Kickoff ‘96: Eastern Washington Eagles

FAST FACTS

Coach

Mike Kramer (3rd season, 7-15 at EWU; 3-8 overall, 1-6 and eighth in Big Sky last season).

Assistants

J.D. Sollars (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Jerry Graybeal (defensive coordinator/linebackers), Paul Wulff (offensive line/ strength), Rick Olson (defensive linemen), Rick Redden (defensive backs/recruiting coordinator), Ray Williams (wide receivers).

Head trainer

Carla Baker.

Band members

100, Patrick Winters director, Darren Bloom and Scott Sauer drum majors.

Cheerleaders

12 (six men, six women); Teresa Stone, adviser.

Top ex-Eagles in NFL

Ed Simmons (Redskins), Kurt Schulz (Bills), Kevin Sargent (Bengals), Tom Ackerman (Saints)

QUESTION MARKS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS

Question marks

Can junior quarterback Harry Leons shake off the inconsistency that resulted in 13 interceptions last fall?

Can Eagles avoid the rash of knee injuries that devasted a paper-thin defense last fall?

How big of an impact will veteran long-snapper Aaron White’s decision to quit football have on the Eagles’ kicking game?

Exclamation points

Senior Joe Sewell was granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA and returns to the Eagle backfield hoping to improve on last year’s 1,025 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.

Coach Mike Kramer is convinced he has another future NFL offensive lineman in junior tackle Jim Buzzard, one of four returning starters on the O-line.

Former Fullerton (Calif.) City College star Steve Correa is set to make his much-anticipated debut as a wide receiver after redshirting last fall.

WHAT’S IN, WHAT’S OUT

What’s in

Delegation of coaching responsibilities as Coach Mike Kramer hands the duties of offensive coordinator back to J.D. Sollars.

Numbers, instead of “Eagles” on the side of helmets as EWU introduces new no-frill uniforms patterned after those used by Penn State and Stanford.

Cal State Sacramento, Cal State Northridge and Portland State - as opponents who matter in the Big Sky Conference race.

A renewed commitment to developing a defensive identity.

What’s out

Junior quarterback Brian Sherick, who quit team after undergoing off-season knee surgery and missing most of spring practice.

Shoulder stripes and piping on new game jerseys.

Boise State and Idaho - as opponents who matter in the Big Sky.

TALE OF THE TAPE

The fastest

Lineman: Josh Dvorak (4.47 in 40).

Back: Roderick Givens (4.47)

Receiver: Jerrold Jackson (4.53)

The strongest

Chris Scott (1,260 pounds in bench, clean and squat).

The toughest

Derek Strey

Best blocker

T.J. Ackerman

Best cover man

Ryan Moore

Biggest shoes

Size 17: David Andres

Players by state

Washington 85, California 6, Canada 1, Michigan 1, Colorado 1.

Most impressive stat

1:5.3 - The touchdown-to-reception ratio of senior flanker Jerrold Jackson.

Last impressive stat

59.3 - The average number of points the Eagles allowed in their final three games of 1995.

Academic all-star

Steve Mattson (3.67 GPA in biology/pre- med).

Most unusual hobby

Offensive lineman Brendan Biele plays a wide variety of musical instruments.

DEPTH CHARTS Starters (in bold) and backups.

(In this chart, the starter for each polition is listed first, followed by the backup.) OFFENSE Left tackle 70 Aaron Barfield 6-6, 290, sr.

51 Lance Knaevelsrud 6-4, 155, fr. Left guard 72 T.J. Ackerman 6-6, 285, so.

71 Jeremy Taylor 6-2, 280, fr. Center 73 Kevin Peterson 6-1, 260, jr.

58 John Kans 6-3, 265, fr. Right guard 62 Justen Wochnick 6-2, 280, so.

63 Brandon Biele 6-4, 280, jr. Right tackle 77 Jim Buzzard 6-2, 260, jr.

79 David Andres 6-7, 270, so. Quarterback 14 Harry Leons 6-2, 211, jr.

18 Griffin Garske 6-4, 217, fr. Tailback 30 Joe Sewell 5-9, 195, sr.

33 Rex Prescott 5-7, 170, jr. Tight end 95 Scott Johnson 6-6, 265, fr.

87 Adam Keller 6-3, 245, fr. Flanker 89 Jerrold Jackson 5-8, 145, sr.

88 Jeff Ogdea 6-0, 187, jr. Slotback 80 Antwan Miller 6-1, 185, sr.

81 Joe Mitchell 6-3, 200, jr. Split end 7 Steve Correa 5-10, 175, jr.

13 Rich Naccaroto 6-3, 175, fr. OFFENSE Left end 85 Steve Mattson 6-4, 257, jr.

48 Josh Dvorak 6-2, 220, fr. Left tackle 99 Chris Scott 6-2, 250, jr.

75 Damien Caldwell 6-2, 250, jr. Right tackle 90 Avon Grant 6-0, 255, so.

68 James DeWeber 6-2, 255, so. Right end 91 Ed Harris 6-4, 255, jr.

97 Evan Edwards 6-5, 215, fr. Weak linebacker 28 Justin Guillory 6-1, 217, jr.

22 Brian Gardner 5-11, 190, sr. Middle linebacker 92 Derek Strey 6-3, 230, jr.

42 Mike Brown 6-2, 215, fr. Strong linebacker 38 Jerrad Jeske 6-1, 225, jr.

41 Matt McKinstry 6-0, 215, sr. Left cornerback 26 Ryan Moore 5-11, 192, sr.

4 Roderick Givens 5-11, 175, so. Right cornerback 24 DePrice Kelly 5-9, 190, sr.

16 Red Hall 5-11, 180, jr. Free safety 2 Maurice Perigo 5-9, 170, jr.

21 Jimmy Lake 5-11, 185, so. Strong safety 10 Aaron Woods 5-11, 180, sr.

21 Jimmy Lake 5-11, 185, so. SPECIAL TEAMS Punter 35 Tom Zurfluh 6-0, 185, jr.

82 Lance Ballew 6-3, 215, fr. Placekicker 17 Josh Atwood 6-2, 200, so.

5 Dana Lewis 5-10, 170, fr. Holder 14 Harry Leons 6-2, 211, jr.

88 Jeff Ogden 6-0, 187, jr. Placekick snapper 73 Kevin Peterson 6-1, 260, jr.

87 Adam Keller 6-3, 245, fr. Punt snapper 87 Adam Keller 6-3, 245, fr.

73 Kevin Peterson 6-1, 260, jr. Kickoff return 30 Joe Sewell 5-9, 195, sr.

1 LaVar McCLary 5-6, 140, fr. Punt return 2 Maurice Perigo 5-9, 170, jr.

7 Steve Correa 5-10, 175, jr.

SCHEDULE Times Pacific, subject to TV schedules. Home games in bold.

Date Opponent Time Comment

Sept. 7 at Weber State 5:05 p.m. EWU has won 3 of last 4

Sept. 14 at Boise State 6:05 p.m. Ryan Ikebe is BSU’s deep threat

Sept. 21 Southwest Texas 6:35 p.m. EWU won 34-16 on road in ‘95

Sept. 28 Portland State 6:35 p.m. Star RB State Papkin graduated

Oct. 5 Montana State 12:35 p.m. Matt Engelking can run with best

Oct. 12 at Sac State 6:05 p.m. QB Tony Corbin tests secondary

Oct. 19 Montana 1:05 p.m. Homecoming

Oct. 26 at Idaho State 1:05 p.m. Alfredo Anderson: Payton candidate

Nov. 2 at Idaho 3:05 p.m. UCLA transfer Ryan Fien leads UI

Nov. 9 Northern Arizona 1:05 p.m. DT Ben Petrucci may haunt EWU

Nov. 16 at Cal Northridge 5:05 p.m. Tim Hilton a dangerous wideout

GAME DAY

Stadium

Woodward Stadium (capacity 7,000/grass). Take Interstate 90 to Cheney-Four Lakes exit. Continue toward Cheney for approximately 5 miles, take a right on Betz Road (EWU signs will point the way), which turns into Washington Street and runs along the east side of Woodward Stadium.

Tickets

Reserved season tickets $45; single-game reserved $10; general admission $8 for adults, and $4 for students (grades 1-12) and senior citizens; family general admission season ticket (two adults and three children) $75; single-game family pass $20. Children 6 and younger and EWU students with current identification and a GA ticket obtained at the Pence Union Building during the week of the game are admitted free to general admission seating area. Call 1-800-648-7697 or 359-4339.

Television

Oct. 5 home game against Montana State (1:05 p.m.) will be televised live regionally on Prime Sports Northwest.

Radio

KJRB (790 AM) in Spokane will broadcast all games, with Larry Weir doing play-by-play and Murray Walden handling color commentary.

FIGHT SONG

Go, Eagles go

Put all you have in every play

We’ll let you know

That we are with you all the way

So then it’s drive, Eagles, drive

Show us the fight we’d like to see

Red and white just fight, fight, fight

And Eagles will win the VICTORY.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color photos