Doane expecting improvement in '08
digg it!
Facebook
del.icio.us
Seed Newsvine
Fark It
Reddit
By KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
A year ago, Doane College lost its season opener 73-0.
“We were picked to finish last in the Great Plains Athletic Conference,” said Mark Franzen, who took over the program from former Husker great Tommie Frazier last season.
“We picked up a first down and there were lots of ‘oohs’ and we all felt like it was a small victory,” he said. Doane rallied to finish the season 4-6, which was an improvement after going 5-25 the three previous season combined.
Other state college games
- Wayne State at Nebraska-Kearney, noon: Wayne State returns 18 starters from a team that was one of the most successful in recent school history. UNK returns 14 starters form team that finished 6-4, an off-season by recent Loper standards.
- Hastings College at Peru State, 1 p.m.: A renewal of Peru’s games against the private colleges of Nebraska. Peru State looks to balance its offense with running back John Noojin and quarterback James Dawson (Southwest), and a stronger defense. Hastings is looking to get back to the playoffs with sterling quarterback Dayton Edwards, runningback Dan Bargen (Pius X) and receiver Maurice Mansfield.
- On Thursday: Chadron State pummeled University of Mary (N.D.) 37-17 in the first test after the graduation of Danny Woodhead.
“Now, we let the word ‘expectations,’ creep into our vocabulary and instead of a ton of question marks to start the season, we really only have one question about an unproven position, and that’s at punt return, where we have an All-American kickoff return guy.”
That’s a big difference for the Tigers, who open the season Saturday against William Jewell (Mo.) in the VSN First Down Classic in Platte City, Mo., at 7 p.m.
The game will be a renewal of sorts, as former longtime Doane football coach Fran Schwenk leads William Jewell.
Franzen was recruited and coached by Schwenk at Doane from 1990 to 1993.
Confidence comes in big doses for the Tigers, who have experienced quarterback J.R. Artozqui back for the fourth season, running backs Michael Vargas, Jaremy Puthoff and Alex Hall, a former standout at Lincoln North Star who recently transferred to Doane from Wayne State.
“We had just eight offensive linemen on the squad last year, but we have more now, and we have more experience,” Franzen said. Bishop Neumann graduate Alex Brandt, a freshman, earned a starting spot along with four veterans in the line.
Defensively, the Tigers have a talented and experienced line, and receiver-kick returner D’Artagnan D’aiRe give Franzen reason to expect more this year.
“We had a practice recently that wasn’t too good,” Franzen said. “Last year, we might have said, ‘Well, that’s to be expected.’ But this year, we can’t accept that and we know we can go out and compete on every play of every game.”
Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or khambleton@journalstar.com.
Post Your Comment
Standards and RulesYour posted comment will appear after it has been approved.
Frequently asked questions about story commenting.