USD Football 1989

1989 TORERO FOOTBALL PROFILE

Six years ago, a goal was set by the new football staff to develop a foot- ball program that was nationally recognized-and to do so while reflect- ing the philosophy and values of the university. In order to achieve this goal, it is important that "true" student-athletes must be attracted to the university. Not only must they be good football players, but good students as well. The USD football program is part of the NCAA division Ill, which means they are nonscholarship. The philosophy of division Ill places the emphasis on academics first, with athletics being a part of the educational process. This does not make the football any less competitive or intense. Many great athletes who somehow "didn't measure up to the division I standards," find themselves at division Ill programs. This makes for an exciting brand of football that is played with the same intensity and enthusiasm that you find at the "major college" programs. The USD football program has seen a tremendous growth over the last six years. The quality of its players has risen steadily both academically and athletically. The minimum requirements for incoming students are 3.0 GPA's with a 900 SAT, and many of the current USD players were highly honored student-athletes at their high schools. This combination makes USD football an attractive opportunity for the serious student who is look- ing to get a good education as well as participating on an outstanding football team.

DB Darryl Jackson

The major recruiting emphasis is on high school seniors. This is a departure from the previous philosophy which depended heavily on transfers. To develop the consistency needed to be successful every year, players should be part of the program for four years. Although this has been a slow and sometimes painful process, you can't argue with the end result. National and regional rankings over the last two seasons, along with four Academic All-Americans the past three years, are just a few of the bench marks that point to how far this program has come. The team GPA of 2.8 indicates that our players are successful in the classroom as well. In 1988 the Toreros moved from the comfortable confines of their " I" formation on offense and switched to the Wing-T This offense relies heavily on misdirection. The effect this has had on opposing defenses has been more than the Toreros had hoped for. The best part of the change is that it takes advantage of the strengths of USD's personnel. With 7 offensive starters returning from last year's 5-4 team, the Toreros are very optimistic for the 1989 season. The offensive line should be a Torero strength as they return senior Mark Garcia and junior Ray Smith at the tackles and sophomore Gene Fontana at center. Seniors Neal Curry and Jeff Carpenter both started at times at the guard position. USD also returns an abundance of quality backs and receivers. All-America candidate Todd Jackson, USD's 1988 offensive player of the year, returns for his senior year. Todd led USD with 611 yards rushing and 4 TDs. Running backs Todd Whitley, Ty Barksdale and Charlie Taumoepeau will all get their share of carries. Senior Sam McDermott and junior Ken Jones are the top returning receivers while junior Mike Hintze and sophomore Brad Leonard will battle for the tight end position. The Toreros return all four quarterbacks, however, the ball should be in the hands of either senior Doug Piper or junior Brendan Murphy. The above players will be the main ingredients for continued success in 1989. They will be called upon to provide the rest of the Torero offense with the leadership necessary to be successful in 1989. Over the last few seasons, USD has established itself as one of the top defenses in division Ill, finishing among the nation's best in three defensive categories. Last year saw the Toreros ranked nationally in rushing and total defense, setting a new school record for fewest rushing yards allowed in a season (663). The USD defense returns only four starters from last year's squad, but that doesn't mean the cupboard is bare. The Toreros have a group of many fine players who received plenty of playing time last year as key backups. They will be ready to step in and take the turn of being part of this nationally recognized defense.

All-America candidate Dave Dunn, a senior defensive lineman, and last year's team captain, will be back for his final season. He set a school record last year by recording 12 quarterback sacks. The inspirational leader of the defense, Dave will be taking charge of a young but talented group of players. Other returning starters include junior DB Darryl Jackson and senior OLB Don Macinnes. Other experienced returners include senior Mark Crisci (DB), sophomore Greg Frinell Frinell (DB), senior Matt Scholl (moving from DB to LB), and sophomores Lenny Territo (OLB) and Dan Chandler (ILB). The punting chores belong to junior John Gillis. John returns for his 3rd season as the starting punter after averaging 34.4 yards last season. Jim Morrison will handle the field goal and kicking duties while sophomore Dave Bergmann will help with kicking. 1989 is the year when the Toreros hope to put it all together and reach their goal of going to the NCAA playoffs. But USD has to deal with a very difficult schedule which includes two division 11 opponents as well as the teams that comprise the always tough SCIAC Conference. The future looks very bright for USD and 1989 should be a very good year for the Toreros. 8

RB Ty Barksdale