2003 Football Previwe
8/6/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 6, 2003
With the 2003 campaign, a new look for Saint Mary's football will emerge. First-year head coach Vincent White takes over the program and will alter the look of the offense and defense. Out will be the spread option offense that finished fourth in the nation in rushing the past three seasons and in will be a "spread offense" that will be wide-open and exciting. On the defensive side of the football, the team will show a base 3-4 look that will produce pressure from the front. Overall the defensive style will be attacking and aggressive. Coach White and his staff will expect the team to play hard and give maximum effort from whistle to whistle.
"What fans will see this season is a spread offense that will utilize four wide receivers and one running back," said White. "We will spread the ball to all four receivers by running and throwing. The screen game, or what we call long handoffs, will be crucial to the effectiveness of the offense. This offense will be fun and exciting, and our players will enjoy playing in this system."
The 2003 spring practice was very important for the Gaels, as it allowed for the players to grasp the new style, as well as showcase their talents to the new coaches. The spring also allowed the coaches the time needed to instill the new offense, as well as evaluate the talent of the returning players. Position changes for a number of players have already taken place, and only time will tell how good these changes will work out.
Forty-four players and 14 starters return for the 2003 campaign. The offense returns eight starters from last year's squad, including 1,000-yard rusher Clint Wilson at running back, Chris Tillery, Jacob Wolfe and Nick Wisely on the offensive line, and Anthony Johnson and Jeff Brown at the wide receiver positions. Out are the slot backs and short pitches, and in will be slot receivers and medium length tosses.
The defensive transition should be much smoother, as a number of key players from last season's flex defense will return. Although position changes will take place, you can be certain that All-American free safety, Weston Borba will make his presence known. Ray Mike will move from the defensive line, where he was the past three seasons, to outside linebacker and cornerback Greg Kavulich, who led the Gaels with seven interceptions last year, also returns to solidify the defensive backfield.
Offensive Outlook
Now is the time for the offense to make the transition to its new form for the 2003 season and beyond. Out will be a rushing attack that set numerous rushing records at Saint Mary's, while finishing fourth in the country in rushing the past three seasons. The new offense will spread the football by utilizing both the rushing attack and throwing of the football.
The key to the overall effectiveness of the offense will be how well the quarterback manages the offense. As the team enters fall practice, senior Stephen Ratliff looks to be the early favorite to earn the starting spot for the opening game. Ratliff saw action in six games, with two starts, in his first year in a Gaels' uniform. In those games he completed 17-of-30 passes for 261 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Ratliff will be challenged by redshirt freshman Cordell Webb, junior college transfer Zac Connors and incoming freshman Parker Mangum. Webb has yet to prove himself as a college quarterback after watching from the sidelines in his first year at Saint Mary's. Connors threw for 1,500 yards and eight touchdowns in his only season at Mt. San Antonio College, and along with Ratliff, he is the only quarterback on the roster with collegiate experience. Mangum comes to Saint Mary's after three years at Timberline High School in Boise, ID. During that time he set 17 school records, was a two time first team all-conference quarterback and was the starting quarterback in the Idaho State Shrine All-Star game.
With the switch to the spread offense, the biggest change will be moving slot running backs to slot receivers. White will look towards Anthony Johnson and Jeff Brown as the early favorites at the two inside positions. Dre Coleman, who suffered a torn ACL in week six of the 2002 season, will also compete along side Johnson and Brown, pending his recovery from injury. Johnson pulled down seven catches during his sophomore season, totaling 126 yards. Brown was the third leading receiver on the 2002 team as he totaled 163 yards on 12 catches, which included two touchdown receptions. Before his season ending injury, Coleman rushed for 351 yards on 63 carries and five touchdowns. He also grabbed eight catches for 119 yards and one touchdown.
When looking at the two outside receiver positions, Saint Mary's will look towards senior Larry Irving and redshirt freshman Chevalier Patterson as the two favorites as the team hits fall camp. Chris Klingerman will also get a chance to showcase his catching abilities. Irving is the only one of the top three returners at the wide out position with at least one catch. Last year Irving had five catches for 163 yards and Klingerman appeared in three games with no catches. In addition to the above-mentioned players, four incoming freshmen could make a significant impact this year. At the two inside positions, both Ryan Coogler and Tom Steiner could work their way into the rotation. But at the outside wide receiver position, both Kevin Swiryn and Nick Miller will have a chance to make a significant impact to the team.
From the running back position, Coach White will look towards two returners to help carry the load in Clint Wilson and Chris Harrell. Last season, Wilson set the SMC single season rushing record with 1,100 yards, on 212 carries, and scored six touchdowns. Harrell, who was the back-up fullback to Wilson last season, finished his junior campaign with 32 carries for 163 yards and one rushing touchdown. Others that could see time at running back are wide outs Jeff Brown and Dre Coleman. Brown was the starting running back during the 1999 season, and made 17 starts at slot back the past two years. Should Coleman, who is the Gaels' fifth leading rusher all-time (1,807 yards), make a full recovery from a ACL injury last season, he will be a versatile player for SMC as he will see time at wide receiver and running back.
The offensive line returns three starters from last season in Chris Tillery, Jacob Wolfe and Nick Wisely. Tillery, Wolfe and Wisely started all 12 games last year and helped the Gaels finish with the fourth best rushing attack in I-AA football for the third straight season. With the change from a run focused offense to a pass-oriented game plan, these players will have to pass block for the first time in three years. Wolfe will move from the left guard position to center for his sophomore season and Wisely will move from right tackle to right guard for his final season. Tillery is slated as the starting left tackle for the third straight season. Justin Duchaineau, who injured his knee in the sixth game of the 2002 season, returns after playing in three games as a true freshman. Duchaineau should be the starting left guard as the campaign kicks off. The starting right tackle job will be a battle between Matt Vincent and Torin Simpson, with Vincent the early favorite to start against Northern Arizona. Both Vincent and Simpson have started games on the offensive line at SMC.
Defensive Outlook
The defensive mentality for the upcoming season will be nothing short of maximum effort by all 11 players at all times. The Gaels will unveil a base 3-4 look and will attack the quarterback with four to six men applying pressure to the quarterback. The big push is expected to come from the three down linemen.
Saint Mary's will look towards returning defensive linemen Lucas Lucero, a junior, and sophomore Mike McDermott to provide the push from the defensive line. Lucero played in all 12 games last season and tallied 21 tackles and two sacks. McDermott saw action in 11 games as a true freshman and recorded two tackles for a loss and one sack. Kelvin McIver will move from linebacker to defensive tackle to help add depth on the line as well as compete for a starting job. Walter Brock, who played in just one game last season, had a solid spring and will have a chance to start at defensive tackle as a sophomore. In addition to these four players, redshirt freshman Danny Massey and sophomore Dan Cordisco will add depth at the defensive tackle positions.
Senior Ray Mike will be asked to change his role for the upcoming season. Mike, who played as a down lineman for the past three seasons, will play outside linebacker for his final campaign. The 6-2, 255-pounder should be an exciting player to watch for the Gaels in 2003. Opposite Mike will be Ramon Burley-Johnson, who finished second on the team with 99 tackles in 2002. Burley-Johnson posted a team-high 5.5 sacks during his junior season. In addition to Mike and Burley-Johnson, Heath Villarreal, Grant Newman, Steve Wackowski, and Anthony Woodards will add depth at the outside backer positions. Villarreal started at slot back the past two seasons but will move to the defensive side of the ball to utilize his size and speed.
At the middle linebacker position will be Nathan Kenion and Chris Hamlin. Kenion played in 11 games as a true freshman and tallied 29 tackles and one tackle for a loss as an outside linebacker. Kenion will move inside for his second season and should play along side Hamlin. Hamlin returns following a left knee ACL tear prior to the 2002 season. The Gaels will look towards Michael Caceras, Michael Crowder-Jones, Tyson McGuire and Sean Sheidan to add depth to the middle linebacker position. Of this group only Crowder-Jones has experience at the middle backer position. Crowder-Jones saw action in 10 games in his first year in a Gael uniform, and tallied just four tackles. Caceras redshirted the 2002 season, McGuire missed the season with a shoulder injury, and Sheridan was third on the depth chart at fullback in 2002. Sheridan also played on the Gaels special teams last year and tallied five tackles in nine games.
In the defensive backfield, the Gaels will look towards a couple familiar faces to provide deep coverage. Weston Borba and Greg Kavulich have been standouts on the Saint Mary's defense the past two seasons. Borba, who was the 2002 I-AA Independent Defensive Player of the Year and a I-AA All-American, led the team with 115 tackles a year ago. Kavulich, who started all 23 games since coming to Saint Mary's in 2001, led the team with seven interceptions last season. The seven picks by Kavulich were fifth best in the nation in 2002. Combined, the two grabbed 11 interceptions last year and in their careers have combined for 23 INTs. Borba is currently tied for fourth in the SMC career list for interceptions with 12 and Kavulich, just one pick behind Borba, is tied for sixth on the list. The Gaels will also look towards Sean O'Hara, Brandon Smith, Terrance Hudson, and Da'Sean Spencer, who suffered a torn ACL in 2002, to battle for the starting jobs at both corner positions.
Special Teams
When looking at the kicking game for the Gaels, Saint Mary's will return punter Ben Antongiovanni and will look to replace Ezequiel Arevalo as the team's place kicker. Antongiovanni has been the team's punter for the past two seasons and finished the 2002 season 45th in the nation in punting average at 38.4 yards per punt. He tallied 62 kicks during his junior season, totaling 2,396 yards with a long of 60 yards. He also had 15 kicks that ended inside the opponents 20-yard line.
When looking at the place kicking duties for this season, Coach White will look to break in a new place kicker with the 2003 campaign. The Gaels have two new kickers for this season with spring walk-on Brad Scoffern and incoming freshman Joe Lucia. Scoffern was impressive during spring practice, but Lucia will be given a chance to earn the job when fall camp opens.
2003 Schedule
For the second straight year Saint Mary's will play a 12-game schedule (six home and six road games) which is arguably the toughest schedule for the Gaels in the modern era. With the move of UC Davis to the I-AA ranks the Gaels will play 10 games against I-AA opponents. The Gaels will battle four schools from the Big Sky Conference, including Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Montana State (2002 conference champions), and Weber State. The 12-game slate will also include games against Cal Poly, Southern Utah, perennial I-AA powerhouse Lehigh, and Southeastern Louisiana, which is a first-year football program.
Monday, June 01
Sunday, May 31
Sunday, May 31
Saturday, May 30
