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2001 Season Preview

    
     Mount Union enters the 2001 season looking to win its tenth consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference championship and second straight national title.  The Purple Raiders are five-time national champions ('93, '96, '97, '98, '00), the only team in the history of Division III football that can make that claim.  

     Ten starters return from the 1999 championship team, four offensive and six defensive.  Among the hardest hit positions to graduation are offensive line, where Jason Gerber, Chip Leckonby, Steve Nettle and Bill Rychel are gone; wide receiver, with the loss of Adam Marino, along with Steve Gehlert and Rob Sondles; and linebacker where defensive leaders Matt LeVerde and Jesse Pearson have graduated.  Other key graduation losses include quarterback Gary Smeck, tight end Adam Irgang, defensive tackle Ryan Belaney, cornerback Brooks Greenleaf and strong safety Brian Cassidy.

     Offensively, Mount Union has led all of Division III in total offense two years in a row, averaging 530 yards-per-game and 49.1 points-per-game last season.  The Purple Raiders are the only Division III football team to score 500 points or more in six consecutive seasons (630 points in '00, 593 points in '99, 523 points in '98, 752 points in '97, 669 points in '96 and 547 points in '95).   No other Division III team has done it more than three times in a row.  In 184 games under Head Coach Larry Kehres, Mount Union has never been shutout.  It has been 20 years and 223 games since the Purple Raiders were last held without a score, dating back to a 1981 6-0 loss to Baldwin-Wallace.

     Look for the Raiders to have one of its strongest running games ever this season, with the combination of first-team All-OAC senior Chuck Moore (6-0, 203), who rushed for 1,647 yards (6.3) and scored 27 rushing touchdowns, and second-team All-OAC junior Dan Pugh (5-11, 200), who had 985 (5.3) rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns in 2000.  Last year, Moore became the all-time leading scorer in Mount Union history, with 318 regular season points.

     Also expected to see considerable action in the backfield are junior Dustin Blake (6-2, 190), who rushed for 346 yards (4.1) and scored one touchdown; and  junior Vince Ilacqua (5-11, 182), who tallied 176 yards (7.7) and two scores last season.

     The quarterback position is an important one on any football team, and that is no exception when playing for the Purple Raiders.  Head Coach Larry Kehres, a 1971 Mount Union graduate, himself starred as a Purple Raider quarterback 30-years ago.

     Over the past 20 years, Mount Union has built a reputation of having a very strong passing game, with a long line of great quarterbacks.  Players such as Tony Colao, Scott Woolf, Scott Gindlesberger, Keith Rybarczyk, Brad Petro, Jim Ballard, Bill Borchert and Gary Smeck have raised the bar as Purple Raider signal callers, making Mount Union one of the greatest passing teams in the history of college football, at any level.  Including playoffs, Purple Raider quarterbacks have thrown a touchdown pass in a NCAA-record 128 consecutive games, dating back to the 1991 season.

     Junior Rob Adamson (6-4, 200) will take over the signal calling duties this season.  The strong-armed quarterback from Akron Manchester High School has completed 42-of-54-passes for 668 yards (15.9) and five touchdowns thus far in his Purple Raider career.  Sophomore Jesse Burghardt (6-0, 187), out of Lake High School, will also get some snaps.  He completed both of his pass attempts for 22 yards (11) last season.

     With the loss of wide receiver Adam Marino, who set numerous pass-catching records during his Mount Union football career, it's senior Jason Candle's turn to be the main route runner for the Purple Raiders in 2001.  Candle (5-11, 178), from West Branch High School, played in just six games last season due to a wrist injury suffered in the Wilmington contest, but still caught 16 passes for 259 yards (16.2) and two touchdowns.

     Other returning recievers this year are senior Jason Richards (5-11, 188), who had nine receptions for 181 yards (20.3) a season ago; junior Rourke Skelton (5-10, 164), who caught six passes for 60 yards (10) and one touchdown; and junior Derrick Leach (5-10, 188), who had three receptions for 27 yards (9) last year.  You can expect someone from the large group of last year's freshman receivers to step up as well.

     Junior Josh Liddell (6-4, 205) will probably take over tight end duties this season.  Liddell played in four games a year ago, catching two passes for 24 yards (12) and one touchdown.

     A key to how Mount Union performs in the early part of the season will be how quickly the offensive line, which will have four new starters in 2001, comes together as a unit.  The lone returning starter is senior Ed Malone (6-2, 286).  The St. Thomas Aquinas High School product started all 14 games last season for the Purple Raiders at center, but don't be surprised if he moves to one of the guard positions this year.  Look for Alliance High School product, sophomore Larry Kinnard (6-6, 290), who saw a lot of time at tackle last season, to fill one of those spots in 2001. 

     Also expected to see playing time on the offensive line include senior Josh Hammond (6-4, 325); senior Adam Indorf (6-2, 294); junior John Gliha (6-3, 231); junior Justin Coston (6-2, 279); sophomore Bob Bradley (6-5, 347); sophomore Brent Miller (6-0, 306); sophomore George Momirovic (6-4, 350), from East Canton; and sophomore Dustin Wilson (6-5, 324); among others.

     Defensively, Mount Union once again led the Ohio Athletic Conference in total defense and points allowed in 2000.  The Purple Raiders allowed a league low 272.8 yards-per-game and just 14.1 points-per-game.  The Mount "D" had 24 interceptions and another eight fumble recoveries last season, finishing the year with a plus-16 turnover ratio.  The Purple and White defensive also scored five touchdowns.  In one of the most impressive performances ever by a Mount Union defense, the Purple Raiders held 2000 Stagg Bowl opponent St. John's to just seven points, 14 first downs and 223 total yards, enabling the Raiders to win with a last second field goal, 10-7.

     Mount Union returns three of four starters along a very good and deep defensive line in 2001.  Look for second-team All-OAC senior defensive end Chris Eberhardt (6-2, 234), out of Canton Central Catholic High School, honorable mention All-OAC junior defensive end Matt Campbell (6-3, 231), a Perry High School product, and junior defensive tackle Jeff Knoblauch (6-4, 245), to hold down three of the four defensive line spots again in 2001.  Eberhardt had 35 tackles last season, including five for loss and one quarterback sack; Campbell recorded 56 tackles, seven for loss, two quarterback sacks, one interception and forced two fumbles; Knoblauch had 50 tackles, 13 for loss, including seven quarterback sacks, one interception and one forced fumble.

     Also seeing time along the defensive line a year ago were senior Tom Braden (6-1, 228), who registerd 52 tackles, including seven for loss and two and a half sacks; senior Rocky Coniglio (6-0, 242), with 32 tackles, including eight for loss, three and a half sacks and one forced fumble; senior Nick Lesniak (5-10, 252), with four tackles; junior Jeremy Portman (6-0, 221), who had two tackles; sophomore Antoine Dillard (6-2, 259), also with two tackles; and sophomore Robert Van Dyke (6-0, 221), who registered two tackles, including one for loss.

     The linebacker position was the one hit hardest by graduation on the defensive side of the ball, with the lone returning starter honorable mention All-OAC senior outside linebacker Jason Perkins (6-0, 213).  He recorded 78 tackles a year ago, including 15 for loss, three quarterback sacks and one fumble recovery.

     Look for sophomore Jason Pugh (6-0, 236), who did not play last year due to an injury in the preseason scrimmage, to get a look at linebacker, along with sophomore Shaun Spisak (5-11, 200), who recorded 27 tackles, including one for loss and was credited with one half sack last season.  
    

     Others that should see time at linebacker include senior Ryan Haynes (5-11, 218), who had 42 tackles a year ago; junior Mark Brace (5-11, 212), 18 tackles; senior Stan Watson (6-0, 200), 25 tackles; senior Chris Carter (5-11, 189), nine tackles and one fumble recovery; junior Tony Buckler (6-0, 201), from Canton Central Catholic High School, who had eight tackles, including one for loss and one half sack; junior Jason McElhaney (6-1, 212), six tackles, two for loss and one sack; senior Nick Cook (6-0, 224), five tackles; junior Dan Wade (6-1, 243), two tackles; junior Josh Church (6-0, 217), one tackle; and sophomore Chad Wilson (5-9, 204), who registered one tackle.

     Like the defensive line, the Purple Raiders return a very strong and very deep defensive secondary in 2001.  One returning starter is junior cornerback Chris Kern (6-0, 192), who had 63 tackles, including three for loss, six interceptions, one fumble recovery and 18 passes defended last year.  Kern also returned one interception 37 yards for a touchdown.  The other returning starter is junior Mike Miller (5-8, 165).  Look for Miller to move to the other cornerback spot this season after spending most of his time at free safety a year ago, registering 58 tackles, with two interceptions and 14 passes defended.    

     There are a number of players that will be fighting for time at the free safety and strong safety spots.  Among them will be senior Alex Grinch (6-2, 191), who had  32 tackles, including one for loss, three interceptions and 12 passes defended last season; junior Justin Burton (6-2, 186), from West Branch High School, who had 30 tackles and one fumble recovery a year ago; and junior Matt Sotcan (6-0, 187), from Alliance High School, who missed four games with a wrist injury but still had 27 tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defended. 

     Others in line for playing time in the secondary include junior Vince Suber (5-10, 163), who registered 12 tackles, one pass defended and one fumble recovery last season; sophomore Brad Banfield (6-0, 169), from Jackson High School, who had 11 tackles, two passes defended and one fumble recovery; senior Dan Phillips (5-11, 164), with five tackles, one for loss and one pass defended; sophomore Matt Inks (6-0, 185), three tackles; junior Keith Spivey (6-1, 179), three tackles; sophomore Jamie Allman (6-2, 168), from Massillon Washington High School, with two tackles; and senior Todd Smargiasso (6-1, 204), who battled an injury last season, playing in only one game and registering two tackles.

     Special Teams 2000 Stagg Bowl hero, second-team All-OAC senior punter/place-kicker Rod Chenos (5-9, 158), will be back to handle the kicking duties this year for Mount Union.  Chenos was successful on 11-of-14 field goal attempts and 81-of-87 PAT tries last season.  He also averaged 36.5 yards-per-punt and 14 times put the ball inside the opponents 20-yard line.

     Chuck Moore, Dan Pugh and Mike Miller will likely handle a lot of the kick and punt return duties in 2001.  Moore averaged 28.8 yards-per-kick return last season, while Pugh averaged 18.0 yards-per-kick return and Miller averaged 19.4 on kick returns and 7.0 on punt returns.  Other players you might see on special team returns include Jason Candle, Jason Richards, Vince Ilacqua, Dustin Blake, Rourke Skelton, Chris Kern and Alex Grinch, among others.  As a team last season, Mount Union averaged 20.8 yards-per-kick return while allowing an average of 16.8 yards.  The Purple Raiders excelled on punt returns, averaging 10.7 yards themselves but only allowing an average of 4.0 yards-per-return by their opponents.

     Head Coach Larry Kehres returns for his 16th season at Mount Union College.  Kehres has an overall record of 164-17-3, which translates into a winning percentage of .891%.  His squads have gone 28-6 in 11 playoff appearances, winning the Division III national championship five times ('93, '96, '97, '98, '00).  He has been named GTE Division III National Coach of the Year five times ('93, '96, '97, '98, '00) as voted by the American Football Coaches Association.

     The Purple Raiders should be favorites to bring home a tenth consecutive and 13th overall Ohio Athletic Conference championship in 2001.  Once again, the OAC will be one of the strongest, if not the strongest, conference in all of Division III with 1999 and 2000 playoff participant Ohio Northern and perennial powers John Carroll and Baldwin-Wallace, along with newcomer Wilmington, who finished third in the OAC in its first year in the conference a year ago.  Along with those league games, and the ones against other fellow OAC opponents Otterbein, Marietta, Capital, Muskingum and Heidelberg, the Purple Raiders will again open the season against Allegheny, who will be one of the favorites in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

     It should be another exciting season in the friendly confines of Mount Union Stadium this fall, and let's see if the campaign can't end with another pleasant road trip to visit all our nice friends in Salem, Virginia.

                                                                                         Ric Brienza