Friday, September 02, 2005

Friday Tailgate


Notes and Quotes from around the Conference to get you ready for the weekend.

A pair of 2005 graduates will return to Dickinson as QB Keven Williams and DE Bob Ziegler join the coaching staff ... Where do you put promising first-year players in the Red Devil scheme ... obviously at inside linebacker ... Matt Williams was the team's 2003 Rookie of the Year, while Eric Dube was the recipient in 2004.

Franklin & Marshall QB Jeff Harner was named the D3football.com Preseason Player of the Year in the Conference. “Jeff brings a lot of calmness to the huddle,” head coach Shawn Halloran said. “There won’t be many panic situations out there. We will have some young tailbacks, but with an experienced guy at quarterback who has been through it … that goes a long way.” What does F&M need to do this season to make another championship run? “Now we have to do two things: stay healthy and make plays. Simple as that. Easy game, right?”

Who's the QB at Gettysburg? Junior QB Mark Campo and sophomore QB Hunter McMillan are the team’s top two candidates to replace three-year starter Joe Gossweiler, and both could see action in Saturday’s opener. Head coach Barry Streeter returns to the sidelines after a year's absence. “It’s been good to get back into this routine. The preseason has gone fast, which they all do. It’s like getting back on the horse – it didn’t take long to figure out what I was doing. So it’s been good.”

Johns Hopkins looks to continue a number of streaks against Rochester Saturday. The Blue Jays have won 11 straight games in the month of September since 2001 and have a five-game road winning streak. Hopkins is 19-3 over its last 22 contests. For all the different numbers and statistics that can be applied to the Johns Hopkins football team, there has been one simple way to measure the success of the Blue Jays in the last two years. Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 19-0 when scoring more than seven points and 0-3 when they have been held to seven points or less.

Expect a close game when McDaniel travels to Bridgewater. Each of the last three games have been decided by three points with the Terror taking a 14-11 decision last year in Westminster. The Eagles have won 23 consecutive regular-season games at Jopson Field since Nov. 13, 1999. That year was the last win for McDaniel at bridgewater (24-0).

Muhlenberg went 8-3 a year ago, winning their fourth straight CC title and a third consecutive trip to the NCAA playoffs. But that's not enough in West Allentown. “We have to expect better of ourselves, expect better of our teammates and expect better of all our opponents,” said Mike Donnelly, who enters his ninth year as head coach. “This is the toughest schedule we’ve ever had.”

Ursinus welcomed back 78 letterwinners to Collegeville, including nine starters on offense and all 11 on defense. “For the first time in my tenure, I am returning 17 seniors that represent my first recruiting class,” said head coach Peter Gallagher. “Many of them are three year starters, which should provide the experience and leadership necessary for us to accomplish our goals.” Senior QB Vince Gallagher leads all returning CC passers with 3,169 career yards. He has the deep threats this season in WR Josh Hannum, a transfer from Penn State, and Brandon Evans. The pair helped set a school 4x100 record in outdoor track last spring, winning the CC championship.

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