For the Portland State players who have endured the grind of spring practice over the past couple of weeks, a final opportunity to impress the coaches has finally arrived, as the Vikings suit up for the annual Portland State Spring Game at 1 p.m. Saturday at PGE Park.
A game of assessment, not inches
For the Portland State players who have endured the grind of spring practice over the past couple of weeks, a final opportunity to impress the coaches has finally arrived, as the Vikings suit up for the annual Portland State Spring Game at 1 p.m. Saturday at PGE Park.
Like English or history professors proctoring an exam, head coach Jerry Glanville and his contingent of coaches will be attentively observing the action Saturday afternoon to see which players wilt and which ones prosper once live, full-contact football kicks off.
Glanville emphasizes that he and his coaching staff have had only limited opportunities to evaluate players at full speed and in a game-like atmosphere this spring.
“The game gives us one more thing we haven’t seen,” Glanville said. “We’ll find out if the O-lineman can be as good after 35 plays as he is after five plays. Can the D-lineman line up when he’s trying to get oxygen?”
Unlike a regular-season or playoff contest, the score holds little value in a spring game. The primary focus of the bout is gauging how significantly individual players have progressed and where the team is at as a whole.
Another motif of spring games is an opportunity for underestimated and reserve players to impress the coaching staff.
While some positions are chock-full of bona fide starters, others such as wide receiver and defensive back have been plagued by attrition with the graduation of several stars and are wide-open competitions. Players with good showings at these positions could find themselves starting against Western Oregon in the first game of the season on Aug. 30.
“Maybe now we like [a player] because we’ve only had two live sessions. And now we go a long live session, and we don’t like [another player],” Glanville said. “That’s what you can never find out in practice.”
Glanville is excited for fans to catch a glimpse of the two junior college transfer defensive ends, Joe Ma’aseia and John Shackford, secured in his first recruiting class at Portland State. Both players stand at over 6-4 and weigh in at more than 265 pounds, which should provide stability and run-stopping ability along the defensive line.
A couple of returning starters will not see the field due to injury. Junior defensive back Jordan Brown is still suffering from a knee injury he sustained last season, junior fullback Bobby McClintock has seen limited action in the spring and is nursing a knee injury of his own, and senior offensive lineman Clayton Rios will sit out due to a bad back.
Additionally, Glanville feels his linebacker corps has already proven to be strong enough this spring; therefore, returning starters seniors Andy Schantz and KJ McCrae and sophomore Ryan Pederson will not suit up for the game, Glanville said.
“They don’t need the Spring Game,” Glanville said of the three linebackers. “Once you start here, and you start and you play, we know what you’re doing. There are other people we need to look at.”
But all other players, including each of Portland State’s four quarterbacks, should see some playing time in the Spring Game.
One of the game’s major storylines will be whether the quarterback battle brewing this spring sorts itself out, with junior quarterback Tygue Howland and sophomore quarterback Drew Hubel vying for the starting job. Howland was in a similar situation a season ago, when he was attempting to position himself ahead of then senior quarterback Brian White.
Regardless of the perceived unimportance placed on the outcome of the game, there should be competition among players at the same position and, on a larger scale, the offense and defense once 1 p.m. rolls around Saturday.
Hubel, who will most likely play the back-up role in the Spring Game, is certain that the players’ competitiveness will shine through once they hit the field.
“Everybody wants to play,” Hubel said. “It’s a mindset where guys kind of change their attitude when all of the sudden it’s a game. Guys start bringing it.”
What: Portland State’s annual Spring GameWhere: PGE ParkWhen: 1 p.m., Saturday, May 10On the air: Live stats available at www.goviks.comInformation: Tickets are free for 2008 season-ticket holders and $5 for non-season-ticket holders. Head coach Jerry Glanville encourages fans to meet the players and coaches on the field following the game.
