USD Football 1997

~rnrn~ IB]ffi~ rn~urnrn~~urn CONTINUED position, there isn't the competition that there used to be. Back in the early and mid– l970s, schools like Pittsburgh and South– ern California would begin summer camp with as many as 200 players and let them slug it out for the right to play. Now, a coach is lucky if he has a good backup at every position. With the possible exception of Nebraska, which boasts the nation's most sophisticated and successful walk-on program, college teams don't have the numbers to stage the kind of daily com– petition that fosters constant improve– ment. As a result, some coaches find themselves with players who have little incentive to work hard in practice. They don't have to. Nobody is around to take their jobs.

during summer camp forced then– ND coach Lou Holtz to shift him to the offensive backfield. Although Denson responded by rushing for 695 yards and eight touchdowns and has subsequent– ly developed into one of the nation's finest players at that position, Davie still could have used Den– son in his deplet– ed secondary. Of course, now that he's the boss, Davie will be the arbitrator in such disputes, rather than a participant. The BS-schol– arship limit has

"I think you have to understand that you have to motivate a little differently," Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said. "Cer– tainly it has changed coaching in that you know and (the player) knows that there aren't a lot of guys behind him. That goes back to the guys you recruit. You want to recruit guys who love the game, that love to compete. When you get those guys, you don't have as big a problem. But human nature is that the less competition, a lot of guys don't compete as hard. There isn't any question that it has changed coaching." It has a lso changed how coaches decide who will p lay where. When he was the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Davie remembers arguing with the program's offensive staff about which side would win the services of a partic– ularly talented athlete. When Autry Den– son came to Notre Dame in 1995, he was a comerback, but a shortage of tailbacks

forced coaches to play freshmen and sophomores with increased frequency. Although every coach would love to red– shirt each new recruiting class, many don't have that luxury. If a p layer is tal– ented, he may be needed right away. Although the growing exodus of under– classmen to the NFL plays a role in that (coaches want to get as much out of their personnel as possible, especially if some are leaving after three years on campus), so does depleted reserves. "It's like the NFL, " Louisiana State

assure continuity in their programs. Load– ing up on linemen may help in the short run, but that may cause trouble three years down the line when all of a team's backs or receivers have graduated or succumbed to injury. It's hard enough for established coaches to maintain a con– sistent level of recruiting success - "You can't afford to have a bad recruiting class," Cooper said - but newcomers must fortify bad teams quickly and with no margin for error. It makes for plenty of pressure on coaches but often benefits players, especially highly talented ones. When a certain position gets thin, a coach will look for an answer. Today, that solu– tion may be to use a player both ways. No wonder guys like Woodson are smiling. a

coach Gerry DiNardo said. "You have to blend good, stable veterans with young talent. Kids want to play early, and they pick schools where they can play early." Coaches, in tum, have to recruit enough players at enough positions to make sure they can

THROWBACKS

Several of the nation's best players are being called upon to show their versatility on both sides of the ball this season. With the scholarship limit shrinking , two-way stars are becoming more common ...and more important.

Main Position ·

New/Alternate Position WR CB FB RB WR CB WR

Player Dre' Bly

School

North Carolina

CB RB LB s CB RB CB

Autry Denson

Notre Dame Ohio State

Andy Katzenmoyer

Chad Morton Allen Rossum Elijah Williams

USC

Notre Dame

MICHAEL BRADLEY is a freelance writer from Drexel Hill, Pa., and aregular contributor to Touchdown Illustrated.

Florida

Charles Woodson

Michigan