USD Football 1997

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trails and the difficulty of determining whether top-notch athletes belong on offense, defense or both sides. Despite all that, there are still those who call for greater cuts in the number of scholarships given out, arguing that NFL teams exist with 53-man rosters. "You don't have 85 scholarships; you have 85 bodies," Cooper said. "This is not an exact science. People who get caught up in the numbers in the NFL don't real– ize that we don't draft and trade players, and we don't know enough about these kids when they come in here . We're teaching and developing players. We've cut football as far as we can cut it, if we want to maintain programs at their cur– rent levels. "Don't kill the goose that laid the gold– en egg. You wouldn't have many of the men's and women's athletic programs without football." Many coaches maintain that the num– bers cuts have had an adverse effect on the quality of the game. Because schools have fewer players than ever at each

z two-way peers aren't in on every play of every game, particularly in September, when the heat can sap them of their strength. Coaches want them to be at their best in the fourth quar– ter, so they'll keep their ~ double duty to a mini- >– U) mum until the tempera- tures chill somewhat . But judicious use of their skills doesn't minimize at two different posi– tions is one natural solu– tion to a manpower prob– lem. Woodson and his

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their impact. Woodson was Michigan's third-leading rusher last year (152 yards) and caught 10 passes. One can only imagine what Bly, an all-state receiver in high school who possesses blinding speed and perhaps the best hands of any defensive back in the country, will do when he runs a fly pattern against some

some wideout, and don't expect to find Florida's Elijah Williams, who led the team in rushing last year, at his cus– tomary spot in the offensive backfield. He's a cornerback now - unless, of course, the Gators need him to run the ball. At South– ern California, Chad Morton remains a safety, but Trojan coaches won't hesitate to call upon him if their running-back ranks get too thin. Last year, he rushed for 143 yards in a game when called upon for emergency duty. He also is one of the Pac-lO's top return men. Talk about your versatility. Two-way play is hardly revolution– ary. Before the 1950s, every player per– formed on offense and defense. But it is evolutionary. As the NCAA hacked away at scholarship numbers, coaches found themselves with depth problems. Any rash of injuries, academic problems or recruiting miscalculations created huge problems. "The only losing season I had in 31 years here came when I lost three quar– terbacks to injury," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said about the 1988 campaign. With thinner margins than ever at practically every position, coaches are looking for creative ways to cover them– selves against disaster. Using standouts

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overmatched nickel back, or how difficult it will be to tackle Katzen– moyer on a quick-hit– ting trap play. Two-way play is just one by-product of the 85-scholarship limit's impact. Among the other concerns are motiva– tion , the need to use younger players earlier than coaches would pre– fer, the reduced margin for error on the recruiting Texas Christian star Sammy Baugh was the epitomy of the two-way player both in college and the NFL: He was a consensus All-American quarter– back, a standout defensive back and one of the finest punters of his era.

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