Statesmen to the 2000 Gulf South Conference and

2005 Season Preview
“Where Champions Play”
Season Preview: All Eyes on Eyster and Company in 2005
2005 Delta State University Football Preview
by Rori Autumn Eddie
There are hundreds of collegiate football programs across
America that would take a six-win, four-loss, above .500
season. Delta State University, however, is not one of those
programs, as Statesmen head coach Rick Rhoades
vehemently contends, “Last year, was, in a word, frustrating.
There’s an old saying your friends don’t need to hear your
excuses and your enemies won’t believe them anyway. So I
don’t want to say too much about it. It is what it is. 6-4 is a
decent year, but it’s certainly not what we were looking for.
“The one thing I will say is that what makes football such a
great endeavor for young people is that it teaches you a lot
about honesty. A football team usually gets about what they
deserve, but I don’t think this one did. Last year, our guys got
the short end of the stick in a lot of things, but again, it is what
it is. It’s a new season, though, and we’re ready to hopefully
get that ball bouncing in our direction a few more times and
improve in a few more areas,” Rhoades, now in his fourth
year at the helm of the DSU program, offers optimistically.
And his budding optimism seems warranted, as the 2005
edition of the Statesmen squad, returns an all but in-tact
offense from a season ago that lit up opponent’s
scoreboards for a cumulative 443 points scored. Delta State
will also usher in a new defensive scheme, while also
welcoming, both, a new defensive and offensive coordinator.
“We’ve had some off-season changes, no question. But, the
reasons for those changes were very clear to me. In this
business, change is not personal. It’s about doing the things
that you think need to done to get your program to where you
want it to be,” the Statesmen headman contended. “We were
fortunate to bring in an experienced defensive coordinator
who I have a lot of respect for and who I think will be able to
do a lot of things with this team in Ron Roberts. And, we were
able to attract a bright, experienced young coach who I think is
going to do a great job on the offensive side of the ball in Mike
Bloomgren.”
Roberts joins the Delta State staff after serving one season
as head coach at Mount Whitney HS in Visalia, Calif. and the
2003 football season as defensive coordinator at Texas State
University.
During his time at Texas State, Roberts took over a defense
ranked near the bottom in its conference. Within a year, TSU’s
defense improved in virtually every statistical category, while
also placing two defenders on the All-Southland Conference
Defensive Team.
Before his journey to Texas State, Roberts spent five
seasons as Assistant Head Coach and Defensive
Coordinator at Tusculum College. During his tenure at the
Greenville, Tenn. school, the 2002 Pioneers’ defense ranked
No. 1 in the South Atlantic Conference in yards allowed per
game (273) and in points per game (15).
As for Bloomgren, the Tallahasse, Fla., native, joins the
Statesmen coaching staff after stops in Catawba College,
Florida State University and University of Alabama. A graduate
of FSU, Bloomgren spent two seasons as a graduate
assistant at Florida State under head coach Bobby Bowden
and two seasons under Dennis Franchione at the University
Junior quarterback Scott Eyster leads the
Statesmen into the 2005 season needing just
63-yards to become DSU’s all-time leading
passer. For his career, he has 6,854 yards.
of Alabama before taking the position at Catawba.
Of the personnel additions, Rhoades guards, “Anytime you
have personality changes, it’s going to be a different type of
animal but I do think if we all buy into the system and work
hard, it’s going to be good. Change is not always a bad thing.
We’ve got a good bunch with good chemistry who work well
together.”
And working hard, working well together – they are coaching
principles that have steered Rhoades’ 20-year football career.
“The goals are the same they are every year. Our goal is to be
the best football team we can possibly be and to conduct
ourselves with class and character. We do those two things;
well, I’ll certainly take the results.”
He’ll also take what he’s got returning on the offensive side
of the ball this season, as the Statesmen return heralded
junior quarterback, Scott Eyster; three returning offensive
lineman, including senior center Ryan Barker; a deceptive
and veteran backfield in the senior duo of Radale Pearson
and Jason Snell; as well as a trio of wide receiver threats in
juniors, Chad Ridley, Robert Davis and Mike Wallace.
“When you’ve got the speed this team is bringing back, a
guy who can throw and make decisions as well as anybody in
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