Last season the Cougars finished 10-1 behind the all-time rushing leader for Azusa Pacific, Terrell Watson. In Watson’s four seasons, he set school records for attempts, yards and touchdowns. When he graduated last year, he left a big hole in the offense. The coaches were able to fill up that hole with freshmen running back Kurt Scoby.
“Anytime you’re looking for a running back you’re looking for productivity, physicality and suddenness,” Head Coach Victor Santa Cruz said. “With the run game, you don’t want to just hand the ball off to somebody, you want to hand it off to someone who can bring in a little extra. Sometimes, it’s a little more speed and sometimes it’s a little more power.”
While it’s very difficult to replace a player like Watson, Scoby adds a new dynamic to the offense with his smaller size and incredible speed. Last year, the game plan was to run the ball with Watson on most plays. However, this year the offense has become more open and more challenging to predict because of the threat of both the run and the pass.
“Scoby is a way different [running] back; He is electric, really dynamic and really physical for how big he is, and that’s what’s surprising about him,” Offensive Coordinator Rudy Carlton said. “With Scoby, we try to spread the box a little bit more, be creative and get him in space.”
Carlton makes the distinction between Watson and Scoby very simple.
“Scoby does a great job, he can hit the home run and make two guys miss and not even have them touch him, while Terrell would probably run through both of them.”
The offensive scheme is much more diverse with many players stepping up to help the team. Receivers are getting the opportunity to emerge as the passing game has developed.
“We’re a lot more balanced this year,” Offensive lineman Paul Flores said. “It is really keeping defenses on their toes and keeping them off balance because they don’t know whether or not we are going or run or pass.”
With this new dynamic, the offense becomes a serious weapon to reckon with because they must respect the passing game that sophomore quarterback Chad Jeffries brings to the table. Jeffries has thrown for 935 yards and seven touchdowns in four games while also posing a threat with his running ability.
“Another year in the system and [Jeffries] is taking the time to improve,” Flores said. “The offense is his now, and he knows how to run it and what to look for. He’s starting to hit his stride and looking to be a big-time playmaker for us.”
The emergence of the passing game has allowed receivers to get more involved this year. Ethan Ziedler and Blake Robertson have emerged as Jeffries’ chief yardage threats, while Tarik Myles and Josiah Thropay both have two touchdown catches this year.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to really expand our passing game, and there are a lot of throws that a more mature quarterback gives us,” Santa Cruz said. “This game is constantly changing, so our coaches are always looking to stay on the cutting edge when it comes to what schematically helps us.”
With new members of the team, new schemes are inevitable as coaches try to best use their players. The Cougars have done their best to adapt and remain competitive. Azusa Pacific is 3-2 this year.
“It is a new identity, a new breed of athletes, new guys and, as a coaching staff, we’re trying to build champions while pursuing championships,” Santa Cruz said.