The 13 Yard Line

Playoffs 2008!

2008-11-24T14:06:00.001-05:00

Go Colgate! Beat Villanova!

:)

The Engine 13 Cup Comes Home

2007-11-06T07:19:00.001-05:00

As promised, with the defeat of Lehigh we can now post the Engine 13 Cup. Yes!

Requiem for a Blog

2007-01-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

On the odd chance that there is actually anyone out there that still holds out a glimmer of hope for this blog to come back to life, I'm sorry to say it won't happen. I thought that I would just make it official and say goodbye. It's been wonderful and I wish I could do something like this full time, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

In all seriousness, I truly appreciate all of you who've read my stuff and commented on the blog. Blogging about all things Colgate football was a passion of mine that just can't be sustained in my new professional and personal life. If anyone cares, everything in my life is wonderful but my new career is so time consuming that something had to give.

Thanks again, and LET'S GO 'GATE!

Week 6 Picks

2006-10-03T23:31:00.000-04:00

Georgetown over Lehigh
Penn over Bucknell
Colgate over Princeton
Brown over Holy Cross
Duquesne over Fordham

Week 5 Picks

2006-09-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

Colgate over Georgetown
Things would have to be really bad for Colgate to lose two in a row at home, but after last week's performance it's not off the table. Georgetown will need to take it's game up a notch to upset the Raiders but I think the offense has to start clicking at some point for Colgate.

Holy Cross over Fordham
The Rams have had the Crusaders number the past several years, but based on play so far I'd be silly to try and predict that again.

Yale over Lafayette
Got to go with the Ivy Jinx for Lafayette until they prove otherwise. Yale isn't Columbia...

Bucknell over Marist
Even in last year's ugly season, the Bison could be the Red Foxes. Bucknell seems to be a bit improved, so this year shouldn't be any different.

Harvard over Lehigh
It's hard to predict a Lehigh loss at home, and even harder to predict a 1-3 start to the year. Harvard however is just too good to not favour here.

Week 4 Picks

2006-09-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

Georgetown over Columbia
Despite losing to Brown, the Hoyas put up some offense and still have a very good defense. Columbia is Columbia, and while they beat Fordham, I'm going to be hopeful and think the Hoyas can step up to the plate here.

Richmond over Bucknell
Nice win last weekend Bison, but the Spiders are a class above Cornell. If the Bison are able to beat Richmond, then it will be time to reevaluate the consensus of the ball club in Lewisburg.

Colgate over Monmouth
Unfortunately for Monmouth, the secret of the NEC has long since been let out of the bag. No one in Hamilton should be taking this lightly, and winning at Andy Kerr is not an easy thing for an opposing team to do. I think we'll see the Raiders build on last week's win over Dartmouth.

Holy Cross over Marist
Please crusaders, please. If you can't win this one, there might be more work needed in Worcester than I thought.

Princeton over Lafayette
Combine Princeton's win over Lehigh with Lafayette's loss to Penn, add to it a historical inabilty to beat Ivy teams, and it would be silly to pick the Leopards here. Prove me wrong, please.

Week 3 Picks

2006-09-13T08:13:00.000-04:00

Again, I'm dissappointed that I do not have the time to do a full write up, and I'm questioning the worth of this blog if I can't spend the time I need to in order for it to be a quality experience. I'm not pulling the plug just yet, but it is definitely on my mind. The new career and family changes just don't leave much time for this endevour. We'll see if it settles down some or not and then make a decision.

This week's picks:

Harvard over Holy Cross 24-21
Holy Cross kind of stalled after looking strong against Northeastern. I don't think they can beat a quality team like Harvard... yet.

Fordham over Columbia 14-10
Prydatko, Prydatko, Prydatko. The recipe for Fordham success. Columbia shouldn't be able to stop it.

Lafayette over Penn 28-18
Nothing says a team is hitting on all cylinders than a 31-0 shutout of a league opponent. Monkey #1 comes off the Leopards backs this Saturday.

Brown over Georgetown 17-9
Georgetown has a defense worthy of this contest. Without the offense though, this one is too tough for the Hoyas.

Lehigh over Princeton 23-14
Mountain Hawks continue to find their stride in out of conference matchups, getting better for the games that really count.

Colgate over Dartmouth 27-17
Colgate begins to find its footing after a week off to gel. Last year's tough loss still stings.

Cornell over Bucknell 28-14
Cornell is looking to be a top Ivy team this year, and they're not Duquense.

Week 2: Prognosticating the Patriot

2006-09-07T20:41:00.000-04:00

Just the picks this weeks folks. It's getting tough to keep this up with all I've got going on.

Lafayette over Bucknell - It was nice to see the Bison scoring some points, but Lafayette is a better team than Duquesne.

Stony Brook over Georgetown - The Hoyas won last year, but Stony Brook is getting better.

Holy Cross over Northeastern - Why not? Maybe the Crusaders can impress here.

Villanova over Lehigh - The Albany loss doesn't instill much confidence in the Mountain Hawks, but a win here is certainly possible.

Albany over Fordham - An ugly two Patriot League losses in a row to NEC teams gets that scholarship discussion moving!

Colgate's idle.

Colgate vs. UMass Scouting Report

2006-08-31T23:13:00.000-04:00

Folks, this piece is going to be short and lacking in the quality that I like to see myself produce on this blog; but, life gets in the way. As some of you may know, the next few weeks are going to be hectic for me on a personal and professional level, so this 'scouting report' will be largely from the hip, unreferenced and largely unresearched. I'm really relying on memory with this one more than I like. But please, bear with me for September. I promise it will get better.

History

The recent Colgate/UMass games have been all heated, passionate games with plenty of potential outcomes riding on the score, and this one should be no different. It all started with that now famous (or infamous if you're in Amherst reading this) snow bowl game in the 2003 playoffs, which was followed by a great rubber match in 2004 and then a stunning upset last year by the Raiders. You can bet this year will be no different, as there is plenty of 'bad blood' and mutual respect for both programs. UMass has probably always been the favorite in each game, and this one should be no different.

Offense

The big names for UMass are back, and we should be very familiar with them. Running back Steve Baylark deserves plenty of attention and respect and will be a key component to a Minuteman winning strategy. In the times I've seen him play, Baylark strikes me as a solid all around back with no real aspect of his game that stands out amongst the others. He's big but not huge, fast but not a burner, shifty but not Barry Sanders. Bottom line, he will require a solid game by the linebackers with great tackling to contain.

There is a 'new' QB for Colgate to face, having had a hand in letting Liam Coen get his shot under center after picking off Tim Day multiple times in last year's upset. Coen ended up throwing for almost 2,200 yards in 10 games. He will be a harder QB for us to deal with than Day was. Coen's main targets will be Brandon London and J.J. Moore. Our secondary should be able to cover them well, but not if they're being asked to provide run support to the young defensive line and new linebackers. If Bean, Williams and company can concentrate on them first, I like our chances in limiting their impact. "Limit" is the key word though; they will get their completions. We need to hold the big plays and 3rd down conversions to a minimum.

Defense

This UMass defense is big and experienced, and they will be looking to slap Jordan Scott around if they can. Now, I don't think they can after hearing about Scott putting on 15 lbs. of muscle in the off season - but they will do everything in their power to hit Scott hard and often. Basically, he can't do it by himself. For Colgate to be successful on offense, the passing game will need to be working. For the passing game to be working, Saraceno will have to be on. A rusty first game will put this game out of reach for Colgate early.

The defensive line and linebackers are all big boys; Colgate will have to rely on execution, play calling and, frankly, key athleticism from the skill positions in order to move the ball as we'd like. Holding on to the ball won't hurt either! Scott gets stronger as the game goes on, so ultimately I like our chances to run in the late 3rd and 4th quarter. The key issue is - the game still has to be close.

On bright spot for the Raiders is that the area we need to be successful in (passing), in some ways plays into a weak spot (if you can really call it that) for UMass. There is a new corner and free safety to try and exploit with the physical tools and skills of our second, third and fourth recievers. Erik Burke, David Morgan and David Gongora are all possible of having big games here. Also, finding ways to get our 6'5" tight end, Brent Dillingham into some possession situations against their linebackers or strong safety will be key. Dillingham will have 4-5 inches on everyone else out there for UMass defending the pass. Timely 10 yard completions to him could be the difference in the game here.

Special Teams

UMass has a great punter but if I am coaching the Minutemen, I would still look to keep the ball out of Geoff Bean's hands. Kick coverage is something often lacking in early season games, so if Colgate can break a big return or two, that could be huge. I do not know who will be handling the return duties for UMass, but the same is true for Colgate. We better cover well, because I have no doubt the player will be fast and talented.

Bottom Line

Colgate's got its work cut out for itself, just like last year. An upset is certainly possible, but in order to do so we will need to play mistake free ball and play with passion. That stupid opening game jinx is out there alive and well; upseting UMass again would be a wonderful way to try and begin to break it.

Ultimately though, until we see what we have got to work with on defense, this game is UMass's to lose. It's at home, they bring back more experience on both sides of the ball and everyone making predictions has got them penciled in. While being realistic, don't count your Raiders out though. I think they are going to come to play.

2006 Prognosticating the Patriot: Week 1

2006-08-26T22:57:00.000-04:00

The days are getting shorter, the mornings a bit cooler and the students are heading back to school. For the readers of this blog, it surely means just one thing: The weeks, nay, months of salivating for the start of the football season are over. The first round of games are upon us!

This also means it is the third season that I will be doing a weekly preview (and picks) of the league's games. Love them, hate them - I promise it's all in good fun. And now, on with the show!

As has become typical, the opening week of the Patriot League tends to be heavy on the 'low to no equivalency' opponents. (Note to readers, I am trying to ditch the usage of 'mid-major' in my blog with the NEC's move to scholarships.) We've got four of them on tap, along with one league game and one huge Patriot/A-10 matchup. In all likelihood, the largest spotlight will be shining on that lastly mentioned key contest, barring any 'Central Connecticut-like' upsets.

With little to go on but prospectuses, hunches and intitution...

Duquesne @ Bucknell

Duquense of the MAAC is about as good a low equivalency program as they come. Year in and year out they put a good team out on the field and, with a winning record (7-6) against Patriot League teams this decade, clearly they have no issue 'playing up' - if you could even call it that. Ask Fordham who lost 30-13 last year if Duquense shouldn't be taken seriously. With that history and their 7-3 2005 record vs. Bucknell's 1-10 2005 record squaring off, on the surface this looks to be another great opportunity for the Dukes to knock of a school from a playoff conference.

Digging a little deeper, unfortunately for Bison fans, doesn't produce a much different picture. Eight offensive starters return led by the MAAC Rookie of the Year quarterback Scott Knapp and supplemented by a tailback tandem that almost ran for 1,000 yards. When he wants to throw, Knapp has 10 of his top 12 targets back to choose from. Bucknell will be trying to stop the Dukes with a brand new defensive line and a secondary that gave up serious points and yardage last season. Basically, Dorian Petersen can't do it all by himself here.

For Bucknell to win, pretty much like it will be for them all season, it will come down to their ability to put points on the board; and that responsibility will rest with the quarterback. Maybe Wilson is back, maybe it's Lair that will get the job done. Until someone emerges in this offense though, there is no reason to pick Bucknell in a game like this.

Predicted outcome: Duquense 32 Bucknell 18

Colgate @ Massachuesetts

What history this matchup has developed in such a short time! There is no reason to recall it all here and now, but suffice to say both teams have had this date circled for more reasons than just it was the first game of the year.

UMass comes into this contest much like last season: highly ranked and touted with a scary amount of talent and, unlike last year, with a home field advantage. Some of the same faces are still there too. Baylark, Coen, Ihedigbo... you've seen this routine before. UMass will have an experienced offense, talented defense and a hunger to shove it down Colgate's throats.

Colgate comes into this contest a little better off than last season, with some established stars and without the baggage of an embarrassing loss the week before. However, the task at hand for the Raiders remains the same. It will most likely take some help from timely turnovers and a bit of HooDoo magic for the boys from Hamilton to escape Amherst with a victory. It's certainly not impossible, nor would it be incredibly surprise to see Colgate pull out a victory. It's just not predictable.

Homer stays home on this one. With the questions on the defensive line and the horrible opening game record for the past decade, there should be no smart money on Colgate on Saturday. I predict a game much like 2004; it will be a good game well into the fourth quarter but ultimately, it's the Minutemen in this one.

Predicted outcome: UMass 34 Colgate 21

Monmouth @ Fordham

The Masella Era begins in the Bronx and the Ram faithful couldn't be happier to start this new chapter. The revamped Fordham gridders will face a potentially rebuilding Monmouth team that will have to do without the services of current NFL wideout Miles Austin. Monmouth was a 6-5 program last season that put more points on Lehigh than Fordham could and beat Albany, a team that the Rams lost too.

But that was then, and this is now. I think until proven otherwise, optimism (within reason) reigns on Rose Hill. Behind James Prydatko's running and Marcus Taylor's defensive leadership, Fordham should have more talent and depth there than Monmouth. It will be interesting to see if any of the new scholarship recruits see time and have any impact in this game. For now though, I think Prydatko rushes for over 100 yards fairly easily and carries Fordham to victory.
Predicted outcome: Fordham 28 Monmouth 10

Holy Cross @ Georgetown

The sole league contest pits two teams jockeying for maintain position in the middle of the league. Besides the fact that starting out the league 1-0 is every team's goal, Holy Cross needs to establish itself as more than just a one hit wonder and Georgetown is looking for some new direction under new head coach Kevin Kelly.

This should be an interesting defensive battle, as the Crusaders eight new offensive starters (losing all of their skill positions) will square off against one of the better defensive lines the Patriot League has this year. Going the other way, the Hoyas will take one of last season's worst offenses and put it up against one of last season's worst defenses in Holy Cross... if you can follow that logic!

Basically, I think Georgetown can contain Holy Cross's offense, but I don't know if Georgetown can score any points, even against Holy Cross's defense. At this point, there really isn't much more to say than that. If I could pick a 0-0 tie, I just might do it.

Predicted outcome: Georgetown 10 Holy Cross 7

Lafayette @ Sacred Heart

Lafayette should have no problem with this one. A loss here would be a greater upset than CCSU's defeat of Colgate last year. Sacred Heart's biggest win last year was against Stony Brook. Lafayette's a legitimate playoff contender, and just a break or two away from making the next round. You figure this one out!

Lafayette is on the road and has a new defense to break in. That's it. That's the Sacred Heart angle. Sure it's possible, but why in the world would anyone predict it? Maurer, Hurt and Company run circles over the Pioneers. Marvin Snipes chews the opposing line to pieces. This one should be much like, or worse than even, the Sacred Heart opener last year against Holy Cross; a 56-21 loss.

Predicted outcome: Lafayette 52 Sacred Heart 10

Albany @ Lehigh

Albany is a program on the move, without a doubt. However, they are facing one of the top programs of I-AA and have only one scholarship class under their belts. This game might show just how close the Danes are to breaking through to respectability... on the other hand this game might also be close for a half before a blow out. Your guess is as good as mine.

Sedale Threatt will be searching for some new faces to throw to and Lehigh will be working with a new coach and will be trying to find someone new to establish the running game. This could be an issue of concern as Albany might have some pretty good players on the defensive side of the ball that could give the Mountain Hawks some fits. Linebacker Colin Disch, defensive tackle Michael Dungey, defensive end Andre Coleman and cornerback Ryan Chrobak are all capable of elevating their games to a level that, on any given Saturday, provides the spark to upset a great program trying to get its feet wet.

That said, I don't think Lehigh will miss too many beats here offensively, and frankly, I don't think the Danes have the firepower to keep up with the boys from Bethlehem, even with the installation of a new 3-4 defense. Some fits and starts are predicted, maybe even a half-time score that raises eyebrows, but ultimately, Lehigh will score points and it will likely be more points than Albany

Predicted outcome: Lehigh 35 Albany 21

There you have it; week one. We should have some questions answered on Sunday, but I bet there will be a whole host more to tackle.

Good luck Patriot League teams!

2006 Patriot League Preview: #1 Colgate

2006-08-10T23:53:00.000-04:00

Without any surprises to be sure...

#1 Colgate

Recent History

With five Patriot League titles in the past ten years and more wins over that time frame than any other league program, picking Colgate to win the Patriot League is hardly a risky bet. In what now has almost become a Colgate legend, back in 1996 head coach Dick Biddle took an 0-11 football program and made it into a winner; and has never looked back. Each year Colgate's a contender to win the whole thing, and following a flirtatious run at a national championship in 2003, the bar for success in Hamilton is raised higher ever year.

Off Season Developments

After years of stability, the winds of change finally rolled down Broad Street and shook up some of this Raider staff. The biggest name to go would be former offensive coordinator and associate head coach Mike Foley who spent 22 years at Colgate. Foley leaves for what one would assume would be his one shot at the big time with a gig at UConn coaching the offensive line. His loss would be followed closely by linebacker coach Bob Fraser heading to Rutgers. Fraser's impact on the Patriot League cannot be understated, as three out of the past four Defensive Players of the Year were players under his tutelage. Only time will tell just how much those two with a combined 31 years of coaching at Colgate will be missed.

Not surprisingly, Biddle promoted from within, naming longtime defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham to the associate head coach role and promoting coaching staple Dan Hunt from quarterbacks to offensive coordinator. There was additional shifting around as well, with Pinkham giving up his hold on the secondary for the linebackers and former All-American turned coach Kevin Bolis taking up the offensive line duties after handling the running backs.

For the first time in a while, there is also a facility development at Colgate to mention. In fact, a very large and noticeable facility development to mention, pictured at the right. Colgate's latest scoreboard in Andy Kerr Stadium catapults the Raiders into the 21st century with instant replay, sponsors and even yardage totals. Having walked around the stadium personally, it lends some weight to the far end zone and improves the overall look and feel of the stadium. Even if I wasn't an alum, I'd still say "Well done, Colgate".

Recruiting wise, the Class of 2010 rivals that of 2009 and puts two 'A' classes back to back for the Raiders. This season also saw the first online videos of the incoming recruits in the Patriot League, something that previously was left for the 'big boys' of I-AA like Montana. The videos are a great sneak peak at what could be in store in the years to come.

There is something for everyone in this class if you're a Colgate fan but the biggest stories are probably on both sides of the lines, where these young men could see some time starting this fall. The biggest spotlight probably shines on Kyle Poinsett and Zach Posey, both offensive lineman out of Florida. For the second year in a row, there is a good chance that a freshman could be starting on the offensive line this fall, and my bets would be on one of them. On the defensive line, more freshman may have an immediate impact on this program. Frank Vittorini, Juliues Barlay and Tyler Spencer could all be names to keep tabs on. David Ashton and Greg Hadley shine as linebackers of the future (no doubt pushing last year's touted recruits in this spot), and Wayne Moten could be the fastest defensive back seen in Maroon in a long time. Offensively, Tony Watts figures to find a way to touch the ball somehow, wide reciever Patrick Simonds could sneak his way in as the number 4 option this year, and Tulane transfer Ryan Meyers could have something to say about the quarterback position at Colgate before all is said and done.

2005 Schedule

Following last year's Central Connecticut State debacle, Colgate's opening game jinx cannot be underestimated. It doesn't get easier this year as instead of a supposed 'tune-up' game, the Raiders open with what could be the toughest opponent on their schedule, UMass in Amherst. This early test is followed by a four game homestand book ended by the Ivies. Dartmouth comes to town first, followed by Colgate's second ever NEC game against Monmouth. The league slate starts as Georgetown comes to town and then finally Princeton makes the long trip up Route 12 to end the month spent at Andy Kerr.

Although the homestand ends, the next game on tap is really just a short trip over hill and dale (and Deruyter) to Ithaca and Cornell for the final non-league game of the year. The Raiders head to the Bronx and Fordham before coming home to square off against last year's other co-champion, Lafayette. This key game is then followed by the second preseason key league game at Lehigh. Holy Cross makes that cold trip to Hamilton for Senior Day and then the Raiders try and erase embarrassing memories of 2004 with a road trip to Bucknell.

Season Outlook

Many of Colgate's preseason hopes lie in the offensive skill positions. Of any team in the Patriot League this fall, Colgate enjoys the biggest names returning back, starting with All-American tailback Jordan Scott. Last year the freshman emerged late in a Dartmouth loss and never let go of his starting position, running for a total of 1,364 yards and taking home the Patriot League Rookie of the Year award. If healthy he will be a Jamaal Branch-like workhorse for years to come for the Raiders, and every opposing defense will be gearing up to bring him down.

Scott is complimented by returning fifth-year and first team all-Patriot League quarterback Mike Saraceno. Saraceno was dogged by turnovers throughout the season, but still managed to throw for over 2,000 yards and twelve touchdowns. It probably goes without saying that the number one priority for #11 will be to make smarter decisions under fire.

When Saraceno's game is on, he will be looking to throw to arguably the strongest receiver corps of the league, headlined by Kenny Parker. Parker made the switch from running back to wide receiver in 2005 and ended up second in the Patriot League in touchdowns with seven. Parker's speed and scoring ability are balanced by the solid possession skills and deep ball threat of Erik Burke. Burke made a name for himself with some key catches in league contests such as Lafayette, Lehigh and Holy Cross. The Parker/Burke tandem is bolstered by sophomore David Morgan and by perhaps one of the strongest receiver recruiting classes in memory, with 6'6" Patrick Simonds, previously mentioned Moten (a threat to play both ways), 6'2" Ty Henry and 6'2" David Gongora all having potential to see some time this fall. Finally, one must not forget the presence of 6'5" Brent Dillingham at the tight end spot. Dillingham quietly ended the season fourth on the team in receptions, and his role will surely increase as he matures.

This talented group will operate behind a moderately experienced line, anchored by senior center Jake Sulovski. Sulovski is joined by a pair of sophomores who represent the future of Colgate football, tackle Steve Jonas and guard Richie Rosabella. Jonas earned the honors of being the first lineman to ever start under Dick Biddle and figures to be a fixture at the right tackle spot. Rosabella saw time at numerous spots last season and will likely settle in at right guard this year. The left side of the line will be interesting to watch, as there are a pair of seniors with playing experience looking to earn a starting position, as well as the Florida Freshman will be jockeying to be the next Steve Jonas.

With the sun shining on offense, there is a large shadow cast over the loss of the entire Colgate defensive line and two outstanding linebackers, including the 2005 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Jared Nepa. For any of these title dreams to come true, some currently unproven names will have to carry on the strong defensive tradition that defensive coordinator Pinkham has established. For the line, the one name you can pencil in is Pat Nolan. Nolan saw significant action and had one starting assignment. After Nolan though, it is anyone's guess as to who will step up. Do not be surprised to see some freshman seeing time here as well.

The linebackers do return David Wesley to the starting position, and the remaining two spots appear to be Mike Gallihugh and Eric Tupta. Tupta in particular will have many fans watching as he was tagged early as a blue chip recruit. If these three have any of Fraser's fingerprints on them, it is likely that it won't take long for them to carve out names for themselves away from the large shadow of Nepa, and Lukabu before him.

While untested on the front lines, the defensive backfield will be seasoned and proven and will add much needed support for the newcomers. Two year starter Geoff Bean leads the secondary from his strong safety position and garnered Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors for the league. Bean's classmate and fellow safety Andrew Moore has started every game with Bean and will be helped by standout corner Cody Williams. The sole question to be answered will be in finding Cody's brother, Chris's, replacement. It could be nickel back Sam Breslin or even incoming freshman Moten that ends up winning the battle.

Both kickers return for the Raiders and while it is unlikely they will be called on to win any games for Colgate this fall, fans should feel confident that their team is in good hands.

Predicted Finish

First - by virtue of the least amount of unknowns and the biggest names coming back; specifically Dick Biddle and Jordan Scott. Dick Biddle has proven, time and time again, that he knows how to build teams, get the most from his players and, surprise, win, win, win. He seems to only get better each year, and all signs point to 2006 being no different. Jordan Scott splashed on the scene in the early part of 2005 and by the end of the season placed himself in line to be the next great Colgate running back. Put those two together, with a supporting cast of a capable all-league quarterback, talented receivers and somewhat experienced line, and the sky is the limit for this offense.

That of course has to be balanced by the sheer unknown on the defensive side of the ball. If it was Ed Pinkham that left for UConn and not Mike Foley, I would have picked this season a bit differently. But with his steady and experienced hand at the wheel, again, experience has proven that time and time again, a new defensive group is waiting in the wings to step up.
We just don't know their names yet.

The fairly safe bet in the league this year is that the Colgate offense can score enough points, and control the time of possession enough to overcome the changeover in defensive personnel. Of course it all comes down to execution, disregarding your own press, and perhaps most importantly, staying healthy; sitting behind a computer in August though, the preseason odds are that the Raiders have the best shot of bringing home the title in 2006.

Thanks for reading this year's preview. Be on the lookout for the first "Prognosticating" piece and the UMass scouting report!

Colgate's "Filling Out"

2006-08-07T20:59:00.000-04:00

The Sports Network Poll is out and while Colgate's officially not on in (no Patriot League team is this preseason - Colgate would be ranked 27th), one writer did fill the need to print his ballot in the poll, and Colgate got his 25 spot.

I'm not surprised that Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh are not anywhere on this poll, much like the rest of them. We're splitting the normal "Patriot League vote" and until a clear frontrunner emerges, don't expect to see anyone there soon. Of course, a win over highly ranked UMass would do just that...

Blitzing Bean

2006-08-03T20:46:00.000-04:00

It's obvious that camp is only a few days away. The stories are starting to come in now. Local product and Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Geoff Bean is the feature in a hometown newspaper story.

Bean ready for final journey at Colgate

The subject of blitzing seemed to get Colgate senior Geoff Bean emotional Wednesday night.

"Every chance I get," Oneonta High graduate Bean said when asked if he looks forward to blitzing from his strong safety position for the Division I-AA team.

This was odd because most anyone who’s talked with Bean knows the word "I" rarely comes out of his mouth.

He quickly added, "Every chance we get. The defense feeds off that. We can’t wait to blitz. We’re programmed to do it."

Reading further one finds out that Bean turned down a summer internship with Pepsi in Denver to train in Hamilton. That kind of committment from an established starter gives me goosebumps. I've been high on Bean since I saw him play as a sophomore. It may sound like hyperbole, but I think Bean's going to have a big year.

Dream Come True

2006-08-02T16:08:00.000-04:00

Incoming frosh Zach Lasavage is commuting from Colgate to Carbondale, PA the past couple of weeks to prepare for the 'Dream Game' which pits graduated all-stars from the are county versus all-stars from the city of Scranton. Zach will most likely play a role as a rusher for the county team, but at Colgate it looks like he will be a defensive back for us.

Good luck Zach - and stay healthy!

2006 Patriot League Preview: #2 Lafayette

2006-08-02T15:17:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm back. And while I won't scoop the Patriot League coaches and media anymore with my picks, I do hope you'll enjoy what you read.

#2 Lafayette

Recent History

When the clock struck midnight in Newark, Delaware in 2004 following Lafayette's playoff loss to the defending national champion Blue Hens, a funny thing happened. Apparently nobody told the boys in Easton to read the script. Cinderella didn't return home in 2005 to find the ugly step-sisters still lording over the Patriot League; Head Coach Frank Tavani didn't turn into a dormouse and the championship carriage ride didn't turn into a pumpkin. In fact, the Leopards went straight to video with their Cinderella II sequel and decided that the party was so much fun, why not do it again? So they did - with another Patriot League championship and another playoff appearance.

With back to back co-championships under their belt, suddenly the landscape looks a lot different for the Maroon and White. Three wins out of the past four Lehigh games, championship rings, playoffs, national rankings, solid recruiting class after solid recruiting class... One might think if you were to transport Lafayette fans such as internet favorite 'Andy' right off the street in 2000 and plopped them in the center of Fisher Field this fall, they would probably mistake Easton for Bethlehem, and would be wondering why the Mountain Hawks are in Maroon.

But behold! This really is Lafayette! Of any program in the Patriot League, the 'recent' history of Lafayette College is the most dramatic upswing to recount. In this decade the program has gone from a two win per year schedule to one with bonus games after Thanksgiving. All-Americans are on these squads. Yes, this really is Lafayette, and their beyond arriving. They're staying.

Off Season Developments

Hmmm.... off-season developments.... off-season developments... what could have possibly happened at Lafayette that might be worth talking about? Coaching staff? Nope. This staff is becoming very 'Colgate-like' in their stability and one can't help but notice that when a school is successful. (Note to self: given some of the changes in Hamilton this fall, perhaps next time around the correct phrase would be 'Lafayette-like'. Remember that.)

OH, I KNOW! How about a $23 million dollar renovated football stadium as an off-season development? Would that interest you? Well, all sarcasm aside now, it probably does, and it should. For a school that once talked about a move to Division III, the winds are certainly blowing in another direction. While not going from 'worst-to-first' with this change, Lafayette is certainly making their case known for 'first'. Time will tell if the fans in Easton can support the Leopard program to the extent that that other school west down I-78 does, but if they can't, it won't be because of the facilities. We're talking new seating, field turf, lights, a varsity house, new restrooms and vending. You get the idea. I personally can't wait to see this stadium in soon.

As previously mentioned, Tavani continues to successfully sell a great education and a top I-AA program to recruits. Look no further than the fact that over 75% of recruits that choose to visit Lafayette end up signing on the dotted line. Clearly when the time comes, student-athletes like what they see and hear.

The emphasis in this class was clearly in three areas: lineman, linebackers and defensive backs. Looking at what Lafayette graduated, this area of concern should come as no surprise. Some standouts: Michael Bolton, TE 6'5" 220 lbs. First, that poor, poor child! Go by 'Mike', please! But I have a hunch about names like this. In Johnny Cash fashion, they tend to toughen somebody up. Think of all those NFL types named Leslie, or Stacey, or Kim. I'm not about to mess with them.

Spencer Brown, LB 6'1" 215 lbs. looks to have some nice athleticism to his credit. Keith Heaney 6'3" 220 lbs. looks to be a beast of a linebacker; DeAndre' Morrow could be a speedster tailback to look out for at 5'10" and 180 lbs; Andrew Poulson has some nice size to build on as a defensive lineman and looks to be a good athlete by virtue of his wrestling skills; finally, keep an eye on Allan Whitesell DL 6'6" 220 lbs. He was a hot commodity around the league in recruiting time.

2006 Schedule

The Pards make up for their seven home games in 2005 with only five (scheduled!) contests to speak of in the new Fisher Field this fall. The real head scratcher is their opener, an away game at Sacred Heart. One has to think this trip to a 'mid-major' is connected in some fashion to the stadium construction and perhaps it was a buffer put in by the administration to account for the completion time. But, with Lafayette also opening against Marist away last year, maybe this isn't the case entirely.

The Pards then waste no time with the Patriot League schedule as they travel to Bucknell before the inaugural game in the new stadium against in-state foe Pennsylvania. Penn is the start of a four game Ivy League stretch that follows with an away game at Princeton, a home contest against Yale, and a trip to Cambridge and Harvard to end it. This is do or die time for Lafayette's at-large playoff hopes, as historically the Ivy teams have given the Leopards some of their toughest matchups in the past. Going three out of four here would be a big monkey off the program's back.

Climbing down the Ivory Tower a flight, the rest of the Patriot League schedule continues. It's Holy Cross up first and then a certainly circled date in a trip up to Hamilton to try and address the other program monkey: a win against Colgate. The season chugs on to an away game at Fordham, before some end of the year home cooking against Georgetown and arch-rival Lehigh. This will be a big one, like it is every year, but even more so. Lafayette has not one three in a row against Lehigh since the early days of the Patriot: 1989-1991.

Season Outlook

If last year's season was a test to see if the Leopards were a flash in the pan, this year's test will be to see if this is a 'reload' or a 'rebuild' type program. It would be tough to argue against the fact that the outstanding defense of Lafayette in 2005 carried this team to the finish line.

Unfortunately, some important players from that unit are gone. The linebacking unit of Maurice Bennett, Blake Costanzo and Dion Witherspoon are gone. Starting corners Larry Johnson and Tye Murphy are gone. These are not names you easily replace.

But, it's not all bad news for the fans. The defensive line will be good; real good. Marvin Snipes will be the leader of this line, and perhaps the entire defense. Pair him up with Dan Liseno, Kyle Sprenkle and Keith Bloom, and you've got a base to build on. The linebackers will be lead by an experienced senior, Justin Stovall and sophomore Andy Romans might emerge as a top linebacker in the Patriot League one day. And while the corners are gone, the safeties are not. Led by Torian Johnson, three safeties have started a combined 52 games so far. Of all the spots to really be nervous about as a Leopard fan, it's the corners. Adrian Lawson will most likely team up with Marvin Clecidor to try and keep opposing receivers in check. This will not be an easy task as the Patriot League has some serious receivers that require attention. It will most likely be up to Snipes and the defensive line to cause pressure and hurry quarterbacks to give the corners some help.

It is on offense where Lafayette really has the potential to shine. Led by two year starter Brad Maurer at quarterback, the Pards are in excellent hands. Maurer's an superb passer who is also been known to run the ball effectively. The only knock on Maurer has been his health, and unfortunately an experienced back up like Pat Davis is not waiting in the wings this year. Getting some backup quarterback experience has to be on the minds of this staff, and if the situations allow, look for Michael DiPaola to get some snaps if games are not in question.

Jonathan Hurt also returns in the backfield and opponents take heed: he may have underachieved a bit last year, but he has ever bit of a chance to lead this league in rushing, especially behind this offensive line led by Mike Saint Germain. Germain is a horse with some All-American accolades under his belt. He's got some help by another senior Ryan Nase, and all indications are that Jesse Padilla, Joe Moore and Leo Plenski will be carrying on the tradition of excellence established under offensive line coach Bob Heffner.

Maurer also gets some help from the receiver corps with the return of Archie Fischer and Joe Ort for fifth years. Fischer and Ort are reliable possession receivers that have played with Maurer for 3 years now. That familiarity can make up for a lot when a quarterback gets in trouble or needs someone to come through in a clutch. The two fifth-years are complimented by a dose of speed in sophomore Shaun Adair. Adair was picked early to have an impact on this program, and he didn't disappoint when given the chance last year. Look for his role to increase, and his name to be announced a lot.

When it's time to kick, the Pards will also enjoy some experience here as well. Both starters are back; senior Rick Ziska will handle the kicking duties and junior David Yankovich will take care of the punts. Neither led the league but they are both very reliable. Previously mentioned Adair will also be asked to fill some big shoes on returns, as Larry Johnson graduated after breaking some records in his time in Easton.

Predicted Finish

Second. And it's only by a hair. Just one linebacker returning, or maybe if Hurt had a better year in 2005 or if there was a corner returning, I think I would have penciled them in at #1. But when I think about how the defense carried this team to a championship, and how the other #1 up for consideration is Colgate, well... it's tough to pick them to win it all when a trip up to Hamilton in late October is in order. Please don't mistake this for homerism; with the streak and the success Colgate has had at home, I'd do the same even if the tables were turned around.

Lafayette will be successful on offense, there should be no doubt about it. Solid offensive line and veteran skill players virtually assure that. While they won't win shootouts, they will put points on the board and control the ball. This formula worked in 2005, so the 2006 season should be all about the following three questions:

1. How good are the upcoming linebackers?

2. Can the cornerbacks prove adequate?

3. Can the Leopard defensive line dominate opponents enough to lower or negate the importance of the first two questions?

Nothing will be turning into a pumpkin in 2006 as Lafayette should clearly win some ball games. If any of those three questions are answered positively, then Lafayette has as good a chance as anyone to win this league. If two of those three questions are answered positively, then Lafayette's heading to the playoffs. If three... well, Leopard fans can daydream from there!

Next Installment of Preview

2006-07-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

Just so people aren't wondering, the next installment of the Patriot League Preview will be up the first week in August. Yours truly will be away from a computer for the next 10 days... Woo-hoo!

Scoreboard Pictures

2006-07-19T18:23:00.000-04:00

A week late, but as promised here are some pictures I snapped of the new scoreboard when in Hamilton last weekend. I must say that I didn't find the scoreboard to be overpowering in any way. If anything, it surprised me with how much it elevated the overall look of Andy Kerr.

Standing on the visiting side, and looking at the Dunlap stands with this scoreboard in view, and you get the feeling like you're in a pretty serious football stadium. Now, we just need to take care of that visiting side...

Anyway, the pics. Enjoy!

The scoreboard in all its glory. Looks like Colgate Raider fans should be using Alliance Bank wherever possible. They are the big time advertisers on this scoreboard.

In rebuttal to some message board banter, here's the look from behind the scoreboard. The trees hide it very well, and it hardly takes away from any view of the valley.

This is from the top of the stairs leading to the Dunlap stands, right above the visitors half-time locker room.

Here are the Dunlap stands and the new scoreboard framed together. I think it anchors down that endzone pretty well and gives Andy Kerr some new 'heft' and clout!

This is from the visitors sideline. A wonderful view for opposing teams to watch replays of another Colgate touchdown!

And, in the interest of some equal opportunity, here is the new scoreboard for Van Doren field, home of the soccer teams. No video, but a nice upgrade nonetheless.

2006 Patriot League Preview: #3 Lehigh

2006-07-18T15:48:00.000-04:00

#3 Lehigh

Recent History

With an established tradition that bespeaks of excellence, Lehigh University boasts one of the finest programs in all of I-AA. Through multiple faces on the field and multiple coaching staffs on the sidelines, the Mountain Hawks have earned the respect of the Patriot League and beyond. More often than not, when a team faces off against the Brown and White, they end up going home with a loss in hand.

To give the reader a sense of just how good Lehigh has been, fans in Bethlehem haven't seen at least eight wins in a season since 1997's 4-7 year. Year in and year out, Lehigh enjoys national rankings, league title contention and, as coaches soon find out, the pressure and expectations that go along with that success. The bar is set high for the Mountain Hawks, and most years, they come through.

Off Season Developments

In the third and final coaching change of the League, this off season Lehigh reached back to an earlier era of dominance by naming the former offensive coordinator under Kevin Higgins, Andy Coen as its 28th head coach. Coen, who was Penn's offensive coordinator when the head coaching call came, replaces now Elon head coach Pete Lembo.

Lembo, despite boasting a 44-14 record while directing the Mountain Hawks, was never really completely embraced by the Brown and White faithful. Dogged by comparisons to Higgins, his predecessor, and hurt by losing three out of the past four games to archrival Lafayette, Lembo looks to have decided to try his hand at a new situation.

With Coen at the helm, some new coordinators are in place. The good news is that these coordinators aren't really new to Coen. Offensive Coordinator Trey Brown followed Coen from Penn, having coached the wide receivers. The defense has been turned over to a familiar name in the Patriot League, David Kotulski. Kotulski was most recently at Holy Cross, but also spent significant time at Bucknell in the 1990's, as well as was their interim head coach for a season.

In a somewhat unusual situation, a large number of the coaches under Lembo have remained in Bethlehem. At last count five of Lembo's coaches will still be on the sidelines this fall for the Mountain Hawks. This is a bit of a double edged sword here; one could say that the lack of turnover will be good for the program. One could also say that if the fans weren't happy with Lembo, how happy will they be with essentially half of his staff still in place?

For recruiting in a short season, it sure looks like Coen knew what he wanted to do. Having worked at Lehigh before, it's pretty apparent that 'Air Lehigh' will not be going away anytime soon when one counts six wide receivers and a tight end in a class. There is a heavy focus on the skill positions as well as on linebackers, where six players as well were snagged. With almost half the class coming in as either a linebacker or a wide receiver, the remaining spots are sprinkled across the positions.

2005 Schedule

The 2006 schedule continues what's been a fairly formulaic (and good) list of opponents. The slate opens with an NEC team, then an A-10 team, there are several Ivy opponents and then the league schedule. It doesn't get any more clear cut than that.

This year's home opener is newly 'scholarshiped' NEC foe Albany who will be looking to make a statement as they press their case for dropping the 'mid-major' label. The Mountain Hawks will then look to notch an important A-10 win against regional rival Villanova down in Philly. They then take on two of the most storied programs of all time, Harvard and Yale; Havard in the cozy confines of Goodman Stadium and Yale on the road.

The 'Harvard-Yale-Princeton' triumvirate is broken up by the start of league play against Georgetown down in D.C. before Lehigh completes the trifecta on the road.

With more than half the season under their belts, Coen and company's attention then shifts squarely to the main task at hand: the Patriot League Championship. Bucknell makes the first trip to Bethlehem, with a revenge game against Holy Cross breaking up Colgate and Fordham's trip to the Lehigh Valley. The season ends, as it always does, against the Lafayette Leopards. This one is the 142nd and it will be the first in the newly renovated Fisher Field.

Season Outlook

While some important names return this fall, some equally important ones have graduated. The undisputed heart of this offense will be junior quarterback Sedale Threatt. Threatt possesses a Randall Cunningham type athletic ability that showed from the start after he took over for injured Mark Borda. While not truly a running quarterback, he will be a one man threat to score at any time and will require plenty of attention from opposing defenses. The real key in this writer's opinion will be how strong his supporting cast is.

While not afraid to run the ball, for as long as I can remember Lehigh has been known for its passing attack. Having graduated a small army of senior receivers, the main focus now shifts to senior wide receiver Lee Thomas. Thomas averaged about 41 yards per game and scored three times for the Mountain Hawks in 2005 and is the only established receiver Threatt will be able to turn to. After him, it's wide open. It may turn out as it often has n the past that there are horses in the stable ready to run this fall. Their ability to provide Threatt with some targets will be a key aspect of this season's potential.

When deciding not to tuck it and run himself, on rushing plays Threatt will hand off to two familiar faces in seniors Greg Fay and Marques Thompson. While neither were the feature back last season, both have proven to be adequate when their number is called. There are a few players in line that are waiting for a chance to prove themselves in the Lehigh backfield, in particular a pair of transfers:Matt McGowan (Richmond) and Josh Pastore (Kent State) are both potential names that we might know by the end of the season.

Threatt's line is a mixed bag, as while returning some good experience in a trio of seniors (Jim Petruccelli, John Reese and Jason Russell), he also loses two all-league lineman that must be replaced. Apparently sophomore Kevin Bayani will most likely step into a starting role, and at 6'4" and 300 lbs., Lehigh fans should be happy to see a big boy like that impress the coaches.

The vaunted Lehigh defense will be, for the fourth time in four years, operating under a new defensive coordinator. Returning six starters on defense will certainly help Kotulski maintain the tradition of excellence for the Mountain Hawks, but there will certainly be some questions that need answering. In addition, the move to a 3-4 defense will be an interesting one to watch.

Leading this defensive unit will be fifth year senior Royce Morgan, an all-league performer on the line. The line will probably be Lehigh's strongest defensive element as Morgan is joined by experienced seniors Paul Fabre and Eric Rakus.

The news isn't so good on the linebackers, as Lehigh's two top tacklers are lost to graduation. There is some movement from line to linebacker with the new 3-4, so senior Matt Mohler will likely be the anchor of this corps. On the inside, Micah Greene seems to be the solid choice to start. After that though, it appears to be anyone's guess.

Much like the linebackers, the defensive backfield will an unknown quantity this year. Gone are the services of two all-league defensive backs this year. With the cornerback tandem of Brannan Thomas and Julian Ahye in place to defend the pass, the safety positions are where the Mountain Hawks need to get up to speed. The good news is that the likely starters, senior Julian Austin and junior Ernie Moore, saw significant action last season.

A familiar name on punt duties, sophomore Jason Leo will now be asked to add placekicking to his resume this fall. Leo, a solid punter, nailed a 45 yarder against Georgetown last season. I think Lehigh's in safe hands here.

Predicted Finish

3rd. With a program like Lehigh's, it is wise to never consider them out of the battle for first place and the coveted autobid of the Patriot League. The only thing holding back their ranking is the lack of proven offensive targets for Threatt and the unknown head coaching ability of Andy Coen. Compare that with what the teams remaining to be ranked are bringing back in players and coaches, and the slight nod goes elsewhere. That said, this could certainly be a championship season for the Mountain Hawks.

This season will be one that tests the strength of the Lehigh program. Villanova, while down, is still a formidable opponent. Of all the Ivy teams to schedule, Harvard, Yale and Princeton are probably the toughest trio. Albany will sell its soul to the devil for a win. Finally, with Colgate and Lafayette flexing their muscles and the other three Patriot teams eagerly looking for a chance to knock off a big dog with a new coach, there will be no rest for the weary here. Week in and week out, Lehigh is going to have to perform at its best in order to bring home the crown.

They can do it, but it will only happen if some unknown players on offense and defense emerge to compliment Threatt and Morgan, respectively. Place your bets folks!

2006 Patriot League Preview: #4 Fordham

2006-07-10T11:21:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in this release. Yours truly experienced some 'technical difficulties' and is now in the market for a new Mac! As promised, here's the next installment, in an almost déjà vu fashion...

#4 Fordham

Recent History

Most Fordham fans would probably like to forget 'recent' history and prefer to remember the Fordham of 'not so long ago', as the two year reign of Ed Foley came to an abrupt end last season after an uninspired 2-9 campaign followed a 5-6 debut. Foley took the program over after current Richmond Spider coach Dave Clawson brought the Rams to the upper echelon of Division I-AA and a first round playoff win in 2002. After the 2005 season, those days of 2002 seem like a long, long ways away.

These past two years have probably been very difficult for the Fordham Faithful. The successes under Clawson brought one of college football's most historic programs back to the top so to speak after a long period of making the difficult transition from a discontinued program, to Division III and then finally to the highest level of playoff football in the land, I-AA. With the transition to a new staff this winter, Ram spirits are once again running high for a return to their place among the pantheon of college football.

Off Season Developments

Out with Foley, in with Masella; Tom Masella that is. Masella is a long time coaching veteran whose most recent spot was as head coach of Central Connecticut State of the NEC. That's right, he's the coach of CCSU who made headlines last September with one of the biggest upsets in recent I-AA history when his Blue Devils took down Colgate in Hamilton on a last second field goal. His resume also includes defensive coordinator credits at multiple playoff schools such as UMass and Boston University (yes youngsters, they once had I-AA football) as well as a head coaching stint at BU that was undermined by the elimination of the program. Ladies and gentleman of the Patriot League, take notice. Fordham's got themselves a gem here.

Masella has surrounded himself with a familiar staff as well, as pretty much the entire CCSU staff has moved over to Rose Hill. The staff is headlined by former Colgate coach and standout player Ed Argast as Offensive Coordinator. Argast held this position under Masella at CCSU as well. His defensive coordinator counterpart is Frank Forcucci, who has also been with Masella at both CCSU and UMass. So basically, if in two years CCSU can become a team that can beat Colgate with a 'mid-major' football budget, it should be exciting to watch what he can do with the resources and the name of Fordham University.

In almost as equally important news for the upcoming season, Masella was given probably the biggest gift he could ask for: three impact seniors were granted 5th year's of eligibility. League standouts James Prydatko at running back, Marcus Taylor at linebacker and Jay Edwards on the defensive line will all get a chance to end their college careers on a higher note.

Masella's first recruiting class includes: sure to be sentimental favorite Tommy Martin at defensive back, who claims 4.5 40 yard speed; potential quarterback of the future John Skelton; Skelton will have some talented beef on the line to work behind too, as Tom Porto, Amen Igbinosun and Robby Reis all weigh in over three bills and stand north of 6'2" and all have considerable post season accolades to their credit. They are also joined on the line by one of the better names in I-AA recruting this year, Frank "Get Me Brett Weir I Said" Rizzo.The linebacking duo of James Crockett and Asil Mulbah looks to have a lot of potential as well.

2006 Schedule

The schedule this fall is clearly one built to hopefully get this new team some confidence back. Gone from the schedule are any A-10 teams or Ivy teams not named Columbia. Consequently, anything less than a winning season will probably not go over well in the Bronx.

Fordham starts the year with some familiar faces for the coaching staff: Monmouth at home and Albany up the Thruway are both teams from the NEC conference that Masella and company just left. This game is then followed by cross-city Ivy rival Columbia and then a week off to prepare for the first Patriot League contest of the year, Holy Cross in Worcester.

This is followed by a solid homestand consisting of Duquesne, Marist for Homecoming and Colgate for Family Weekend. The remaining league slate closes out with a home and away alternation: Bucknell on the road, Lafayette at home, Lehigh on the road, Georgetown at home. That middle is a tough lump to swallow.

With the NEC awarding scholarships now, perhaps some of the 'mid-major' stigma will go away; but for now, with four out of five out of conference games coming up against so called mid-majors and the other one coming against perennial Ivy doormat Columbia, Fordham will not get any points for strength of schedule.

Season Outlook

Despite a 2-9 record last year, there should be plenty to be optimistic about for the Rams, starting with the offense. James Prydatko proved himself as one of the best running backs in the Patriot League last year and he gets another chance to do it again this fall. Under Masella, I expect the number 23 to be called often; there is no doubt in my mind we should see another 1,000+ yard season for the hard nosed kid from Mt. Sinai.

Derric Daniels returns at the quarterback helm to redeem a 2005 season that can only be described as disappointing. After setting records as sophomore, his junior year production plummeted completing only six touchdowns compared to 2004's 23. If Daniels can rebound, just keep this thought in the back of your mind: he's
got a fifth year of eligibility if he wants it.

Daniels does enjoy the return of his leading receiver, Mike Melvin. While far from the production of some of the receivers under Clawson, Melvin and Sylvester Clarke do offer Daniels two competent targets to keep opposing defenses honest and not keying totally on Prydatko.

These skill players will test their might behind a line that supposedly returns three starters, Ricky Bencivenni, Mike Breznicky and Justin Sarabeaz. I say supposedly, because Breznicky is not appearing on the current roster despite mention in the spring prospectus. Something is amiss here.

Like Prydatko on offense, Marcus Taylor on defense will be the anchor on which this team will need to rest on. Taylor is a very talented linebacker that in the game I saw first hand played with plenty of heart and never quit despite being down 23 points with little time left to play in a what was at that point a winless season. I can only imagine what success he might have if put into a different situation.

In even better news, Taylor will be joined by returning starters Josh Jenrette, Louis Woodland and Ryan Kleve. Woodland filled in for Kleve after he went down with an injury, so there is plenty of depth coming back for this crew - although Woodland is absent from the roster on line as well...

The defensive line gets a huge boost by the return of All-Patriot League second teamer Jay Edwards. Edwards could really have a breakout year this fall. Linemate Eduardo Boza is back as well to give this line even more experience.

The defensive backfield though, will be rebuilding as free safety Carl Garritano is the lone returnee for the Rams. Of those fighting for playing time, cornerback Bruce Lee (another great name for I-AA) looks to be the surest bet as he saw plenty of time last season.

Special teams for the Rams will enjoy the return of probably the best placekicker in the league, Micah Clukey. Clukey was perfect on point after attempts and banged home almost 64% of his field goals. His foot could be the difference between a season that is and a season that almost was. The punting duties will be up the air as another league standout, Anthony DiFino, has graduated.

Predicted Finish

Fourth. Fordham is rebuilding without a doubt, but boy do they ever have some things going for them. If this doesn't sound like a recipe for a turn around, I don't know what is:

A solid and proven head coach taking over with a staff he's been with before

One of the hardest working running backs in the league (who also ran for more than 1,000 yards)

Probably the preseason best linebacker in the league (maybe one of the better ones in the country)

A quarterback who showed promise before and may just need a kick in the pants

Returning starters on both lines and sprinkled elsewhere

A clutch placekicker

Finally, a bit of a padded schedule to get the team and the staff on the same page before the bulk of the league games start

Frankly, Fordham is the dark horse team of the Patriot League this year. Their situation is not nearly as dire as you might think a team coming off two wins would be. I think this season comes down to how quickly Masella can take control of the program and get the results he's looking for. Based on his quick turn around of CCSU, he could do that sooner rather than later.

Fordham's got experience, talent, a favorable schedule and a new attitude. While it remains to be seen just how high they can go this year, don't be surprised if they win a big game or two. A bounce here or there and this team could be right in the thick of the title hunt come November; however until they can beat any of the next three teams to be ranked, they're still on the outside looking in. For now.

Andy Remains a Duck

2006-07-06T09:40:00.000-04:00

Looks like Andy McDonald will be the newest person in the Development office crosshairs, as he just signed a three year deal with Anaheim worth (hold your breath hockey fans) $9.9 million. Called "one of their top offensive players", McDonald continues to make Colgate proud. So, take note all of you Colgate hockey recruits: you can make it big in the NHL by coming to Colgate. The bonus deal is you also get a great education. The double bonus is now, it can also be for free!

2006 Patriot League Preview: #5 Georgetown

2006-06-27T13:31:00.000-04:00

A couple of days late, but here is the next installment....

#5 Georgetown

Recent History

The venture into the Patriot League as an associate football member has not been a great success so far for the Georgetown Hoyas as they have yet to see a winning record since joining, either overall or within the league. While they did manage to finish fifth in the League last year by virtue of wins over Bucknell and Fordham, against the top four teams in the League Georgetown was outscored by an average of 35-9. In many ways, the gap that was there in 2001 still exists today.

To be fair, it should be noted though that in reality Georgetown is fighting an uphill battle to be competitive. While they did join the Patriot League several years ago, their football budget apparently didn't get that memo and hasn't left the MAAC conference from which it came. In simplistic terms, it appears Georgetown is spending 10-15% of what the rest of the league is spending on their football programs. More than any other league member, the Hoyas have to rely on their brand name status and attractive location to lure players to their school and hope for some diamonds in the rough to compliment the players that they do spend their money on.

Off-Season Developments

Despite the funding inequities, apparently the sub-par on the field performance was too much for new Athletic Director Bernard Muir as long time coach Bob Benson was let go (technically resigned, but come on now), even after signing a five year contract extension in 2004. With Muir apparently willing to buy out 4 years of a contract that probably cost close to if not more than the amount spent on the entire program, maybe the wind is starting to change directions in D.C.

Another sign of possible change on the horizon was the hiring of Kevin Kelly as the new head coach. Kelly comes from Navy, as well as having spent significant time at Marshall. He's also had stints at Dartmouth, Tulane, Bowdoin and Syracuse among other stops. This will be his first time at the reigns of a program and it looks like his specialty is on the defensive side of the ball.

Kelly kept one member of the prior staff in place, with former Hoya and long time coach Rob Sgarlata taking the role of Assistant Head Coach. However the remaining staff is all new, hailing from institutions like Harvard, Dartmouth, Columbia and Syracuse. While the change might be welcome and positive, these players have seen plenty of new faces in and out of their program over the past few years. That is generally never good.

The Multi-Sport Facility (MSF) has got a field on it now, with the remaining work holding out on the funds needed to complete it. This is a great step in the right direction for the Hoyas.

Available information on Georgetown's recruits is fairly thin. Two fairly solid names that I've heard of are: James Cherundolo, a 6'4" 265 lbs. offensive lineman from outside Syracuse. There was I-A interest in him at some point, but I have no idea how it ultimately played out. Dave Chillura, a defensive back from Delbarton in N.J. also rises to the top. He appears to have chosen the Hoyas over the Ivy League (good choice Dave!). Finally, Joey Tavarez is a linebacker out of Mater Dei in California. Based on what I can scrounge online, he might be one to remember for the future.

2006 Schedule

New coach Kelly has no time to waste this season as he welcomes league foe Holy Cross to the MSF for the first time to kickoff the season. After being embarrassed by the Crusaders last year, I will venture that the Hoyas will be plenty pumped to make a statement against a potentially rebuilding Sader squad. They follow up this contest by welcoming newly declared I-AA independent and scholarship squad Stony Brook to town. I'm sure plenty of eyes will be watching to see if the scholarships have an immediate impact against a team that Stony Brook lost to last year.

The Hoyas then hit the road for the final three Saturdays in September, heading north to Brown and Columbia before picking up another league contest against Colgate and the start of a key group of Patriot League games. After that trip to Hamilton, Lehigh comes to town followed by Bucknell. Colgate and Lehigh back to back will not be easy.

Georgetown gets a bit of a 'breather' with an away game at Charleston Southern of the Big South and then by welcoming Marist for Senior Day in D.C. They then close out the season and the rest of the league games on the road against Lafayette and Fordham.

This schedule is very doable for Georgetown. Six wins and, dare I even say it, seven wins are definitely in play. Based on last year alone, Stony Brook, Columbia, Bucknell, Charleston Southern, Marist and Fordham are all potential 'W's' for the Hoyas, at least in the preseason.

Season Outlook

There was plenty of potential last fall that just didn't pan out, and this year has some of that same feeling: A somewhat favorable schedule, thirteen starters returning, and their best league finish ever last year. Throw in a new coach and it could be just what the Hoyas need to break above .500 both in the league and for the season. If I was a Georgetown fan, I'd be pretty excited for this fall as things could go pretty right this time around. To break through that .500 barrier, Georgetown will have to maintain the respectable defense that Benson developed and (this is a bit deja vu), find an offense.

On the defensive side, the name you will hear most often will be senior Alex Buzbee. Buzbee was the other defensive line anchor to Mr. Everthing Ononibaku, who was lost to graduation. Buzbee will need the help of classmates Roosevelt Donat, Julius Griauzde and Shaun Johnson to hold down on the line and probably Nicholas Umar as well. This line will be fairly formidable in league play. In addtion to senior Chris Paulus, there will likely be some new young faces at the linebacker position who will be asked to get up to speed quite quickly if there is to be any success on the Hilltop. The two players with the inside track for the task at hand will likely be Mike Greene, a junior, and Robert Helt, a sophomore. The youth at the linebacker position will be assisted by a more veteran secondary led by Derek Franks. Franks will be starting in the defensive backfield for the third straight season.

For the offense, the good news is there is actually some solid experience coming back on the line, with 6'7" co-captain Liam Grubb leading the way. Grubb has 2 starting years under his belt and will be joined by others with experience like Robert Browning, Andrew Rehwinkel and Dan Osterhout. The real question will be: who can produce behind this line?

There is some experience coming back in running back Emir Davis and quarterback Nick Cangelosi. Davis rushed for a little over 200 yards last season and scored a touchdown. Cangelosi rushed for a little over 300 yards in his quarterback position and threw for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. Given last year's production, the jury is definitely out on whether this pair can provide the offensive spark needed for the Hoyas to overcome that hump. If the Hoyas do decide to air it out more this year, Cangelosi will enjoy 4 of his top 5 receivers from last year returning; but honestly, having run the option who knows what talent might be there? If I were to place any bets, it looks like junior Kyle Van Fleet might be the deep option for the Hoyas that opposing teams will have to keep in mind. Sophomore Brent Tomlinson might also make some noise at the reciever position.

Predicted Finish

Fifth. This prediction is partially a nod to Georgetown's potential, and partially an honest assessment of the bottom of the Patriot League. Georgetown, often the cellar dweller, did finish fifth last year. And they return a heck of a defensive line with a fairly good defense that looks worse that it was because of an anemic offense. The offensive line is stable so in my humble opinion this season really rests on the ability of the offensive skill players. Hoya fans will have to hope that new offensive coordinator Jim Miceli will be the right guy for the job. Miceli has an interesting background in starting and turning programs around; maybe Georgetown will be the latest he can add to his list of accomplishments.

As I gaze into my crystal football, here's how I see 2006 playing out: Big win to start the season over Holy Cross, who finds out that life after Silva is pretty tough. The Hoyas go 2-0 with a win over Stony Brook before falling to Brown. Columbia could be tougher than anticipated, but it's still Columbia. I'll be optimistic and say they can go 3-1 here before coming back down to reality against Colgate and Lehigh. Evened up at 3-3, I think Georgetown wins at least 2 out of their next three against Bucknell, Chuck South and Marist before dropping the final two games against Lafayette and Fordham.

When it is all said and done the Hoyas sit at 5-6 and in fifth place, but like I said earlier, it's not so far fetched to imagine that they could also achieve even more. I would almost go so far as to say Georgetown is the Patriot League sleeper team this year, but that honor goes to a team yet to be analyzed...

Welcome to the Family

2006-06-21T19:50:00.000-04:00

Looks like the men's soccer team has landed a recruit with a bit of a Colgate pedigree: Alex Weekes. Weekes is a 5'11" 160 pound Strousburg, PA native who chose Colgate over Lehigh. Welcome aboard Alex! You won't regret your decision.

Softball's New Slinger

2006-06-15T08:48:00.000-04:00

Amanda Eccleston appears to be one serious pitching recruit for Coach Sax. The Sacramento area senior appears in this newspaper piece about her three time Player of the Year award.

The highlights: she's a pitcher with a 20-1 record, 147 strikeouts in 146 1/3 innings pitched and she's got a 0.77 ERA. She's also a potent hitter, leading her team with a .389 batting average, 35 hits, 28 RBI's and a .455 on-base percentage.

She seems to be a tad nervous about the cross-country move to college. Don't worry Amanda, I'm sure you'll love Colgate! Good luck in college!

2006 Patriot League Preview: #6 Holy Cross

2006-06-14T12:02:00.000-04:00

Next on the list for your reading pleasure:

#6 Holy Cross

Recent History

In a similar theme as Bucknell's preview, what a difference a year makes for the College of the Holy Cross. Last year's 6-5 record marked head coach Tom Gilmore's first winning season (his second overall), Holy Cross's first winning season since 2000's 7-4 effort and just their second winning record since the end of the glory years in 1992. Plain and simple, that is good news for the Crusaders. Throw in a win against at the time nationally ranked conference mate Lehigh and it's great news! The boys from Worcester might be heading in a new direction with this program.

Given the lack of consistent winning over the past 15 years, there will be a lot riding on this season. Another winning record and it might be safe to say that Holy Cross has turned a corner under Gilmore. Back to a losing record and maybe not a lot has changed. Only time will tell.

Off-Season Developments

For the third season in a row, the Holy Cross players will have some new coaches to get used to, starting close to the top. Both coordinators are gone for the Crusaders as former offensive coordinator Bob Griffin retired and former defensive coordinator David Kotulski has gone on to coach for his third Patriot League school, this time as the defensive coordinator at Lehigh.

Gilmore must be happy with the crew that he had last year though, because both positions have been filled with internal promotions. Chris Pincince takes over the reigns as offensive coordinator from his wide receivers coach position and Richard Rodgers gets the promotion to defensive coordinator from secondary coach. Finally, three new coaches round out the ranks taking over the duties for tight ends, running backs and defensive ends. The consistency within the program helps at the coordinator positions, but Holy Cross fans might want to take note of all of the turnover that seems to be happening each year. Lack of stability here could be a problem down the road.

Gilmore added 31 new players to the 2006 roster, apparently focusing on gaining some defensive depth, particularly at linebacker and in the secondary. In addition to the usual Catholic school flavor to the recruits, Holy Cross appears to have made some solid gains in Ohio Valley/Mid-West area by evidence of 11 players coming from Ohio, Michigan and Illinois. Some highlights: Mike Argillander, an all-state quarterback from Michigan who looks to be 6'3" and 225 lbs. and threw for 4,800 yards and 55 touchdowns in his career; Anthony Campbell, an All-Ohio linebacker; Aaron Jones, a beefy 6'4" 305 lbs. lineman with honors out of Ohio; and Randy Wright, a do-everything linebacker who did a post-graduate year at Hotchkiss.

If some of those boys from Ohio and Michigan pan out, this could be a very respectable class for Holy Cross - full of some 'grunt-type' talent.

2006 Schedule

Holy Cross's schedule this year is a fairly balanced one that has a nice New England flavor to its out of conference section- certainly good news for traveling fans and for home attendance. The Crusaders kick off Patriot League play right away down in D.C. against the Hoyas of Georgetown. This game could have large implications down the stretch in determining which of the 'second-tier' teams in the Patriot rise to the top. A win here is fairly important to the Saders.

Next weekend sees Fitton Field spring to life with some neighbors down in Boston, Northeastern of the A-10, making the guest appearance. This could be a winnable Patriot/A-10 contest for Holy Cross. Then, keeping the out of conference matchups in state, a trip to Cambridge and the Crimson of Harvard is in order. This is perhaps a more difficult Patriot/Ivy contest for the Crusaders. The bus will then be packed for one more road trip down to Marist for a night game and hopefully the continued Patriot League dominance over this MAAC program.

A short homestand ensues the follow weekend against league foe Fordham and then defending Ivy League champ Brown. One more Ivy team is left on the schedule with next week's trip to Dartmouth.

At this point the remaining bulk of the Patriot League schedule comes into play, as Holy Cross tries to knock off Lafayette in Easton having lost four straight to the Leopards. Then, the Crusaders will welcome a Lehigh club looking to get back on top after last season's upset loss in Bethlehem. This game is followed by senior day at Fitton when the Bucknell Bison roll into town.

Much to dismay of the Holy Cross faithful, the season ends most likely on a cold, blustery mid-November day in central New York where the boys in purple will try to break a five game losing streak to Colgate.

Season Outlook

By now I'm sure some Holy Cross fans are looking for an explanation of why I'm picking the Crusaders to finish in the same position as last year, sixth, when such important strides were made last season. Well, it comes down to two important factors that cannot be overlooked when trying to assess preseason potential:

1 - there was a huge vacuum created with the graduation of last year's seniors on offense
2 - the returning defense that Holy Cross does enjoy ranked dead last in more than one category, particularly in total defense

On offense, the vacuum that exists is two-fold. First, in sheer numbers eight of eleven starters graduate. There will be plenty of new faces trying to score points for the Crusaders. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, in raw talent alone Holy Cross will have to try to find a way to put up points without the benefit of Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Steve Silva. Silva, who averaged 91 yards per game rushing, scored 15 touchdowns, caught a little over five passes a game and averaged over 213 all purpose yards per game was the legs that Holy Cross won games on. You just don't recover from that easily.

In addition to the loss of Silva, three year starting quarterback John O'Neil, who threw for over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, and his three top targets, wide receivers Bob Turkovich, Sean Gruber and tight end Luke Dugan, are all gone as well. In fact, Holy Cross only returns to the roster three rushing touchdowns at the hands of rising sophomores Terrance Gass and Mike Kielt and one receiving touchdown by a receiver, credited to Thomas Harrison. Those three players, along with Frank Herlihy at fullback and probably Brian McSharry at quarterback, are the talent that Crusader fans have to rest their hopes on.

While the offensive line does fair a bit better being able to be built around a pair of returning guards in Andrew Schoepfer and Eric Gendron and a returning left tackle Hall McMillan, there are some serious questions in Worcester about offensive production next season. Without some unknown talent there waiting to step up, it could be a long season for first year coordinator Pincince. Maybe he has better answers, but I just don't know who is going to score some points for the Saders.

On the other side of the ball, the opposite is true: eight starters return for Holy Cross, with the three losses occurring at each level of play. New coordinator Rodgers will be looking for a new defensive end, linebacker and cornerback to take the field on Saturdays this fall. Generally, this is good news for a program as last year when I wrote this preview the key questions for the Crusaders were on defense. Unfortunately though, the answers to those questions weren't so great. As a team, Holy Cross was horrible defending the rush, giving up over 200 yards on the ground per game. They were middle of the pack on passing defense, giving up almost 200 yards per game. Put them both together, and the Crusaders gave up just about a hundred more yards per game as league co-champs Colgate and Lafayette did. Without the offensive production of Silva and O'Neil last year, Holy Cross could have easily joined Fordham and Bucknell at the bottom of the league standings.

So for this campaign, if there is to be any success for the team it will be up to linebackers Dan Adams and Chris Nielsen, along with defensive end John Markus Pinard and cornerback Casey Gough to completely change the tone for the defense. This core of players has multiple years of experience and will have played together for many games. It is up to them to establish a defense that I'm sure Gilmore, a defensive guy at heart, is dying to get for himself. As mentioned earlier though, the constant change in defensive leadership doesn't help the situation.

The news is split on special teams, as the previously mentioned Silva was one of the biggest return threats in I-AA. His loss will be noticed. Maybe Casey Gough can pick up where Silva left off. The odds are not in favor though as not many people can. The good news is: all the kickers are back.

Predicted Finish

Sixth. Last year's fourth place finish was quite a surprise, but then again, the bottom of the Patriot League was nothing to write home about last season. In particular, last year's late season loss to Fordham was telling, as Silva and two other important starters were out of the game with injuries. Take away O'Neil at quarterback, and that game might not be a four point contest. Unfortunately for Holy Cross, the 2006 season basically repeats the Fordham game scenario. I don't know if the offensive replacements will be able to duplicate the efforts of those graduating seniors.

The opening Georgetown game will be important (for both squads, but more on Georgetown in a future week), as a win puts off for four weeks the next Patriot League contest against against a Fordham squad that struggled last year. If Holy cross has a win to open the season, followed by back to back losses to Northeastern and Harvard, and then a hopeful 'gimmie' against Marist - they stand at 2-2 and 1-0 in the league facing Fordham.

If they can pull that out they have two more games before they run the gauntlet of Lafayette, Lehigh and Colgate - with Bucknell thrown in the middle for fun. If they can get to Lafayette at 2-0 in the league, then my prediction of sixth will be wrong. Wrong or right, for Holy Cross to have any shot at these last four games there will be a need for at least several games of experience for this new offense.

Holy Cross fans lucked out a bit with the senior class that graduated last year, as without them they would have probably still been 'rebuilding' in a losing season under Gilmore. Next year's juniors are his first class and it still remains to be seen if the talent he has recruited is up to the task of continuing to restore the glory that once was. It is this writer's opinion that another winning season would be a huge step in that direction, because in the preseason, the tea leaves don't look so hot that they can repeat the success of 2005.

2006 Patriot League Preview: #7 Bucknell

2006-06-09T15:26:00.000-04:00

First on the chopping block for 2006 is:

#7 Bucknell

Recent History

What a difference a year makes. The beginning of 2005 felt like the Bison might be on the verge of challenging for the Patriot League title and maybe even making their first trip to the NCAAs. However instead of looking for ways to scratch their way to the very top in 2006, Bucknell now finds itself trying to turn around what ended up being a horrific 1-10 campaign.

Decimated by injuries and limited by their depth at quarterback in an spread option offense that relies heavily on that position, last season was one that couldn't end quick enough.

The 2006 season is head coach Tim Landis' fourth and because of the poor season his overall record at the helm of the Bison has sunk to 14-20. Before 2005 there were plenty of games that showed glimmers of potential for Bucknell teams with some close losses to quality programs. But to illustrate just how far down the Bison fell last year, they averaged only 14 points per game and gave up 32. I believe you could only categorize four games as being close last season, and from my personal experience in one of them against Colgate, the outcome wasn't really in doubt for long.

So while in last year's preseason Bucknell appeared to be just one step away from being able to make a championship run, this year they have to be seen as the doormat. How long they will stay there is up for debate. Landis is a good coach who may just have run into some bad luck but we may be witnessing the beginning of a long slide in Lewisburg.

Off Season Developments

The biggest change for Bucknell is the departure of Tim Camp as offensive coordinator. Ashley Ingram comes from Rhode Island, another option school, to hopefully bring some pointmaking ability back to Lewisburg. He does have experience winning some games though, having spent his playing days winning three national championships at the Division II level at North Alabama. That background helps immensely in this writer's opinion. Rounding out the staff changes is Pat Kingman coaching the defensive line (Jim Reid's tenure at Bucknell was a short one) and Steve Vashel tutoring the safeties.

The Class of 2010 brings in 33 eager young bucks to don the Orange and Blue, and if for some crazy reason the coaching staff was actually reading this blog, they appear to have reacted to my comment last year about the number of local players on their incoming roster. This year sees a significant drop in the number of Pennsylvania recruits coming in and appears much more national in nature. Players from Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama and North Carolina join kids from expected states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts. It will be interesting to see how some of these players pan out in the future to see if old 13 was on to something or not with my hunch!

Some standouts for me include: Andrew Bottone, a highly decorated offensive lineman out of New Jersey; Rashod Bumpers, a running back who put up some pretty impressive numbers down in Alabama; Brigham Farrand, a solid defensive back also from New Jersey; and quarterback transfer from Navy Andrew Lair of Louisiana, whose father and brother played for LSU.

2006 Schedule

Bucknell continues to have a fairly respectable schedule that mimics last year's in many ways but does give the Bison one advantage that may come in handy: they start off with three game homestand. By game three, I do believe we'll have a good idea of what to expect in Lewisburg.

The homestand starts with perennial Patriot League non-conference opponent Duquesne. The Dukes are no mid-major pushover and probably even deserve to be the favorite in this one. Then comes along two time defending Patriot League champs Lafayette to town. The Pards have plenty of talent but will be doing some adjusting of their own, so if there was ever a time for Bucknell to play them, it could be now. They end the homestand with the Big Red of Cornell, who should be able to contend for the Ivy title this year. Folks, this stretch will not be easy, but it helps that it is in Lewisburg.

It doesn't get any easier when Bucknell hits the road either, as they take a trip down south to visit the Spiders of Richmond. Ouch. They then head on over to a surprising away game at Marist - the sole win of their season last year. Maybe then the Bison will be able to take a breather. They will need it to once they get home as they will welcome an always tough Penn squad to town for Homecoming.

At this point it is time to get the rest of the league schedule done and Bucknell starts against the team where it probably all started to go wrong last year: Georgetown. Depending on how the Bison have fared, an unwelcome trip to Lehigh follows. The Bison haven't beat Lehigh since 1997, and for the past four years the games haven't been close.

Fordham comes to Lewisburg for Parents' Weekend before it's off to Holy Cross and then back to Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium to host the Raiders of Colgate. Depending on how the season has gone up until now, these games could be very important to the outcome of the league, or they could be footnotes to another long season.

Season Outlook

Well, the one good thing about a season like 2005 is a lot of players get a lot of playing time. First and foremost, for any Bison success to occur on the gridiron this fall, they must find themselves a quarterback. Running the spread option like they do, without a quarterback to lead the offense it will be dead in the water. The job is still in many ways up for grabs. Bucknell's QB troubles began when Terrance "That's Right,Not Daris" Wilson went down in the opener. Consequently, we never got a chance to see just what this Wilson was capable of. So while he's still in the mix, you can also add newcomer Andrew Lair to the recipe. Lair is a transfer from Navy (remember - they run this offense too) and supposedly has impressed during spring camp. Rounding out the QB competition is Ryan Ahern and Ben Bouffard, but one has to imagine this is a two horse race between Wilson and Lair. If either are any good, Bucknell just might be in business again.

The main threat after whatever quarterback emerges will be returning fullback Josh DeStefano. DeStefano was third on the team in rushing last year with 297 yards. Apparently a former linebacker named Kevin Mullen is challenging DeStefano for playing time at the fullback position, but I have to believe this position is DeStefano's to lose. The slotback positions will be held by a pair of support players last year, Kadero Watson and Peter Kaufman. Watson was a freshman last year and ended up gaining 299 yards for the season. He could be the biggest unknown of this group so watch for him.

For a team that runs the option like Bucknell does, wide receivers are often just glorified down field blockers, and the Bison are no exception. Case in point: Bucknell does return its leading receiver in Daniel Zvara, however he led the team with 15 catches and 292 yards for the entire season! That's 2-3 games for some of the Patriot League's best! Needless to say, the Bison will not be winning any games in the air next year.

On a bright note though, a good portion of the offensive line does return for the Bison, along with backups who have seen time. The trio of Chad Glasser, Stefan Niemczyk and Jonathan Grainger will have to take the lead in turning the offensive production around. Joel Hoffer, who also started a few games last year, is back as well. Michael Anthony looks to be the final piece to the puzzle. This line does have potential so all is not lost here.

On the other side of the ball, the orange and blue faithful can also say goodbye to one of the league's better defensive lines. Four very influential seniors are lost to graduation and they will not be easy to replace. Junior Ryan Walsh looks to be the only player with significant playing time last year. After that, it's a laundry list of who might emerge where: Brandon Friday (who saw some time last year), Stephen Edwards, Kurt Schneider, Craig Kostelic and Michael Hardman could all end up seeing time on the field this fall. If some of those players can keep the defensive line play at the level of the past two years, again, Bucknell could be in business.

The linebacking corps does boast a pretty good player in Dorian Petersen to lead this defense in 2006. Petersen is an athletic talent that could take a step up to the next level in the Patriot League and become a force. He's fast, with good hands and good instincts, evidenced by virtue of ranking second on the team in tackles, grabbing three interceptions and having a very good day
against eventual league champ Colgate. It will be up to his support staff of Matt Palermo and probably Julius Hopson to help him raise his game.

In somewhat good news, both corners due return for another season, but one can't overlook that 32 points per game that the Bison gave up. As an example, this secondary gave up 240 yards in the air to Marist - and 358 to Lafayette! They return a safety was well in Stephen Collage, but I'm not too high on this group of returnees in general. I think teams might be able to put up points in large chunks against this secondary, especially with an inexperienced defensive line being asked to provide the rush.

Special teams seems to be pretty solid on the kicking side of things, but Bucknell will surely have its hands full trying to find someone to replace Mr. Everything Dante Ross at the return position. While Ross went on to eventually be the signal caller for the Bison, he first made his name in the league as a huge return threat. It will be up to two players who've seen time, Zvara and Nolan Applegate, to provide the spark that will surely be needed in this dimension of the game.

Predicted Finish

Seventh. While you might say there is no where to go but up for Bucknell, their hopes for any upward movement fully reside in finding a quarterback and establishing another good defensive line. I'm sure the off season work and spring ball have been intense for this group of players; many of whom will remember their freshman or sophomore years when they were a team with much more swagger than they had in 2006. The question is, is that enough? Did Bucknell really just get into a nosedive with injuries and bad luck or are there bigger issues at play?

As mentioned earlier, I don't think the schedule helps much. While the Bison open at home, Duquesne is always hungry to knock off a Patriot League opponent, and they've done it several times in the past. There will be a lot of pressure on whomever is taking those snaps to get Bucknell that first win. Without it, I don't believe there is much of a chance for them to knock of Lafayette next week and Cornell the week after. It really has to get to the middle of the schedule before one starts to think Bucknell has a good chance to win games, but they are also interspersed with potential blowouts from teams like Lehigh. I said it last year, but it will really take a good start to get this team headed in the right direction. They didn't get it last year, and it was all downhill from there. If Duquesne was on schedule last season instead of Marist, it could have been an Ed Sweeney-esque 0-11 year.

Ultimately, I think Bucknell will get on track next year - eventually. However I think it will be too little, too late. At best, I think fans in Lewisburg better prepare themselves for a true 'rebuilding' season. A season to get a quarterback some quality time; a season to find some defensive stars and a season to restore the confidence that may have been lost in 2005. Some wins here and there are not far fetched. At worst though, fans can prepare to have a lot of room to stretch out on those stadium stands.

Now, of course I could be wrong about the fate of the Bison as my #7 last year, Georgetown, didn't finish last when it was all said and done. But, they did finish tied for 6th. 2006 won't be easy, Bucknell. It won't be easy.

#6 coming sometime next week!

New Blog Link

2006-06-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

I've just linked up with a writer from way down south - Louisiana. Nick Deriso has a blog that covers Grambling State. Here's the direct link (that is now also listed on the right hand side of this blog):

http://www.thenewsstar.com/news/blogs/blog3/index.html

I encourage all of my readers to stroll on over to other areas of the I-AA country. The SWAC is a conference that Colgate has never faced, but if you learn a little about them they have a great brand of football taking place down there in an atmosphere that is second to none in I-AA.

Yours truly is still hard at work on his Patriot League preview. I still intend on having #7 out by the end of this week.

2006 Patriot League Preview Coming Soon!

2006-06-02T15:48:00.000-04:00

I have just started work on my preview, so look for my #7 Pick sometime next week.

New Yardstick Up

2006-05-21T17:43:00.000-04:00

While the majority are concerned about NEC scholarships and think it is time to get them in the Patriot League, it is a fairly wide distribution of opinion on the recent poll. Here's the final breakdown out of 67 votes:

39% are very concerned

16% are somewhat concerned

27% are not really concerned

10% are not concerned at all

We'll get to see how it plays out over the years I guess. Monmouth this year and Albany in 2007 will give us a glimpse of what kind of talent the NEC can attract with scholarships.

The new poll is related to my most recent AGS post. I'm fairly high on Colgate this year in terms of Patriot League play and think they deserve some top 25 consideration. What's the rest of the 13 Yard Line readership think? Time to vote!

Yes, It's Time: 2006 Preseason AGS Top 25

2006-05-20T23:59:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe that it is here already, but it is. This weekend marks the preseason voting for Any Given Saturday's Top 25 I-AA poll, of which yours truly is a charter voting member of. Here's what I've cooked up for this fall's first crystal ball:

1. New Hampshire

Ball and Santos are back. This team is extremely good and could have won it all last year. They're about as good as it gets in I-AA.

2. Montana

Besides being a I-AA program of unrivaled consistency, they bring back a ton, including Lex Hillard. With a potential great record and favourable seeding, the Griz could walk deep into the playoffs this year.

3. Appalachian St

The defending champs lost Richie Williams, but not much else. There is a school of thought that places the last year's champ as the preseason #1, but I didn't go to it. Players graduate, and repeating as champs is next to impossible.

4. Northern Iowa

The runners up are equally stacked in their desire to return to Chatty. The Gateway will perhaps be the strongest conference this year, so it won't be easy. They've got a serious homefield advantage to help them out. Especially with #5 breathing down their neck!

5. Youngstown St

They may have peaked early last year but they may also be far from peaking! I imagine there has been some serious motivation this off season after being left out of the playoffs.

6. Hofstra

My 'sleeper' for 2006. Every year the A-10 spits out some unsuspecting team to make a serious run for the title. Richmond last year, JMU two years before that. A new coach takes over, but there's a lot of talent there and a favourable schedule that avoids some of the traditionally tougher A-10 South teams.

7. James Madison

A couple of bounces here and there and JMU was in the playoffs instead of out. I think the bounces go their way this year.

8. Furman

The Paladins have to replace an NFL quality quarterback, but historically they are a top I-AA team and this year should be no different.

9. Cal Poly

Boy can they play some football out west! The Mustangs have been proving it on the field and I think they only get better from here on out.

10. North Dakota St

Right on their tails are those big farm boys from North Dakota. If only they were playoff eligible.... Big game against Georgia Southern in Georgia.

11. Northwestern St

The first of three Southland teams practically right on top of one another, Northwestern State dissappointed me last year as I thought they could win the whole thing. They are still very talented and the Southland is up for grabs... so why not? But I could easily interchange any of the three here.

12. Nicholls St

Strong 2005 playoff performance from a solid program. All of these Southland teams will benefit from a hurricane free start to their programs. Fingers crossed guys!

13. Massachusetts

Colgate's home opener will not be easy in the slightest. A solid program that stumbled near the end of last season, they should start out strong again.

14. McNeese St

The Pokes took some lumps the last two seasons, but they won't stay down for long. I think they make some noise again this year.

15. Eastern Illinois

This might be a tad high for a team from the Ohio Valley Conference, but they were a pretty good team last year and I think they will be again this year.

16. Hampton

I'm not letting the playoff performance overshadow the amazing season the Pirates had last year. It may be a bit harder for them to move up as far as they did for me last year, but they are still a program worthy of respect.

17. Idaho St

Starting to get into the tea leaves with this one, but I think Idaho State takes the baton from Eastern Washington as the Big Sky's 'other' team. We'll see.

18. Delaware

Do you really think they'll be down for long? Omar Cuff will lead the Hens to quite a few victories this season.

19. UC Davis

Another team from the solid Great West that with a few more bounces could have been sitting very pretty at the end of the year. Upsetting Stanford will not be forgotten by many this preseason.

20. Colgate

Ah, the home of my beloved Raiders. I think Colgate's got the inside track to win it this year (by a hair mind you) and this is about right for a Patriot League team to be this year. First weekend will make or break our ranking for at least two months.

21. Illinois St

That Gateway showing up again. This team finished 2005 strong and returns enough to think they'll pick up where they left off.

22. Coastal Carolina

Amazing to think how far this four year old program has come. I'm looking for them to continue to make statements like beating JMU last year and knocking off a pretty big fish down in Georgia.

23. Lafayette

The Pards aren't a big step behind Colgate this year, if they are behind at all. I rank them lower than us because they lost most of their defense and it was their defense that kept them in most of the games. I just don't see the offense there to hang with Colgate or Lehigh, so it will be up to some defensive replacements to carry the Pards to victory once more.

24. Portland St

Another Big Sky tea leaf. They've got an offense that can put up some numbers. We'll see if this was a wasted vote or not.

25. Jacksonville St

Another OVC team. I must be smoking something lately! I think JSU is going to be good this year. That's all I'm going to say.

We also got to vote on two questions:

The Biggest Rising Team of 2006: Hofstra. Again, they're my sleeper.

The Biggest Falling Team of 2006: Georgia Southern. Don't get me wrong. I don't think the Eagles are going to stink. In fact, 7-4 is at least likely. I just think given the history of dominance and playoff appearances there will be some adjustment from the option that maybe some fans aren't considering a possibility. We'll see. I think they start out the season 1-1 with a lose to Coastal or, gasp, Central Connecticut State! Some underestimating of opponents will need to take place in order for that to occur, but we Raiders know all about that.

Whew. In 3 1/2 months we'll be talking about kick offs!

Look for my Patriot League preview in the coming weeks. I'll be reviewing and ranking teams once more, starting with a #7 team located in Pennslyvania... Until then, root for Andy McDonald and the Mighty Ducks!

Branch Finally Makes a Splash

2006-05-16T15:04:00.000-04:00

Finally, someone gives Jamaal the ball and he doesn't disappoint! For his 124 yards on 26 carries (4.8 yards per carry), one touchdown and two catches for 23 yards, Branch was named the NFL Europe Offensive Player of the Week. Outstanding!

Keep giving him the ball coach. He will not let you down. Actually, with only 26 carries for the game, Jamaal probably had enough wind to play two!

Mark Murphy's Got His Hands Full

2006-05-16T14:11:00.000-04:00

They say that boys will be boys... so how do you explain this?

Northwestern University suspended its women's soccer team Monday pending an investigation of alleged hazing involving players last year.
A Web site on Monday displayed pictures allegedly of Northwestern soccer players clad only in T-shirts and underwear -- some with blindfolds on and others with their hands tied behind their backs. Other women had words or pictures scrawled on their bodies and clothes, and it appeared some were drinking alcohol.

I've often thought that while fraternities and sororities get plenty of the spotlight for hazing, there are some pockets of athletic and club hazing that goes on with little consequence. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in light of the atmosphere in college athletics after Duke rape case and because these are women doing it.

Update: A link to the pictures in question.

Be Still My Beating Heart

2006-04-26T13:31:00.000-04:00

Will wonders ever cease? Colgate has released video on all of its incoming football recruits!!! It was done rather quietly, but I assure you, it is there. Plenty of juicy highlights to digest as we await patiently for fall camp to begin (nothing like wishing away the summer, no?).

I've begun to post my thoughts around the web in various forums, but I'll restate somethings here too. So far I've been impressed with:

- the speed of Uzoma Idah, a DB who will probably be a return threat.
- the speed and moves of David Ashton, a LB who returns a punt for a TD!
- the strength of Franseco (Frank) Vittorini, a DL who stands up all his blockers (I bet he sees time this fall)
- the offensive line play of Kyle Poinsett. I think he's got a great chance to start next year.
- Patrick Simonds (WR) makes some outstanding catches. I love how he goes up for the ball.
- Tyler Spencer could see time on the DL as well. He's good.
- Mike Gandy at LB brings some heat with him and is putting himself in the right spots
- Tyrone Henry has got some wheels.
- Tony Watts is a heck of a back up to Jordan Scott. Maybe we'll run some sets where he can get the ball out of a wing spot?

I'll view them all in more detail as I get the time. More thoughts to come!

Colgate Lax in Newsday

2006-04-26T13:28:00.000-04:00

Nice little article in Newsday today about senior Robert Trasolini and the good fortunes of Colgate lacrosse this year. It also mentions that Nagle has been a key part of Colgate's success. I sure hope we keep him, but given the strides Patriot League lacrosse is making and the fact he now has scholarships to use, I think we just need to keep him happy and he'll be here for a while.

A nice excerpt:

Colgate burst onto the national stage earlier this season when, on a chilly upstate afternoon in mid-March, it beat nationally ranked Navy, 6-3. Trasolini had two goals in the win. The Raiders have also posted wins over Bucknell and Binghamton, victories that could carry a lot of weight in the NCAA selection process.

That would give Trasolini, a biology major with an eye on medical school, a chance to fulfill his dream of playing in the NCAA Tournament. That's something that didn't seem possible when he finally made up his mind and enrolled at Colgate four years ago. Even if he doesn't play in the tournament, Trasolini said lacrosse and Colgate were the best decisions he's ever made, if not the quickest.

I hope this guys NCAA predictions are on. I think if we beat Army and play Navy well, we stand a good chance at large... but then again I also think we're going to win the whole thing! Let's Go 'Gate!!!!!!!!!!!

A Good Read

2006-04-25T11:38:00.000-04:00

Big Green Alert (the Dartmouth blog) has a nice interview with Chris Lincoln, the author of the book Playing the Game: Inside Athletic Recruiting in the Ivy League. The interview is worth the trip over, and the book looks promising as well. I plan on picking up a copy soon.

Give it a read.

Give Jim Nagle a Raise!

2006-04-23T20:08:00.000-04:00

By virtue of an 8-6 victory in Lewisburg today, Colgate wins it's first ever men's Patriot League lacrosse title! CONGRATULATIONS COLGATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a great season and I don't think we may be done just yet. Home field advantage will be nice as we're 8-0 at home this year, and the games will be tough, but we just might make it to the NCAAs. If you can make it out to Hamilton, Colgate will be hosting Army on Saturday at Tyler's field. Be there!

Now I sit and ponder how awesome it would have been if the women had come through too and Colgate had swept the Patriot League lacrosse season...

Taking a step back though, I think we need to all appreciate just how awesome this year has been athletically at Colgate. In my mind, we just swept the regular season titles in 'major' men's sports at Colgate this year: football, hockey and lacrosse. We've never done that before. I'm pumped! Throw in women's soccer winning a share of the title, the strides made in men's soccer and women's swimming and that's a pretty darn good year for Colgate athletics. It's even more impressive when both football and hockey were 'rebuilding', and men's lacrosse plays in one of the toughest leagues in the country.

Yes dear readers, Colgate sports are alive and well (well, except for basketball perhaps, but no need to really go into that) and in my humble opinion, they look even better next year. Let's Go 'Gate!

Oh, and in my mind, Bucknell's lacrosse program falling to 2-4 in the Patriot League just sealed any lingering doubts about their move to scholarships next year. I think they make a 'Colgate-like' jump in the next 3 months or so.

Spring Practice Comments

2006-04-18T08:22:00.000-04:00

In another surprising opening up of Colgate football, we've actually got some comments from Coach Biddle to digest. I'm going to break them down for fun:

First:

"Spring practice was so-so,” said head coach Dick Biddle. “We went into spring practice knowing that we would be down a few players because of injuries. We were able to evaluate some people, and the main purpose of spring practice is to give guys a chance to develop in different situations, which we did.”

I would never expect Biddle to describe the situation in any more positive of terms. So-so is meaningless to me here. The next part is telling though. Spring Practice is much less about overall team performance but rather individual development. Without a game to prepare for, the coaches can have 15 practices to take a look at some new people and give those kids a chance to get better. Looking for 'how the offense did' or 'how the defense did' is less important than maybe some believe.

Then we come to this comment:

“We use that scrimmage to get a lot of hitting in and to work on different situations. We have not done an actual spring game, where we keep score, since I’ve been here,” explained Biddle.

Very interesting to compare this to the rest of Division I. Plenty of places make a big deal about the "One color vs. the other color" spring game. For Colgate, that just isn't the case. We're more about getting some work done. I like that.

Next:

“[Offensive lineman] Rich Rosabella (Naples, Fla.) had an excellent spring and will start next season. Mike Gallihugh (Midlothian, Va.) did a good job at linebacker. Our running backs looked good; Jordan Scott (Hyattsville, Md.) and J.J. Bennett (Cleveland, Ohio) both played well, and along with Steve Hansen (Orlando, Fla.), we definitely have some weapons there. We might have to explore some different ways to get them all enough touches. At wide receiver, David Morgan (Davie, Fla.) had a good spring, and will be our third receiver next season.”

Highlighting Rosabella is confirming what many have thought: he is going to be a VERY good lineman for Colgate and his situational experience last year has helped. Rosabella, with a healthy Jonas and Sulovski, with form a great right side to the offensive line.

Mentioning Gallihugh surprised me a bit. I guess he will have the starting job at one spot. I hope he has matured a bit because I wasn't too impressed in the clean up action I saw of him. Then again, transitioning from high school to college linebacker is probably one of the tougher positions to do that at.

We are DEEP at running back, which is great for a team that likes to run and run some more. "Exploring some ways to get some touches" has me raising my eyebrow a bit....

Morgan at the third wide receiver isn't really too much of a surprise. My curiosity lies with who will be number four. Simonds?

Finally:

Some questions remain to be answered in the fall. The backup quarterback position is still up for grabs, as “all of the backups were up and down during spring practice. One of our primary goals for fall camp is to establish a solid number two quarterback,” according to Biddle. Defensive line is another question mark, where Biddle said, “I could not name any starters right now. I’d be surprised if there are not freshmen on the two-deep and possibly even starting.”

One of the hottest topics on Colgate fan boards is "who will be the #2 QB?". I guess it is still unknown at this time. If you believe the chatter, it is between two players with four years of eligibility left, Pitcher and Meyers.

Defensive line? Freshman? Oh boy. This could be interesting this fall. My fingers are officially crossed.

April 27, 2006: I-AA R.I.P.

2006-04-13T15:30:00.000-04:00

The NCAA will meet this month as they always do, except this year the following is on the table for consideration:

(1) Increase the travel party to 135 persons for preliminary rounds and to 150 persons for the championship game. The increase should include increases of a similar percentage for the squad size with these travel party limits.

(2) Local ground transportation expenses covered by the NCAA.

(3) Seeding eight teams in the championship bracket.

(4) Elimination of the current subdivision designations of the Division I-A and I-AA. Institutions that sponsor football should collectively be referred to as “Division I Football” and the former subdivisions would be referred to as “Bowl Division” and “Championship Division” as “Playoff Division.”

They are all of interest, but in particular the last item should be looked at and appears to be happening. It looks like I-AA will become Division I, no subclassification. We'll just be in the Playoff Championship Group. More to come...

2007 Recruiting - already!

2006-04-12T10:33:00.000-04:00

Andy from Lafayette (in my opinion the recruiting guru of the Patriot League) picked this one up for us, so I thought I'd share. Current junior Shawn Roser, a 5'9" cornerback out of Washington, D.C., has been offered a spot on Colgate's football team in 2007. The full mention on rivals.com comes from him also being looked at by I-A Maryland of the ACC. Here's the blurb:

Washington (D.C.) Potomac cornerback Shawn Roeser already has an offer from Colgate, but he has picked up his second offer of the season from the ACC. What does the 5-foot-9, 165-pounder think of the offer and does he have any favorites right now?

"A few weeks ago I picked up an offer from Maryland," he said. "It's nice to get the offer from them, but I don't think that is a school I really want to go to. I'm really looking for a place that will give me playing time right away when I get there and somewhere I can get a good education."

I'd venture a guess we've got Maryland beat right now! Just comes down to who else gets in the mix, and if he thinks we'll need a new corner in 2007. We might...

Stony Brook on the move

2006-04-10T09:58:00.000-04:00

And most likely Albany soon too. Take a read here.

To summarize, Stony Brook is leaving the NEC in 2007 to become a I-AA independent. They are going to the 63 scholarship max. This is most likely a move towards creating America East football by the end of this decade. I guess Stony Brook has figured out that they shouldn't wait to get to 63 scholarships if they want to be competitive with Maine, UNH, etc. at that time.

And what one does, the other will do too. Albany will make this move shortly too, probably in the same time frame as Stony Brook. We've got the Great Danes on the schedule next year, so they will have two scholarship classes under their belt. This move, if the follow like I think they will, will only help their recruiting.

I've beat this point pretty senseless around the Internet. but it is TIME for Patriot League football scholarships. Pretty much after 2007, Albany and Stony Brook (and who knows who else) will not be mid-majors anymore and they will be luring away a few good recruits from Patriot League schools each year.

I can't say I love this press

2006-04-08T23:42:00.000-04:00

A column in Slate just popped up on my radar screen. The acticle is about the culture of lacrosse players in light of the Duke lacrosse incident. The author makes many statements about the priviledged backgrounds of lacrosse players and uses this snide comment to get his point home:

Some aficionados take pride in the fact that their sport was invented by Native Americans, but I don't imagine many members of the Onondaga Nation end up playing lax at Colgate.

How I'd love to have an example to shoot back to this writer to prove him wrong...

Fun Football Facts

2006-04-05T09:04:00.000-04:00

I've become a fan of the I-AA football website, www.diaafootball.com, and came up with some of these facts from the site. Since 1973:

Colgate has had 42 different opponents
10 of those 42 opponents are now I-A programs
Colgate's record against teams that are now I-AA is 180-117-4 for a .605 winning percentage
Colgate has winning records against 17 of our 42 opponents. Some records of domination that really stand out: 20-9 vs. Bucknell, 10-0 vs. Columbia (now you know why they dropped us), 22-7 vs. Cornell, 9-2 vs. Dartmouth, 14-3 vs. Fordham, 24-6-2 vs. Lafayette, 8-0 vs. Towson
Some records of dissappointment: 0-1 vs. CCSU, 0-5 vs. Delaware, 2-5-1 vs. Penn, 3-8 vs. Yale
Some hotly contest battles: 3-3 vs. Harvard, 17-16 vs. Holy Cross (god that feels good after losing every year straight from 83-96), 14-16-1 vs. Lehigh (we'll take a step closer to .500 this fall!), 12-10 vs. Princeton

There are plenty of other fun facts on the site, but I thought I'd highlight some of those. Only 5 months till fall camp!

Still playing after all these years

2006-03-25T22:44:00.000-05:00

It looks like Colgate Great Ryan Vena is headed back to Albany for some AF2 ball. Vena was very successful in the past for Albany before spending two seasons in Columbus for the parent league, the AFL. Good luck Ryan!

I still have a hunch though that one day Vena will be back at Colgate in a coaching capacity. We'll see...

Look what I found

2006-03-24T10:29:00.000-05:00

In the tangled web of the internet, I stumbled across a I-AA blog that I have not seen before, and it is from one our our regular opponents, Dartmouth.

Check out Big Green Alert when you have a chance or if you are interested in seeing what is going down in Hanover. The biggest news right now would be the construction going on at Memorial Field.

They are upgrading the turf and building a new Varsity House.

It's always interesting to hear what is going on at other places and to read up on their off-season news.

Hockey Recruit (yes, I'm still here)

2006-03-24T08:19:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since my last post, and I'm still alive and healthy. Just busy - and it's just a slow time of year for football news. Yes, we've got spring ball going and position battles to ponder, but I'm finding that those discussions are better had on message boards. Anyhow, there is a bit of news to share.

I believe this won't be news to many, but here is a story on Ethan Cox, Colgate's latest hockey recruit from B.C. Cox was the MVP for the Powell River Kings. Welcome to Colgate Ethan!

In other news, I'm still enjoying the men's lacrosse win over Navy, and I hope they continue to roll at Army this weekend. It's a real big game for them to continue turning out wins against historically strong teams as well as it's a Patriot League game that will determine the playoffs down the road.

I hope to get something on how spring practice is going, but for now... it's the down time of the year!

The End of "AA"?

2006-03-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

The commisioneer of the Big Sky conference, Doug Fullerton, gives a very interesting interview on the I-AA Waves radio show last night. You can listen to the February 28th podcast here.

Fullerton talks about an upcoming meeting in April where some of the often discussed issues in I-AA will be addressed. In particular, there is serious support for a 'rebranding' of I-AA into something that does not separate the I-AA schools from I-A as much, and instead calling us all Division I. The separation would then be along the lines of BCS and Playoff Championship Series.

There is also talk of more support for the playoffs and the championship game in terms of money and advertising, as well as making the atmosphere of the championship game more like a bowl game.

Give it a listen. It's the first few minutes of the podcast. The quality is a little grainy because it's a recorded phone call, but if you turn it up, you can hear what is being said.

So, don't be surprised if Colgate's last season of "AA" has already passed! PCS, here we come?

Also, be sure to check out www.colgateraiders.com to check out the new athletics site design. I think it's a great step forward for our school! Nice job Athletics!

Some Recruits on Video

2006-02-27T13:08:00.000-05:00

Andy from Lafayette has found us Colgate fans some excellent footage of two of our recruits, Tony Watts and David Gongora. Watts is a running back and Gongora is a wide receiver; both are from Florida.

Tony Watts Video

David Gongora Video

Watts in particular looks outstanding, but I will also say that he appears to benefit from quite an offensive line. There were some HUGE holes to run through. I wonder where some of those lineman are headed...

Some New Links

2006-02-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

It's been slow in terms of football news around here (but not hockey - way to go ECACHL Champs!), so I did some clean up. The links on the right are now broken out and have some more options.

I'd particularly like to highlight some new I-AA blogs for the Big Sky conference and the OVC conference. Check them out from time to time to see what the rest of I-AA looks like!

Zoom-Zoom? California Speedster Coming to 'Gate!

2006-02-16T14:46:00.000-05:00

Looks like Colgate is "Going Back to Cali" once more. Uzoma Idah, a cornerback from Palos Verdes, has signed with your Raider team. According to the article, Idah "also had received interest from Villanova, the University of Idaho and Northern Arizona." No idea how you actually pronouce his first name, but I think Zoom might pop in there some how as a knickname!

Besides having a great name (that's two now out of the last three), Idah comes in at 5'10" and 180 lbs. with a reported 4.5 40. More importantly though, this story seems to back up the speed claims and maybe eludes to his potential as a kick/punt returner. It also states he's got some great defensive skills.

Idah made his divisional defensive team and looks to have some great track skills as well with a 22'8.25" long jump as a junior.

Welcome to Colgate Uzoma!

Defensive Lineman from New York

2006-02-15T10:40:00.000-05:00

I keep finding these releases that I should have found a while ago, but I haven't seen his name mentioned elsewhere, so I guess this is a 'scoop'!

Chris Giardini, Defensive Lineman/End from Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, 'signed' with Colgate back on February 1st. Chris is a big boy at 6'3" and 285 lbs. and sounds fast for his position with 4.87 40. I'm really impressed we're getting someone with his weight straight out of high school. I've said this before elsewhere, but big AND fast defensive lineman are at a premium in college football. Often in I-AA and especially in the Patriot League, we are taking slightly undersized players and having them mature into the position. Chris doesn't sound like he needs much maturing, but god help our opponents if he does!

The release mentions who Chris says we beat out for him, and it's a nice list to discuss: Holy Cross, Fordham, Lehigh, Lafayette, Cornell, and Albany. Nice to see we're taking a kid from the rest of the Patriots, our rival Cornell and the upstart Danes of the NEC. Of course, the reminder to take everything with a grain of salt comes with the last sentence that states Chris will be receiving an academic scholarship of $120,000 for four years. We all know that's a load of crap.

Still, welcome to Colgate Chris!

California Safety

2006-02-14T20:38:00.000-05:00

This just came my way:

Garrington Spence (great name, huh?), from Mater Dei in Orange County is a 6'0" 185 lbs. safety that has said he's coming to Colgate. Mater Dei went 8-5 this year.

In doing some research for Spence, I found out that he's also fairly talented on the track and field team. This past spring (his junior year) he jumped a 21'3" long jump and ran an 11.24 100 meter dash.

Welcome to Colgate Garrington!

To recap, here's our unofficial list:

Garrington Spence S 6'0" 185 lbs. CA

Juliues Barlay DE GA

Carlton Walker DL 6'1" 270 lbs. OH

Greg Hadley LB 5'11" 220 lbs. NY
Kyle Poinsett OL 6'3" 275 lbs FL
Brendan Buglione DL 6'4" 230 lbs NY
Tyler Spencer FB/DE 6'1" 210 lbs NY
Patrick Simonds WR 6'5" 200 lbs NY
Wayne Moten DB 5'9" 170 MD
David Gongora WR 6'2" 185 FL
Zach Lasavage RB PA
Will Griffin DB FL
Ryan Gross OL NJ
Adrien Schriefer DL NJ
Jake Moore DE 6-3 210 lbs GA
Michael Gandy LB 6-1 212 lbs GA
Zack Posey 6'3" 280 lbs FL
Rob Budny OL/DL 6'1" 245 lbs OH
Paul Mancuso OL/DL 6'3" NY
Ty Henry WR FL
Tony Watts RB FL
Ryan Meyers QB CA/LA

That puts us at 22. We can't be that far away from complete. Maybe another 5 or 6 I think. Shaping up to be a solid class on paper!

New Blogs of Interest

2006-02-13T14:45:00.000-05:00

For you I-AA diehards out there, the I-AA blogging universe continues to grow in size. The latest to join our community is a blog devoted to Big Sky Football and another site dedicated to South Carolina State sports out of the MEAC. I've added links to the right hand side to them.

From time to time, check them out and see what's going on outside of our somewhat insulated I-AA atmosphere!

New Atlanta Area Commit

2006-02-12T19:31:00.000-05:00

Juliues Barlay, Southside, DE

No information on him yet. If I find some, I'll get it up.

Ohio Lineman

2006-02-09T23:10:00.000-05:00

Carlton Walker will play for Colgate this fall. He's listed as a 6'1" 270 lbs. defensive lineman and he's from Columbus Academy in Ohio. The defensive part is different from what 'Mr. Tipster' Andy from Lafayette found so who knows what he'll play. On defense he would be a bit larger than we typically see weight-wise which is a good thing!

Carlton seems to be athletic as he's also a captain of the basketball team. No stats appear to be online for him.

Welcome to Colgate Carlton!

CNY Linebacker

2006-02-06T13:54:00.000-05:00

Greg Hadley (#45 in the picture) from Fayetteville has signed with Colgate. The Christian Brothers Academcy linebacker is listed at 5'11" 220 lbs. and was named to the Class AA all-state second team his senior year.

Welcome to Colgate Greg!

New Poll

2006-02-04T23:14:00.000-05:00

First, the 'Era Poll' is finally history. It had a great turn out and sparked some very interesting discussion. The final result is that readers of The 13 Yard Line chose the Biddle Years over the 1930's 53% to 47%. Clearly we have a divided opinion here!

Next up: the Northeast Conference (NEC). I've spent a lot of time this past week discussing and debating the scheduling of the NEC and the impact their new scholarship policy may have on the Patriot League and Colgate in particular. In case you did not know, the NEC was a need-based league like the Patriot but put a cap of 30 equivalencies per team. 'Equivalency' is an NCAA term for the amount of money that equals one full scholarship. The Patriot has no such cap and therefore most teams are around the 50 equivalencies mark. The limit in I-AA is 63.

For this recruiting season, the NEC has changed from need-based aid like the Patriot to athletic scholarships like the majority of I-AA but has kept the 30 cap and also has a cap of no more than 10 per year.

So take some time to think about what that may mean for the Patriot League (stroll on over to the Don Hansen forum to catch up on the debate I've been having if you like) and cast your vote!

Time to Make a Cumulative List

2006-02-03T16:41:00.000-05:00

I myself am having trouble figuring out just where we are, so its time to compile a list. Here goes:

*New Addition: Greg Hadley LB 5'11" 220 NY
Kyle Poinsett OL 6'3" 275 lbs FL
Brendan Buglione DL 6'4" 230 lbs NY
Tyler Spencer FB/DE 6'1" 210 lbs NY
Patrick Simonds WR 6'5" 200 lbs NY
Wayne Moten DB 5'9" 170 MD
David Gongora WR 6'2" 185 FL
Zach Lasavage RB PA
Will Griffin DB FL
Ryan Gross OL NJ
Adrien Schriefer DL NJ
Jake Moore DE 6-3 210 lbs GA
Michael Gandy LB 6-1 212 lbs GA
Zack Posey 6'3" 280 lbs FL
Rob Budny OL/DL 6'1" 245 lbs OH
Paul Mancuso OL/DL 6'3" NY
Ty Henry WR FL
Tony Watts RB FL
Ryan Meyers QB CA/LA (keep forgetting to add him to these lists!)

That's 17 players. We've probably got another 10 to go. 6 kids from Florida! No time to break down positions yet... I'll be looking up the new Florida verbals tonight after Colgate beats Cornell at Lynah!!!!

Two more from Florida!

2006-02-03T16:25:00.000-05:00

Jeez - we've must be renting a house down there!

Thanks goes out to nygater for these two.

Tony Watts - Lake Highland Prep - Running Back

Ty Henry - University - Wide receiver

Anyone want to talk about the impact that the Florida Atlantic semi-final game in 2003 might be having? This is amazing...

Another Florida Monster

2006-02-03T16:14:00.000-05:00

Looks like we got ourselves another big boy from the Sunshine State. 6'3" 275 lbs. offensive lineman Kyle Poinsett from Venice High School in Florida has agreed to wear the Maroon and White this fall. If you believe what Poinsett is saying, this might be a name we notice on the field right away:

The main attraction is a quality education plus the opportunity to play right away.
"I'll have the chance to start," said Poinsett, the 6-foot, 3-inch, 275-pound offensive lineman. "They said I'm number one on their list on offensive line."
"They said they would build their whole team around him," said Poinsett's mother, Debi.

We do have a couple of holes to fill on the line, so if Kyle is as good as advertised, he might just be lining up against UMass in September.

Kyle was named to the second team all state Class 5A offensive line this past season. He also was listed at 6'4" 315 lbs. to start his senior season, so I think the new height and weight are a bit more accurate.

Welcome to Colgate Kyle!

Tidbit on Pat Simonds and another verbal

2006-02-02T19:57:00.000-05:00

We already knew that Pat Simonds was coming, but here's a little bit more on Simonds, a 6-5 and 200 pounds receiver:

From the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin:

"(Colgate coaches) told me I'd be coming in as their No. 4 or No. 5 receiver, but that playing time will all depend on how much I work between now and then," Simonds said.

I can't say I disagree. Kenny Parker is #1, Eric Burke #2, David Morgan #3 and Garrin Rose #4. Depending on how quickly Simonds can get up to speed, I can see him becoming a nice fourth option as the year progresses, especially given his height. Since the graduation of Luke Graham, we've been missing a tall receiver. Of the four return receivers I just listed, Burke is the tallest at 6'0".

We've also got a verbal committment from Paul Mancuso, a 6'3" lineman from Trinity-Pawling near Poughkeepsie, NY. He comes from a winning program (9-0 last year) which is always a good thing in my book!

Cleveland Area Recruit

2006-02-02T13:35:00.000-05:00

Colgate's latest apparent verbal is Rob Budny of Walsh Jesuit near Cleveland, Ohio. His high school roster (#64) has him as a 6'1" 245 lbs. RB/DL but that is most likely a mistake because #64 is not an eligible number and because there was one game note out there that had him as the offensive and defensive lineman of the week. I think in the preseason he started out as a fullback and then was most likely moved to the offensive line.

Budny is probably a defensive line recruit with that size and given our overall needs in this recruiting class but I could be wrong.

Florida Lineman Heading North

2006-02-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

Zack Posey has committed to Colgate. He's a 6'3" 280 lbs lineman from Pope John Paul in Boca Raton who I believe we should be all psyched about. I'm not sure though if he is an offensive or defensive recruit. The signing indicates defense, but Zack has some offensive awards to his name. Either was, he has the potential to be an impact recruit in a year or two.

Some accolades:

First Team All-State Class 2A Offense

Palm Beach All-Area Offense

Posey was Pope's best drive blocker and graded out at 88 percent or better in each game. The 6-3, 280-pounder had 15 pancake blocks and was the lead blocker for 22 rushing touchdowns. He also had 24 tackles for a loss and recovered two fumbles on defense.

Welcome to Colgate Zach!

More Updates from Georgia

2006-02-01T13:26:00.000-05:00

Gotta love a football crazy state like Georgia. Here is a county by county listing of signees from the Atlanta area. Colgate's got 2 on that list:

Jake Moore DE 6-3 210 Marietta Colgate

Michael Gandy LB 6-1 212 Lakeside Colgate

I think there might be more from other parts of Georgia still to come.

Signing Day Updates

2006-02-01T08:55:00.000-05:00

These will be brief because they may start to really come in soon. We've got two more on the 'verbal' screen:

OL Ryan Gross

DL Adrien Schreifer

Two More Verbals

2006-01-26T20:32:00.000-05:00

At least according to Andy of Lafayette - who is known for his great scoops! They are David Gongora and Will Griffin, both from Florida I think. I've already blogged on Gongora, a wide receiver, but I haven't found anything substantial on Griffin yet. He is supposedly a defensive back.

As I find more information I will get it up... or if you have any, dear reader, please share!

The Carbondale Connection

2006-01-24T09:20:00.000-05:00

Looks like one of Jared Nepa's friends, Zach Lasavage, has given his verbal committment to Colgate. Zach is from Carbondale, PA, home of All-American and Defensive Player of the Year (and all around kick ass linebacker) Nepa. Although Zach is a running back, we can only hope he is cut of the same mold as Jared.

From the sounds of it, he is. This tough cookie had a third degree separated shoulder in the first game of the 2005 season, and instead of taking it easy proceeded to rush for 1,437 yards and 20 touchdowns. He's Carbondale's all-time leading rusher with 4,185 yards.

Some more on Lasavage:

Lasavage the definition of tough in ’05

We already knew Zach Lasavage is to Carbondale football what Emmitt Smith is to the NFL — the all-time leading rusher.

Now, let it be clear, Lasavage is more John Wayne than Emmitt Smith.

How tough is he? How many examples do you need?

Statistics will tell the story. He carried 22 times Friday, took a hit on most every one of them, still gained 231 yards.

There’s more, though.

There were times against the Chiefs, who had beaten the Chargers every time they played since 1978, that Lasavage’s shoulder wasn’t his biggest pain. On a 10-yard carry at the start of the fourth quarter, Lasavage’s right hamstring cramped violently. Three plays later, he limped back onto the field, and with that leg drilled a 30-yard field goal that gave Carbondale a 15-14 lead it would never relinquish.

Comeback of the Year

It was a comeback that really wasn’t. Injured with a third-degree separation of his right shoulder in the first game of the season, Lasavage was expected to be out for the season. He played sparingly in three losses, but returned to full duty in Week 5 and led the Chargers to a 6-4 season and finished with more than 4,000 yards rushing in his career.

Lasavage carries Chargers past Wildcats

As Zach Lasavage goes, so goes the Carbondale offense.

With the junior tailback churning out yardage in chunks, the Chargers defeated Western Wayne, 19-0, on Friday night at the Andrew J. Cerra Sports Complex. Lasavage finished with 212 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

"Zach is an amazing back," Western Wayne coach Bob Matoushek said. "Nobody stops him. He runs through almost anybody. We really hustled on defense today, he's just that good."

Welcome to Colgate, Zach! Get healthy and get ready for some Colgate football this fall!

Colgate (and Fordham) Recruits

2006-01-20T20:35:00.000-05:00

Ran across this story out of the Miami Herald. It's not much, but it is a recruiting tidbit. From the bottom of the story:

From Ely, Devan James is visiting Eastern Michigan, Doug Westbrook is visiting Eastern Illinois, Jahmal Blanchard is visiting Hampton, Eddie Cameron is visiting Fordham...

From Chaminade, Joe Dawson is visiting FAU, David Gongora is visiting Colgate, Cleo Edwards is visiting Emporia State and Willie Floyd is visiting Eastern Kentucky.

What I could find out about David Gongora is this: He's a 6'2" 185 lbs. receiver from an 11-2 team. I'm not certain, but something does seem odd that he only has stats from 3 games on that same site. It could be a mistake or there could be more to it because here he's listed as one of the area leaders. In this story, he's listed as the quarterback's favorite target.

Ah well, no matter what the story is, anytime you mention Florida, receiver and Colgate in the same sentence, I'll get excited!

As for the Fordham recruit, I'll leave that up to them to research!

It's been a while

2006-01-19T08:32:00.000-05:00

If there are any readers left, I hope you all understand that sometimes a guy needs to take care of some business before he can spend time on a fun pursuit such as this. Blogging will be sporadic for the next two or three months or so, so bear with me! That said, I will try and keep some items up to date, even if I can't really get into analysis or commentary.

First, I'm going to start posting links to verbals we have out there (not only to help out Lennie who can't seem to get the link to work) but also so there is someplace out there that saves the information. As I am currently aware of, we have four verbals:

Brendan Buglione - 6'4" 230 pound defensive end from Vestal, NY. Buglione claims to be choosing Colgate over Villanova, Bucknell, Pennsylvania and Richmond. He's got a 3.92 GPA and he's looking to go to medical school. In his senior year, Buglione had 110 tackles, 26 for losses, two sacks and two forced fumbles for 6-4 Vestal. Of note is that he has an older brother, Dana, who is currently a sophomore defensive lineman for Holy Cross.

Tyler Spencer - 6'1" 220 pound all state fullback or potential rush end from Chenango Forks, NY. He claims to have a 4.5 40 yard time and a 33 inch vertical leap. This kid is a winner as he comes from a program that went 38-1 the three years he played and won 2 state titles. I like kids coming from winning programs. I think it gives them that extra bounce when they get on the field; they expect to win!

Patrick Simonds - 6'5" 200 pound wide receiver from Sydney, NY. This kid is another winner who looks to have chosen us over Lehigh and James Madison. I can't find the article that shows him committing to Colgate, but I know I saw it and I know he has. Looking from his photo, maybe it was the school colors that did it?

Wayne Moten - 5'9" 170 defensive back from Forrestville, MD. The buzz I've heard on this kid is that he is very good - a nice steal for Colgate.

On plain old recruiting scene, this popped into my mailbox about Greg Linder, a wide receiver from Flordia. Looks like Greg is debating football at Colgate versus soccer at Notre Dame.

There you have it. As appear, I will get them up here. For the record though, Andy from Lafayette will most likely scoop everything!

Some Resoultion... and some surprises

2006-01-06T11:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm sure everyone heard about Lehigh hiring Andy Coen, the Offensive Coordinator from Penn. The Morning Call has weighed in on the hire, so I thought I would as well.

The first thing is, I'm kicking myself for thinking they'd hire Cecchini (the offensive coordinator from Harvard and former Engineer receiver) over Coen. Two things make Coen stand out:

He's older. Lembo was very young when he was made the head coach at Lehigh, I believe as young as 30. The desire for a more 'seasoned' leader was always there in the background of fan chatter. Cecchini is younger than Coen, and would have been similar to the Lembo hire.
He's a more direct tie to former head coach Kevin Higgins, a man that in the eyes of Mountain Hawk fans couldn't do any wrong. He was the Offensive Coordinator for the majority of his time there and nothing would make Lehigh fans happier than a return to that offensive of the late 90s.

In reality, Coen is a solid choice all around. There is no head coaching experience (neither does Cecchini) but all of the other ingredients are there on paper. From time to time a coordinator doesn't make the transistion to head coach well, but there is nothing in Coen's background to suggest he can't continue Lehigh's streak of excellence and perhaps even take them to the next level in national play.

So my Lehigh friends should be very happy. You've made a quality hire in a short amount of time. Now it's time to focus on the rest of the staff and recruiting.

Speaking of 'the rest of the staff', another Cohen (spelled differently of course) over at Hofstra made some news we might take interest in. Dave Cohen, formerly of Delaware and now the head coach at Hofstra, announced four staff members today; two of them have Patriot League ties. First, former Fordham head coach Ed Foley is named assistant head coach and will coach the offensive line. Next, John Perry, former associate head coach at Georgetown, is named the offensive coordinator.

It's nice to see both coaches get positions at a new program.

The Week Ahead

2006-01-02T10:31:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I'm not the only anxious one in the Patriot League this week. Right now we've got two very big openings to fill, one pretty big opening and a host of smaller ones that will depend on others. I think we will get at least one, if not all, of these lingering questions resolved this week. The big ones are of course, the head coach at Lehigh and Georgetown as well as the Offensive Coordinator here at Colgate.

I for one am chomping at the bit.

Possible Football Transfer and a nice 2003 playoff reference

2005-12-31T21:33:00.000-05:00

First: Ryan Meyers is (or was anyway) a freshman QB from Tulane that is thinking of transferring to Colgate (and Yale or Lafayette). I think competition is a great thing, so bring him on!

Next: As is becoming customary, when I-A bowl time comes around and people are frustrated by the lack of a I-A playoff, they point to I-AA. We continue to get mileage out of our 2003 playoff run in this article. The reference to Colgate:

Weiberg went on to list several other tired reasons, such as a playoff is
not possible because of final examination schedules. That's an even bigger joke.
If the real "student-athletes" at Division I-AA Colgate and Division III
Washington & Jefferson can play four weeks in a row in December, then there
is no reason why the players at Penn State and West Virginia can't.

Gosh, I love to read that kind of stuff!

2006 Preseason Poll Results

2005-12-29T08:41:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who voted in my most recent poll, asking who will be the 2006 preseason Patriot League football favorite. The results:

Lehigh 39%
Colgate 28%
Lafayette 22%
Holy Cross 5%
Bucknell 4%
Georgetown 1%
Fordham 0%

As I'm sure it's no surprise to readers, the same three teams find themselves at the top again. I can only wonder though if anyone would have changed their votes if they voted before all of the coaching changes that have taken place. Anyone want to recant their vote?

A new poll is up, this time its very 'Colgate specific'. What era of Colgate football was better: the 1930's... or the 1995-2005 'Biddle Years'? (Thanks to Tunkmaster for the idea!)
My personal opinion: The Biddle Years. You cannot undervalue the 1932 season or the general greatness of Andy Kerr's teams back then. Wins against teams like Syracuse, Penn State or Brown (back in the day) are amazing accomplishments. But when I think of the consistency that Biddle has brought to Colgate and the feats that have been accomplished in a 'modern' era of football, the present time gets the nod by a nose.

Colgate Is Not Immune

2005-12-28T08:18:00.000-05:00

This posting is a little late, but you have probably heard that Offensive Coordinator Mike Foley has left Colgate for UConn, filling the position left by Norries Wilson who left to become the head coach at Columbia. That means Colgate now joins every team except Holy Cross and Bucknell with some significant coaching changes this off season.

Foley, a Colgate grad, has been a great member of Biddle's championship staff and will be missed. He was a great professional and brought a wealth of talent and experience to this Colgate team. I think I can speak for all of Colgate that we wish Mike well and hope that he goes as far as his dreams may.

As this pertains to Colgate, we now have the task of finding a new architect to lead the Colgate offense. My gut tells me Biddle will promote Dan Hunt, currently the quarterback coach, to the role. Hunt has been with the program since the Sweeney Days and is an all around great guy. I think he's the right choice unless someone too good to be true lands in our lap.

Also, it is good to see the honors continue to roll in for senior linebacker Jared Nepa, this time being named I-AA Linebacker of the Year for the northeast region by Football Gazette. Jordan Scott, Chris Petrone and Geoff Bean also got second and third team honors by the same publication.

Sports Network Recognizes Jordan Scott

2005-12-23T14:35:00.000-05:00

Matt Dougherty has done his final 'Extra Point' articl e for the season, handing out awards to the best of everything. Colgate's own Jordan Scott got some well deserved recognition, tying fellow running back James Noble of Cal Poly for (national) Rookie of the Year honors. Here's what Matt had to say:

Neither player began the year as the starting running back, but both ended the 2005 campaign by playing prominent roles to lead their team to the playoffs. Noble ran for 1,578 yards and 16 touchdowns, and averaged more than seven yards per carry for the Mustangs. He went for 248 yards and five touchdowns in the season finale at Idaho State to put the Mustangs in the playoffs, and followed that up with a four-touchdown day in Cal Poly’s first round win at Montana.

Scott’s yards per carry average wasn’t as sparkling, but he carried almost all of the offensive load to pace Colgate to seven wins in the final eight games and the Patriot League title. Scott broke the league’s freshman rushing record with 1,364 yards, with eight games over the 100-yard mark and three efforts of more than 200 yards. He finished eighth nationally with 124 yards per game, and had six games with 30 or more carries.

Another great honor for Jordan. Stay healthy and hit those books. We want you racking up the yards for another 3 years!

And Now Georgetown!

2005-12-20T14:24:00.000-05:00

Wow. What a week! Georgetown's Bob Benson has resigned today from his head football position. Quite an interesting shake up going on. I think this is a good move for the Hoyas. They need a fresh start to get competitive in the Patriot League. I can only hope the purse opens up in conjunction with this move. More to come!

The Big News from Bethlehem

2005-12-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

In case you've been under a I-AA rock, Pete Lembo, formerly head coach at Lehigh, takes the head coaching job at Elon.

Unless you're a I-AA diehard, you might find yourself repeating that name: Elon. Elon? Elon?!?!?!?

The short and sweet: it's a Southern Conference school in North Carolina with scholarships and fairly good academics. Want more detail? It's not been a good program of late and is coming off back to back three win seasons.

Why would Lembo take it? I think there are plenty of reasons from money (I bet it was a raise), different expectations (no one is going to be calling for his job with 8 win seasons), different challenges (it's the SoCon folks) and different advantages (scholarships and lower academic hurdles). The only real head scratcher is leaving a premier winner like Lehigh for a struggling program like Elon. Lembo is young; so if he turns this one around he's going to be going places I bet.

So what does Lehigh do? I think they've got about 3 weeks to get a coach announced or recruiting takes a hit. It might even be less than that. I bet the Mountain Hawks have moved fairly quickly on Dave Cecchini, offensive coordinator at Harvard and former Engineer All-American. Cecchini is young too (34) but he's got the resume and the Lehigh connection. There are other possibilities, most of them already floated by Lehigh Football Nation, but I'll also add newly hired defensive coordinator for The Citadel Isaac Collins. Collins was the defensive coordinator for Holy Cross in 2004 after leaving Lehigh with Tom Gilmore. He left the Crusaders (for reasons unknown) and turned up at Delaware this year. Former Lehigh head coach and current Citadel coach Kevin Higgins thought enough of Collins to hire him last week. Perhaps he'd be interested in a head job? It's risky since he's only been a coordinator for one season, but he might be on the list.

I'll also add a name that will make Leopard fans cringe: Bob Heffner. Heffner is across the valley at Lafayette as the offensive coordinator. Word is that Heffner has turned down a move up (most recently to Illinois last year) because of family concerns. A head coach job at a Patriot League school that did not require a family move just might make that Lehigh/Lafayette hatred dissipate.

It will be an interesting few weeks ahead and an interesting season in 2006 with both Fordham and now Lehigh dealing with new coaching staffs. More to come!

Nepa's an AFCA All-American!

2005-12-14T11:13:00.000-05:00

That's an excellent recognition for such a great player. He's joined by Michael Ononibaku of Georgetown from the Patriot League and Steve Silva from Holy Cross as the return specialist.

He shares the linebacker honors with Villanova’s Brian Hulea, Furman’s William Freeman and Eastern Illinois’ Clint Sellers.

Well done Jared!!!!

Oh how I wish this man will be right

2005-12-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

Mike Eidelbes over at www.insidecollegehockey.com has come out with his midseason article full of midseason awards and predictions. Sifting through it, you come to this:

4) Want a Frozen Four prediction? OK, but first, here’s a stab at the top seeds for each of the four regions. Wisconsin goes to the Midwest Regional in Green Bay, Vermont heads to the East Regional in Albany, Miami gets shuttled to the Northeast Regional in Worcester and Minnesota is sent to the West Regional in Grand Forks. As the No. 1 seed, Don Lucia will not exercise his option to evict the Fighting Sioux from their locker room, but stakes exclusive rights to the giant hot tub.

Meeting in Milwaukee the first weekend in April: Boston College, Colgate, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

In case you missed it, I'll point this one out again:

Meeting in Milwaukee the first weekend in April: Boston College, Colgate, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

OK, I'll admit it. That made my heart skip a beat... How sweet that would be! We also move up to #11 in the polls. There's a long way to go, but that's a nice prediction that I hope comes true!

Rich Erenberg in the Press

2005-12-09T13:05:00.000-05:00

A blast from the past shows up in today's newspaper in Beaver County, PA. The piece is about how Erenberg had a hand in spoiling the 49'ers try for a perfect season back in 1984.

A native of Chappaqua, N.Y., Erenberg played football at Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y. Colgate played Division I football when Erenberg arrived before dropping to Division I-AA. A four-year starter at running back, Erenberg got a taste of big-time college football in his first game.

Colgate opened the 1980 season at Penn State.

"Being from a small school like Colgate, you get the message real quick seeing Beaver Stadium," Erenberg said.

Erenberg and Colgate left Happy Valley impressed after losing, 54-10.

Nearly two decades since retiring from the NFL, Erenberg has done well in his real estate career, heading a company that bought the largest office building in Southpointe last year.

"We do real estate investment and development," Erenberg said. "We create real estate funds and invest that capital. We're a very small, private entity. We do things quietly, under the radar."

Erenberg, who received his degree from Colgate in economics and finance, and his wife Lynn, live in Peters Township. They have sons, Andrew, 12 and Michael, 10.

As a senior at Colgate, Erenberg had over 2,000 all-purpose yards.

"We set a lot of rushing records and I got noticed by pro teams," he said.

New Fordham Head Coach

2005-12-07T13:35:00.000-05:00

Word out in Fordham land is Tom Masella, head coach of Central Connecticut State (remember them?), will be named head coach of Fordham soon. I think he's a solid pick for the Rams. He coached at UMass before CCSU.

The next question for us Colgate types is: will Ed Argast go with him as Offensive Coordinator or will he try to be the head coach at CCSU?

More to come...

This Warms the Cockels of My Heart

2005-12-05T16:19:00.000-05:00

It sure is nice to read some praise for our beloved football program in the good old Maroon-News.

I love Colgate football. I love everything about it - the traditions, the energy, the snowy games, the tailgates and all of the incredible memories it has given me. I love the stadium, the field, the coaches and trainers; but I especially admire the players.

As a senior who watched the team play its final game last weekend, I would like to say "Thank You" to all of the players who made the last four years so exciting. Above all, I want to extend my utmost respect and congratulations to the seniors, the winningest class in school history. Three rings in four years makes for a heavy hand, and if anybody deserves that much bling, it's you guys.

From time to time you catch a story in a campus newspaper around the league (or at our sisters in the Ivy League) that has a fun time putting down a program that has lost some games or doesn't have great support. For those reasons among many, it is great to read something from a Colgate student who appreciates the effort made by these players. She sounds like a fan Colgate is lucky to have.

Some Weekend Thoughts

2005-12-05T08:10:00.000-05:00

First, just how many games against Princeton can Colgate have in one weekend? Looking at the Colgate Athletics web page, you've got:

"Colgate comes back to beat Princeton"
"Women's Basketball Falls to Princeton"
"Tigers too much for Colgate"
"Men's Basketball Romps over Princeton"

I guess the general theme is that us Raider men can take care of those Ivy types, but our women still have some work to do!

Then, of course, the I-AA playoffs. The biggest deal: our conquerors have been conquered. Along with Richmond, it means the A-10 is done for the 2005 season. One the one hand, I'm bummed that the team that beat us has exited from the playoffs. On the other, it will be nice to silence the "A-10 is the best" crowd for a season. A 'three-peat' I-AA championship would have been a lot to handle!

Lastly, on my blog poll Lehigh is taking a bit of a lead as the preseason favorite. I for one think the Mountain Hawks lose a lot, too much to be considered the front runner (but always a contender for sure). For all of those voting Lehigh, hopefully with their head and not their heart, fill me in. Besides a full season of Sedale Threatt, what does 2006 Mountain Hawk football have going for it? Don't get my motives wrong; preseason favorite has been a kiss of death as of late in the Patriot League. Just trying to get a scoop on 2006!

Looking Back: Where Are They Now?

2005-12-01T08:10:00.000-05:00

The subject of coaching changes is a pretty hot topic right now. Fordham, Columbia, Georgia Southern, VMI, Elon... all looking for new coaches. Now is the time of year when some programs decide to go in another direction. It therefore popped into my mind this morning that about ten years ago Colgate was going through a similar situation and, thankfully, we all know the positive results.

But it also got me thinking further about the previous Colgate staff. Former Head Coach Ed Sweeny is the butt of a few jokes now and again, and generally is not fondly remembered by Colgate alums. However, the staff he assembled actually turned out to be a pretty good crew.

Take a look at where these coaches are now:

Ed Sweeney

After leaving Colgate, former Head Coach Sweeney landed at Frostburg State University. He went 30-11 at Frostburg before heading to Mount Ida College in Newton, Massachuesetts. I believe he started the program there and, this year aside, has had some pretty good results as the program has started winning more. This season looks like a bit of a step backwards with a 1-9 record. However, last year saw Mount Ida with a 6-2 record and a regional Division III ranking.

Mike Whalen

Former Associate Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach Whalen landed at Williams in 1997 as their offensive line coach and took over offensive coordinator responsibilities in 2001. He succeed the retiring head coach in 2004 and led the Ephs to a 6-2 record for each of his first two years. More importantly, he has kept Williams home field domination of Amherst alive for 20 years with a 34-23 win this past fall.

On a side note, if anyone wants to take a look at a really bad athletics website, head on over to Williams. The lack of attention given to sports and the mid 90's look of the site is disgraceful for such a high profile school and athletic program.

Mike Gibson

Former Offensive Coordinator Gibson has had an interesting career since leaving Colgate. He first landed as a "Guest Coach" in the CFL for a year before heading to Rutgers for four years. He then went back to the CFL for another year before trying another stint in the collegiate ranks with the University of Louisiana. He is now back in the CFL with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as their Offensive Coordinator. He spent one year earlier with the Blue Bombers as their Offensive Line coach and was part of a team that went 14-4 and made it to the Grey Cup.

Dick Biddle

No need to go into detail here, but former running back coach has taken Colgate from 0-11 to nationally ranked contender. He's never had a losing season.

Dan Hunt

Former tight end coach Hunt is another holdover still at Colgate from the Sweeney era. He's now coaching quarterbacks and, like Biddle, apparently very successful.

Todd Williams

Williams coached the wide receivers under Sweeney. I can find no mention of him on the Internet. If anyone knows if he's still coaching, let me know.

Mike Kelleher

Named New England Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003, Kelleher has been the defensive coordinator for Brown for five years. That is the same position he held at Colgate.

Needless to say, Brown won the Ivy League title outright this year and Kelleher's name is being thrown around for potential head coaching gigs at places like Columbia.

Ed Argast

Argast coached the defensive line in his days at Colgate and after spending a season with Biddle as head coach, left to become the head coach of Canisius. Unfortunately for Argast, Canisius dropped their football program which means he was headed on the road again. First stop was as the offensive coordinator at Wagner in the NEC. He now enjoys the same position at Central Connecticut State and has a nice feather in his cap by virtue of the upset win against Colgate earlier this year.

Scott Meserve

Defensive End coach Meserve hung around at Colgate after the end of Sweeney, leaving in 1997. Like Williams, I can find no current record of him coaching on the Internet. Updated information would be welcome.

So looking back at this staff, I think it goes to show that there can be some very talented and successful coaches that get together and, for whatever reason, just can't seem to produce the results on the field. I'm glad the current combination we've got works so well!

Volleyball Recruit

2005-11-29T21:05:00.000-05:00

Not sure what the interest in Volleyball is around these parts, but it looks like we landed a recruit by the name of Megan Fanta out of the Wisconsin area. The blurb:

Hillsboro senior setter Meghan Fanta told the La Crosse Tribune she has orally committed to play volleyball at Division I Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. She led the Tigers to three straight Division 4 state tournament berths capped by a runner-up finish three weeks ago.

Welcome to Colgate Meghan!

More UNH Feedback

2005-11-28T15:23:00.000-05:00

Another UNH fan has been kind enough to send me their impressions of the game on Saturday. Here goes:

I thought Colgate started out playing pretty good defense. UNH had one drive for a TD out of how many drives -- three anyway, maybe even five. Unfortunately, your offense just couldn't muster a drive to eat up time or get a score. The UNH punt return was huge. Eventually UNH got another score and it looked like Colgate would get a score to be down 20-7. But then UNH got an INT then a drive for a TD and it was 27-0. If that wasn't bad enough for Colgate, they threw another INT leading to the bomb to Ball just before halftime. 34-0, ball game over.

That's the thing about UNH, eventually they are probably going to score on you. Either they are running plays to establish stuff later or they are probing to determine what the defense will give them. You just can't give them extra opportunities. And once they get into a lead, the defense can really go into ball hawking, create turnovers, take gambles, blitz more, etc. It also forces a team like Colgate to alter their gameplan.

Frankly, our D didn't get enough credit for this game. They kept Colgate in check until the offense sprung into action. Take solace though, last week I felt UNH could score EVERY time it took the field on offense. I definitely didn't feel that way yesterday. And UNH buried some decent teams along the way this season with its offense.

Believe me, I understand how blowouts happen in the playoffs and aren't a true indication of the relative strengths of teams. Sometimes, once a team gets an advantage, it just mushrooms. UNH at Montana last year is a good example.

So all in all, some kind words from a UNH fan who has been following their team all season. I continue to be impressed with that club, and look forward to seeing what else they can do in these playoffs.

And That's Why They're #1

2005-11-26T19:15:00.000-05:00

I'm heartbroken at the loss, but still thoroughly impressed by the performance put on by Ricky Santos and David Ball. Truly outstanding. And to think they're together for another year!

I wish the outcome were different, or that a play here or there went the other way (particularly that tipped ball interception when we were driving to score in the first half), but that's the way this game goes. UNH looks VERY capable of outscoring anyone on their way to a national title. Good luck with that Wildcats.

My meager attempt at reviewing the keys to the game for Colgate:

On defense:

1. Keep that Colgate offense on the field! - not nearly enough in the first half. We were put out of our game early.
2. Keep our coverage honest. - we did most of the time. There was some pressure on Santos, we just couldn't tackle him. We also got beat by some very talented recievers.
3. Tackle at the first hit. - this game could have been a lot closer if we brought down UNH players when we first got their hands on them.
4. Convert big plays into points. We've not been great at this lately and UNH does not turn the ball over much. Nepa, Bean or Williams scoring 6 points is a huge lift to this team. - we got some key turnovers which is unlike UNH, but we really didn't make them a difference maker; especially when we give the ball right back.
5. Stay in the game mentally. UNH can put points up early and often. We can't get down on ourselves if we find ourselves down by 14 points in the first quarter. Our offense has shown the capability of coming back. - I was very impressed that we did not pack it in at the half and instead put up 21 points. That says great things about the continued success of Colgate football.
6. Have fun. This defense plays great with nothing to lose. -well, we had nothing to lose but the game, and we did. Still, a trip to the playoffs beats sitting home any day of the week!

On offense:

1. Like it needs saying: Limit turnovers. We do that and we've improved out chances of winning 1000%. - Turnovers again killed us at some key moments. UNH scoring 14 right before the half completely changed what we needed to do in the second half.
2. Establish Jordan Scott between the tackles. He is proving good enough to break 7 and 10 yards or more type runs every time he touches the ball. - Scott looked good for most of the day, and boy am I excited to see him grow over the next three years.
3. Avoid the home run ball. Too often we look for the big score in double coverage because our receivers are so talented; but against this crew, they will give you the 80 yards passing in exchange for a pick and seven points by their offense. - We tried this a few times too many in my opinion, and the UNH defensive backs did a great job of covering and closing, not to mention tipping and intercepting!
4. Time of possession. We will need the ball for 35 minutes or more to have a chance to win this one. - Didn't matter. UNH can score 14 points in 11 seconds.
5. Go back to the playmakers even if they make mistakes. We've done a good job of having confidence in our skill players even after they fumble or throw a bad pass. This crew has got it done all season long after bad plays, and they are the ones that are going to have any chance of winning this one. - no real comment here.
6. Just like the defense, go out there and have fun. No one gives us a chance, so you've got nothing to lose. This game was in many ways a mirror of our season: what could have been without turnovers and missed tackles. Still, see the other comment above. This was a great treat for the seniors and some wonderful postseason experience for our very young skill players.

Well, there you have it. The season ends today, but Colgate should feel proud. We went from 1-2 to the playoffs; we look pretty good for next year. Thanks for the great memories Colgate seniors and everyone rest up, get healthy and have a wonderful well deserved couple of weeks off before off season training begins.

Two Different Points of View

2005-11-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

I found this very funny. Here is the Sports Network Headline for the Patriot League awards:

Colgate dominates All-Patriot League teams

And now here is the headline from the The Morning Call, a Lehigh Valley paper:

Hawks, Leopards dominate Patriot League football team

All three teams had 11 players on the post season teams. So how can any one dominate? Very interesting...

More UNH/Colgate Stories

2005-11-23T22:29:00.000-05:00

Some more press:

Colgate boasts strong defense, run attack

UNH faces tough Colgate in playoff Round 1

Some UNH Feedback

2005-11-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

A poster on the Any Given Saturday website shot me a line to give me some insight into the scouting report I did. It is all good stuff to know about this team, so I thought I'd paste some of his comments here for us all to read:

I read your blog and one thing I have to add is that the passing numbers against UNH are swollen with garbage time scores. For example, this past Saturday when UNH went up 59-28, they put reserves in on defense. Maine kept the first string offense on the field and scored TDs. Don't get me wrong, they still scored 28 points, but the 47 wasn't a true indication of the defense's ability. When the game was on the line coming out of halftime after Maine scored a TD to end the 1st half (big Mo), the UNH defense stopped Maine while the offense scored four unanswered TDs. There were similar garbage time scores by Northeastern, Dartmouth, Towson and I believe Villanova.

Also, if you examine the TOP during UNH games, you'll notice that often UNH loses the TOP by significant time. Look at the Towson and Villanova games for example. UNH often scores quickly and puts the defense right back out on the field. 35 minutes of possession is a good goal but it always isn't enough.

UNH often plays a single RB and floods WRs down field. And our TE Jon Williams looks more like a WR than TE -- I'm constantly mixing him up with Aaron Brown (#86 WR) because their numbers are nearly the same (84 & 86) and their bodies appear the same (both 6'3" and not too much difference in weight). Usually if Santos has reasonable time, he will find someone with so many targets available. A good pass rush by Colgate is imperative. Maine had one Saturday, but Santos just scrambled for over 100 yards when he didn't have time for routes to develop. At halftime, UNH either made adjustments on line blocking or Maine adjusted, because he started to get more time. They also had a couple of perfect calls -- for example, WR screen to Ball when Maine was blitzing big time.

I don't think UNH will have significant advantages in athleticism or speed over Colgate. Ball is not a speed burner, but he's not a lumbering slug either. LeVan, Boyle, Williams and Brown all have decent speed. At RB, you missed Chris Ward but he didn't play vs. Maine and I don't know if he's out this week. He's not a speed guy either. That's a dimension missing on UNH. Redshirt Freshman Kaysonne Anderson was supposed to be that element but he blew out his knee in preseason.

Are there any prolific passing attacks in the Patriot? If not, you guys will be facing a very different offense on Saturday. And most likely UNH will have put in at least one new play for Colgate.

Scoring early will definitely help Colgate. A runback like W&M executed against UNH would also help you guys immensely. You really have to avoid getting down quickly as UNH likes to come out and drop quick scores on you and force you out of your game plan.

I'm looking forward to a good game because I know you're more skilled than the average AGS poster gives you credit for. And I know you'll be disciplined as well as smart.

Looks like a little snow (2") tomorrow in Durham, but so far the line for 4-9" is farther inland.

I think we've seen a prolific passing attach in Lehigh, but the results of that game show us what we need to do on Saturday.

Colgate and Lehigh in the Playoffs

2005-11-23T13:51:00.000-05:00

This piece of information just caught my eye:

With Saturday's game against UNH, this will mark the seventh playoff appearance and 11th playoff game for Colgate. Both of those figures tie Lehigh for the most in the Patriot League. We can only hope to get that 12th game and take the lead!

Also on Saturday, Lafayette will claim the third spot to itself with a second appearance and equal Fordham's number with a second game.

Colgate Rakes in Some Post Season Honors

2005-11-23T10:17:00.000-05:00

The Patriot League just released their post season honors, with Colgate making a big splash. Dick Biddle brings home his third Coach of the Year honors, Jordan Scott is no surprise as Rookie of the Year, and interestingly enough, Jared Nepa brings home the Defensive Player of the Year honors over Buchannon candidate Maurice Bennett of Lafayette!

Mike Saraceno also gets the nod as the first team quarterback and Chris Williams and Geoff Bean bring home first team defensive honors.

The second team was also chock full of Colgate players: Jordan Scott, DeWayne Long, Jeremy Wurst, Jake Sulvoski, Jeff Galletly, Chris Petrone, and Cody Williams. Three out of our four defensive lineman were named - not too shabby.

Indeed, nothing was too shabby for a 'rebuilding' year. With more than one of these selections coming back next year (and in two cases, more than that), things will look bright heading into 2006.

My one, minor quabble: Jordan Scott is good enough for second team running back, puts up the most rushing yards in the league in only eight starts, and we only get one offensive lineman on both the first and second teams? Seems to me you can't have it both ways: Either Scott got his yards because of a stellar offensive line, or Scott got his yards because he was the best running back in the league. Silva's got him beat on all purpose yards which include special teams, and Rath has got more touchdowns, but in terms of offensive output, I think Scott has got them beat. I understand the reasoning for Silva and Rath, so I'm not really arguing; just a fan who sees things differently. If Scott's not good enough for first team with those numbers, than we should have some more offensive lineman in there.

Regardless, congratulations to all Patriot League student-athletes receiving honors. Well done!

Scouting Report: UNH Defense

2005-11-22T20:02:00.000-05:00

Hopefully you have had the night to digest the monumental task that awaits the Colgate defense on Saturday. It will not be easy.

Today, it's time to look at what the Colgate offense will be going up against when the Wildcats play 'D'. Thankfully, while it's proved to be good enough this year so far, it is not at the same level as their offense.

Defensive Line

Derek Stank is the senior tackle that anchors this line. He's had five and half sacks and tackles for a loss this year. Brent Barbato at defensive end has had a nice season with some big plays to his credit, like four sacks and two fumbles recovered. He is actually a former teammate of Colgate defensive tackle Pat Nolan - both going to Exeter Area High School in New Hampshire.

Linebackers

New Hampshire gives up a little over 143 yards per game on the ground. Redshirt freshman Matt Parent has had a great coming out season and has teamed up with senior E.J. Dewitt to anchor the linebacking corps.

Secondary

This secondary gave up about 1,000 more yards in the air than Colgate this season and had 21 touchdowns scored on them. Both are some of the highest numbers in the country.

On the flip side though, Corey Graham has three interceptions to his credit as well as 81 tackles from his cornerback position. Baron Flenory at strong safety matches Graham's interception output and adds three sacks to go with his 72 tackles. One telling stat, though, is that free safety Jeff Pammer actually leads all of the Wildcats in tackles with 107 and the next closest tackler is fellow defensive back Graham with his 81. Almost 20% of all tackles made this year have been by this duo.

Whenever your secondary are your leading tacklers, there has to be something there to exploit with the run.

Colgate Matchup

You might have already noticed the first temptation that is there: exploit the secondary in the air. They are giving up yardage, touchdowns and points. I think that is a siren song and a recipe for disaster for Colgate. A high speed passing game benefits the type of tempo that New Hampshire wants. They play the gamble of trying to outscore you, and by the 10-1 record and slew of blowouts on the books, they are quite good at it.

Another reason to avoid the pass first mentality is the turnover ratio; whether by fortune or skill, the Wildcats have excelled in this area. In fact, their one loss to William and Mary earlier this year could partly be attributed to the turnovers going the other way (along with special team play). With Saraceno's history, one has to imagine the Wildcats will be focused on Jordan Scott and will almost dare Saraceno to beat them in the air.

It may sound crazy, but we have to do exactly what they will be trying to prevent us from doing: establish the running game and take up chunks of clock on every possesion. Winning the field possession battle is not as important a factor for us. UNH can often move the ball at will. It will be more important to limit the amount of time they can have to put points on the board.

We have to go with Scott early and often, and looking at this team on paper, we might just have some success with that. As always, the play of our receivers will be the key to keeping the Wildcats honest. If Saraceno can stay patient and take the routes UNH gives him as opposed to looking for the home run ball, we too might be able to move the ball very effectively against this defense and put up a fair share of points.

Offensive Keys to the Game

1. Like it needs saying: Limit turnovers. We do that and we've improved out chances of winning 1000%.
2. Establish Jordan Scott between the tackles. He is proving good enough to break 7 and 10 yards or more type runs every time he touches the ball.
3. Avoid the home run ball. Too often we look for the big score in double coverage because our receivers are so talented; but against this crew, they will give you the 80 yards passing in exchange for a pick and seven points by their offense.
4. Time of possession. We will need the ball for 35 minutes or more to have a chance to win this one.
5. Go back to the playmakers even if they make mistakes. We've done a good job of having confidence in our skill players even after they fumble or throw a bad pass. This crew has got it done all season long after bad plays, and they are the ones that are going to have any chance of winning this one.
6. Just like the defense, go out there and have fun. No one gives us a chance, so you've got nothing to lose.

Tomorrow's installment: Special Teams.

(By the way, if one could find some defensive player pictures, I'd use them. The UNH website is all Santos and Ball!)

UNH/Colgate stories

2005-11-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

Here is the piece that Lennie mentioned in the Union Leader.

UNH Notebook: High noon start suits Wildcats

The Portsmouth Herald has a piece too.

Wildcats will host Colgate in first round on Saturday

Breaking News: Fordham Looking for a New Coach

2005-11-21T17:16:00.000-05:00

Ed Foley resigned.

Time to rebuild in the Bronx. Next question: what about Georgetown?

Biddle Named a Robinson Finalist

2005-11-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

Biddles' at it again.

The Sportsnetwork's Coach of the Year Award, The Eddie Robinson Award, has said that Dick Biddle is a finalist for the award - again. He placed 3rd in 2003.

Please, Colgate: give this man whatever he wants to stay at Colgate (not that I think he's leaving). He's still young. Let's get another 10 years from this legend in the making and have him cement Colgate as a I-AA football power (if we're not there already).

Scouting Report: UNH offense

2005-11-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

Instead of lumping it all in one pre-game scouting report, this is the playoffs, so we get to really dig into it and take an in depth look at our opponents from the Granite State. Today's look: the high powered and often unstoppable Wildcat offense that ranks in the top 10 of all I-AA.

Quarterback

Sophomore Ricky Santos is the real deal. Sometimes, if all is quiet in Durham, you can actually hear another record being broken. Nothing in the UNH record books will remain untouched by the time Santos leaves - in two years!

Looking first at the hard stats, he has a quarterback rating of 171. He's averaging 295 yards per game, thrown for 33 touchdowns to only 8 interceptions and completes over 70% of his passes. Ouch.

Even more so, this is a guy that as a freshman stepped up when injuries hit the Wildcats and led UNH to the playoffs with victories over teams like Delaware, I-A Rutgers, and Georgia Southern down in Georgia. He is not the weak link in any chain.

Running Backs

In this offense where the pass gets all the press, New Hampshire still manages to run the ball for more than 160 yards per game. There is no true feature back but rather the yards are gotten mostly by committee. The standout is John McCoy, who gets about 65 yards per game on an impressive 4.9 average yards per carry. He's helped out by Santos, who usually scrambles for 20 plus yards a game and usually does it in situations where he can score. Santos actually leads the team in rushing touchdowns.

The supporting cast is Robert Simpson with some bigger runs to his name and Matt O'Brien, a freshman who has seen some time as of late.

Receivers

Junior David Ball is without a doubt the main target for the extremly efficient Santos, and he doesn't let Ricky down. Ball has 1190 yards receiving to his credit this season, averaging 5 catches a game for over 108 yards per game. He's scored 18 times this year; that's over a touchdown and a half per game folks!

In addition to Ball's prowess, much like Lehigh there is a whole armada of recievers that Santos can throw to. Aaron Brown, Keith LeVan and Jonathan Williams at his tight end spot all see action on the field. For a good example, against Northeastern Santos threw for five touchdowns, all to different receivers.

Offensive Line

The hogs up front run like this from left to right: senior David Sundberg, junior Tucker Peterson, sophomore Nick Couturier, junior Tim Schwab and junior Will Yarborough. The first thing you'll notice is there is only one senior in the bunch, so they are a bit young. But you can stop right there. They've only given up 20 sacks this season and judging by Santos's productivity, they're doing a spectacular job.

Colgate Matchup

The best thing Colgate has got going for itself in this one defensively is its offense. More to come on the UNH defense later, but Colgate's style of play does not usually lend itself to getting into a shootout. We average over 35 minutes per game in time of possession. New Hampshire is closer to 26 minutes per game. If we can keep that ratio or even get it up to over 60% of the game, our defense doesn't have to perform as much because they are not on the field!

But ultimately, Santos and crew will get the ball, and they will be very efficient at moving it. The biggest threat is Santos himself. The Colgate defensive line is a quick one, but we will need more sacks and hurries than we usually see to delay the deep threats as much as possible. We will probably see a lot of nickel coverage from the Raiders, and I would not be surprised to see UNH try and exploit freshman Sam Breslin with some of their talented receivers. Breslin has been solid all year, but this will be his first time on the big stage of the playoffs and that's who I'd attack first.

Ball deserves our best coverage every down, and most likely double coverage at times. It will be up to the remaining members of our secondary and linebackers to pick up the 'committee' and tackle them at our first shot. I think we've got two huge assets in Jared Nepa who has proven to be a very capable linebacker in coverage and Tom Cassano who has given us flexiblity in coverages from his end position.

I like our chances to have a good game against the run but our approach must treat this team as a balanced one; not as one that will pass first. I think UNH will be quite happy to take what we give them, so we might be trying to stop the run in nickel coverages and stop the pass with eight in the box.

Defensive Keys to the Game

1. Keep that Colgate offense on the field!
2. Keep our coverage honest.
3. Tackle at the first hit.
4. Convert big plays into points. We've not been great at this lately and UNH does not turn the ball over much. Nepa, Bean or Williams scoring 6 points is a huge lift to this team.
5. Stay in the game mentally. UNH can put points up early and often. We can't get down on ourselves if we find ourselves down by 14 points in the first quarter. Our offense has shown the capability of coming back.
6. Have fun. This defense plays great with nothing to lose.

Tomorrow's installment: The Wildcat Defense.

Final Regular Season AGS Top 25

2005-11-20T21:37:00.000-05:00

Here it is, my final poll for the regular season.

1. New Hampshire (1)
2. Appalachian St (4)
3. Hampton (3)
4. Brown (6)
5. Richmond (8)
6. Northern Iowa (9)
7. Georgia Southern (10)
8. Furman (11)
9. Texas State (12)
10. Cal Poly (13)
11. Southern Illinois (14)
12. Montana (2)
13. Eastern Illinois (16)
14. Eastern Washington (19)
15. Nicholls St (20)
16. Youngstown St (21)
17. Grambling (20)
18. Coastal Carolina (5)
19. Colgate (23)
20. Lafayette (25)
21. Lehigh (6)
22. Illinois St (22)
23. Massachusetts (15)
24. North Dakota St (18)
25. Montana St. (NR)

Most Significant Win: Lafayette
Most Significant Loss: Montana

New Hampshire it is

2005-11-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

Well Colgate fans, we've got good news and bad news. The good news is, we're in the playoffs and on ESPN2 nationally! The bad news: we face the number 1 team in the land, UNH. More to come on the match up later, but I think we'll do just fine. I'm not predicting a win or anything at this point, but we'll represent ourselves pretty well I think.

The huge thing we've got going for us is lack of pressure. Both Colgate (and Lafayette - huge contratulations are in order for them) have nothing to lose in these games. Just go out and play. Both teams probably thought last Friday was most likely their last practice of the season. Now these seniors on both teams get a HUGE bonus game and get to let it all hang out one more time. You couldn't ask for more.

One thing I want Raider (and Leopard) fans to realize though is that facing the #1 and #2 seeds respectively does not make us #15 and #16. The NCAA only seeds teams 1-4 and then matchs up games regionally. We'd be playing UNH if they were seeded fourth or first.

A lot to digest and be happy for indeed. More to come on UNH and what we've got to look forward to, as well as some post season honors and accolades to dole out. Stay tuned.

PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-11-19T16:08:00.000-05:00

Thank you dearest Lafayette!

On to the playoffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Party time in Hamilton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!

2005-11-19T15:23:00.000-05:00

As I write this, Lafayette is down nine points to Lehigh, but regardless, today's win means Colgate wins its third Patriot League Championship in the last four years. AWESOME. This is coming from a team picked to finish third and started the year 1-2. Great season Colgate!

We'll see how Lehigh/Lafayette ends, and we'll pray for some help with the playoffs, but even if we're sitting home next Saturday, it's been a great season.

More to come after some finals...

But, I think Jordan Scott just made a huge case for himself to be 1st team Patriot League tailback and possibly even Offensive Player of the Year. He's got the rookie award hands down. Jared Nepa's got a shot at Defensive Player of the Year and Biddle? He might just be Coach of the Year himself.

Fingers crossed until Sunday afternoon!

Georgetown Scouting Report

2005-11-18T16:10:00.000-05:00

My apologies. This is not meant to be a slight against the Hoyas or make it seem like it is 'in the bag". I was called away today and have not really had a chance to do a full report. This will be a short and sweet version since it's late, and I still have stuff to do!

Offense

The Georgetown offense has frankly struggled this season, and while they haven't experienced the quarterback troubles Bucknell has, they are basically in the same boat. Oddly enough, they also run a similar option offense.

If you look at some of the league statistics, the Hoyas are last in scoring (10.9 points per game), sixth in passing (107 yards per game), last in turnovers (.90 turnover margin), sixth in rushing offense (125.9 yards per game) and last in total offense at almost 140 yards less per game than Colgate (232.9 vs. 361.7). The tale of the tape doesn't look pretty for the Georgetown offense.

Nick Cangelosi is the quarterback and main offensive threat. He puts up about 30 yards on the ground and 100 yards in the air each game. The main running threat is Marcus Slayton, a freshman rushing for a little less than 70 yards per game. After that, there really isn't much to speak of.

Just like Bucknell last week, the main job of the Colgate defense will be to stop the run and force the Hoyas to pass; something they either choose not to do or have not had much success doing. If the defense can hold the Hoyas in the first quarter and the Raider offense can get some points on the board, we will most likely have a field day in shutting down their attack. This teams has shown some ability in coming back from behind, but if we can tee off on predictable situations, there will be a lot of three and outs.

The danger for our defense will be to leave our brains back in Hamilton. Unlikely given the magnitude of this game (Patriot League title and possible playoffs on the line; last game for seniors) however it is still possible. This is one of those matchups that the longer Georgetown stays in it, the more confident they are they can win. We barely escaped in 2003 with a 'W', so I won't rest easy until the whole 60 minutes are done in this one.

Defense

Thankfully for the Hoyas, the defense hasn't had the same type of woes the offense has. It's a fairly respectable crew that does pretty well against the run (middle of the pack in the Patriot League) and, believe it or not, actually gives up less passing yards per game than Lafayette or Colgate! You could take the sarcastic view and state that teams haven't need to pass against the Hoyas, but in reality, I don't think this defensive group is a bunch of pushovers. Even in last year's shutout, the burden of blame fell on the lack of Georgetown offense, not defensive performance.

Again, no slight to Georgetown meant here, but this side of the ball really comes down to which Colgate offense decides to show up. Is it the offense from the first half of Bucknell or the 4th quarter? If we turn the ball over and are ineffective on 'O', that's bad news for Colgate because this defense will be able to stop us from time to time. If we play solid Colgate football, we will have a big day.

Special Teams

I can't see this area being a big part of this game, but I sure could be wrong. This one shouldn't be decided by field goals, and we've cooled off a bit in the return game. Maybe we'll have some nice returns, but all in all, just don't turn the ball over and we'll be fine.

The Skinny

Just win baby. Colgate players have to know what is on the line here. Regardless of playoffs, this group has to be fired up about this one. A win means this group of seniors has won three of Colgate's five Patriot League championships. Simply amazing. There are plenty of 'no-namers' doing it in this group, but that accomplishment would have to put them in the company of some of Colgate's best classes ever.

We play Colgate football and don't turn the ball over, and it will be a fine day for a Raider win, and in turn some scoreboard watching up in Bethlehem.

As always, LET'S GO 'GATE!