YOUNGSTOWN - With temperatures better suited for baseball, Youngstown State University junior quarterback Kurt Hess might have felt more comfortable working on his curveball instead of his deep ball.
Football seemed far off in the distance when the Penguins opened spring drills Wednesday at Stambaugh Stadium with a spirited practice under a clear sky and temperatures hovering near 80 degrees. Hess, in his third season as the starter out of Chaminade-Julienne High School in Dayton, didn't see it that way as he comfortably slipped into his role as one of the team leaders.
"It was hot," Hess said. "We were coming out on the field and it felt like August. It was good to come out here and get some of the soreness and rust out. After a while I think the intensity picked up, especially the offense. It was good to see the defense flying around, and I liked what we have out here."
Coach Eric Wolford welcomed more than 40 lettermen from last season's 6-5 team that missed an opportunity to qualify for the FCS playoffs with a heartbreaking 38-34 home loss to Missouri State on the final weekend of the regular season. Some players might be inclined to try to forget about that game, but the Penguins want to use it as a source of motivation.
"We used it as motivation all offseason," Hess said. "We're going to continue to use it as motivation because that stung and it really hurt. Our team doesn't want to feel that way again. By coming out here and working every day, we might not have to feel that this year."
There will be several key ingredients to success next season for the Penguins, including continued development by Hess. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Hess completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 2,460 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Senior running back Jamaine Cook is being counted on for another big season after rushing for 1,386 yards and 13 touchdowns on 271 carries.
Perhaps of more importance will be how well the defense adapts to first-year coordinator Joe Tresey, a graduate of John F. Kennedy High School. Wolford said "there's a sense of urgency" to improve a defense that yielded almost 24 points a game in 2011.
"That's where it all starts," Wolford said. "You have to have a sense of urgency. You might give up a play here or there, but you have to come back and find a way to make a play and make something happen. It was encouraging to see in the 7-on-7 to have a couple of picks against the second group. The next 7-on-7 the offense was kind of upset by it. They did some good things. I feel good about where things are."
Wolford has put the late-season failure of 2011 on the entire team.
"If we're an offense we have to close the game out," Wolford said. "It's easy to always point at the defense, but if we catch a ball there on third-and-5, we run the clock out. If we punt the ball out of bounds or have better coverage if you can't get the ball out of bounds. It's not one group. It's a team thing.
"That's the past. Quite frankly, this is a new year. Every year is a different year. We've had enough pain from our past. It's time for us to move on and take the next step and get ready for a new year."
This will be a pivotal season for Wolford, who can now say this is predominantly his team. After going 3-8 in 2010 and 6-5 last season, the Penguins are anxious for more wins and a playoff appearance.
"They want to win," Wolford said. "Any time in life, if you invest a whole bunch in something, you're going to put it on the line for it. We have a lot invested in this thing. It's time for us to go out and play ball."
A BIT CHIPPY: Defensive lineman Aronde Stanton and Cook were involved in a minor skirmish. They were quickly separated, after which Stanton had to take a walk up and down the stairs at Stambaugh.
"It's never personal," Stanton said. "We never take anything off the field."
STANDING OUT: Wolford singled out the play of Hess and the receivers on offense. Linebacker Dom Rich stood out on the defensive side.
"It's hard to tell at the line of scrimmage with no pads on," Wolford said. "We'll know more when we get the pads on."
mmclain@tribtoday.com
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