Eagles a work in progess

George Washington football coach Dan Newell knew that this season would probably not be as easy as last season, when his GW Eagles advanced to the Northeast Region title game.

Then again, when a team leader like quarterback T.J. Price graduates, there is always that search for the next player who will take the reigns of the team and be willing to lead them.

Now, add to that only one returning starter on the offensive line, plus eight new starters in a brand new defensive scheme, and Newell knew that the 2008 Pepsi Football Jamboree would be a stepping stone to getting his team prepared for district play.

The Eagles lost both contests on Friday, first to Thomas Dale 27-7 and then to Western Branch 21-7 in front of the home fans at J.T. Christopher Stadium.

It was not for a lack of a running game that the outcomes were not closer. In both games, the backfield was responsible for every yard on offense as sophomore quarterback Tim Moore, who is the front runner to replace Price, continues to shake off the nerves and get his feet wet in the offense.

“Offensively, you can’t pass judgment yet on where we are,” said Newell. “We’re not going to apologize for not throwing the ball much.”

And the Eagles did not throw the ball much, as David Wilson and Tahron Goods pounded the Knights and Bruins’ defenses for close to 200 yards, including Wilson breaking runs of 34 and 72 yards, the latter going for a touchdown against Western Branch.

“We definitely got to balance things out, but we got enough players that if it don’t balance out, we can run the ball,” the future Virginia Tech tailback said. “We just got to do what we got to do. We got the talent, just need to pick up the intensity level.”

Moore was not a disappointment either, even if he did not complete a pass on the night. The sophomore showed impressive vision on a botched pass play, which he turned from either an incompletion or loss of yards into a 37-yard run against Western Branch.

Take Moore’s ability to run, plus the loaded backfield, and it is only a matter of time before Newell starts opening up the playbook for his quarterback.

“What we wanted to work on tonight was trying to run our best plays in the passing game,” the fifth-year coach said. “And what we found out was is that we are going to be a pretty decent play-action team and that is not something we’ve been very good at the past few years. But with those running backs, we’ve got some great play-action.”

Which brings up the defensive effort. In years past, the Eagles have run a 3-5-3 defense that was predicated on man-to-man coverage in the secondary. This year, Newell and his staff decided to move to the 4-3 base defense with an emphasis on zone coverage.

The results were mixed. Against Thomas Dale, the Eagles were down 21-0 and the offense ran only six times. The Knights were also able to connect on big pass plays, which showed that the Eagles are still in a learning mode. In the second game against Western Branch, the defense was pouncing on the ball and flying around. The defense did give up some big pass plays, but it was in stark contrast to the first game.

“We were in position to make several interceptions. Had a couple opportunities to pick up some fumbles,” Newell said. “We were close and when you’re close, you have chances to make big plays. If you’re not close, it’s very discouraging.”

With the regular season opener against the Varina Blue Devils just six days away, Newell is looking to take it like a scrimmage as he and his staff get the Eagles ready for district competition. And when the lights come on, anything can happen as David Wilson put it perfectly: “I guess they call it Friday Night Lights.”