Elaine YipWith University of Alberta Golden Bears football transitioning into training camp, players will begin jockeying for coveted starting positions and roster spots — none bigger than the vacant one under centre.
As the program saw fifth-year starters Curtis Dell and Ryan Schwartz graduate last season, Chris Morris and his coaching staff are looking for a successor to commandeer the Bears’ young, balanced offence which passed for 292.8 yards per game and scored 28.8 points per game last season.
A pair of veterans appear to have the inside track to becoming the Bears starting signal caller, as returnees Scott Pearson, who played in four games last season (9 completions on 21 attempts for 93 yards), and Ben Kopczynski will battle throughout training camp, which runs until Aug. 19, 2015.
But Morris said not to discount fresh new recruits Peter Zajdel (Henry Wisewood High School, Calgary), Brad Baker (Raymond High School, Raymond) and Reggie Schoeppe (Salisbury High School, Sherwood Park) from possibly starting in week 1.
“The thing about all our quarterbacks is that they’re all so athletic,” Morris said of his group of young pivots. “It’s going to be such a huge battle in that group to see who that starter is. The guys we have here obviously have an advantage in the system, but you can’t rule out the other guys because they’re such tremendous athletes and accurate when throwing the ball. They have those pieces to contend for that number one spot.”
While most of the attention will naturally focus on who emerges as the Bears starting quarterback, questions remain on the offensive line in front of them. The Bears lost starters David Beard, who was drafted by the Edmonton Eskimos in the second round of the 2015 CFL Draft, and Scott Ledieu, who joined Dell and Schwartz in last year’s senior class, this offseason. Beard and Ledieu were a force on the offensive line, which helped starting running back Ed Ilnicki rush for 655 yards on 108 carries (6.1 yards per carry) and nine touchdowns, all placing him within the top three in the conference.
He said returning starting OLs Justin Lawrence and Matt Korte and centre Logan Tkachuk will help shore up the left side following Ledieu’s departure. But someone will have to step up and solidify themselves on the right side to make up for Beard’s absence.
“Losing (Beard and Ledieu) was tough because they’re such big leaders in the locker room … the new group is another year older so it’s nice having (Lawrence, Korte and Tkachuk) another year to mesh on the left side. But with the development we have with the young offensive line coming up, they’re going to be put in a really good spot to contribute.”
Ilnicki, who is entering his third-year with the Bears, experienced his first win with the program last September, as the Bears went winless in his freshman season. Now it’s all about moving forward with the rebuild, Ilnicki said. The bricks have been laid, and the Canada West Playoffs could be within Morris and his young team’s grasp.
“Last year, I think we figured out what we need to do to be successful,” Morris said. “Now we know what it takes to win.
“Mentally, we just need to get into the thought process that we deserve to win. We work harder than anybody else … winning is why we’re here.”
