College Sports

By HAROLD WILSON
Staff Writer

Texas College shopped for big things in 2007 -- a third straight conference football crown -- and wound up settling for another trip to 7-11 territory.

As in seven losses in 11 games for a second consecutive 4-7 season.

The Steers look to take offense to the down season, starting with what they hope to be an improved offense and another stellar defensive showing.

TC, which welcomes back six offensive and five defensive starters, opens up the 2008 season Saturday at Mississippi Valley State, their first of three matchups with teams from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS -- formerly NCAA Division I-AA).

Moving the ball proved quite the chore for the Steers, who averaged just 249 yards and 17.9 points per game last year.

The return of three key skill performers puts the Steers ahead of the curve it appears.

X'Zavier Bloodsaw, a junior from Houston, returns for his third season as starter. Bloodsaw (6-1, 210) transferred to Texas Southern during the spring, but came back to start fall camp.

In his first two seasons, Bloodsaw passed for 2,640 yards, 24 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

"That was a welcome boost," Brown said of getting back Bloodsaw. "It helps having someone who has been in the battle before."

Fred Dixon, a 5-9, 215-pounder senior from Houston, gives the backfield experience. Dixon, a three-year starter, enters his final college season closing in on the 1,000-yard career rushing mark. Dixon stands at 897 yards in 27 previous games to date.

Lawrence Smith, a speedy junior from Fort Worth, offers the Steers a change-of-pace back. Smith (5-7, 160) picked up 258 yards rushing to rank third on the team last year.

On the edge, Curtis Shaw, a senior from Beaumont, provides the possible deep-play threat the Steers need to get back to championship form. Shaw (6-2, 180) led the receivers in production last year with 38 catches for 538 yards and seven TDs, pushing his career total to 89-1,246-11.

Other receivers factoring into the mix include: Joshua Hall, a sophomore from Mount Enterprise and Trinity Valley; Antwaun Harris, a transfer from Brigham Young who is likely a week or so away from getting on the field; and Tim Jones, a key contributor on the '06 team who missed last season.

Brandon Bishop (6-5, 265 So., Fort Worth), Lee McDowell (6-2, 330, Jr., Red Oak, Navarro) and Travis Tates (6-0, 290, Jr.) anchor the TC offensive line.

The Steers lost offensive coordinator Carlos Barocio-Leon to another school, causing Brown to move over from the defensive side and assume the play-calling responsibilities.

"We want to make sure our guys understand the system," Brown said. "We're looking for a team that can come together and get an identity."

TC's stop unit lived up to its name a year ago. The Steers ranked fifth nationally, allowing a stingy 247 yards per game.

All three units lost key members. Two-time All-American defensive end Ryan Miles ran out of eligibility, all three linebackers graduated, and the secondary received a shake-up as well.

"We've got to replace Ryan's production," said Brown, a task that falls on the shoulders of tackles like Wayne Moss and Luther Sanders, and ends Brandon Sam, a converted linebacker, and Tavares Green.

George Lee leads the new linebacker crew after coming up with 14 tackles last season.

The secondary star figures to be Kevin Robbins, a Crockett native who spent time at Louisiana-Lafayette. Robbins (6-3, 190, Sr.) recorded five interceptions and defended 15 passes to rank 12th nationally last year.

"People are already calling from (the pros) about him," Brown said. "He can get beat and recover. He plays good technique. Hiss main asset is his tremendous athleticism."

For all they lost, the Steers gained one familiar face, however, with the return of Eule Ford as defensive coordinator. Ford spent two seasons at TC before leaving for three to coach at Angelo State.

"I'm excited to have coach Ford back," Brown said. "He had a noted 'd' while he was here. Hopefully he can take it to the next level and get them to play (our) trademark tough, physical, turnover-style defense."

The return game features Chris Williams, Jarvis McQuen and Karl Stewart.

Shaw draws the punting duties and kicker Chris Wall, a freshman from West Mesquite the kicking chores.

Brown called Wall "the best kept secret" on the team.

With several opportunities to put the program back on the map, the Steers want to snag a big win and confidence early that can carry over to the rest of the season perhaps.

Playing three SWAC schools, including a road game at Prairie View A&M (Sept. 5) and a home showdown with Texas Southern (Sept. 20) presents big possibilities.

"We've had a down season or two, now there are teams that want to play us," said TC head coach Jay Brown, who is entering his sixth season in charge of the Steers program. "We wanted to expose Texas College football on a higher level than the past and at the same time try to generate revenue for our program. You put these factors together and it equates to us playing SWAC schools."

For all the hype the non-conference schedule brings, conference poses perhaps the biggest test for the Steers, who went 0-4 in the Central States Football League after sharing the conference title the previous two years.

"We need to beat those schools to let them know TC is competitive," Brown said. "We've got youth and experience. We'll know a lot more about this time next week."

STEER FOOTBALL: Key players for Texas College this season will be (from left) running back Fred Dixon, wide receiver Curtis Shaw, cornerback Kevin Robbins and quarterback X’Zavier Bloodsaw.
(Staff Photo By Mark Roberts)