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(UWIRE) PHILADELPHIA -- With all the hype surrounding the men's and women's basketball teams during the last week as they both reached the NCAA Tournament, it's been easy to overlook what's been happening at Edberg-Olson Hall.
The Owls, along with third-year football coach Al Golden, kicked off spring practice last Tuesday at the team's practice facility.
Golden's squad is returning all but one starter, but if he wants to lead the Owls to post-season play like his counterparts, basketball coaches Fran Dunphy and Dawn Staley, he said he knows the team has room to improve.
"We have so many specific goals in terms of overall approach," Golden said.
Golden said he has one specific focus for improvement -- the running game.
"We just want to see if we can run the ball," Golden said. "That's one of the things we're trying to find out this spring."
Golden said the starting running back position is wide open, but the issue is cutting his options down to three or four open spots on the depth chart.
"[We have] three or four scholarships guys here right now this spring," he said. "There's a minimum of two coming in. They'll be six or seven guys fighting to be in the top three or four to make the bus next year."
Junior Jason Harper, who had seven starts at tailback last season, is vying for one of those positions. Harper rushed for 586 yards and five touchdowns in 2007. Golden said Harper has some inconsistencies to work out.
"He's got to develop the mental and physical toughness required to be a Division I tailback. It's not an easy position. It's a position that requires tremendous focus and discipline," Golden said.
The coach has little to worry about with quarterback Adam DiMichele.
The senior is recovering from surgery that fixed his fractured tibia. DiMichele's season ended on Oct. 20 when he was tackled in the Owls' win over Miami (Ohio) at Lincoln Financial Field.
"He's way ahead of schedule," Golden said. "He's going to throw for us in the spring which is something that we didn't think was going to happen a couple months ago."
