked 16th in the NAIA in total offense with 253 yards per game.

The scary thing is, Camp feels his quarterback is only going to get better.

“Chris stayed here this summer and worked out. He got into the playbook and got a lot accomplished,” Camp said.

“I think Chris has finally realized this doesn’t have to be all about him. There’s a lot of talent on the field. I think we got better at the skill positions, and the offensive line has gotten better.”

The Mountaineers led the conference in sacks against with 56.

That’s one of the areas Ware is working on.

“I held on to the ball too long last year,” Ware said. “A lot of those are on me.

“I’m seeing the routes a lot better so far this year. Being able to make my reads quicker is going to help lower that number.”

There’s no doubt Ware has the options flanking him.

Kirk Miller returns after a breakout year.

He hauled in 30 passes for 561 yards last season, and missed time with an injury. Of those 30 receptions, nine went for touchdowns.

“The great thing this year is we can look at our player board and see some depth there. If someone isn’t getting the job done, we can plug someone in there,” Camp said.

Justin Reynolds returns for his sophomore season after leading the Mountaineers with 43 receptions.

Jordyn Jackson will be an old face in a new position. The senior is making the move to receiver after spending time in the backfield.

“The transition is going really smooth,” Jackson said. “It was (coach Camp’s) idea. So far I’m liking it a lot. I’ll do whatever I can to help the team out.”

Joel Harran is taking the first-team reps at tailback so far this summer.

Kevin Sampson, a transfer from Western Washington, will also see a lot of time in the backfield.

“We got speed and power,” Camp said. “These guys know the system, and will do what we need them to do.”

The line needed a little tweak this season after losing starting center Chad Achatz to graduation.

Jason Lewis had moved into that role, and Camp feels comfortable with his progression.

“Jason really addressed his body profile this summer,” Camp said. “He’s put on some weight and gotten stronger. So far he’s looking really good.

Jared Vanbeek returns after taking a season off. Vanbeek earned all-conference honors as a freshman.

Returners include Jordan Smith, James Theisen and Kevin Biddle.

“It’s a teaching deal not an effort deal,” Camp said. “We’re  working to get better on the offensive line every day. We know what we want to do. Now we have to teach the kids how to do it.”

Still, Camp is unsure of what this new season will bring.

“I don’t know if any of this translates into wins,” Camp said. “But I do know we are headed in the right direction.”