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2008 Season Preview |
| Raiders look to reload for another playoff run  The 2007 team came into last season fresh off their second straight Stagg Bowl win over Wis-Whitewater and absolutely loaded with talent and experience at almost every position. Their quest was simply to win Title #10 for the dynasty that is Mount Union Football. Unfortunately, the third time was the charm for the Whitewater Warhawks, as the Purple Raiders ended up on the short-end of a 31-21 final score on a frigid, freezing-rain soaked night in Salem Stadium. So while the Raiders’ quest remains the same, win the OAC and go bowling in Virginia with a shot at Title #10, they’ll have to do so this time with a very young and inexperienced squad after graduating 17 starters from last year’s 14-1 team. One HUGE advantage the ’08 Raiders have is that head coach Larry Kehres still walks the sidelines at Mount Union Stadium. Kehres’ record since taking the head coaching reigns from mentor Ken Wable in 1986 is beyond remarkable at 262-21-3, which equates to a 92.3% winning percentage. And even more unbelievable are the Raider records since the start of the 1992 season:
No wonder the Mount Union Purple Raiders are entrenched in the mindset of Division III football fans across the nation as the King’s of Division III football. And as long as Kehres remains, the Raiders will continue to be “the team to beat.” In last year’s preview we
highlighted how the 2007 team, with all the returning talent from a
championship team, reminded us of the 1997 team led by Bill Borchert. But
just as graduation depleted Though young and inexperienced, the ’98 team did the unthinkable by winning the Stagg Bowl behind the magnificent play and leadership of Jason Hall, who is by most accounts the best linebacker to play at Mount Union, and I believe the ’08 team can do the same behind quarterback Greg Micheli and running back Nate Kmic. Think I’m crazy to predict such success? Name a better quarterback or running back in all of Division III than Micheli and Kmic. Now pair them together in the same backfield under the tutelage of the best coach in all of college football (regardless of division) and you have the makings of another special season. The Raider "O" Though the Raider offense returns only three starters from ’07, Coach Kehres has a great core to build around with Micheli at quarterback, Kmic at running back and tight end Chad Reynolds all returning for their senior seasons in the Purple & White. An off-season knee injury to senior full back Terrance Morring has cost the Raider’s what would have been their fourth returning starter on offense. Obviously a coach would prefer have an experienced squad to start summer camp with, but if given the choice I can’t think of a better tandem to build around than a stud quarterback and running back with the work ethic, football intelligence, game presence and leadership qualities of Micheli and Kmic. For the Raider offense to retain its customary balance and explosiveness, Kehres has a lot of holes to fill in the starting lineup. Nate Kmic Since bursting onto the scene in the 2005 playoffs filling in for the injured Aaron Robinson, the Mount Union offense has been literally carried on the swift and capable legs of Kmic. In three years he has already rushed for 5,284 yds and 82 touchdowns and has garnered First-Team All-OAC honors twice. His 5,284 yards is the most ever by a Mount Union running back and 11th all-time in Division III football history. Kmic enters the season only 2,069 yards behind the NCAA Division III career rushing record of 7,353 yards held by Grove City running back R.J. Bowers. The Raiders’ history of offensive balance and spreading the ball amongst multiple ball carriers might cost Kmic a legitimate chance at the Division III record, but well within his sights however is the number two spot currently held by Wis-Whitewater’s Justin Beaver at 6,585 yards (1,301 yards ahead of Kmic). Any knowledgeable Raider fan would agree that Chuck Moore was the greatest running back in the rich history of Mount Union Football displaying great vision and field awareness which led to an uncanny knack of always making the right cut at the right time with enough speed to go the distance. Moore was also a great short yardage runner who always seemed to be falling forward after the hit and was a very dangerous receiver. Thus making him a great “all around running back” that was capable of excelling in any type of offensive scheme or situation. Those are exactly the same elements that Kmic displayed in rushing for 1,219 yards as a freshman, 2,365 yards as a sophomore and 1,700 yards last year as junior. Comparing official NCAA statistics
between Moore and Kmic can’t be done since the NCAA didn’t count playoff
contests when Moore played. But using data compiled by the Mount Union
Sports Information Director's Office reveals that Moore had the school record for yards in a
season with 2,349 in his 2001 Gagliardi Award winning senior season.
Following close behind Moore is the 2002 Gagliardi Award winning senior
season of Dan Pugh in which Pugh rushed for 2,303 yards. In both cases,
Moore and Pugh Further comparing the production between Moore and Kmic reveals that Kmic is on pace to tie or possibly break Moore’s OAC career record for average yards per carry. Between 1998 and 2001 Moore averaged 6.5 yards every time he carried the ball. Coming into his final season, Kmic is also averaging 6.5 yards per carry. For Kmic to have any shot at the overall Division III rushing record or Moore’s OAC record for average yards per carry, he needs a young offensive line to gel quickly and pave the way. Greg Micheli Micheli first displayed his quarterbacking talents as an “option running change of pace” to Mike Jorris in the 2006 season before exploding in the ’06 Stagg Bowl in front of a national TV audience. His flawless 18 of 22 passing for 202 yards with three touchdowns and zero interception performance garnered the Stagg Most Valuable Player Award and chiseled his name into the rich Mount Union Football history books, joining Jim Ballard (’93), Bill Borchert (’96 & ’97), Gary Smeck (’98 & ’00), Rob Adamson (’01 & 02) and Jorris (‘05) as quarterbacks to lead their teams to a national championship. In his first season as a starter, Micheli’s arm and legs produced 3,923 yards of total offense and 38 touchdowns which earned him the coveted Mike Gregory Award as the OAC’s top offensive back and All-American honors. And heading into the ’08 season, he is head and shoulders above the rest of the OAC quarterbacks and looks to be in good position to win the Gregory Award again. His biggest OAC competition will likely be his fellow backfield mate that he’ll be handing off to. While
Micheli’s athleticism and speed
allows him to make plays with his feet to go along with his With a healthy 2008 season, Micheli has a chance to become one of the truly elite Mount Union quarterbacks. Offensive Line It might sound like a cliché, but it’s true. Winning football starts up front. In the early years of the Mount Union run, the Raider Offensive lines played hard and played well, but were usually under sized and out manned against the national powers like a Wis-La Crosse or Rowan. As a result, the Raider teams in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s needed to overcome their disadvantage at the line of scrimmage by creative offensive schemes and spreading the ball around. When Mount Union made the leap from just being good to winning its first championship in 1993, it did so on the strength of its skill players, specifically quarterback and wide receiver, not on the backs of a dominant O-line. However the long term growth of the program from one singularly great team (’93) into the stable dynasty that is Mount Union Football has been accomplished on the foundation of consistently great play in the trenches. Since the late 1990’s thru today, the Purple & White O-line has been amongst the best in all of Division III year in and year out. It’s the consistently dominant line
play that has allowed Mount Union to succeed with such different personnel
styles in the backfield over the last decade plus. Kehres has won
with just about every type of offensive personnel from pro-style drop back
passers (Ballard, Smeck, Adamson and Jorris) to scrambling Unfortunately for Kehres, the offensive line was the hardest hit unit in terms of returning talent for this season, meaning he and his coaching staff have some serious work to do in summer camp identifying stud lineman as the entire ’07 line, and much of the back-up depth, is no longer in Alliance, leaving some mighty big shoes to fill. Specifically Derek Blanchard and Eric Safran, two of their best linemen ever. Expected to fill the open spots are seniors Luke Summers (6-4, 280) from New Middletown and James Bird (6-1, 265) from Minerva, and juniors Caleb Crowl (6-3, 295) from Lisbon, Samy Guerrero (6-0, 245) from Dublin Scioto and Mike Nitz (6-1, 270) from Copley. Due to depth issues on the Offensive line, Nitz has switched to the offensive side of the ball after playing his first two seasons at defensive tackle. As you may notice, the size of this group looks more like the undersized O-lines from the early to mid-1990’s than it does the recent collections of 6-4, 290 pounders. So for Kmic, Micheli and the entire offense to have the type of season expected, this offensive line needs to be quick, athletic and must come together, and do so quickly. Running Back The
depth and production of the backfield took a serious hit when All-OAC
Honorable Mention senior fullback Terrance Morring was lost for 2008 due to
an off-season knee injury. Morring’s loss is more than just as a lead
blocker for Kmic as he’s a versatile back that is equally capable as
a ball carrier (9.5 yards per carry and three TD’s), receiver or blocker.
Morring’s freshman season began as a tailback ahead of Kmic, Hoping to fill the large vacancy at fullback is senior Trevor Bruney who tallied 318 yards on 59 carries last year backing up Morring. Bruney was a very capable backup last year, but is expected to be mentally and physically prepared to take the week in and week out beating that comes from playing at fullback. Providing depth in the backfield are juniors Scott Thomas and Scott Panchik after filling back-up roles last year. Wide Receiver / Tight End While not as decimated as the Offensive line, the receiving core heading into this season has some serious holes to fill as they lose their top four pass catchers from a year ago. Gone are All-American Pierre Garcon, Bryson Davis, Justin Wray and Brandon Boehm who combined for 2,900 yards and 26 touchdowns, which equates to 70% of the Raiders’ passing game. The lone returning starter is senior tight end Chad Reynolds, who totaled 10 catches for 91 yards and four touchdowns last season. Expected to fill the vacant receiver spots are Vince Petruziello, Aaron Claycomb and speedster Cecil Shorts (who is also a back-up quarterback) after filling back-up roles in ‘07. With the leading returning pass catcher being Kmic with only 14 catches for 117 yards, the quick maturation of the young receivers is critical to the success of the Mount Union passing game. Quarterback With the return of Micheli as the starter this season, the only question surrounding the quarterback position heading into fall camp is who will fill the all-important back-up slot. If you’re questioning the significance of a back-up player, one only needs to review the ’05 and ’06 Stagg Bowls as in both cases the game MVP was a player that entered the playoffs sitting number two on the depth chart (Kmic behind Robinson in ’05 and Micheli behind Jorris in ’06). Kurt Rocco and Shorts rotated at back-up quarterback most of last year and will head into summer camp battling to earn the number two slot and to get a leg up on the starting position for ’08 after Micheli graduates. Adding interest to the quarterback battle is the contrast in style between Shorts and Rocco. Shorts is a 6-0 athlete with blazing speed and quickness whereas Rocco is a 6-6 pocket passer. Each brings a strong arm and good command of the offense to the off season battle and I expect to see both get significant playing time this season backing up Micheli with the competition extending into the ’08 camp. The Raider “D” Similar to the offense, the Raider defense has serious holes to fill as only two starters return from last year’s defense that led the nation in total defense, rush defense, pass efficiency defense and scoring. The defensive line and linebacker positions were hit the hardest by graduation as only Joseph Millings returns at defensive end. The secondary returns only cornerback Daryl Ely. Not only does Defensive Coordinator Vince Kehres have a ton of physical talent to replace, he must find emotional leaders to fill the void of losing Matt Kostelnik, Tony DeRiggi and Pat McCullough. Defensive Line Returning to anchor the defensive
line is Millings, a senior, and the smallest guy on the line who only Expected to pair with Millings at defensive end is junior James Herbert who registered 47 tackles and six sacks to go along with two defensive touchdowns (INT return and blocked punt return) as the primary defensive end backup last season. Herbert is almost a clone of Millings and also brings great speed and quickness to the defensive line. The tackle positions are expected to be filled with juniors Matt Williamson and Clantz Liggett, both of whom saw time in back-ups roles last season. In limited playing time, Williamson logged 31 tackles, five sacks and blocked a punt to display the playmaking ability needed to fill the hole left by All-American Pat McCullough’s graduation. Pushing for playtime on the D-line are juniors Lambert Budzinski, Zac Saum, Kyle Reese and Brenin Davidson. Each of these guys, as well as a host of untested youngsters, need to develop quickly to provide the quality depth that is needed to survive a full season and expected playoff run. Secondary Returning to lead the secondary is Ely, a senior, coming off a junior year in which he received Honorable Mention All-OAC honors after leading the team with four interceptions. The open spots are expected to be
filled from a group of juniors including Ryan Renbarger, Drew McClain,
Evan Lamolinara, Brett Baker and Roger
Stewart and sophomores Terrell Morning and
Chaz Jordan,
a of whom earned
valuable experience in nickel situations or playing on special teams a year
ago. The secondary also loses Brandon Mack to an off-season knee injury. Mack’s talent was evident as he logged 29 tackles last year as a true freshman backing up senior Chris Kappas. Same as with Morring, we hope Mack can return healthy for the ’09 season. Linebacker The Raiders will be looking to senior Chas Yoder and junior Troy Chaffin to fill the holes left in the defense with the graduation of All-OAC performers Tony DeRiggi and Matt Rees. Both Yoder and Chaffin have played well in spot duty and on special teams the past two seasons and are expected to step right in and lead the defense. Fighting for playing time and likely playing a significant role on special teams this season is junior Judd Lutz and sophomores Sam Kershsaw and Brian Saunders. Special Teams With the graduation of All-OAC place kicker Mike Zimmerman, who successfully converted all 100 of his PAT attempts last year, junior punter Jay Carpenter is expected to take over the place kicking job this season. Carpenter has limited place kicking experience at Mount Union but he did equal the school record for longest field goal after boating a 47-yarder vs. Muskingum last year. If Carpenter does assume the place kicking duties, he can expect to see a lot more work kicking than he’s used to seeing as the Raiders’ punter. Through the entire 15 game season last year, Carpenter punted only 36 times. Whereas Zimmerman kicked 100 PAT’s and attempted 20 field goals. One advantage the Raiders would have
with Carpenter holding down both kicking jobs would be opening up an
additional playoff roster spot. Greg or Nate? Nate or Greg? One of the bigger questions surrounding this season is which Raider star might have a chance to bring home the school’s fifth Gagliardi Trophy as the nation’s best Division III football player? Last season saw Derek Blanchard (LG) earn a spot as a finalist for the award. Blanchard’s stellar play combined with the weight of a recommendation from the college bought unparalleled national attention for an offensive lineman. Assuming each is able to repeat their ’07 statistical production and the Raider team achieves their goal of another OAC championship, Micheli will be sitting at 8,000+ passing yards with 90+ touchdowns for the King of Division III football. Another normal “Kmic-type” season and he will easily have 1,000+ yards in the regular season with a shot at the Division III rushing record in the playoffs. Each set of statistics are good enough to be considered. From a total career standpoint, Kmic’s four years of stellar production has the advantage over Micheli. Whereas the Heisman Trophy in Division I is solely based on “on-the-field” production, the Division III Gagliardi Trophy also factors in “off-the-field” performances in the classroom and community service in the equation. Again, both Micheli and Kmic have the attributes to warrant consideration. Advantage in this category goes to Micheli based on his Academic All-American status. Unfortunately each school is only allowed to nominate one player for the prestigious award so the unfortunate decision on which player gets the chance is the college’s to make. Assuming each player has the senior season that we’re hoping for, I don’t envy the decision to pick one player over the other as both display everything that is great about Division III student/athletes. Schedule & Closing Thoughts As the Purple Raiders enter training camp, the coaches should have their full attention as the schedule maker has stacked the early part of the schedule, putting a premium on getting the young offensive line, wide receivers and linebackers up to speed from day one. The 2008 season opener against St. John Fisher, whom Mount Union has played in the previous two playoff seasons, is a serious upgrade over last year’s opener against Averett (VA), which finished winless in 2007. The OAC schedule is frontloaded as well with contests against Ohio Northern (home), Baldwin Wallace (away) and Capital (home) in the first four weeks of conference play. So by week five, we should have a great handle on just how good the 2008 Purple Raiders are going to be. As the case has been over the last 15+ years with Kehres at the helm, the goal of every season is to win the OAC and get ready for a playoff run that hopefully ends in Salem, Virginia with a chance of a national championship. Even though the 2008 team is very young and inexperienced, this season is no different. Expectations run high in Alliance, Ohio. And as long as Kehres remains as the helm of the Mount Union program, those expectations will remain. Being an ex-high school coach and fan now turned part-time broadcaster, the 1998 run to the Stagg Bowl was my most enjoyable of the nine championship seasons because of the questions surrounding which new players wouldl step up and become the playmakers needed for the team to excel. For this same reason I hold great hope that the ’08 season will be one to remember as well. Though the national media will likely predict that the Raiders will fall back to the pack after losing so much talent from last season, no one in Division III football has the quality depth that Mount Union has. As history has proven, Mount Union doesn’t rebuild, it reloads. See you all in September and GO
RAIDERS!
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the ’98 team of most of its recognizable names,
the ’08 team must replace a stellar senior class which included
All-Americans Derek Blanchard, Matt Kostelnik, Pat McCullough and Pierre
Garcon.
compiled their totals over a 14 game season whereas Kmic had
a 15 game season.
accurate arm,
his best quarterback attributes are his IQ (both on and off the field) and his
leadership. Micheli’s knowledge of the game allows Kehres full access
to his deep and variable playbook making the already dangerous Mount Union
offense even more difficult to defend.
athletic QB’s (Borchert and Micheli). He’s had powerful runners (Moore), shifty scat-backs (Pugh) and guys in between (Kmic). But
the constant through all of these teams are the unsung guys upfront paving
the way.
but has since
grown into a weapon at fullback. 
goes
6-1, 207. However what Millings lacks in size he makes up for in
quickness and energy. He played very well in his first season as a
starter registering 50 tackles and eight sacks.
