Posts Tagged ‘Eric Wolford’

Coach Eric Wolford and his staff are going to have to really take a deep look at a few things as a result of the first scrimmage held Saturday morning.  Wolford said he will have a depth chart in place on Monday and that he has a good idea of who his 60 top guys are.  The cog that got jammed was the offense on Saturday.

This past offseason, Wolford said he was recruiting heavier on the defensive side of the ball for depth and guys who have the ability to finish a game.  Last season, YSU had consecutive weeks of nightmares, losing games that they were winning with less than two minutes remaining.  It wasn’t just a couple of times either, but rather almost every week in the last seven games.

The most obvious improvement to the 2011 version of Wolford’s tenure is the defensive front.  The ones, or first string, had trouble running the ball and protecting whatever quarterback was taking the snaps.  Don’t get me wrong, there were some offensive sparks in the scrimmage, but mostly through the air.  The offense averaged 422 yards per game last season and has it’s quarterback and running game back.  On Saturday, either the defensive unit played over its’ head or the offense underachieved.  There was not much of a running attack through the first 100 plays.

For Wolford, it is a Catch 22 situation.  Is the defense that good?  Was the offense that bad?  Was it a combination of both?  However he analyzes things, he will know that offensively, there is much to do before the Michigan State opener.  One of the concerns this week was offensive line depth.  The five starters are solid.  However, there is a drop off after that of unproven raw talent that needs to step up.  Zach Larson going down for the year didn’t help much.  In fact, Wolford has moved Zach Conlan from defense to offense to try to plug that leak before it gets out of control.

One of the brightest spots was the touchdown catch that Pat White hauled in from Kurt Hess covering about 40 yards.  White made a nice catch in the back right corner of the end zone.  Another bright spot was a lack of dropped balls by receivers.  Coach Andre Coleman has been working hard to try to prevent something that started during Spring practice from spilling over into Fall camp.

Youngstown State got its first taste of bad news on Thursday when Coach Eric Wolford announced that Zach Larson (#56, above), a returning letterman from 2010, would probably be redshirted after an injury that would cause him to miss the bulk of the 2011 season.

“Larson will probably be redshirted which hurts because he was having a really good camp, and was working hard”, remarked Wolford.  “He was playing some center for us and we will probably redshirt him and get him back for the next three years. Unfortunately, it is a part of the game this time of the year when you are hitting and tackling at full speed and have to expect some fallout.  We moved [Zach] Conlan over there and I addressed in preseason that the depth of the offensive line had me worried a little bit, we tried to address some other needs first.”

Wolford admitted that no depth chart exists, not until Monday.  ” We haven’t posted a depth chart yet.  We are just out there running around right now.  We will have a better idea with a depth chart after Saturday’s scrimmage. We [coaching staff] will go over everything in detail on Sunday and post it on Monday.  I have a pretty good idea of who the 60 guys are, but we will officially post something on Monday.”

Youngstown State University hit the field for the first time in full pads on Wednesday.  With so many guys dressed and so few positions to be awarded, everyone was trying to make a good impression.  There was a definitive twinkle in Eric Wolford‘s eyes as guys were going all out on both sides of the ball and the word ‘competition’ was given extra significance.

In a seven-on-seven skeleton passing drill, Will Shaw had running back coverage from his linebacker post.  The running back, Jamaine Cook, got a step on Shaw.  To avoid giving up a touchdown, Shaw grabbed Cook to prevent a catch, which was obvious and blatant interference.  A little pushing and shoving ensued and the two would eventually be separated.  Shaw and Cook are teammates from last season and will surely work out their differences putting the team goals in front of personal gains at a practice.

Several more high intensity skirmishes broke out throughout practice.  Is this a bad thing?  Not if the Penguins can keep it on the field and understand that a unified team is a dangerous force to be reckoned with.  If anything, it was good.  Nobody was hurt and it gets everybody’s blood flowing.  Football is a full-contact sport and every single play is a car wreck.

“Some guys are combine guys and look good running around in shorts, but when you put the pads on, you find out who the real men are“, commented Coach Eric Wolford.  “I have a lot of confidence in these guys and I know that this is very important to them.  There is a lot of competition.  These guys compete just to get in the food line. They are competing for attention right now, and that is a good thing.  Some guys think it isn’t cool to ask the coaches questions, but not this group, they are competing for our attention.”

The defense looks much improved from last season and one of the returners from a year ago, DJ Moss, talked about the improvements so far.  “Last year we didn’t have as much depth and we were adjusting all year.  We understand the defense now, we are ready to hit.  We are getting into the swing of things and we understand the full spectrum of the defense.  Last year at this time we knew we were slanting to the A gap and that a linebacker was filling.  This year we understand where everyone is and who has what responsibilities.”

The Penguins open scrimmage play this Saturday at 9:45 on the shiny new turf of the Ice Castle.  The scrimmage is open to the public.

The Youngstown State Athletic Ticket Office is holding a one-day sale for current YSU students on Wednesday, August 10, who wish to purchase a ticket to the Penguins season opener at Michigan State on Sept. 2 in East Lansing. The ticket office opens at 9 a.m. on Wednesday and will sell tickets throughout the day until 5 p.m.

Those YSU student’s who wish to purchase a ticket need to bring a valid student ID to the YSU Athletic Ticket Office on Wednesday. Each ticket is $55, which includes a processing fee. It is a great opportunity to see YSU’s first-ever trip to Michigan State. The Spartans, who were Big Ten Conference champions in 2010, are coached by former Penguins assistant coach Mark Dantonio.

For more information contact the YSU Athletic Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.

Season-ticket prices for the 2011 campaign are $84 for reserved seats and $60 for general admission. Individual game ticket prices for the season are $16 for reserved and $12 for general admission. Reserved seats are in sections two through six on the west stands and 14-18 in the east stands. General admission seats are located in sections 1 and 7 of the west stands.

Fans will be encouraged to purchase game tickets in advance. The cost for all reserved and general-admission tickets on gameday will increase by $2. Individual game tickets are on sale now.

The best seats in the stadium are in the chairback sections in three, four and five at midfield. The only way to purchase chairback seats is through membership in the YSU Penguin Club. Chairback seat availability starts at the $200 Royal Level of the Penguin Club. Penguin Club Memberships are available for as little as $75 and will allow fans to purchase tickets for the Michigan State game.

The 2011 home schedule will feature six hard-hitting games, with non-conference matchups against Valparaiso and Saint Francis (Pa.) and conference tilts versus Illinois State, South Dakota State, Western Illinois and Missouri State.

For Penguin Club information call  (330) 941-2351.

Turnover is usually a bad word in the game of football.  It signifies a loss of control and being on defense preventing points instead of having the ball and trying to score.  Youngstown State University Head Coach Eric Wolford has some major turnover issues to the tune of 46 new faces to learn.  In this case, turnover creates competition, and in this case, turnover is good.  Wolford kicked off football with a media press conference this week.

Wolford spoke highly of two transfers from Miami.  Redshirt freshman LB Travis Williams and redshirt freshman CB Devont’a Davis both came to YSU from a storied Hurricane program.  “Some of these kids transfer out because they get close to the coaches that recruit him”, remarked Wolford.  “We have a standard here, winning championships, that we plan on getting back to.  I don’t care where a guy is from, we have guys from many states, if he can help this football team win, follow the rules, and uphold the standards of the program he can play for us.”

Five of the 46 incoming players participated in Spring practice. With this influx of new talent, combined with the 36 new faces from last season, Wolford only has 23 players left from the Jon Heacock Era.  Wolford talked about what having a full year of recruiting does.  “Last season, I was hired in December and was very picky about picking a coaching staff.  There was not as much time spent as we were able to use this full year of recruiting.  We had camps that had over 900 campers, it is like test driving a car before you buy one.“

When asked if being picked to finish eighth in the conference this season would be used as motivation, Wolford was careful in saying, “I made the mistake last year of saying that we were better than we were picked.  Our guys will be motivated enough.”

Wolford credited Kurt Hess, Jamaine Cook, and Andrew Radakovich for taking steps this Summer to be leaders.  “Those guys have taken complete ownership of the team.  When a bunch of players in the program tell you, Wow, coach… ‘So-and-so can really play’, or the team doctor tells you that ‘we haven’t seen a guy like this around here, ever’.  And when someone else tells you that some of these guys don’t belong here, those are all good signs. When a whole bunch of people give you feedback like that, it makes you feel good.”

With only 29 practices until the Penguins venture North to take on Michigan State, the excitement is obvious, and the buzz is back.

Last year at this time, Kurt Hess was adapting.  The changes he was dealing with were a transition from high school to college, playing in a new system for a new coach, and learning what his teammates could and could not handle.  Hess was named the starting quarterback before the season started and played mature beyond his years.  He has earned the respect of his coaches, teammates, and fans, and will continue to work hard to improve.

Paneech: You have a year under your belt and know the system, are the expectations higher this season?

Hess: I got a lot of good experience last season and have a great working relationship with Coach Wolford and Coach Montgomery.  We work well together and we bounce ideas off of each other.  We kind of know what to expect now and need to refine things.  Coach Montgomery will sit in the film room with me and analyze different aspects and mechanics and question why I did or didn’t do something.  As much as they have helped me, you should see some results this year.

Paneech: During the Spring, there were problems with receivers dropping the ball.  Additionally, last year this team was about 50/50 on a run pass ratio.  Can we expect more running this season?

Hess: I don’t believe we will be one-dimensional.  We have a good enough running game that we probably could be one-dimensional, but our receivers are working really hard to get better.  We come in a couple of times a week and do some seven-on-seven drills and we usually throw every night to get the timing right.  With the new guys, there is a lot of raw talent.  I am developing more confidence with them and I can see a big improvement from the Spring already.  We are building chemistry and trust, and that is so important.  It is what Dominique [Barnes] and I had last season.

Paneech: What have you been doing in the offseason?

Hess: I try to find friends who have a pool, I really like swimming in the Summer.  I haven’t been to a Scrappers game yet, but I have made it to Cleveland to see the Indians.  I like going to Boardman and hitting the mall.  I am starting to get into my education classes and am really focusing on how to be a better role model and teacher for the kids.

Paneech: Last season you were immediately thrown into the fire at Penn State, and you guys played respectably.  This year it is off to Michigan State, what should we expect?

Hess: We need to have a good showing at Michigan State, and I think we will.  Last year it was a new era coming in at Youngstown State with a new coach.  We were thinking about at least scoring a touchdown and putting a few points on the board.  This year, we want to put more points on the board than they [Michigan State] do.  I think that is what we need to, and are going to do.

Paneech: One of the biggest areas of turnover was offensive line.  Eric Rodemoyers don’t grow on trees.  Do you feel like you might be scrambling a bit more this season?

Hess: We brought in some pretty big guys who have been working really hard and have increased their strength.  We have some veterans in D. J. Main and Andrew Radakovich who have been here for three or four years.  I still feel secure and have an automatic sense of trust for these guys.  Scrambling is part of the game, and although I don’t anticipate doing too much of it, I consider myself somewhat slippery.

Paneech: With all of the new arrivals, have the veteran members of the team set up events to get the rookies feeling like they are a part of everything?

Hess: It’s not really any one gathering or one function.  We go out to Quaker Steak And Lube on Tuesday nights for the all-you-can-eat wings and we make sure that the new linemen go and get fed.  We play some pool basketball and had a swimming workout last week.  We all live pretty close together, so we are always playing NCAA or watching a movie.  There is a lot of contact and they are getting familiar with all of us.  We recruited a lot of raw talent, and you need that to compete in this conference.  I have not seen any of the new guys get lazy or cut a corner on anything yet.

Paneech: What, if any, bad habits have you formed over the past year that you need to fix?

Hess: One area I need to get better at is being a better practice player.  There are a lot of times when practice is not going how we would like it to go, and someone needs to get a first down or make some plays.  As a quarterback, and a leader, I need to be the person who can step up and make those things happen.  Practice will run much better if I make the effort to execute better.  I need to be the guy in a game that can make a big play on a 3rd and 12, or have to be able to scramble.  Last year there were guys bailing me out.  Barnes did, [Adaris] Bellamy did, Jamaine [Cook] did, it goes on and on.  Coming back as a veteran, I need to make more plays.

Paneech: Does Coach Montgomery, as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, feel like you have a grasp on the offense?

Hess: Coach Montgomery is comfortable with me that I think he may give me more freedom than I had last season.  We are very comfortable with each other.  I trust his calls, as he trusts mine.  There will be things that change from week-to-week, but we do communicate well and we are both big Cincinnati Reds fans.

Paneech: The Reds are in trouble.

Hess: All we need is a solid month.

Paneech:  Scott Rolen is all banged up and your pitching is weak.  [Edinson] Volquez and [Johnny] Cueto are horrible, I don’t see it.  Not this year.  They will need to reincarnate Eric Davis and Barry Larkin to have a shot with that staff.

Hess: (laughs) No, you are wrong.

Paneech: Any tattoo shops around here that are going to get Wolf in trouble?  What is your take on the Ohio State fallout?

Hess: I think it is a tough situation.  There were things that did not fall into the NCAA guidelines and Coach Tressel may have been put in a bad situation.  In my opinion, he has always been a players coach and always took care of his players like they were his own kids.  It may go on other places, but that kind of stuff, like the tattoos, isn’t really an issue here, it doesn’t exist.  We have a great staff and advisors who communicate well with Coach Wolford.  We sign papers that say we are not going to do this, this, and this.  As far as I am concerned, nobody here has done anything.

The Youngstown State University Football Camps have been drawing good numbers.  The above photo was taken on the new turf and shows some of the student athletes who attended.  Coach Eric Wolford and staff did a great job of thinning the groups and giving plenty of specialized, individual attention to all who attended.

“We had about 100 Saturday in the WATTS”, remarked Trevor Parks, YSU Sports Information Director, referring to the first camp.  These pictures are from Monday’s All-Positions camp, in which there were another 70 plus participants.

Wolford and this staff could probably make a living running camps.  It was impressive to see the organization and how well prepared the staff was.  Each group of position players worked with a YSU position coach at great lengths.  The players seemed to benefit greatly on improving technique and straight fundamentals.

Quarterback Coach / Offensive Coordinator Shane Montgomery was fun to watch work with the QB’s as he ran them through a plethora of passing drills, worked on drops and steps and passing accuracy drills.  Montgomery was working with about ten different quarterbacks and in the five minutes I watched his station, he said something to each one.

The Youngstown State football program will holds its second Women’s Coaching Clinic on Thursday, May 19 at Stambaugh Stadium. The cost to attend the clinic is $25 and all proceeds will be donated to the Rich Center for Autism. The clinic will run from 5:30-9 p.m. on the YSU campus.

The three-hour clinic is a great opportunity for female football fans to learn the basic concepts of every position. The members of the YSU coaching staff will provide insight into what fans will see on gameday and learn about pregame preparation and game planning. The coaches will involve the participants into all drills for even more hands-on training.

It is a great chance to meet the coaching staff and their wives as well.  A tour of Stambaugh Stadium and all football support facilities and offices will be part of the evening. A highlight of last year’s event was an equipment demonstration by YSU players.

All participants will receive a gift bag, which includes a YSU shirt and Coaches Notebook. Raffle prizes from local merchants will be awarded throughout the event.

Contact Director of Football Operations Dan Kopp at:  dmkopp@ysu.edu or call the football office at (330) 941-3478 for more information.

Parking for the event will be in the F-7 Lot north of the stadium. The clinic was previously scheduled for Friday, April 15.

The Youngstown State football coaching staff is accepting individual applications for their summer campswhich start in early June. For more information or for brochures, contact the YSU football office at (330) 941-3478. New for this summer, campers can register online at www.penguinscamps.com.

Under second-year Head Coach Eric Wolford, YSU will offer a variety of camps as a chance for area players to learn as well as showcase their talents to the new staff.

YSU will offer three specialty camps, five one-day all-position camps and one youth camp this summer.

The specialty camps are the O-Line/D-Line Skills Day on Saturday, June 4, QB/WR/TE Skills Camp on Monday, June 13 and the McFadden/Wilkins Kicking Camp on Monday, June 20. The one-day All-Position Camps will be held the afternoon’s of June 6-10 and a special all-day Youth Football Camp is set for Saturday, June 11. All camps will be held at Stambaugh Stadium on the YSU campus.

The 14th Annual Offensive and Defensive Linemen Camp will help teach fundamentals and is a great chance for entire units to install offensive and defensive strategies for the fall. The cost of the Skills Day is $35 per participant and is for students entering grades 9-12. Coaches who bring eight-or-more linemen will have the opportunity to be asked to help with the instruction of their campers. The camp starts at 9 a.m. with dismissal at three o’clock in the afternoon.

The Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Tight End Skills Camp is intended be a unique opportunity for those three positions to be taught by the YSU staff with the emphasis on individual improvement. The all-day camp (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) features on-field drills and film sessions with the Penguins’ staff. Quarterbacks should bring a football with the their name written on the ball. The cost of this camp is $50 and it is a great chance for grades 9-12 to enhance their skills.

The McFadden/Wilkins Kicking Camp is set for Monday, June 20. Former YSU and NFL placekickers Paul McFadden and Jeff Wilkins will work with punters, placekickers and long snappers to improve all facets of their game. The cost is $45 per camper and is open to students in grades 9-12. The camp is slated to run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

The single-day All Positions Camps are designed to offer instruction and allow the YSU coaching staff an opportunity to access your skill set. The fast-paced two-hour camp (4-6 p.m.) is being held daily from Monday, June 6 through Friday, June 10 for only $30. Coaches will work closely with each participant offering them a chance to experience what a YSU practice is really like. Campers may attend more than one workout if they wish.

The Youth Football Camp is for children ages 8-13 and will be held Saturday, June 11. The all-day camp (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) is $40 and will teach young football players offensive and defensive drills and skills to go along with two 30-minute sessions of “Penguin Ball”. A video segment and lunch will also be part of the days activities. The registration deadline is June 10. No walkups will be accepted.

In July, the Penguins’ staff will hold a two-day 7-on-7 Passing Camp that will allow teams to utilize the WATTS and Stambaugh Stadium for some key preseason preparation. The camp will be on Thursday, July 21 andFriday, July 22 and run throughout the day. Each participating team is guaranteed six games during the camp. The cost is $175 for one team or a combo-package of $300 for two teams from the same school or for schools to compete on both days are also available (15 players per team are allowed, however additional players can be added for $15 each). It’s a great chance for first-team and second-team units to work on chemistry and timing just prior to beginning fall camp.

Youngstown State junior running back Jamaine Cook has been tabbed as one of the top 10 running backs in Division I (FCS) by the Sports Network.

Cook was named second-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference and was selected as the team’s John Delseron MVP. He also rushed for 1,276 yards on 241 carries and scored 11 touchdown. For the season, he averaged 116.0 yards per game and 5.3 per carry.

Cook had six 100-yard rushing efforts highlighted by season-high 213-yard effort on 43 carries at Illinois State.

Craig Haley, FCS Executive Director for The Sports Network, wrote of Cook below:

Jamaine Cook, Youngstown State, Jr., 5-9, 195 – Penguins head coach Eric Wolford calls Cook the hardest worker on the team.  He rushed for 1,276 yards and 11 touchdowns last season and the Penguins had a subparoffensive line.  He should be even better as the line matures this season. He spins out of tackles and often makes something out of nothing. He’s also an excellent pass catcher, with 25 receptions a year ago.  Against Illinois State, Cook had 311 all- purpose yards and three touchdowns.