WASHINGTON STATE FOOTBALL Swogger emerges as leader of the offense

The Ursuline High graduate was named starting quarterback and a captain.
By ELIZABETH SCHAEFFER
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State's football coaching staff set out this spring to find leadership on a young team and a starting quarterback to replace Matt Kegel.
Turns out, they found both in sophomore Josh Swogger, a graduate of Ursuline High.
Throughout spring play, Swogger emerged as the leader they were looking for and was named team captain by a vote of his teammates.
At the conclusion of the month-long session, coach Bill Doba gave Swogger the nod as the starter.
Swogger is just the second sophomore in the program's history, following three-time captain and all-time leading passer Jason Gesser, to be named a captain.
High expectations
There are a lot of expectations to live up to in such an important dual role. The expectation is for Swogger to be a steady lead for the offense and the voice of the coaches on the field.
He believes that his work ethic is one of the qualities that made him an ideal choice for the position of captain.
"I don't think that being chosen as lead quarterback correlates with being chosen as a team captain. I don't slack off, I don't miss weights [and] I think my reputation is one of the reasons [my teammates picked me] as one of the four team captains," Swogger said.
Last season as a redshirt freshman, Swogger completed 41-of-81 passes for 548 yards and one touchdown to help the Cougars to a 10-3 record, including a 28-20 win over Texas in the Holiday Bowl.
Washington State also went 10-3 in 2003, losing to Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, and 10-2 in 2001 with a win over Purdue in the Sun Bowl.
The Cougars will open the 2004 season Sept. 3 at New Mexico.
Eager for challenge
Swogger is eager to take on the challenge as the new leader. And although football is a team sport, Swogger feels that the quarterback is viewed as a focal point for the team.
"If the offense isn't playing well, [the quality of play] can be changed by the perception of the quarterback. If the quarterback is playing well, the linemen and the receivers will look like they are playing a little bit better," said Swogger.
He said that is the main point quarterback coach Timm Rosenbach tried to get across to him all spring. The coach stressed how important it was for the quarterback to illicit the best performance from his team.
"Coach Rosenbach said that the quarterback has to carry the team on his shoulders," Swogger said.
As a quarterback, watching, studying and memorizing his opponent through film footage takes up a huge amount of time, on top of regular practices, meetings, and school requirements.
Aware of responsibility
Being a student-athlete is a huge responsibility in itself, aside from being the starting quarterback. Swogger is continually aware of how he must act due to his place in the public eye.
"You always have to be aware that you are representing the university and conduct yourself in a professional manner. Right now I'm not just Josh Swogger, I'm Josh Swogger of Washington State University."
The son of Andrea and Jeffrey Swogger, Josh put up some big passing numbers at both and Ursuline and Mathews.
As a senior, Swogger threw for 2,300 yards, rushed for nearly 500 yards and completed 60 percent of his passes, to lead the Irish to 14-1 record and the Division IV state championship.
He made the All-Ohio first team and was named Div. IV player of the year and a CBS Sports All-American.
In his junior season at Ursuline, Swogger passed for 1,600 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 500 yards and 11 touchdowns.
As a sophomore at Mathews, he threw for over 2,000 yards and nine touchdown passes.
XElizabeth Schaeffer is a member of the Washington State sports information office.