2009 - Texas Lutheran Athletics

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2009 SEASON PREVIEW BULLDOGS: BATTLING FOR THE TOP
Anthony Smith
Photo by Tim Clark
The 2009 Texas Lutheran Bulldogs and thirdyear
Head Coach Dennis Parker return 17 starters
(seven on offense, seven on defense, and three on
special teams) from a 2008 squad that went 4-6
overall and 3-5 in the American Southwest
Conference.
Last year the Bulldogs went 3-0 in league play
against the bottom three teams in the conference –
Sul Ross State, McMurry and Howard Payne – but
went 0-5 against the better teams in the league –
with losses to ASC Champion Mary Hardin-
Baylor, runner-up Hardin-Simmons, Mississippi
College, East Texas Baptist and Louisiana College.
In TLU’s three conference wins over McMurry,
Howard Payne and Sul Ross State, TLU outscored
its opponents 70-35.
In the five league losses, the Bulldogs were outscored
222-41. In four of those five losses, TLU
failed to score more than one touchdown. And in
three of those losses, opponents went over the 50point
mark.
In TLU’s final three games of 2008, the Bulldogs
fell to Hardin-Simmons, Louisiana College and
Mississippi College by final scores of 52-6, 29-7,
and 52-7, respectively.
Those three season-ending losses came
immediately on the heels of a three-game, midseason
conference win streak against Howard
Payne, Sul Ross State and McMurry.
The McMurry game, in particular, turned into a
banner day for the TLU defense. On that sunny
afternoon in Abilene, Texas, the Bulldogs
dismantled the McMurry offense and posted its
first shutout since the first game of the 2006
season. The Bulldogs held McMurry to 26 yards of
total offense and forced five turnovers in an 18-0
shutout.
TLU set a new school record for fewest passing
yards by an opponent, holding McMurry to 21
yards through the air. McMurry completed 4-of-
16 passes and threw three interceptions. TLU also
held McMurry without a third-down conversion
(0-for-13) and limited McMurry to 46 total
offensive plays. McMurry rushed 30 times for five
yards.
But as far as season-highlights would go, the
highlights really ended there in Abilene. The
Bulldogs were over-matched in home losses to
Hardin-Simmons (on Homecoming) and
Mississippi College and could never quite get on
track in a road loss to Louisiana College.
And while the team of 2008 had a senior
quarterback in Joel Waldon, a smart and bruising
fullback in Kyle Gillis, a play-making linebacker in
Jarrad McAdams, and two savvy, talented
secondary members (in Dwight Bonner and
Robert Bonner – no relation), the 2009 team will
need to do well without any of those important
players from a year ago. Waldon, Gillis, and the
Bonners each graduated, and McAdams chose
to end his TLU football career after two
seasons. The Bulldogs also must find
replacements for the following departed
players, who spent most of last year in the
starting lineup: Justin Rose (defensive line),
Kash Greathouse (wide receiver), Ernie Garcia
(right tackle), Josh Jimenez (right guard), Sean
Doherty (center), John Paul Bloomer (left
guard), Ty Palmer (fullback), Luis Pena (left
tackle), Zach Rowland (defensive back), and
Josh Spaw (place-kicker).
LOOKING AHEAD – WORK
TO DO
While the Bulldogs have some serious gaps
to fill on offense and defense, the cupboard is
by no means bare. All-Conference type players
return on the offensive line (center Josh
McNeil), at wide receiver (Steven Thrash), at
running back (Anthony Smith), on the
defensive line (James Villarreal and John
Jackson), in the secondary (Dantrell Anderson),
at linebacker (Jack Moses), and at punter
(Frank Vera).
But the Bulldogs’ fortunes on offense likely
will rest on the play of an unproven
quarterback. When Parker was asked in the
preseason to name three keys to the season, he
responded: “Quarterback, quarterback,
quarterback.”
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
TLU enters 2009 with several new faces at
quarterback. Not one quarterback on the
Bulldogs’ preseason roster has taken a varsity
collegiate snap. At the top of depth chart is
junior transfer Jarret Buchholtz, who comes to
the Bulldogs from NAIA school Texas College.
Buchholtz has seen the majority of time at
quarterback in the preseason and appears likely
to be the team’s opening day starter. Buchholtz,
who played his high school ball at nearby
Luling High School in Luling, Texas, stands 5foot-11
and weighs 195 pounds.
“Jarret is a transfer that came here looking
for an opportunity, and he seized the moment,”
said Lou Orth, TLU’s offensive coordinator.
“Jarret has stepped up. He is mature and calm
in his demeanor. He has a good grasp of the
offense. His job right now is to operate the
offense. He doesn’t have to go out and win the
game by himself. He just has to go out there
and manage the game. He is a smart kid
excited about what we are doing.”
David Jones, a 6-foot-1 and 190-pound
redshirt freshman from Bruni, Texas (Bruni
H.S.), is near the top of the depth chart
entering the 2009 season. Jones took a medical
redshirt in 2008 and did not see varsity action.
Luke Davis (Baytown/Baytown Christian),
sophomore, also will battle for the time at
quarterback.
“Right now, character-wise, we have three
great kids at the position,” said Parker. “It all
comes down to what you do when the pressure
is on. What will you do when you line up and
have that pressure to perform. Some people
step up. The ‘adversity quotient’ is more a
determinant of success than I.Q. How do you
handle adversity? What will you do and how
will you respond when things go wrong? We
want a guy with a high ‘A.Q.’ That’s the guy
that will lead our football team.”
Parker said the job of preparing the Bulldogs
signal-caller for 2009 falls to Orth.
“I told Lou it is his job to develop a
quarterback,” said Parker. “His success and our
success are not based on good speeches and
theory. It’s on how quickly and successfully we
can develop a quarterback.”
“If we can get to the point when our
quarterback steps up and plays football, we’ll
be in a great position.”
RUNNING BACK
Whoever wins the Bulldog quarterback job
will have several experienced, offensive
weapons at his disposal. At the top of the
offensive talent list is senior running back
Anthony Smith (Bay City/Bay City/Blinn JC). In
2007, Smith (5-9, 179) rushed for a TLU DIIIera
record 1,066 yards and scored a team-best
66 points. He scored six rushing TDs, four
receiving TDs and had a 92-yard kickoff return
for a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the
2007 season. That year Smith led the ASC in
all purpose yards (a school-record 1,989) and
finished fifth in the NCAA Division III in allpurpose
yards per game (198.9).
But in 2008, Smith’s production took a hit.
Injuries throughout the season took their toll
on Smith. He missed two games (the
Homecoming loss to Hardin-Simmons and the
season’s final road game versus Louisiana
College), and he had just 14 total carries and
five total receptions in his final two active
games of the year. Yet, Smith still led TLU in
rushing yards, with 444 yards on 125 carries,
and he scored two touchdowns.
In 2009, Parker says a healthy Smith again
will be called upon to do just about everything
for the Bulldogs. He’ll be the feature back, a
primary pass receiver, and one of the team’s top
return men in the kicking game.
“He is the focal point,” says Parker. “He is
the best player on the team. We want it to be
like always with Anthony. We’ll ask him to do
everything. He might even play a little goal-line
corner for us.”
Senior center Josh McNeil is back with the Bulldogs. He’ll anchor the offensive
line in 2009.
Photo by Drew Engelke
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