Blogging Maroon & Gold: Top 10 Preview (Part 2)
Written by Brant Freeman on 4:03 PM
As promised Bobcat fans our countdown of the Top 10 things to look for in the 2012 season continues…for numbers 6-10 click here or scroll down I guess…By the way before I get to 1-5, I’d like to direct you to my new twitter account: @Brant_Freeman. Follow me during the season, I will post pictures from our road trips as well as fill you on the week’s 2-deep for both the Bobcats and their opponents! Check these out for a preview as to what I’ll be sharing on twitter…
#5 Offensive Line
D.J. Hall, Michael
Chambers, Jon Vernon, Steven Kenney are all gone (DJ getting ready for camp himself in Jacksonville). Those four seniors
from last year’s team leave voids at both starting guard positions, left tackle
and center.
Just as the Bobcats
addressed the defensive line in the most recent recruiting class, the coaches
also put a big emphasis on the offensive line signing four freshman and one
junior college transfer (Tyler Potter). In addition to the new
o-lineman, there will be seven players who are coming off of redshirt years
PLUS two players (Adley Eshragipour and Jeff Clermond) making the transition
from defensive lineman to offensive lineman.
Of these 14 “new”
players on the o-line, the average height is 6’3 and average weight is 287
pounds with 9 players 6’4 or taller and five tipping the scales at over 295
pounds. That’s a lot of beef not
counting returning starters Charlie Will Tuttle (who earned a full scholarship
after his impressive red-shirt freshman season last year) and Thaddeus Watkins.
The Bobcats will
certainly need the depth to go up against big, fast and skilled d-lines of
their FBS opponents this season and help pave the way for a rushing attack
which averaged 195 yards per game last season, but more importantly keep the
quarterback upright. The o-line gave up
21 sacks last year, 7 fewer than the season before. If that number goes down even further this
season against this schedule you can count that as a successful year for men up
front.
#4 - The Quarterback
Position
Speaking of
quarterbacks…there will be an intense competition for the starting job this
fall. Shaun Rutherford and Tyler Ardnt
would appear to be the front-runners for the job, Rutherford after starting the
majority of Texas
State
As for who gets the
job, your guess is as good as mine. If
there’s a favorite right now the coaches haven’t said as much but that’s
probably because they’re looking to make a full and complete evaluation over
the next month before making that decision.
I would also venture that we will see more than one quarterback man the
offense this season with substitutions made based on certain offensive packages
and game situations.
I don’t think the
expectations are for the starter to be a 300-yard-a-game passer with 35-40 pass
attempts, but rather one who A) protects the football, B) is pocket savvy, C)
makes the right reads in the option and D) protects the football.
#3 - Chase Harper
If the quarterback
is going to rack up some big passing numbers, odds are Chase Harper will be
involved. Texas State
Harper is
deceptively quick despite his large frame (6’5” 260 lbs). He’s an
extremely powerful run blocker and may have the best hands on the team. On top of that (as we mentioned in #8 of the
countdown) the coaches are looking to use Harper on defense in obvious passing
situations at defensive end to send him after opposing quarterbacks.
His numbers from
last year (20 catches, 287 yards, 3 TDs) look modest, but keep in mind that
Bobcat tight ends the previous three seasons COMBINED had 34 catches for 331
yards and 4 TDs. I would expect Harper’s
stats to be even better this season despite the step-up in competition.
There are a lot of
players fans should be excited to see this season but Chase Harper could be the
best of them. May even play well enough
to earn a spot on this list. Watch out for #19 (Chase is changing his
number from 88 to 19).
#2 - Bobcat Stadium
I’ll keep this brief in order to let the pictures speak (mostly) for themselves. A lot of work has been done to get Bobcat Stadium ready for the program’s FBS debut. With the seating capacity increasing by about 13,000 and Texas State TEXAS …STATE chants will be louder than ever. State-of-the-art audio and video boards, brand new amenities…everything has been done to give Texas State
With at least four
games on television the Bobcats will receive plenty of exposure in their
inaugural FBS season and every week a new challenge will arise and will give
Texas State Football the opportunity to prove itself in the FBS. They will travel from the east coast (Navy)
to the west coast (San Jose
State Texas
State will play into December (New Mexico State Texas State
The 2012 season is the most highly anticipated season in the
history of the program and one that will never be forgotten. Welcome to FBS football Bobcat fans and get
comfortable, because we’re in for a long and extremely fun ride.
Eat ‘Em Up!
- Brant (bf17@txstate.edu)
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