Crunch Time for April 21, 2010

 


Champion Eastern's spring football has different feel to it this year

By PAUL DELANEY

Staff Reporter

It's not just the weather that insists on doing its best imitation of late fall – OK sometimes more early winter – that makes this year's Eastern Washington University spring football practices seem different.

Maybe it's winning the Football Championship Subdivision national championship less than three months ago, or the fact that scrimmages are now held on the Red turf at Roos Field that distance things from last year's long run-up to that 20-19 win over Delaware on Jan. 7.“I don't know if there's a different feel, but I truly think we're a little further at this point than we were last year,” head coach Beau Baldwin said at the conclusion of last Saturday's second scrimmage, the official halfway point of spring practice.

But that might be expected considering the Eagles had the luxury of having seven weeks of drills and four games leading up to the FCS title game in Frisco, Texas. “I feel like you're not better in every area – ever – but overall I feel like we're on the right track,” Baldwin said.

Baldwin likes the idea of practicing where the team plays.

“Being out there on this field and always having the good footing if the weather's bad, it just has a little bit more of a game atmosphere during our practices,” he said. “It just overall helps the energy level.”

Last year during spring ball Eastern was faced with finding a replacement for all-time school and Big Sky Conference passing leader Matt Nichols and one dropped into Cheney from faraway Texas in Southern Methodist University transfer Bo Levi Mitchell.

We know how that all worked out as Mitchell passed his way to becoming the FCS title game's Most Outstanding Player throwing three touchdown passes – giving him a school record 37 for the season – and 302 yards in the come-from-behind win.

So is there another Mitchell that has been unearthed? Baldwin's not saying. “I don't get caught up in that. We're definitely seeing some young guys that I think the extra practices and the playoffs helped them and it's carrying over into spring.”

“I'm excited about the competition at certain positions,” he said. “And I'm excited about the overall depth of our team because we're seeing a lot of guys play in real live situations, which is always fun.”

Mitchell quickly mastered a brand new playbook last spring and this year he's not resting on his sterling reputation from having led the Eagles to a 13-2 record and a share of the Big Sky Conference crown to go with the national championship.

“You don't want to go backwards,” Mitchell said. “You may think you know everything but you have to come out and learn more and just keep trying every day to get better.”

It feels good he said to get out and not only put the pads on but go full speed against everybody. “Even though it's not live it's close,” Mitchell said. “The pocket's collapsing and get out and do the scramble drill and find some receivers.

While Baldwin might not be looking much last the next two weeks when spring practice concludes with the annual Red-White Scrimmage on Saturday, April 30, Mitchell appears to be.

“It feels great, we're getting to that point where we're getting ready for UW,” he said of Eastern's season-opening opponent, on Sept. 3 in Seattle.

Along with teammates from last season, Mitchell has another familiar face in older brother, Cory Mitchell, who is a wide receiver. “That was one of the reasons I came here because I definitely wanted to play with my brother at some point,” Mitchell said. “I got to do it in baseball when I was young and it was the greatest time,” he added.

The Mitchell brothers go way back, “Ever since KYF (Katy Youth Football in Texas) we've always played on each other's team. Sooner or later I hope it's me throwing the ball to him and making some touchdown catches.”

Saturday's scrimmage produced five touchdowns and a field goal for the offense while the defense snapped up a pair of interceptions. While it was just a drill, one would not know it by the intensity that the people on each side of the ball showed.

“They're just competing,” Baldwin said. “Every drill becomes something the other side wants to win,” he said. Sometimes it gets heated, Baldwin said.

Sure wish he could explain that concept to Mother Nature.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.

 

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