Published: September 01, 2008 12:00 am            

No lack of talent: Rose football enters season with two All-Americans

TERRE HAUTE — Rarely does Rose-Hulman have one preseason first-team All-American in football, but this year the NCAA Division III Engineers are blessed with two.

Over the summer, senior defensive end Paul Spreen was honored by Lindy’s College Football Preview magazine and sophomore tight end Reed Eason received a similar accolade from The Sporting News College Football Preview Magazine.

Last season, Spreen recorded 19 tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles while leading all Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) linemen in tackles with 62. At the same time, Eason hauled in 47 receptions for 535 yards and five touchdowns in earning the HCAC Freshman of the Year award.

“They deserve it,” Rose coach Steve Englehart said of the preseason All-American recognition. “I think they deserve the accolades that they get.

“I also think a big reason why they have received those accolades is the success of the entire team. When we put together a record of 7-3 [in 2007], more of our guys are going to get noticed. If we were 3-7, those guys would still have that ability, but they wouldn’t be able to get noticed.”

Rose-Hulman will kick off its 2008 campaign Saturday against Earlham, starting at 6:30 p.m. at Cook Stadium. The Engineers play a 10-game schedule that includes seven HCAC contests.

Spreen, a former Bedford North Lawrence High School standout, is a key part of Englehart’s defensive plans for the upcoming season.

“For the most part, what Paul brings is a pass rusher off the edge,” Rose’s third-year head coach noted. “He’s a leader on our defense. I think because he is so good, he opens up some of our other defensive players to make plays. In pass protection, you have to know where he’s at. . . You need to account for him, because he is dominant as a pass rusher and as a run stopper as well. He’s one of the most dominant defensive players that I’ve seen since I’ve been here.

“He’s got speed, he’s got great strength, he’s 6-2, 260 [pounds], he runs the 40[-yard dash] in 4.7 seconds and he’s got great quickness off the snap of the ball. He puts a lot of pressure on those offensive tackles and he has a great inside move too.”

As for Eason, expect the 6-foot, 220-pound resident of St. Louis to be one of quarterback Derek Eitel’s favorite targets again.

“First off, Reed’s got great hands,” Englehart said. “For a tight end, he’s got some of the softest hands I’ve seen. So he catches about everything that comes his way.

“Secondly, as a sophomore now, he’s really developing a bigger understanding of offense and how to run his routes. So we’re able to do more with him. We’re able to flex him out or keep him in the traditional tight-end spot. We’re able to throw screens to him. We’re able to get him downfield. He’s got good speed. You like to have a tight end with good speed to be able to stretch the field. A lot of times, you get him with [the opponents’] linebackers on him and, from our standpoint, we think that’s a mismatch.”

“He’s amazing,” Eitel added. “That’s the only word I can use to describe him. He’s a big guy, but he’s not overly big. He’s nimble. But the biggest thing is he catches the ball. If you throw it within 5 yards of him either way — up, down, right, left — he’s going to get it. He’s got the best set of hands I’ve ever seen for a tight end. And he’s just a sophomore. It’s really mind-blowing how far he’s come along from last year to this year — and he was good last year. He just catches everything. I don’t think he’s dropped a ball all [preseason] camp.”

Eitel also emphasized that Eason worked hard during the off-season at improving his blocking.

“There’s not going to be a sophomore slump from him,” Eitel promised. “He’s too good for that.”

Spreen and Eason frequently line up against each other in practice, so they have earned each others’ respect as well as the respect of their other teammates.

“He’s definitely hard to deal with,” Spreen said of Eason. “Derek Eitel definitely looks for him when he needs something. If it’s third down and we need a catch, it’s going to Reed Eason.”

“He’s very tough to deal with,” Eason echoed about Spreen. “I hate blocking him. I’m not the best blocker there is and I have to go up against Paul Spreen all the time. He gives me headaches. He’s very quick and strong. He’s tenacious. He’s a great player.”

Getting Spreen to make positive comments about himself was more difficult. But when pressed, he assessed what he brings to the table.

“I’m not the fastest guy on the team by far, but I’m the fastest big guy,” Spreen said. “For being as big as I am, I can get off the ball quick.”

Both mechanical-engineering majors agree on at least two things about the 2008 Rose-Hulman season — they’re more concerned about team goals than personal goals and, if they’re going to be named an All-American, they’d prefer it be postseason instead of preseason.

“One of our goals is to go at least 8-2,” Spreen mentioned. “My senior class, for three straight years, we’ve improved the program’s record.

“One of my personal expectations is definitely to get the postseason [All-American] award. That’s my big goal. A preseason award just means everybody thinks that you’re good and everybody expects you to be good. I just don’t want to let anybody down.”

“I just want to go out there and have a winning season,” Eason remarked. “Last year, we were 7-3. I’d like to beat that this year — 8-2, 9-1.

“My individual goals are just to keep everything going, keep the team up, try to make sure we have a good season, try to catch balls, block and just do what I can and try not to think too much about the preseason accolades. I’m proud of them, but I’m just trying to keep things going like we ended last year [by winning the last two games].”

        

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