Look at the A10/CAA in 2006

[GannonFan]

For those of you who are interested, here's my take (for those who aren't, oh well):

Even though it's a bit early to look at next year as LOI's, transfers, schedules, and other things aren't known yet, I'm curious as to what people think about next year and who's moving up and down. For what it's worth, here's my take:

Teams that were good and will stay good:
New Hampshire - The only team I would feel sure about would be New Hampshire. As long as Santos and Ball are healthy they'll be plenty good. Even though they rotate into perhaps the harder part of the A10 South this year (playing JMU/UD/and Richmond rather than W&M/Towson/nova) they can't seem to beat W&M to save their lives and Towson isn't bad so it's only a marginal upgrade. They'll win at least 8 and probably more.

Teams Moving Up:
James Madison - After being the first defending champ since 1997 to not make the playoffs, things should get better for the Dukes. They weren't bad last year, they just lost too many bad games. I can understand the UMass loss in the mud, but they got manhandled by a depleted Delaware team, they found a way to lose to a Coastal Carolina team that couldn't even win their own conference (well, they tied with the team that beat them - co-champs officially), and they lost a put-up or shut-up game at home against a Richmond team that was, granted, pretty decent. But that's a home game that a good team should win. The schedule, if it's right, should be easy - two games where they have to just show up against VMI and Austin Peay and Appalachian St, minus a lot of keys from this year's NC, at home. They should be able to get another win to get to 8 and the playoffs.

Delaware - They don't lose a whole lot and were getting better as the year finished. Too many inujuries last year to key people had a lot of young guys starting all at the same time. While that hurt them last year this year it should be a plus as these guys got their noses wet last year and should be a lot better this year. Still questions around the defensive line, but if those get answered things look good. Schedule is easy (like the rest of the conference, maybe the schedule's are getting too easy - at the most it seems teams will play one tough team OOC - doesn't give a lot of chances for a high number of good OOC wins) and if the new QB (Moyer or Flacco) is decent enough, it should be a return to the playoffs for the Hens.

William and Mary - I'm not sure I see them getting to the playoffs, but they can't be as bad as they were when they lost 3 of 4 to finish the year (and a terrible loss to nova thrown in there to boot). But I don't think you see that many losing W&M teams so I think they'll be better this year. But they are still going to have defensive line issues and their defensive backfield loses a lot. Phillips and the offense will have to get better because they may have to outscore people. Schedule is the same as normal - 2-1 in OOC is almost guaranteed but they have to travel to UD and JMU this year. Like I said, probably no playoffs, but should be back over .500 .

Northeastern - Again, I don't see them making the playoffs, but I can't imagine they'll be as bad as the 2 win season they had last year. The offense was very young but has all the makings of a tough team. Defensively they weren't very good and that will still be a problem this year. They also kill themselves with a crazy OOC schedule - I certainly think a lot of teams can improve their OOC schedule, but I think NE takes it too far - playing YSU, GSU, and NW St last year was killer. I think it's a little better this year (not sure if it's finalized) but it's still pretty hard.

Teams Standing Still:
Richmond - I'm not entirely sold on Richmond yet, but hey, I was wrong on them this year so maybe that's good for Spider fans. The big problem is replacing Tutt, who I think was the linchpin for that offense. Without him they looked terrible on offense, with him under center they looked like a steamroller. Neither of the two young guys last year looked good so either they'll need to improve a lot or they need to find somebody new. They have some losses on offense and defense but not enough that they'll slide back. They get UD and JMU at home and they still have Clawson as a coach. They'll be in the race for a playoff spot come November, not sure they'll get in though.

Maine - Unfortunately for Maine, Cosgrove remains. He's a decent enough coach, and has brought in a good number of talents, but his teams never seem to get over the hump. Maine was just okay last year, having seemingly written off the season half-way through only to play solid ball late in the year. But I don't see them being able to take the next step and be consistently good over the course of a season. They'll be a tough team on some weeks and bad on others.

Teams Moving Down:
Towson - No disrespect towards Towson, and actually I think this is a compliment, teams aren't going to take Towson for granted next year. I think Towson has shown that they're getting better, as most people expected they would. Last year they managed to beat a lot of teams that really, they should beat, but didn't really beat any of the top teams in the league. In fact, they got blown out a few times against those teams (Richmond, W&M, JMU, UNH). They have a decent enough offense, and against teams with a poor pass defense they will create problems, but their defense is not capable enough yet to have them win week in and week out. I'm not a Combs fan either, but to his credit he had the team ready to play every week last year. I think Towson takes one more step back now before really starting to get better. Watch out for them 2-3 years down the road.

UMass - They had a golden chance for a great season in 2005 and saw it crumble in the last few weeks. They never won the big game last year - sure they beat JMU, but even a UMass fan has to acknowledge the field played a part in that. Close games against UNH and Hofstra didn't go their way and the Colgate debacle came back to haunt them. Now they lose a lot of key players on both sides of the ball, especially on the defensive side which carried them most of the year until they struggled at the end too. They have a good QB in Coen, and the schedule moves to the easier part of the A10 South, but I don't see them improving on last year's 7-4.

Hofstra - They won't be down for long, but they lose a ton of people to graduation and will have to get used to a new coach. Hofstra still has some talent and Clarkson will be a senior, so they won't be bad, but I don't think they'll be on the cusp of the playoffs as they ended up this year.

Teams That Will Continue to be Bad:
Rhode Island - Stowers pulled the wool over URI's eyes last year getting the contract extension before his team hit the skids. A lot of guys need to be replaced, including the vital cog that the QB is in that offense. Plus the schedule gets tougher with JMU, UD, and Richmond on the schedule. Equaling last year's 4-7 mark will be a challenge.

nova - Not that I'm upset about this, but nova is in trouble. They lose a lot of skill guys and the good guys on defense, and they still weren't good with these guys last year. Their offensive line is a sieve so even having Burroughs back may not be enough. And their defense isn't any better and they couldn't stop the run at all last year (except against W&M, which still makes to sense to me how they crushed them). The schedule is a bit daunting, with road trips to UD and W&M, not to mention Central Florida, and I just think they are in a rut talent-wise right now. As 2002 showed, with a stellar QB they can rise about that, but I think even if they had Gordon back at QB he would get killed behind that offensive line. In a toughening A10 South, nova's looking like the cellar dweller for another year.

[UNH 40]

Good Post

[JMU Duke Dog]

Thanks for the post GannonFan! Good analysis of the A10 teams.

Here are the schedules so far for the A10 teams:

Delaware
9/9 vs. West Chester
9/16 vs. Albany
9/23 at Rhode Island
9/30 vs. New Hampshire
10/7 at Northeastern
10/14 vs. Hofstra ("nonconference" - will not count towards A10)
10/21 at Richmond
10/28 vs. Towson
11/4 at James Madison
11/11 vs. William & Mary
11/18 vs. Villanova

Hofstra
9/30 at William & Mary
10/7 vs. Villanova
10/14 at Delaware ("nonconference" - will not count towards A10)
10/28 at New Hampshire
11/18 at Massachusetts

James Madison
9/2 vs. Austin Peay**
9/9 or 9/16 vs. Appalachian State**
9/23 vs. Northeastern*
9/30 at VMI
10/7 vs. Rhode Island* (Family Weekend)
10/14 at New Hampshire
10/21 vs. William & Mary (Homecoming)
10/28 at Richmond*
11/4 vs. Delaware
11/11 at Villanova
11/18 at Towson

Maine
9/16 at William & Mary
10/14 vs. Villanova
11/18 vs. New Hampshire
? at Boston College
? ? Youngstown State

Massachusetts
9/2 vs. Colgate
9/9 at Navy
9/16 at Villanova
10/7 vs. William & Mary
10/14 at Towson
11/4 at New Hampshire
11/18 vs. Hofstra
? vs. American International

New Hampshire
9/9 at Northwestern
9/16 vs. Stony Brook
9/23 at Dartmouth
9/30 at Delaware
10/7 vs. Richmond
10/14 vs. James Madison (Homecoming)
10/21 at Northeastern
10/28 vs. Hofstra (Family Weekend)
11/4 vs. Massachusetts
11/11 at Rhode Island
11/18 at Maine

Northeastern
9/2 at Georgia Southern
9/9 at Virginia Tech
9/16 at North Dakota State
9/23 at James Madison*
10/7 vs. Delaware
10/21 vs. New Hampshire
11/18 vs. Rhode Island

Rhode Island
8/31 at Connecticut
9/9 vs. Merrimack
9/23 vs. Delaware
9/30 vs. Brown
10/7 at James Madison*
11/11 vs. New Hampshire
11/18 at Northeastern

Richmond
9/2 at Duke
9/16 vs. VMI
9/23 vs. Bucknell
10/7 at New Hampshire
10/21 vs. Delaware
10/28 vs. James Madison*
11/4 at Villanova
11/11 vs. Towson*
11/18 at William & Mary

Towson
9/2 vs. Morgan State
10/14 vs. Massachusetts (Homecoming)
10/21 at Villanova
10/28 at Delaware
11/4 vs. William & Mary
11/11 at Richmond*
11/18 vs. James Madison
? at Elon
? vs. Liberty

Villanova
9/2 at Central Florida
9/9 vs. Lehigh
9/16 vs. Massachusetts
9/23 vs. Penn
10/7 at Hofstra
10/14 at Maine
10/21 vs. Towson (Homecoming)
10/28 at William & Mary
11/4 vs. Richmond
11/11 vs. James Madison
11/18 at Delaware

William & Mary
9/2 at Maryland
9/16 vs. Maine
9/23 vs. VMI
9/30 vs Hofstra (Family Weekend)
10/7 at Massachusetts
10/14 at Liberty
10/21 at James Madison
10/28 vs. Villanova (Homecoming)
11/4 at Towson
11/11 at Delaware
11/18 vs. Richmond

*Probable opponents due to how other schedules work out.
**Most likely JMU's remaining nonconference opponents.

Things might also change pending the NCAA ruling in April on whether or not to expand the I-AA regular season to 12 games.

[JMU Duke Dog]

It will be interesting on 10/7/06 when Rhode Island visits JMU in Harrisonburg on the Dukes' family weekend as Coach Stowers' son T.J. will be lining up against the Rams.

[th0m]

Gives a whole new meaning to Family Weekend ;)

[Mr. C]

Several points:

If you think that JMU will have an easy time with Appalachian State think again. While the Mountaineers lose QB Richie Williams, they have a very good backup in Trey Elder and all the other players they lose will be replaced by players that are equal to, or in most cases, better than the players that graduate. The lone exception is Jason Hunter at DE, but this is a school that has a DE pipeline. I believe ASU is 10-3 all-time against JMU, with the last meeting being in the first round of the playoffs on 11-25-95 (the day my oldest daughter was born).

By the way, do you know if this is going to be in Boone, or Harrisonburg in 2006 (word is they are working on at least a two-year deal)?

Richmond had a ton of seniors, including Stacy Tutt. Dave Clawson is building a good program, but the A-10 is a league where you usually win with seniors. I would be shocked to see the Spiders in the playoffs again next year.

Towson has been doing a good building job and will likely have better athletes this year and the young Tiger players who improved the team so much this season will have a year of experience.

People who knock Jack Cosgrove and Tim Stowers as coaches really show their lack of knowledge. Cosgrove has done an excellent job getting a moribund program into the playoffs several times and I wouldn't be too quick to count out the Black Bears. Stowers has a long rebuilding program ahead of him at URI and the contract reflected that. URI has some of the worst facilities around and a lot of other issues that need to be addressed. Stowers has done a good job with what he has to work with.

Are you knocking Villanova because you are a Delaware fan? Or do you think that Andy Talley's club will really be that bad next year? Are the past three years a Wildcat program in decline, or just a rough stretch?

Does anyone know what Hofstra will do in terms of offensive philosophy? Will the Pride run a Delaware-styled offense, or will they keep the Run and Shoot (I hope they would, considering not many other I-AA teams run this offense)?

[JMU Duke Dog]

Several points:

If you think that JMU will have an easy time with Appalachian State think again. While the Mountaineers lose QB Richie Williams, they have a very good backup in Trey Elder and all the other players they lose will be replaced by players that are equal to, or in most cases, better than the players that graduate. The lone exception is Jason Hunter at DE, but this is a school that has a DE pipeline. I believe ASU is 10-3 all-time against JMU, with the last meeting being in the first round of the playoffs on 11-25-95 (the day my oldest daughter was born).

By the way, do you know if this is going to be in Boone, or Harrisonburg in 2006 (word is they are working on at least a two-year deal)?

Richmond had a ton of seniors, including Stacy Tutt. Dave Clawson is building a good program, but the A-10 is a league where you usually win with seniors. I would be shocked to see the Spiders in the playoffs again next year.

Towson has been doing a good building job and will likely have better athletes this year and the young Tiger players who improved the team so much this season will have a year of experience.

People who knock Jack Cosgrove and Tim Stowers as coaches really show their lack of knowledge. Cosgrove has done an excellent job getting a moribund program into the playoffs several times and I wouldn't be too quick to count out the Black Bears. Stowers has a long rebuilding program ahead of him at URI and the contract reflected that. URI has some of the worst facilities around and a lot of other issues that need to be addressed. Stowers has done a good job with what he has to work with.

Are you knocking Villanova because you are a Delaware fan? Or do you think that Andy Talley's club will really be that bad next year? Are the past three years a Wildcat program in decline, or just a rough stretch?

Does anyone know what Hofstra will do in terms of offensive philosophy? Will the Pride run a Delaware-styled offense, or will they keep the Run and Shoot (I hope they would, considering not many other I-AA teams run this offense)?

No one from JMU thinks the Dukes would have an easy time at all playing Appalachian State next season. JMU is looking forward to this challenge if the series deal is worked out. JMU is 3-10 against Appalachian State in the all-time series.

1995 App. St. 31 JMU 24 - Boone (Playoffs)
1992 App. St. 27 JMU 21 - Harrisonburg
1991 JMU 31 App. St. 8 - Boone
1990 App. St. 24 JMU 0 - Harrisonburg
1989 App. St. 23 JMU 14 - Boone
1988 App. St. 17 JMU 14 - Harrisonburg
1987 App. St. 17 JMU 10 - Boone
1986 App. St. 21 JMU 20 - Harrisonburg
1985 App. St. 36 JMU 0 - Boone
1983 JMU 24 App. St. 20 - Boone
1982 JMU 39 App. St. 35 - Harrisonburg
1981 App. St. 45 JMU 0 - Boone
1980 App. St. 34 JMU 6 - Harrisonburg

The series deal that is currently in the works would have the game in Harrisonburg in 2006 with the return game in Boone in 2008 (or possibly 2007 if the NCAA approves a 12 game regular season schedule for I-AA in April).

Here are my predictions for the 2006 A10:

North Division
*1. New Hampshire - Santos and Ball will be back
2. Massachusetts - lose some key players but have a program of winning
3. Northeastern - my surprise A10 team of 2006 if they can survive a potential opening road trip of Georgia Southern, Virginia Tech, North Dakota State, and James Madison; lost several close games in 2005
4. Hofstra - should be around 0.500 in a transitional season of coaching
5. Maine - would finish higher in a lesser conference
6. Rhode Island - same as Maine

South Division
*1. James Madison - skill players are seniors that led JMU to the '04 NC
*2. Delaware - Omar Cuff will lead a probably more healthy team back to success
3. Towson - gaining experience but still at least another year away from the playoffs
4. William & Mary - a Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde team (destroyed New Hampshire but was destroyed by Richmond), who will show up in 2006?
5. Richmond - losing Tutt will hurt but with Clawson they could upset some
6. Villanova - Burroughs will not be enough

*I am predicting to make the 2006 I-AA playoffs.

[DTSpider]

Richmond had a ton of seniors, including Stacy Tutt. Dave Clawson is building a good program, but the A-10 is a league where you usually win with seniors. I would be shocked to see the Spiders in the playoffs again next year.


Richmond actually only had a few seniors that played this past year. Two of them were hurt most of the year and so it isn't much of a loss. Tutt will indeed by very tough to replace. The best thing going for the next QB is that the O-line which was all freshmen & sophomores was terrible at the beginning of the 2005 season but was very solid at the end of the year. Richmond will have a lot of returning starters (18 of 22) and will be fighting for a playoff spot. However, like most A10 teams it'll be 1 or 2 plays a game to separate a 8-3 record from a 6-5 one.

[GannonFan]

Several points:

If you think that JMU will have an easy time with Appalachian State think again. While the Mountaineers lose QB Richie Williams, they have a very good backup in Trey Elder and all the other players they lose will be replaced by players that are equal to, or in most cases, better than the players that graduate. The lone exception is Jason Hunter at DE, but this is a school that has a DE pipeline. I believe ASU is 10-3 all-time against JMU, with the last meeting being in the first round of the playoffs on 11-25-95 (the day my oldest daughter was born).

By the way, do you know if this is going to be in Boone, or Harrisonburg in 2006 (word is they are working on at least a two-year deal)?

Richmond had a ton of seniors, including Stacy Tutt. Dave Clawson is building a good program, but the A-10 is a league where you usually win with seniors. I would be shocked to see the Spiders in the playoffs again next year.

Towson has been doing a good building job and will likely have better athletes this year and the young Tiger players who improved the team so much this season will have a year of experience.

People who knock Jack Cosgrove and Tim Stowers as coaches really show their lack of knowledge. Cosgrove has done an excellent job getting a moribund program into the playoffs several times and I wouldn't be too quick to count out the Black Bears. Stowers has a long rebuilding program ahead of him at URI and the contract reflected that. URI has some of the worst facilities around and a lot of other issues that need to be addressed. Stowers has done a good job with what he has to work with.

Are you knocking Villanova because you are a Delaware fan? Or do you think that Andy Talley's club will really be that bad next year? Are the past three years a Wildcat program in decline, or just a rough stretch?

Does anyone know what Hofstra will do in terms of offensive philosophy? Will the Pride run a Delaware-styled offense, or will they keep the Run and Shoot (I hope they would, considering not many other I-AA teams run this offense)?

My comments back:

You misunderstood what I meant about JMU versus App St - I said JMU had an easy OOC schedule, but that was primarily based on 2 automatic W's against VMI and Austin Peay and a winnable game against ASU. I'm fully aware of Elder but even you have to admit that's a step down from Williams. And while Appy St may produce good DE's, again, you just don't pick up right where you left off losing Hunter. Besides, there's been a lot of recent evidence of defending champs losing a bit of their hunger in the following year and an early season game at JMU (if that's true) could be a tough venue. The game is a tough game, but JMU could certainly win it.

Actually you're wrong about Richmond - they didn't have a lot of seniors - on their two deep during the year they had 10 seniors (8 starters) listed out of 44 players - that's not a really great reliance on seniors. Most people at the start of last year thought Richmond was a year away (conversely, 25 of the 44 were sophomores or juniors, with 15 being juniors). The main issue with that is that Richmond didn't identify a QB to step in after Tutt and that will be a huge issue for them going forward. If they don't make the playoffs, it will be because no one could fill Tutt's shoes, not because of a deficit of seniors.

As for Towson, I think they'll be a great club in 2-3 years and will challenge to win the A10/CAA. I just think they lose too much this year (3/5 of the offensive line and both starting CB's, including Harrison), coupled with the fact that they are still trying to get to 63 scholarships, to think that they'll be better next year. When you aren't at full strength in scholarships, losing really key people like that is a problem. They have a very good offense, but their defense got steamrolled by the good teams and will still have problems next year, especially with the losses in the secondary, where they were strong this year. Plus, no one's going to look past Towson this year while I'm sure some of that happened last year. Give them another year or two and they will be a very good team.

I still think Cosgrove and Stowers are bad coaches, despite what you would think of me. Cosgrove is a great recruiter, no doubt, but I think he struggles to maintain discipline on that team and I think that's really killed them at times. Too many penalties, and often way too many bad ones (dumb penalties or penalties at the wrong time). And his teams are way too inconsistent. I can't see them making the playoffs this year either, which would be a 4th in a row - for the talent he's bringing in that's way too many times out of the playoffs. Stowers is obviously handicapped by URI, where there is zero support for football. But he's not doing much to make them much better - URI had some of the same success before Stowers got there so I fail to see where he's really made a positive difference.

As for nova, granted my Blue Hen eyes may be a bit prejudiced, but I saw them a few times this past year (several times on tv and once in person) and I really have to say I think they are in a serious decline. They've had the same offensive line problems for years now and have been unable to correct it - and there's no reason to think next year will be different. Burroughs is a good QB but he's on his back so much you can't really tell. I think they've really seen a drop-off in the quality of their skills position players as no one is really scary there (even Outlaw was only so so) and their defense was really bad despite having some really good players (Adams for one). They actually look out-talented by most A10 teams, especially in the South where UD/JMU/Richmond/W&M and now Towson are all decent to solid programs. I wonder where that program will head once Talley does retire - there's not a lot of support for it at nova.

Don't have a clue what Hofstra will run, but I'm sure Cohen's choice of an offensive coordinator will play a large part in that - has he named one yet? But a lot of teams in the A10 run something similar to what UD runs now so that's not a bad guess.

[Umass74]

IMHO, UMass will be pretty good in '06.

We return 10 of eleven starters on offense that ran over delaware 35-7. The lone loss is OT Brent Caldwell. In 2006 we are loaded at WR. We get team leading WR J.J. Morre back from a broken ankle. WR's Brandon London (6-4) and Rasheed Rancher (6-5) return as well as highly rated Redshirt WR Victor Cruz. We also add UConn transfer Matt Lawrence at RB (a high school SuperPrep All-American)and also returning is Steve Baylark. QB Coen was three time A10 Rookie-of-the-Week.

On defense we do loose more. All-A10 DE Keron Williams, All-America Shannon James, starting MLB Serge Tinkum and CB Steve Costello.

However, we add eleven red-shirt defensive players. Rivals three star DB Sean Smalls should be a instant starter. West Virginia transfer Michael Meggett (a PrepStar top 150 player in the east) should be the other DB. Maryland transfer Patrick Powell (6-4, 265) should start at DE.

We could use some help at DT.

In 2006 the I-A game (Navy) is the second game of the season instead of the second-to-last. And we have six home games (the first time since 2002).

I think UMass will be a force again in the A10. :)

[mainejeff]

GannonFan......Would Villanova dropping football help Temple football in any way, shape or form?

[JMU2004]

IMHO, UMass will be pretty good in '06.

We return 10 of eleven starters on offense that ran over delaware 35-7. The lone loss is OT Brent Caldwell. In 2006 we are loaded at WR. We get team leading WR J.J. Morre back from a broken ankle. WR's Brandon London (6-4) and Rasheed Rancher (6-5) return as well as highly rated Redshirt WR Victor Cruz. We also add UConn transfer Matt Lawrence at RB (a high school SuperPrep All-American)and also returning is Steve Baylark. QB Coen was three time A10 Rookie-of-the-Week.

On defense we do loose more. All-A10 DE Keron Williams, All-America Shannon James, starting MLB Serge Tinkum and CB Steve Costello.

However, we add eleven red-shirt defensive players. Rivals three star DB Sean Smalls should be a instant starter. West Virginia transfer Michael Meggett (a PrepStar top 150 player in the east) should be the other DB. Maryland transfer Patrick Powell (6-4, 265) should start at DE.

We could use some help at DT.

In 2006 the I-A game (Navy) is the second game of the season instead of the second-to-last. And we have six home games (the first time since 2002).

I think UMass will be a force again in the A10. :)


I hope UMass rolls over and dies......not a fans of how things are done in Amherst

[*****]

... they didn't have a lot of seniors - on their two deep during the year they had 10 seniors (8 starters) listed out of 44 players...I think I count 14 seniors...

2005 UR TWO-DEEP

Gone for 2006: 12 start positions
Back for 2006: 17 start positions
(starters back in bold)
OFFENSE
WIDE RECEIVER
4 Matt Hale 6-2 195 R-Jr.
19 Danny Desriveaux 5-9 195 R-Jr.
LEFT TACKLE
64 Tyler Webb 6-6 305 R-So.
76 Aaron Miller 6-4 300 R-Fr.
LEFT GUARD
53 Tim Silver 6-5 315 R-So.
75 Evan Lehner 6-4 295 R-Fr.
CENTER
52 Derek Stoudt 6-3 295 R-So.
72 John DeWald 6-1 300 R-So.
RIGHT GUARD
58 John Gromin 6-4 285 R-Sr.
68 Matt Stein 6-4 265 R-So.
RIGHT TACKLE
77 Judd Altman 6-5 320 R-Jr.
67 Adam Packett 6-4 290 R-Jr.
TIGHT END
88 Ben Teufel 6-4 260 R-Sr.
82 Joe Stewart 6-3 240 R-Fr.
WIDE RECEIVER
14 Arman Shields 6-2 185 R-So.
11 Harry Wilson 6-2 210 R-Sr.
FULLBACK
15 John Crone 5-11 240 R-Fr.
30 David Freeman 6-1 210 R-Sr.
TAILBACK
25 Tim Hightower 6-1 220 So.
32 Josh Vaughan 6-1 220 Fr.
QUARTERBACK
3 Stacy Tutt 6-2 235 R-Sr.
17 Levi Brown 6-4 215 Fr.

SPECIALISTS
PLACEKICKER
20 Joseph Fore 6-1 200 Sr.
PUNTER
31 Chris Radford 6-1 185 Sr.
KICKOFFS
20 Joseph Fore 6-1 200 Sr.

DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE END
99 David Gracia 6-3 255 R-Sr.
or 57 Ryan Cameron 6-4 255 R-Jr.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
54 Dan Mangiero 6-0 275 R-Sr.
63 Ryan Beers 6-1 280 R-Jr.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
91 Johnny Campbell 6-4 270 R-Jr.
50 Pete Parziale 6-3 255 R-Jr.
DEFENSIVE END
8 Sherman Logan 6-4 245 R-So.
13 Lawrence Sidbury, Jr 6-4 260 R-Fr.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
10 Adam Goloboski 6-0 220 Jr.
7 Anthony Dabney 6-0 225 R-Jr.
INSIDE LINEBACKER
33 Lance Gray 6-3 235 R-Jr.
22 Chaz Curtis 6-2 230 R-Sr.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
42 Brian Burnette 6-3 245 R-Sr.
18 Sean Kelly 5-11 200 R-Jr.
CORNERBACK
1 Joe Mallory 5-9 185 R-Sr.
21 Travis Warren 5-10 180 R-Fr.
FREE SAFETY
5 Stephen Howell 6-1 205 R-So.
43 Andrew Harris 6-3 200 R-So.
STRONG SAFETY
2 Ryan Mace 5-11 200 R-Jr.
37 Micah Womack 6-4 205 R-Jr.
CORNERBACK
6 Damien McCallum 5-11 185 R-Jr.
26 Seth Williams 5-10 180 Fr.
KICKOFF RETURN
14 Arman Shields 6-2 185 R-So.
30 David Freeman 6-1 210 R-Sr.
PUNT RETURN
2 Ryan Mace 5-11 200 R-Jr.

LONG SNAPPER
83 Jeff Ritch 6-3 200 R-Sr.
HOLDER
3 Stacy Tutt 6-2 235 R-Sr.

[umassfan]

I hope UMass rolls over and dies......not a fans of how things are done in Amherst

:eyebrow: How bout some english there JMU2004... What the hell are you talking about?

Also to add about us not being down in 06... we have Gate at home, AIU at home, and do not face JMU, Delaware or Richmond. I will take Nova, Towson, and W&M over those three any day because Delaware will have a stacked deck, JMU will be decent and Richmond is on the rise.

[th0m]

I am likewise happy that we do not have UMass on the schedule, but the trade-off being UNH is not very favorable :p

[DTSpider]

Ralph, something to keep in mind was that John Gromin was hurt more than half the year, as was David Freeman. Harry Wilson barely played (not many 4 receiver sets). The real important senior was Stacy Tutt. He'll be impossible to replace. Hopefully one of the freshmen can play solidly and the rest of the offense can step up.

[89Hen]

While the Mountaineers lose QB Richie Williams, they have a very good backup in Trey Elder
The little I saw of Elder, he looked like a turnover machine (fumble wise).

[Spider]

Teams Standing Still: [/B]
Richmond - I'm not entirely sold on Richmond yet, but hey, I was wrong on them this year so maybe that's good for Spider fans. The big problem is replacing Tutt, who I think was the linchpin for that offense. Without him they looked terrible on offense, with him under center they looked like a steamroller. Neither of the two young guys last year looked good so either they'll need to improve a lot or they need to find somebody new. They have some losses on offense and defense but not enough that they'll slide back. They get UD and JMU at home and they still have Clawson as a coach. They'll be in the race for a playoff spot come November, not sure they'll get in though.


we won't be standing still....more to come

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Also to add about us not being down in 06... we have Gate at home, AIU at home, and do not face JMU, Delaware or Richmond. I will take Nova, Towson, and W&M over those three any day because Delaware will have a stacked deck, JMU will be decent and Richmond is on the rise.

Who is AIU?????? Are you trying to sneak a D-II game vs. AIC by the good AGS folks? :confused: :confused: The AIC that is affectionately known to New Englanders as "Almost In College"? xlolx xlolx

[blukeys]

The AIC that is affectionately known to New Englanders as "Almost In College"? xlolx xlolx


And here I thought that is what New Englanders called Umass!! xlolx xlolx

[blukeys]

GannonFan......Would Villanova dropping football help Temple football in any way, shape or form?


In my view Temple is more likely to drop football than NOVA. I see nothing helping Temple football short of dressing the Philadelphia Eagles in Cherry and White to play Temple's MAC Schedule.

[UNH 40]

:hurray:
In my view Temple is more likely to drop football than NOVA. I see nothing helping Temple football short of dressing the Philadelphia Eagles in Cherry and White to play Temple's MAC Schedule.

any team in the A-10 would beat temple and the top teams in the league would pound them.

Just a quick note UNH at northwestern is going to be a very close game. After watching them play UCLA in the Sun Bowl i think that they are very beatable, their defense sucks and they lose their QB who has been a starter for the past four seasons. I will say they do have a nasty running back. We will see on September 9th.

Go Cats :hurray:

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Just a quick note UNH at northwestern is going to be a very close game. After watching them play UCLA in the Sun Bowl i think that they are very beatable, their defense sucks and they lose their QB who has been a starter for the past four seasons. I will say they do have a nasty running back. We will see on September 9th.


I hope you're correct, but I still attempt to keep things in perspective. I mean they are still a Big Ten team and a lower tier B-10 team is still pretty damn good. Don't get me wrong, UNH isn't going to be playing Ohio State, Penn State or Michigan, but Northwestern is still up a notch to two from Kent State, Central Michigan and Rutgers.

Didn't see the bowl game but heard comments from friends about their lack of defense. Obviously with offense being UNH's strength, that is a positive factor going into that game. We should be able to score some points against them.

Lots of holes to fill next year on UNH's defense. Granted many may have been undersized players who were ultimate overachievers. But unless there are better athletes with more size ready to step in and quickly become a cohesive unit, the UNH defense will be a major question mark next season. Hopefully, there are a few guys like you 40, EJ DeWitt and Mark Rutberg among others!! It has truly been a pleasure to watch so many guys who weren't highly recruited become outstanding team players on the D at UNH.

[Mr. C]

The little I saw of Elder, he looked like a turnover machine (fumble wise).
That hadn't been a problem for Elder in two years outside of the Furman game. He will do fine. App State probably has as much chance of repeating as any team has in the past several years.

[blukeys]

:

Just a quick note UNH at northwestern is going to be a very close game. After watching them play UCLA in the Sun Bowl i think that they are very beatable, their defense sucks and they lose their QB who has been a starter for the past four seasons. I will say they do have a nasty running back. We will see on September 9th.

Go Cats :hurray:


I agree that Northwestern is a beatable I-A team (unlike Big 10 mates Penn State and Ohio State.)

On the other hand so was Pittsburgh in '04 and '05. Northwestern will present a very stern challenge to any I-AA team even a fine one like UNH.

The keys will be the same ones you always hear about.

1. Win the turnover battle.

2. Make the big plays on offense. (Very Possible with Ball and Santos)

3. Stop NW from making the Big plays on offense. If they score make them drive the entire field to do it.

4. Play penalty free ball.

I am not one willing to bet on UNH in this game but they can win it as Davis did beat Stanford this year. Much depends on UNH playing mistake free ball. 3 Fumbles inside the opponent's 15 yard line will guarantee a loss against a quality team. Sound familiar???? :eek: :eek:

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Much depends on UNH playing mistake free ball. 3 Fumbles inside the opponent's 15 yard line will guarantee a loss against a quality team. Sound familiar???? :eek: :eek:

Blu,

You're killing me, freakin' killing me! Is Crapsville still open? xlolx xlolx

[blukeys]

Blu,

You're killing me, freakin' killing me! Is Crapsville still open? xlolx xlolx


For our regulars we can always serve something up ;) ;) . Just remember to tip Hattie Mae. Get ready next week for the Crapsville wind up. A review of Crapsville Highlights and some of the new additions to Crapsville. Just an attempt to update all of the various Crapsville legends and traditions along with the History of Crapsville. Something to keep ALL OF US happy until next September!!!! :hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

[UNH 40]

I was not saying that UNH was going to win this football game i was just stating that this football game will not be a blowout UNH's offense will keep them within striking distance.

[GannonFan]

GannonFan......Would Villanova dropping football help Temple football in any way, shape or form?

Nothing can help Temple football, in any way, shape, or form. Temple was a lost cause 20 years ago and things haven't gotten any better since. It's like trying to perform CPR on someone who has been dead for 24 hours.

[GannonFan]

I think I count 14 seniors...

2005 UR TWO-DEEP

Gone for 2006: 12 start positions
Back for 2006: 17 start positions
(starters back in bold)
OFFENSE
WIDE RECEIVER
4 Matt Hale 6-2 195 R-Jr.
19 Danny Desriveaux 5-9 195 R-Jr.
LEFT TACKLE
64 Tyler Webb 6-6 305 R-So.
76 Aaron Miller 6-4 300 R-Fr.
LEFT GUARD
53 Tim Silver 6-5 315 R-So.
75 Evan Lehner 6-4 295 R-Fr.
CENTER
52 Derek Stoudt 6-3 295 R-So.
72 John DeWald 6-1 300 R-So.
RIGHT GUARD
58 John Gromin 6-4 285 R-Sr.
68 Matt Stein 6-4 265 R-So.
RIGHT TACKLE
77 Judd Altman 6-5 320 R-Jr.
67 Adam Packett 6-4 290 R-Jr.
TIGHT END
88 Ben Teufel 6-4 260 R-Sr.
82 Joe Stewart 6-3 240 R-Fr.
WIDE RECEIVER
14 Arman Shields 6-2 185 R-So.
11 Harry Wilson 6-2 210 R-Sr.
FULLBACK
15 John Crone 5-11 240 R-Fr.
30 David Freeman 6-1 210 R-Sr.
TAILBACK
25 Tim Hightower 6-1 220 So.
32 Josh Vaughan 6-1 220 Fr.
QUARTERBACK
3 Stacy Tutt 6-2 235 R-Sr.
17 Levi Brown 6-4 215 Fr.

SPECIALISTS
PLACEKICKER
20 Joseph Fore 6-1 200 Sr.
PUNTER
31 Chris Radford 6-1 185 Sr.
KICKOFFS
20 Joseph Fore 6-1 200 Sr.

DEFENSE
DEFENSIVE END
99 David Gracia 6-3 255 R-Sr.
or 57 Ryan Cameron 6-4 255 R-Jr.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
54 Dan Mangiero 6-0 275 R-Sr.
63 Ryan Beers 6-1 280 R-Jr.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
91 Johnny Campbell 6-4 270 R-Jr.
50 Pete Parziale 6-3 255 R-Jr.
DEFENSIVE END
8 Sherman Logan 6-4 245 R-So.
13 Lawrence Sidbury, Jr 6-4 260 R-Fr.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
10 Adam Goloboski 6-0 220 Jr.
7 Anthony Dabney 6-0 225 R-Jr.
INSIDE LINEBACKER
33 Lance Gray 6-3 235 R-Jr.
22 Chaz Curtis 6-2 230 R-Sr.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER
42 Brian Burnette 6-3 245 R-Sr.
18 Sean Kelly 5-11 200 R-Jr.
CORNERBACK
1 Joe Mallory 5-9 185 R-Sr.
21 Travis Warren 5-10 180 R-Fr.
FREE SAFETY
5 Stephen Howell 6-1 205 R-So.
43 Andrew Harris 6-3 200 R-So.
STRONG SAFETY
2 Ryan Mace 5-11 200 R-Jr.
37 Micah Womack 6-4 205 R-Jr.
CORNERBACK
6 Damien McCallum 5-11 185 R-Jr.
26 Seth Williams 5-10 180 Fr.
KICKOFF RETURN
14 Arman Shields 6-2 185 R-So.
30 David Freeman 6-1 210 R-Sr.
PUNT RETURN
2 Ryan Mace 5-11 200 R-Jr.

LONG SNAPPER
83 Jeff Ritch 6-3 200 R-Sr.
HOLDER
3 Stacy Tutt 6-2 235 R-Sr.

No, I still count 10 - I'm only including positional players, not the kickers or return men or the long snapper - 10 out of 44. If you inlcude the kickers and the long snapper you get 13 (the placekicker also does kickoffs and Freeman did double duty as a returner as well).

[mainejeff]

So how will it affect Eastern college football if both Temple and Villanova drop their programs? I could see a recruiting windfall for some I-AA programs such as Delaware, Towson and Hofstra.

[carney2]

In my view Temple is more likely to drop football than NOVA. I see nothing helping Temple football short of dressing the Philadelphia Eagles in Cherry and White to play Temple's MAC Schedule.

The key words are hi-lited. Even Temple can win a few games in that league. Also, Golden is moving up the coaching food chain. He didn't take this job because he wants to be buried early in life.

[GannonFan]

The key words are hi-lited. Even Temple can win a few games in that league. Also, Golden is moving up the coaching food chain. He didn't take this job because he wants to be buried early in life.

Temple football is replete with coaches who thought they could turn it around and never did. Golden may not know what he's stepping into. Sure Temple is going to win a few games in the MAC - they won a few games here and there in the Big East. But the thing is, winning 1-3 games a year isn't going to turn the program around - it's a lot more deep-seeded than that. And Temple is still going to struggle in the MAC. With Big East talent, Temple has gone 0-6 over the past two years against MAC competition, losing by a combined score of 224-87 - the MAC won't be a walk in the park for Temple.

If a scenario did happen where Temple and nova both dropped football, I'm not sure there would be a big impact on schools in the East - sure some recruits could go to the IAA's in the East, but there aren't that many impact players on any given team so spreading them out over several schools won't see much of a change. Guys who go to Temple are somewhat attracted by it being a IA school - schools like Rutgers and Maryland and Pitt would benefit, among others. Some guys who go to nova go because it's a Catholic school - maybe Holy Cross would benefit, maybe others. It wouldn't be a large boon to a UD or a Hofstra or other IAA's in the area.

[TigerFan17]

I don't think Towson will move down at all this year. I see a repeat of this year. Beat/run with one of the juggernauts that is not 100% (UD), and take care of business with the lower tier (Nova, URI, etc.).

Also, don't forget that our senior CB Davon Telp that we're losing had a medical redshirt for the 2004 season, and then-freshman Eric Clark started the entire year in his place. Telp never recovered 100%, and we have a corner who has an entire year of A-10 experience under his belt. I don't think the defense will suffer as bad as you think.

Remember, we still have all the young guys like Jordan Manning, John Webb, etc. back. I think the defense will actually be slightly better.

The offense will continue to progress as well, I believe.

Another 6-5 won't shock me. I'd say we finish anywhere between 5-6 and 7-4.

[Linehawg]

Since I tend to watch the o-lines more than anything else, the discussion here has hinted at keys but these guys are usually ignored. I think the Spiders will remain strong because of a huge returning line that will play even better together next year. JMu may be a tad over-rated by everyone with their line loses and lack of experience coming up. If the OL coach (Newsome) goes to Univ of Virginia, this will only be exacerbated.

[th0m]

What do you think of the redshirted freshmen at the O-line for JMU, Linehawg? I haven't really looked into it, but we had a fairly big recruiting class last year, so I'm sure we can build on them. Obviously they will be as green as the motor that keeps I-A running, what's your take on them?

[Linehawg]

The three OL I know about were Vernon Eason out of Deep Creek (who was not widely recruited) and two out of state kids--Rahmad Powell from MD and T.J. Stowers from RI. Eason I've seen and needs serious help with his footwork and, like most HS linemen, plays too high. All three are OG-sized players and missing on potential OTs may come back to bite the Dukes in two years. That class would have been much stronger if they'd seriously offered Harrisonburg product Wes Lokey (6'4, 285, 5.2) who (fortunately for the KeyDets) wound up at VMI.

[Catsfan]

I really don't think Nova will drop football (or scholarships). But FYI, I think that after Pennsylvania, the most Nova football schollies go to kids from California and Florida. I don't know who that would benefit.

[GannonFan]

I really don't think Nova will drop football (or scholarships). But FYI, I think that after Pennsylvania, the most Nova football schollies go to kids from California and Florida. I don't know who that would benefit.

Looking at nova's roster there are certainly kids from Calif and Florida, but only on the order of 15-20 total from those two. There are more kids from New Jersey than any of those two states and a whole lot of kids from the mid-Atlantic/southern New England area (NY, Ohio, MD, VA, etc). And I agree, I don't think nova's dropping football anytime soon.

[henfan]

VU dropping football?! Man, sometimes I just don't know where you people get this stuff.

[Tubby Raymond]

Since I tend to watch the o-lines more than anything else, the discussion here has hinted at keys but these guys are usually ignored. I think the Spiders will remain strong because of a huge returning line that will play even better together next year. JMu may be a tad over-rated by everyone with their line loses and lack of experience coming up. If the OL coach (Newsome) goes to Univ of Virginia, this will only be exacerbated.

They were a tad overated this year :cool:

[blur2005]

The three OL I know about were Vernon Eason out of Deep Creek (who was not widely recruited) and two out of state kids--Rahmad Powell from MD and T.J. Stowers from RI. Eason I've seen and needs serious help with his footwork and, like most HS linemen, plays too high. All three are OG-sized players and missing on potential OTs may come back to bite the Dukes in two years. That class would have been much stronger if they'd seriously offered Harrisonburg product Wes Lokey (6'4, 285, 5.2) who (fortunately for the KeyDets) wound up at VMI.
Wes and I graduated together, and I'm certain he'll be quite a good one for VMI.


They were a tad overated this year :cool:
:doh: Yeah, but I'm feeling a rebound. The funny thing about winning a title is that all of a sudden, 7-4 is not good at all. Five years ago, 7-4 was a very good year for the Dukes. Anyway, I'm not greatly concerned about the O-Line, as we still have a force in Cory Davis, and have had some good recruiting at O-Line. I'm more concerned about the D-Line, which lost three of four members I believe, so that's a bigger hole in my opinion.