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2009 Season Preview |
| For tenth time, Raiders open camp as defending national champions
The last two seasons for the Mount
Union Purple Raiders were a case study in why the game is played on the
field instead of on paper or on a Xbox 3 game console. The 2007 squad entered the season fresh off the heels of a ninth national championship and absolutely loaded with talent and depth at almost every position. With 17 returning starters, the Raiders cruised through the regular season and the first four rounds of the NCAA Division III playoffs by an average score of 54-5, shutting out seven opponents along the way. Unfortunately however, the dream season ended with a 31-21 loss to Wis-Whitewater on a frigid, freezing-rain soaked night in Salem, Virginia. With only three starters on offense and two on defense returning from that team, head coach Larry Kehres had some serious rebuilding to do before the 2008 Raiders could start dreaming of a return trip to Salem. The sting of a Stagg Bowl loss provided the off-season motivation and the best quarterback / running back tandem in Division III history led the way as a very young and inexperienced Purple & White squad capped a 15-0 season with a 31-26 defeat of Whitewater in last year’s Stagg Bowl to earn the school’s record tenth NCAA Division III football national championship. Though the 2008 senior class was a small one with only six starters, they accomplished something that no other class in Mount Union history has done by playing in four consecutive Stagg Bowls. What this class may have lacked in depth it more than made up for in production as all six senior starters earned First-Team All-OAC honors or better in their final season.
While it’s always hard to replace
all-conference players and not skip a beat the next season, it’s going to be
especially difficult to fill the voids created by the graduation of Kmic and
Micheli. Not only were they the The Raiders return great numbers this season with 16 starters back, but they have a real vacuum in the leadership role to fill as camp begins. Luckily for us Mount Union fans, Kehres returns for his 24th season at the helm of the nation’s most respected and feared program. Since taking over for mentor Ken Wable in 1986, Kehres has compiled an unbelievable 275-21-3 overall record, which equates to a 92.5% 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 of Division III football. And as long as Kehres remains, the Raiders will continue to be “the team to beat.” The Raider “O” Though the Raider offense loses the
faces of the program in Micheli and Kmic, the cupboard is hardly bare with seven starters returning. A new
quarterback will be taking the
snaps and handing off to someone other than Kmic for the first time in
four years, but he’ll have the luxury of having an experienced offensive
line in front of him as well as a deep and talented receiving corps to throw
to. For the Raider offense to retain its customary balance and
explosiveness, the two most visible and important positions on the field
must be filled. Quarterback The graduation of Micheli has left a gaping hole in the offensive huddle and if Mount Union hopes to defend its national title, someone is going to have to step forward in a big way. The two players with the best chance to take the reigns of the nation’s best offense are seniors Kurt Rocco and Cecil Shorts. Rocco, from Cincinnati Roger Bacon High School, spent last season behind Micheli on the depth chart and will get the first chance this fall to solidify the position. But if Rocco’s name is currently written as the starter on Kehres’ depth chart, it is probably written there in pencil only. Rocco brings great size to the position at 6-6, a strong arm and a wealth of practice experience, but he doesn’t have any appreciable game experience that would separate him from the other candidates. One thing for sure is that Rocco brings a much different skill set to the offense than Micheli did. Whereas Micheli was an adapt scrambler and option runner, Rocco is the prototype pocket-passer and may remind Raider fans of former quarterback Rob Adamson. Also in the running is Shorts,
the OAC’s Ed Sherman Award winner as the conference’s best receiver. Shorts
is a dynamic athlete that was recruited to Mount Union as a quarterback out of
Cleveland Collinwood High School and rotated with Rocco during the 2007
season as young
sophomore back-ups to Micheli. Danny Harris was the official back-up that
season, but Kehres got both Rocco and Shorts playing time early in a
few varsity contests to get their feet wet. As the ’07 season progressed,
however, Shorts began to see more time at wide receiver and spent
all of ’08 playing that position. He doesn’t have the prototype height one would
prefer in a quarterback at only 6-0 tall, but he brings tremendous speed to the
position that isn’t commonly seen at the Division III level. The contrasting styles of Rocco and Shorts makes this summer’s quarterback competition all the more intriguing. Both players have certain physical traits that could be exploited to make the offense more explosive (Rocco’s vision and arm strength and Shorts’ running ability), but by the same token each have traits that could be a liability (Rocco’s immobility and Short’s lack of vision from the pocket). Also factoring into the ultimate decision of which guy will get the majority of the snaps is Shorts’ superb talent at receiver. If both guys are practicing at nearly the same level at quarterback, it would be hard to weaken the receiving corps by switching Shorts into the backfield if Rocco gives you nearly the same production. I believe the best case scenario is for Rocco to prove early in the season that he is “The Man” under center thereby allowing Shorts to remain at receiver where he is truly a game changer on the outside. There are a number of highly regarded freshmen recruits that I’m sure have visions of earning the job this fall, including All-Ohio Neal Seaman from nearby Louisville High School, but I find it very hard to believe a true freshman is going to win the starting quarterback job over a couple of seniors. The last freshman to start at quarterback for the Purple & White was Borchert in 1994, but one has to remember there wasn’t the depth built into the program back then to handle the graduation of All-American Jim Ballard that there is now in Alliance. I imagine both Rocco and Shorts will practice with the first team offense this fall with Rocco getting every opportunity to win the job with Shorts being Plan “B” in case Rocco stumbles or gets injured. Running Back If the graduation of Micheli
has created a hole in the huddle, the graduation of Kmic has
left a huge crater. After bursting onto the scene during the playoffs his
freshman year, all Kmic did in his four years in Purple & White was re-write
the NCAA record books by becoming the only player in college football
history to rush for more than 8,000 yards in a career. Kmic’s graduation puts the starting tailback position up for grabs for the first time in three years. As a result, the competition this fall will be fierce, especially between seniors Scott Panchik and Terrance Morring, both of whom played second fiddle to Kmic over the last couple seasons. On the strength of averaging 6.5 yards per carry last year backing up Kmic, the first crack will likely go to Panchik, a 5-10, 180 lbs senior from Natrona Heights, PA. Panchik has displayed a good burst and vision, but might not have the power to get the tough yards between the tackles needed in short yardage and goal line situations. He is a very hard runner with good balance, but with his size it's unknown whether he'll be able to have great success around the goal line and running between the tackles. It’s hard to exactly judge his overall potential solely from his production last season since most of his playing time came with the second offensive line going against the opponent’s starting defense. The second primary competitor at tailback is senior Morring, who hopes to return to form after missing all of 2008 with a serious knee injury. Morring’s career in Purple & White started at tailback in 2005 and he was, in fact, ahead of Kmic on the depth chart through much of their freshmen season before Kmic took over late that year. The biggest question with Morring is whether the knee has completely healed and how well he has rehabilitated in the last year. If the knee responds, he definitely has the ability to play tailback. He brings much better size and power to the running game at 5-10, 210 lbs. Morring put his physical presence to good use as starting fullback in ’06 and ’07, paving the way for Kmic, but doesn’t have Panchik’s speed in the open field to hit the home run. Morring is also a solid receiver out of the backfield that Kehres has confidence in as evidenced by his huge fourth down catch deep in Whitewater territory early in the 2006 Stagg Bowl.
The next tailback could also be a youngster that spent ’08 tearing up the junior varsity schedule as the Raiders’ top freshman rusher. Tyler Harris (5-11, 190) from New Matomoras, OH saw extensive duty on the JV team through the season and impressed Kehres enough to earn a coveted playoff roster spot. In the last regular season game at Marietta, he saw his first varsity action in the fourth quarter and responded by rushing for 108 yards on 16 carries, dragging would-be tacklers for extra yards. Hopefully that debut turns out to be just a small glimpse of what’s to come. Though fullback is not usually a big part of the Raider offense, there will probably be a large hole to fill there this fall too as senior Judd Lutz is slated to return to linebacker after spending 2008 as the Raiders’ primary blocking back. Lutz played very well after making the switch from defense to offense in camp last fall due to a pre-season injury of projected starter Trevor Bruney and an overall lack of depth at fullback. At 6-1, 230, Lutz was a beast at the line of scrimmage blocking for Kmic, and showed good pass catching skills as well. We got a glimpse of his return to linebacker near the end of last regular season and in the playoffs as he saw time with the second unit defense. At this point, the prospective replacements are unknown but with a roster as deep and talented as Kehres has assembled in Alliance, I have no doubt we’ll be fine at fullback. Overall, there is definitely the talent on the roster to field a very productive running game, but it’s unrealistic to believe that there won’t be some growing pains in the backfield in the post-Kmic era. Kmic was a special player and you don’t just simply replace the greatest running back in NCAA football history without some drop off in production. Wide Receiver / Tight End While there might be questions about who will be throwing the ball, there isn’t any doubt who will be catching it (assuming Shorts isn’t taking snaps under center). The receiver corps are a very experienced and talented group with Shorts (First-Team All-OAC / Third-Team D3football.com All-American), senior Vince Petruziello (Second-Team All-OAC) and junior A.J. Claycomb all back.
As mentioned before, Shorts was recruited as a quarterback and took some snaps behind Micheli in '07, but was simply too dynamic of an athlete to waste sitting on the bench waiting for Micheli to graduate. With immediate playing time as an enticement, Shorts began to split practice time between quarterback and receiver in ’07 as an understudy to All-American and current Indianapolis Colt Pierre Garcon. Though Shorts’ grasp of the subtle adjustments necessary to excel as a receiver was still a work in progress that season, his play making and game changing athleticism was obvious. With the graduation of Garcon after the ’07 season, Shorts did what many thought was impossible: he replaced Garcon and then some. He isn’t the physically imposing blocker and bruising runner that Garcon was after the catch, but Shorts’ is every bit as fast (or faster) and runs tremendously smooth routes. His strides are extremely fluid and he makes it looks so easy that many misjudge his open field speed. As proof, just look at the first few minutes of the ’08 Stagg Bowl where he burnt Whitewater for 55- and 41-yard touchdowns. Though Shorts steals most of the headlines, the Raiders have the luxury of having another pass catcher with the talent to be the number one receiver for most teams across the nation. Petruziello (Second-Team All-OAC) may get categorized as the tough, sure-handed compliment across from Shorts, but he has the speed to stretch the field vertically too. When teams make the mistake of focusing too much attention to Shorts, like Wheaton did in the national semifinals last year, Petruziello is more than capable of making the opponent pay. The Thunder spent much of the first half of that game double covering Shorts, and as a result, Petruziello killed them to the tune of nine receptions for 133 yards, while Shorts recorded just four receptions for 34 yards. Petruziello also brings a great intensity to downfield run blocking that is very similar to the dirty work that Garcon was so famous for. For those that have last year’s television broadcasts on tape, review the film to see how many times a nice 10- to 15-yard Kmic run turned into a long touchdown because of Petruziello’s effort in downfield blocking.
Also returning to the starting lineup is Claycomb, a Medina High School product, who spent ’08 as the Raiders starting slot receiver when they went to a one-back / three receiver set. Claycomb is a very talented receiver that looks to be almost a Petruziello clone. He has great hands, runs good routes and works very hard doing the little things that often get missed in the box score. Junior Justin Barnett (6-1, 180) from Akron Butchel High School, could also help out at receiver after making the switch from safety. In spring practices and through summer workouts, Barnett has shown good promise and could provide another valuable receiving threat if Shorts does end up at quarterback. If Shorts’ plays the entire season at receiver, this group has a chance at being one of the best receiving corps in Mount Union history. Even if Shorts moves back to quarterback, Petruziello and Claycomb would still easily be the OAC’s best receiving tandem. They are that good. The only unknown commodity this fall when it comes to catching passes is the tight end position after the graduation of First-Team All-OAC performer Chad Reynolds. Senior Judd Harrold is expected to be the starter after totaling seven catches for 102 yards and one touchdown in a backup role behind Reynolds last season. The obvious difference with Harrold
at tight end will be the physical presence he brings to the position. Over
the years the Mount Union tight ends have really just been another wide
receiver lining up beside the tackle. However Harrold is a true tight end
at 6-6, 230 lbs, and was used a lot in short yardage situations last season
because of his superb blocking ability. And with a completely new
backfield, a strong tight end that can contain the edge while being a
capable and large target across the middle will definitely help a new
quarterback settle in. However, the job won’t entirely be left to Harrold as junior Reid Kagy (6-1, 205) will be looked upon to fill the combination H-back role that is part receiver, part tight end and part running back. Kagy is a versatile athlete that played in eleven games last year as a back-up receiver and on special teams. Another interesting and versatile athlete that will see time at tight end is senior Kyle Miller (6-6, 265) from Elida High School, who was on the Stagg Bowl roster in both ’07 and ‘08. When paired with Harrold in a two tight end formation, the Purple & White would have a couple devastating bookend blockers to open up the run game. Miller is much more than just another wide body posing as a receiver as evidenced by his work in spring practice with the quarterbacks due to a leg injury that limited his running with the receivers. So even though there is an apparent hole at tight end with the graduation of Reynolds, the Raiders are more than set to fill it with Harrold, Kagy and Miller. Offensive Line It might sound like a cliché, but it’s true. Winning football starts up front. In the early years of Mount Union's run, the Raider O-lines played hard and played well, but were usually undersized 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 the Purple & White made the leap from just being good to winning their first national championship in 1993, they did so on the strength of their skill players, specifically quarterback and wide receiver, not on the backs of a dominant 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 offensive 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. Kehres has won with just about every type of offensive personnel from pro-style drop back passers (Gary Smeck, Adamson and Mike Jorris) to scrambling athletic quarterbacks (Borchert and Micheli). He’s had powerful runners (Moore), shifty scat-backs (Dan Pugh) and guys with a blend of both (Kmic). But the constant through all of these teams are the unsung guys upfront paving the way. Heading into 2009, a talented and experienced offensive line that returns four of five starters from last year will greatly aid in the transition to a new backfield. Anchoring the line will be senior center Mike Nitz (6-2, 285), a first team All-OAC selection last fall. Nitz played along the defensive line his first two seasons but made the switch to the offensive side of the ball in fall camp before the 2007 season due injuries hurting the depth on offensive. His conversion to center has been a very successful one as Nitz was considered by many (myself included) as Mount Union’s best linemen last year, even ahead of First-Team All-American Luke Summers. Joining Nitz up front will be Second-Team All-OAC senior left guard James Bird (6-1, 295), senior left tackle Caleb Crowl (6-5, 305) and senior right guard Samy Guerrero (6-0, 260). The fight for the open starting spot
at right tackle will be fierce as all five back-ups return to provide the
depth and competition the ’08 line was sorely lacking. The first crack at
this position will likely be either junior John Nicolozakes (6-1, 300)
or senior Tim Coan (6-5, 265). Nicolozakes was the sixth man
along the front last season and Coan was the back-up to Summers. Both have the physical ability to step right into the starting
lineup. Other lineman expected to contribute this season are seniors Greg Kumse (6-4, 250), Luke Purnell (6-3, 287) and Dave Sunderman (6-0, 313), along with sophomore Brett Ekkens (6-0, 260), the top freshman lineman from ’08. The Raider “D” When Mount Union entered the 2008 season, Defensive Coordinator Vince Kehres fielded the least experienced defense that I can ever remember with only two starters back from the '07 squad that led the nation in total defense, rush defense, pass efficiency defense and scoring defense. With so many holes to fill, one might have expected them to struggle a little, especially early in the season. However the youngsters cut their teeth quickly in Kehres’ complex, attacking defense, that once again proved to be the nation’s best. This year, nine starters return from a defense that was ranked number one in total defense (199 yds/game), rushing defense (58 yds/game) and scoring defense (8.7 pts/game) last season. Whereas the offense returns a good number of starters but loses its heart & soul in Micheli and Kmic, the defense returns both great depth and its best playmakers, thereby giving hope that the ’09 defenders will be able to improve even further on their gaudy statistics from last season. Defensive Line The most dominant part of the defense last season was the play of the D-line. And more of the same should be expected this year as both defensive ends and the top four defensive tackles return from a line that spent most of the season in the opponent’s backfield harassing quarterbacks. As last season unfolded, it became obvious that if you wanted to move the ball against the Raiders, your only chance was through the air. But only if you could protect your quarterback. And that was a very big “if.” Across the entire 15-game season, Mount Union totaled 51 sacks and a whopping 117 tackles-for-loss.
Leading the charge into ’09 are three senior First-Team All-OAC honorees in end James Herbert, end Joe Millings and tackle Matt Williamson. They will be joined by senior tackles Clantz Liggett and Zac Saum, both of whom saw time in the starting lineup last season, as well as senior pass rushing specialist Lambert Budzinski, thereby providing six experienced and very talented defensive linemen to start the season. Herbert earned the Paul Hoernemann Award as the OAC’s best defensive lineman based on his conference best 13 sacks, 19 tackles-for-loss and two forced fumbles during the regular season. He continued his stellar play through the playoffs, which helped him earn First-Team D3football.com All-Americans status, and impressively was one of only two underclassmen selected to the All-American First-Team. Herbert brings a great mix of size (6-1, 225), strength and athleticism to the defensive line that reminds many older fans of former All-Americans like Matt Campbell and Rich Dine. Teaming with Herbert to create the nation’s fiercest pass rushing duo is Millings, a 6-1, 210 lbs speedster that looks more like a safety or outside linebacker than he does a lineman. Millings might be the smallest guy on the line, but what he lacks in size he more than makes up for in quickness, energy and effort. He is a relentless pass rusher that is almost impossible to block on the edge. His high energy level is what earned him a starting spot in 2007 as a youngster on a very experienced squad. Now he enters ’09 as a rare three-year starter for the Purple & White. Williamson brings defensive end
type athleticism to the tackle position at 6-2, 255 lbs, which
creates huge problems on the interior line of scrimmage for opposing
offenses. Williamson averaged almost one tackle-for-loss per game last
season, which is a huge number for a tackle. He first saw action
during his sophomore season (2007) as the primary backup behind
all-conference tackles Nick Parr and Pat McCullough, and in limited duty
quickly displayed the playmaking ability that has now earned him Honorable
Mention D3football.com All-American honors. The other tackle position was manned last season by a rotation of Liggett and Saum, both of whom are prototype run-stuffers at 5-11, 260 lbs, with great strength, low centers of gravity and a quick first step. Each of them started multiple games last season and would easily start for any other team in the conference. Budzinski (6-3, 240) is a versatile player capable of playing either tackle or end and was expected to play a major role on the defensive line last season but injuries slowed him down early in the year. It wasn’t until the last regular season game at Marietta that he was fully healthy and able to display the athletic ability (35-yard interception return for touchdown, fumble recovery and two tackles-for-loss) that got him early playing time as a sophomore in ’07. As the Raiders went through the playoffs, Budzinski’s versatility allowed him to be used at tackle in a pass rushing specialist role. If one problem exists along the D-line, it is how the coaching staff is going to get all of these guys meaningful minutes on the field. Which if you were going to have a “problem” as a coach, this is the kind that you’d wish for. Any of the six seniors are good enough to be all-conference performers in their own right, but you can’t play with six down linemen so a couple of them are going to be impatiently waiting their turn to cause some havoc on the field. The talent and tenacity of the returning D-line coupled with Kehres’ attacking style, makes me really glad I’m not an opposing quarterback having to face the Raiders this fall. Linebacker Half of the linebacking corps must be replaced after the graduation of First-Team All-OAC performer Chas Yoder, but I don’t think Kehres is losing much sleep this off season worrying about his linebackers.
Junior Sam Kershaw (6-0, 230) returns after earning Honorable Mention All-OAC accolades even though he started the season second on the depth chart. He entered the starting lineup last season after an injury to senior Troy Chaffin and all Kershaw did from day one was make plays. Though he didn’t start until the week seven contest versus Wilmington, Kershaw finished the season as the Raider’s leading tackler and third in tackles-for-loss. Kershaw brings a great nose for the ball along with good size and speed to the inside linebacker position. He is a sure tackler and a fireplug in the middle of the Raider run defense. If he continues to work hard and to improve his game over his last two seasons, he has a chance to be an absolutely great linebacker. Lutz (6-1, 230) is expected to fill the open linebacker position after spending last season as the starting fullback. He is a big, strong, versatile athlete that should step right into the defense without missing a beat. Lutz received some valuable playing time at linebacker near the end of the regular season and in the playoffs with the second unit defense last year, which should help his transition back to the defensive side of the ball. A starting tandem of Kershaw and Lutz brings as much size to the linebacking corps as there has been in quite some time. Most seasons see the Raiders take the field with at least one, if not two, linebackers being a little undersized from the norm in college football. But that won’t be the case this fall. One only has to go back to 2005 to find a pair of starting linebackers that looked more like defensive backs with Mike Gibbons (5-10, 195) and Matt Rees (5-10, 205). Even when the very physical Tony DeRiggi (6-2, 235) replaced Gibbons, you still had half of the corps undersized with Rees. Not to say that size is everything, and it should be noted that the above groups were great players, but sometimes it’s nice to have a little more bulk behind a tackle attempt. Especially at the goal line.
Junior Landon Herzick (5-11, 215) returns after filling a backup role last fall and should provide some much needed depth behind Kershaw & Lutz. Also providing depth and pushing for playing time is a host of youngsters that saw considerable action last year including junior Gary Steigerwald (6-1 225), from Kirtland, who lettered as a back-up defensive end, and sophomore Jack LaForce (6-0, 215), from Vermillion, who seemed to be in on almost every special teams tackle. Secondary The secondary is loaded with returning talent with four of five starters back in senior weak side safety Roger Stewart (First-Team All-OAC), senior strong safety Drew McClain (Second-Team All-OAC), junior free safety Chaz Jordan and senior cornerback Ryan Renbarger. In Kehres’ attacking 4-2-5 defense, the three safeties play a much bigger role in run defense and in blitz schemes than in a traditional 4-3 or 3-4 defense. As testament of the big role the safeties play against the run, McClain finished second on the team last year with 17 tackles-for-loss. The safeties are often used as outside linebackers, which puts a premium on versatile players that can run with wide receivers in the secondary, make sure tackles in the open field, and yet are strong enough to bring the wood at the line of scrimmage in run support. Exceptional player versatility is one of the main reasons why the Raider defense is so dominate. With the same eleven guys in the huddle, they can bring a wide range of defensive looks making it impossible for the opposing coaches to predict what the defense is going to do from reading the personnel grouping on the field. Most teams have to completely switch personnel between a long yardage situation like second down & 15 yards versus a short yardage play like third down and three. However, the Raiders have the flexibility in their personnel to drop a defensive end into pass coverage in long yardage situations and likewise walk a safety up to the line of scrimmage as an outside linebacker in short yardage.
Where this flexibility really comes into play is when facing a very diverse offense that is continually and drastically changing formations from one play to the next like Mount Union often does while on offense. With the same defensive personnel, the Purple & White can easily change from a 3-2-6 “dime” defensive alignment to face an empty backfield / five receiver set to a 4-3 or 4-4 providing an eighth man within the box to snuff out a power running formation like the Wing-T or Full House backfield. It’s the strength, speed and hitting ability of McClain (6-1, 200), Stewart (6-0, 195) and Jordan (5-8, 170) that allows Kehres to vary his defensive schemes with the same personnel groupings. If the safeties weren’t physical enough to fill the normal linebacker roles at the line of scrimmage, this flexibility wouldn’t be possible. Not to be overlooked is the pressure placed on the cornerbacks with all the blitzing Mount Union does from the safeties. If the blitz gets there as designed, the passing game is greatly disrupted. But if not, the cornerbacks are on an island with no safety help over top. Luckily the Raiders have Renbarger (6-0, 180) back after leading the team with three interceptions last year. He played very well in ’08 in his first season as a starter. Renbarger also had the unenviable position of often being the targeted pass defender due to Daryl Ely, the Lee Tressel Award winner as the conference’s best coverage man, on the other side. With Ely’s graduation and a year of starting experience under his belt, I expect Renbarger to take over the role as the team’s top cornerback, which is usually tasked of matching up one-on-one with the opponent’s best receiver. The competition for the one and only
open roster spot should be fierce with all five back-ups and a wealth of
other depth returning from last year. The odds-on favorite for the open
cornerback position opposite of Renbarger is either senior Chris Divis
(6-2, 180) or sophomore Tyler Alwardt (5-10, 165). Also
returning and pushing for playing time are seniors Brett Baker (6-0, 195), James Coppeler (5-11,
190) and Evan Lamolinara (6-3, 210), junior Eric Gerhart (6-0) and sophomores Alex Ferrara (510, 180) and Brandon
Jackson (5-9, 180). Special Teams On special teams, senior Jay Carpenter returns as the starting punter and place kicker for extra points and field goals. He handled both roles until a mid-season injury cost him the second half of the season and the first few weeks of the playoffs. When he returned from injury he took over the punting duties but the place kicking remained Ryan Wilk's job. Wilk filled in admirably last fall, connecting on six of seven field goal attempts, but he didn’t have nearly the range that Carpenter enjoys. A healthy Carpenter might be a very helpful weapon this fall as scoring in the red zone might be tougher with a new quarterback and running back. Also returning is sophomore Tyler Almeida, who handled kick off duties a season ago. Schedule & Closing Thoughts As the Raiders enter training camp, I believe the coaches have two primary goals for the pre-season workouts:
If I had to guess what was going to happen at quarterback without the benefit of seeing fall camp, I would expect Rocco to be the starting quarterback with Shorts getting 10 or so snaps a game to keep defenses guessing and to get Shorts some valuable playing time in case of an emergency. Behind Rocco and Shorts, there isn’t any experience and if Rocco was to be injured, Shorts would also assuredly be moved to quarterback, especially early in the season until some of the incoming youngsters can grasp the offense.
With 14 senior starters returning
from an undefeated national champion, the potential exists for the guys to
relax a little in the off season thinking that their positions are secure
and that they’ll be better the following season simply because they’re a
year older. While one would hope the experience translates to better play,
that isn’t always the case if the players don’t approach the season with the
same hunger it took for them to earn their starting positions in the first
place. The early schedule should help keep the players focused as it is once again stacked to start the season, thereby putting a premium on getting the quarterback and running back positions sorted out from day one. The season opener is on the road at St. John Fisher, which has to be licking its chops to finally get a shot at Mount Union without Kmic carrying the ball. The OAC schedule is frontloaded as well with contests versus Ohio Northern (away), Baldwin Wallace (home) and Capital (away) in the first four weeks of conference play. So by week five, we should have a great handle on just how good the 2009 Purple Raiders are going to be. As the case has been over the last 15+ years with Larry 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 at the national title. With 17 starters back, there is no reason to believe this season’s goals should be any different. But before you clear a place in your closet for a bunch of 2009 championship T-shirts, a return trip to Salem is far from a guarantee with an entirely new offensive backfield and an always tough conference slate in front of the Raiders. And if Mount Union is fortunate enough to navigate though four playoff games and earn a spot in the championship game for the fifth consecutive year, a familiar foe might be waiting for a little payback as Whitewater returns even more talent from last year’s team than do the Raiders. See you all in September and GO
RAIDERS!
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heart & soul of the team on game day, their
biggest contribution was off the field leadership, as they were the team’s
hardest workers on the practice field, in the film room and in the weight
room.
