Northern Star Commentary Rebuttle

I saw an article in the Northern Star yesterday that I didn't like the looks of at all.

Jerry Burns points out in his Tuesday piece that he believes that a playoff system would benefit the MAC and smaller schools as a whole.

The first problem I have is that he starts off the article exclaiming "As an Ohio State fan..." You have got to be kidding me. How are you going to root the most for a school you don't even go to? I could understand if you went to an Ohio MAC school, but you are way west of that area. He says he has little to complain about the system that put OSU in the title game, which shows major bias starting off.

He goes on to say, "A playoff system would greatly improve the quality of play when the BCS giants face the mid-major teams, or “cupcakes.” Instead of assuming a win and moving on, the giants would actually have to play with heart and a desire to win."

I don't know exactly how this playoff system would improve the quality of play over the current bowl system really, which is meant to give each team a strong challenge. The last part doesn't even make any sense. When does a team assume a win and move on, without playing with a desire to win? I'm befuddled.

Already this season, we have seen evidence that the MAC can compete with BCS-level opponents. In week one of the season Bowling Green unseated No. 24 Pittsburgh, and just last week Ohio University was one-half away from upsetting No. 3 Ohio State.

Ohio State was ranked #3 at the time, but not after last weekend's huge loss to USC, 35-3, showing that the Buckeyes aren't as good as advertised. He should really keep up with the rankings of his favorite team! Nary does he mention that Pittsburgh gave away the game to BGSU turning the ball over 4 times and the fact that the Falcons got destroyed this past weekend by Minnesota at home and by Boise St on the road.

I have trouble believing that these ranked teams were playing with 100 percent focus on their opponent.

You're disowning your own reasoning.

One little known fact – Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour rushed and passed for more yards than Heisman winner Tim Tebow last season, with only nine fewer touchdowns.

LeFevour's accomplishments have been thouroughly noticed throughout the media, as he also has a huge billboard of him outside Comerica Park in Detroit.

Because CMU and the MAC don’t factor into the BCS, despite facing Kansas and Clemson in 2007, LeFevour did not garner any Heisman talk.

That's because CMU got DESTROYED by both of those teams.

It’s my strong belief that MAC players would get more respect from the media if they were to factor in the BCS and the national championship, just like Colt Brennan, who faced lesser opponents than LeFevour last season.

Colt Brennan and other MAC stars would have to play teams like Georgia in the 1st round of the playoffs, whose players have so much more talent it would be next to impossible to win even one game in this playoff format.

Just remember how much the media and fans loved it when Boise State beat Oklahoma.

That was a completely different situation, wherein Boise St actually had the better team that season. They went undefeated, making it to the BCS as a mid-major. The bowl system should stay, as it is manageable still to make the BCS currently as a smaller school who goes undefeated and deserves to be in the mix for the National Championship.

Grady, Morris Getting Reps

Following the opening game lost to Minnesota, Jerry Kill was quoted as saying he expects to use all of his quaterbacks this season, little did we know how right he would end up being. Just two games later, Kill has used three quaterbacks and is preparing his fourth for game action. With Chandler Harnish out indefinitely due to a sprained foot and Dan Nicholson nursing a sore arm stemming from offseason surgery, DeMarcus Grady and Ryan Morris are taking all of the reps at quaterback leading up to Saturday's bout vs. Indiana State.

Dan’s shoulder is still bothering him quite a bit; we’re just going to have to wait and see. We’re hoping to know more on Tuesday. He hasn’t practiced a whole lot in the last week. We’ve been working with DeMarcus (Grady) and Ryan Morris at that spot right now. That’s kind of where we are. We hope Dan will be ready to play, but we'll know more on Tuesday.

Grady saw time at Western Michigan, but did not attempt a pass. He carried the ball seven times for forty-three yards and a touchdown, however. Morris has yet to see playing time this season, but appeared in eight games last season including three starts. Kill could start either Grady or Morris, but also has the option of using Grady for running plays like he did versus Western Michigan a week ago. If Nicholson is cleared ready for game action, he is the most likely candidate to start.

The Huskies (0-2) open their home slate against FCS opponent Indiana State (0-2) on Saturday.

Finally recovered from last weekend

First off:

I'm looking for writers to fill in when I'm extremely swamped with school work and whatever else.

Secondly:

From the Kalamazoo bars to late night pizza to not being able to find the mass of Huskies at the tailgate, this past weekend was an interesting one to say the least. My favorite pre-game moment was walking through the massive student tailgating section, getting booed and having beer cans thrown at the small gathering of Huskie fans with me.

This game was strange. It was kind of like bizarro world with what happened in K-Zoo.

The main thing about this game was that rFR QB Chandler Harnish went down with a sprained ankle in the 1st part of the 1st quarter of the game. This was disappointing because he showed so much promise during the game @ Minnesota. WR Britt Davis didn't even make the trip to Kalamazoo because of "health issues". Right there 2 of your best offensive weapons are taken away from you.

At RB, Me'co Brown got most of the carries. Why? Because he's quicker and can peform better out of the shotgun formation, per OC Limegrover. I guess that is mostly what we were going to use against the Broncos. Still would like to see one back being used over and over so he can gain some consistency and yardage.

Both SR Dan Nicholson and rFR DeMarcus Grady got turns at QB, with Grady running every time. Grady really needs to learn how to throw if he wants an extended stay at the position. ESPN's Graham Watson made the Overstatement of the day, assuming facts before anything is reported.

Dan N's shoulder is not going to hold up all season, so we may consider burning the redshirt off of Brandon Rogers and letting him get some playing time throwing the ball around.

An old-school connection between Nicholson and Marcus Perez was made, with MPZ getting 6 catches for 77 yds. Nate Palm continues to impress catching 4 passes for 78 yds.

LT Trevor Olson had some trouble keeping the defensive tackles out of the backfield, as our QBs were sacked 4 times.

DE Larry English will be playing with a club against Indiana State because of a broken thumb injury, which required surgery. Overall the defense wasn't that great while struggling with run defense and not sacking Tim Hiller once in this game.

Overall, starting your second road game in a row, in-conference, with a rotating door at QB, with one of your best WRs not making the trip, with a new coach, with an inconsistent running game, with a freshman at LT is not going to be a good situation.

31-27 and 29-26. 2 close losses to some tough teams. Minnesota blew out BGSU who just upset Pitt, while WMU is the class of the MAC West.

This is a great time for a bye week and an FCS team to play. Let this team develop and get their things together before the bulk of conference play up ahead.


Now...what exactly am I going to do this weekend?

Keys to beating the Broncos

Before the season, the majority of people I had talked to pretty much wrote this game off as a loss. Everybody figured that OK we might slip past Minnesota, but playing away at Kalamazoo against one of the top MAC teams would be a hard thing to do.

Most of this perception changed during our road opender @ Minnesota. The game really was all over the place. Our offense looked like world-beaters at times, yet there was a lot of inconsistency. Same thing goes for the defensive side of the ball and on special teams.

An early conference opener means so much to each of these teams. An early win in the stacked MAC West Conference could do wonders for the self-confidence of your team.


Key #1 - Put pressure on QB Tim Hiller and force him to make mistakes

Although we may not have a defensive line as good as Nebraska's, we can use the same game plan against the WMU Broncos this week. Due to the fact that the running game was ineffective, all of the pressure was put on Hiller to make plays. He did a pretty good job going 30 of 49 for 342 yds and 2 TDs plus an INT.

If I were Tim Hiller, I would be having nightmares of Larry English leading up to this game. WMU's offensive line is one of the worst in the MAC and are going to have their hands full keeping our defensive linemen out of their backfield. Last week the Huskers had 4 sacks against Hiller. All of this helps our defensive backfield make plays and cause turnovers.


Key #2 - Establish a strong running game

WMU's secondary is far and away the best in the MAC, so the only way our offense is going to get going is by running the ball up the gut several times. WMU's d-line has talent, but are undersized and I'm confident that our o-line will be able to handle them better than the big Minnesota boys. We can use this to our advantage lulling their secondary asleep and throwing some play-action plays in there.


Key #3 - Continue improving on special teams

Our kicking game is (thankfully) situated with Salerno kicking bombs of 39 and 49 yards. We also had a blocked punt which was nice. Now back to the basics: Kickoff Coverage. The KO team was so horrendous last week and you cannot give an opposing team that much field position to start off offensive drives. Another thing we need to work on is getting better return yards from Me'Co Brown and whoever else is going to be back there on kick returns.


Key #4 - Cover TE Branden Ledbetter

Our Defense was lacking in our last game covering the TE's. Either our LB's or our Safeties weren't doing their job on coverage. Hopefully the kinks have been worked out with our defense and we can complete these tasks now. Ledbetter performed against the Big Red, catching 9 passes for 123 yds and a TD.


So there you have it. If we accomplish these few things, this game is ours.

Huskies 24, Broncos 18

Tomorrow's MAC Headlines Today

Navy @ Ball St (-7)
THURS 6:00 PM, ESPN (HD)

Ball St tops Navy in high scoring affair

Even though Ball St and Nate Davis like to pass, they must control the ball on the ground rushing MiQuale Lewis if they want to win this game at home. Ball St 48-Navy 38.

Miami OH @ Michigan (-14.5)
11:00 AM, (ESPN or ESPN2) (HD)

Michigan manages to squeak by in their 2nd game with a win over Miami OH

Both of these teams weren't expected to lose their first games and will be butting heads. I still don't have any confidence in what the Wolverines are trying to do this year, but I think that Miami OH can bounce back the furthest from their 1st week disappointment against Vanderbilt. Michigan 21-14.

Connecticut @ Temple (+7)
11:00 AM, ESPNU (HD)

Temple finally gets their revenge against UConn

Last year was an absolute travesty with Temple getting screwed out of a TD at the end of the game at UConn's place. I can't comprehend why Temple isn't favored in this game after blowing out Army last weekend. I don't think people understand how long Temple has been waiting to play the Huskies again, as they return pretty much everybody from that game the year before. Chalk up a win for the Owls, 28-13.


Ohio @ Ohio St (-34)
11:00 AM, (ESPN or ESPN2) (HD)

Without Wells, Buckeyes still manage to blow out Bobcats

Ohio just doesn't have the weapons to stay with the Buckeyes at all. Especially with no McRae on offense. No need for Beanie in this blowout in the making. 48-7.


Eastern Michigan @ Michigan St (-21)
11:00 AM, BTN (HD)

Spartans too much for in-state Eastern Michigan Eagles

MSU barely lost to the Cal Golden Bears and probably can't wait to beat up on their in-state rivals in EMU. Eastern Michigan played Indiana St, one of the worst FCS teams out there and are ill-prepared to face the Spartans. MSU 38-EMU 21.


Central Michigan @ Georgia (-24)
2:30 PM, FSS (HD) / SUN (HD)

Close call for Georgia as LeFevour makes case for Heisman

This is a game that I looked at during the pre-season and I thought that it would be a huge case for the MAC and Central Michigan if they were somehow competitive in this game. Georgia didn't have that great of a performance last week and I am more confident now in my assumption. CMU is a test for the hurting Georgia who even may be looking forward to next week's conference matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Expect a fairly high scoring affair with Georgia coming out on top, 31-28.


Akron @ Syracuse (-4.5)
2:30 PM, FSOH

In battle of bottom-feeders, Akron finds a way to come out top against the Orange

The Zips showed some life on offense against Wisconsin. Syracuse is nowhere near the talent of the badgers, so I think Akron can win against the Orange who lost last week to NW. Akron 28-Syracuse 17.

Buffalo @ Pittsburgh (-13.5)
5:00 PM, SNY / ESPN-GP / ERTV

Pitt Panthers fall victim to yet another MAC team in Buffalo Bulls.

It wasn't the Bowling Green Falcons that had the best performance of Week 1, it was the Buffalo Bulls blowing out UTEP 42-17. The stats that BGSU put up against Pitt weren't even that impressive, as the Panthers gave the Falcons the game fumbling 3x and throwing an INT. The Bulls have way too many offensive skill players for Pitt to handle and have a better team overall than BGSU. Pitt 21, Buffalo 31.

Kent St @ Iowa St (-7)
6:00 PM, NO TV?

Jarvis shines in Kent State's upset over the Cyclones

Eugene Jarvis got shut down when Kent St played the brick wall run defense of Boston College. They get some easier competition this week against Iowa St. Jarvis should be able to run wild in a 28-17 victory of the Cyclones.


Minnesota @ Bowling Green (-6)
6:30 PM, ESPNU (HD)

Minnesota defeats 2nd MAC team in Bowling Green to start 2-0

Like I said in the Buffalo-Pitt writeup, I wasn't impressed by BGSU's offensive stats and they are due for a post-upset letdown against Minnesota. Even though the Falcons get the Gophers at home, it really isn't a good situation for BGSU. I think Minnesota can manage to win a close game, making NIU look great. Goophers 23-20.

Toledo @ Arizona (-23)
9:00 PM, NO TV?

Stoops in trouble after Wildcats fall to mid-major Toledo

I think this spread is so high because Arizona managed to beat the lowly Idaho Vandals last week 70-0. I believe this is an aberration, as the Toledo Rockets come in to Tucson with enough weapons to stay in the battle. I would like nothing better than for Toledo to beat Arizona, who has started to recruit our players in Illinois. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but the extra bye week has given the Rockets a little more chance to prepare. It all falls on which defense can perform better with this game expected to be a shootout. Toledo 28, Arizona 21.

More of a gain rather than a loss

photo courtesy of niuhuskies.com

A pair of redshirt freshmen stole the spotlight today. Harnish to Palmer. Harnish to Palmer. We'll be hearing that combo being heard over and over again in the next few years. In case you didn't hear, we only lost by 4 points to a (good) Big 11 team 27-31.


Quarterbacks

Chandler Harnish was everything we wanted to see and more. His poise was unbelievable going 17 for for 29 for 326 yds and 2 TDs. He was able to make a few plays with his feet, running 8 times for 30 yds. I haven't been this excited for an NIU QB since I started going to school here in '05.

Running Backs

Justin Anderson was disappointing rushing for only 38 yds on 13 carries. I really think that Minnesota D must have been keying in on our running game, forcing our freshman QB to make most of the plays.

Montell Clanton must have been a little bit rusty finally returning to the football field after being injured for the last 2 years. He showed some burst, but fumbled the ball on one play and didn't play much after that. Me'co Brown looked solid in limited playing time. I have no idea why Brown was in there for a 3rd and short on one play, as he looked a bit timid and couldn't manage to plow through for a 1st down.

There were also a couple blatant facemask penalties that weren't called against our RBs, which is disappointing.

Wide Receivers

WR Britt Davis showed off his improved hands leading the team with 4 catches. The offensive star of the game was #81 Nate Palmer who caught 3 receptions for 170 yds and 2 TDs. He is an unbelievable deep threat for this team. Matt Simon caught a few nice balls and was very consistent. TE Reed Cunningham looks like a solid contributor.

I feel as though 2 or 3 pass interference calls weren't made by these Big 10 officials. The one that really killed us was there at the end where #7 Britt was bumped by one of the Minn DBs before the ball even got there. I can only wonder why such blatant calls were not made in this game.

Offensive Line

This unit was disappointing because our running game only averaged 2.3 yds per carry and I barely saw any holes being opened up for the running backs. The unit did a good job in pass blocking, giving Harnish time to throw more often than not.

Defensive Line

DE Larry English made everybody on the field seem silly, even our own players. He was causing pressure all day which resulted in 2 TFL including a sack, while also recovering a fumble. And for some strange reason, he was out running all of our Linebackers and Secondary 2 times chasing down the Minnesota player who was making a big play. All of our team should look up to this man and his motor.

I'm a little worried otherwise though. I think that DE Craig Rusch got hurt during this game, because I didn't see him in there much later in the game and he only got 1 tackle. DE Brandon Bice made a great play shoving the Minnesota OT down to the ground and sacking the QB. Our goal-line defense wasn't too impressive, but they held their own.

Linebackers

MLB Tim McCarthy is back and he is healthy and productive, making 7 tackles including 2 for loss. WLB Cory Hanson looked lost in coverage half the time and let the TEs fly all over the place, which should have been taken care of by SLB Josh Allen. Allen had some good hits, but whoever is playing SLB needs to cover those TEs better. Didn't see too much of Alex Kube, which was disappointing.

Secondary

David Bryant looked great at FS making 7 solo tackles and causing a key fumble. I was also unimpressed by CB Melvin Rice who didn't take a great angle at one of the scoring TDs, but did manage to strip the ball on another scoring try by the Gophers. Again, I don't know where those safeties were covering those playmaking TEs.

Special Teams

K Mike Salerno was extremely impressive kicking field goals of 39 and 49 yds. He easily replaces last year's start Chris Nendick. Me'co Brown wasn't too impressive returning kickoffs, but he didn't make any critical mistakes. He should flourish in the next couple games.

Our Kickoff coverage was bad. REALLY BAD. This may have cost us the game. This will be a main focus on the game film and in practices. Kill wants his ST to be superior.

Players that shined were #25 DB Tracey Wilson who helped with the blocked punt and made a key tackle on ST. #28 RB Chad Spann was credited with blocking the punt, but I could have sworn that it was #25 Wilson. Can somebody help me out here?


Overall, I was very impressed with this team and we can learn a lot from this game. I am a lot more confident about next week's trip to Kalamazoo, which hopefully I will be attending.

Interviewing the Enemy: Minnesota

Here is part of a blog exchange with the vaunted Daily Gopher, your #1 stop for Golden Gopher information. Completely off the cuff on both sides.


I hear you have Eric Decker on offense. Expand on his abilities and do you have any other threats on that side of the ball?

Eric Decker is a very good athlete and poised to be one of the best receivers in the Big Ten. In the second half of last season he became a favorite target of quarterback Adam Weber's. When we throw the ball he will likely be the first target on most plays and you should expect to see offensive coordinator move him around in an effort to get favorable match ups and one-on-ones. But before Decker comes Weber who is our biggest threat offensively. As a redshirt freshman in 2007 he set several school records. One might assume it was because were throwing the ball all the time because we were behind, but that is not necessarily the case. On the season we threw the ball about 51% of the time which isn't a crazy pass:run ratio. He is deceptivelly athletic and is capable of beating you with his legs as well as his arm.The hope here is that Weber reduces mistakes and takes big strides in leading this offense.

There is a large gap in experience between our two teams. How specifically do you think that will affect the game tomorrow?

I think that NIU's experience advantage will be negated by the fact that it is a new system for them. I watched Minnesota in 2007 take a while to adjust to their new offensive and defensive systems. Now in year two we are hearing how everyone is much more comfortable and worrying about execution rather than where to line up. I would not underestimate this for the Huskies. By the time they hit MAC play they should be executing better but I believe this will have an affect on Saturday's game. And for Minnesota it should be noted that their key offensive players and their entire defensive line are alll returners.

Again, are these new players ready to step in and play D-1 ball right away? Especially on defense?

Are they ready? I don't know. But particularly on defense they are bigger and faster than what we had a year ago. Having a revamped secondary that at least has the tools to cover people will help them tremendously. I don't know if they are ready to actually stop Big Ten caliber players but as I said they are bigger and they are faster which allows them to recover from their mistakes. I am extremely anxious to see if they are indeed ready to step in and make a difference.

Is Tom Brewster another Ron Zook-esque fellow that is only going to recruit top players and coach horribly? Is there any hope in your minds that he will succeed in the X's and O's?

Excellent question and my excellent answer is I have NO IDEA. What I do appreciate about Brewster is that from day one he said he wants to bring in top notch assistants and let them do their job. I think we have experienced and talented coordinators so if Brewster can continue to bring in talented players and if he truly does let Mike Dunbar and Ted Roof do their thing on offense and defense then maybe Brewster has a chance to succeed on the field. There is no doubt he can recruit and there is little doubt that his players love playing for him. I sincerely hope the Zook comparisons stop at some point but to date is an apt comparison.

Absence

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of content in the last week and a half. I've been busy getting ready and settling in for my final year at NIU. There will definitely be more content this week leading up to the Saturday game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Week 1 OOC Picks

Looking over the schedules for all of the MAC Conference teams, I have rounded up 20 specific matchups that I find to be the most interesting. Most of these take place in the first 4 weeks of the season, while a few take place later in the season.


1. Week 1 (Aug. 28) - Vanderbilt @ Miami OH
TV: 6:30 PM CST on ESPNU (HD)

This is one of the best chances a MAC team has all season long in knocking off a BCS team. Miami OH should be one of the top teams in the East if they can settle down on a QB to lead their team. However, Vanderbilt is in complete rebuilding mode and fields one of their worst teams in years. These teams played each other last year in Nashville and Vandy only won by 11 points 24-13. A hungry Miami returns 17 starters in this rematch game, while the Commodores only return 9 (3 on offense). Vandy lost their leading WR, RB and their entire O-Line, but their whole secondary returns on D.

2. Week 1 (Aug. 30) - Northern Illinois @ Minnesota
TV: 6:00 PM on Big Ten Network (HD)

This game is huge for both teams who want to wash the taste from their mouths they got from last season. Both of these teams combined for 3 wins all of last year. For NIU, this is their biggest chance in years to get over the 20-year hump of not beating a Big 10 team (Wisconsin '88). Minnesota is in year 2 of a slow, trodding rebuilding mode and 2nd year HC Tim Brewster still has to prove he can coach as well as well as he can recruit top talent. NIU has turned from one of the least experienced teams to one of the most experienced in just one year, returning basically all 22 starters.

3. Week 1 (Aug. 30) - Western Michigan @ Nebraska
TV: 6:00 PM on FSN PPV

WMU may be the most talented team in the West and face a tough challenge in their opener in Lincoln, NE. The Broncos have the top defense in the MAC, fielding the best secondary by far and strong D-Linemen and Linebackers. With weapons abound on offense, JR QB Tim Hiller just needs to find a way to get the ball to them without making the same mistakes he did last year throwing 15 INTs. It's a good matchup between a transitioning middle of the Big 12 team against a top MAC team. An upset is very possible and would be huge for the program in Kalamazoo. Nebraska has to rebound from the horrible defensive year they had last year and has a new, more balanced offensive attack with former LSU DC Bo Pelini as their new HC.

4. Week 1 (Aug. 30) - Boston College @ Kent St (Cleveland)
TV: 6:30 PM on ESPNU (HD)

This is an interesting matchup because it is going to be played in the Cleveland Browns Stadium, which should provide an exciting atmosphere to start the season. I'm happy this is on TV, because we all get a chance at watching RB Eugene Jarvis who is one of the best talents the MAC has to offer. The unfortunate part is that he will be running in to the brick wall that is the BC defense, who was #2 in rushing D last season. Kent's D is nothing to shout about, with an especially shallow secondary, so we'll see how the Kent O can perform in a tough matchup for the Golden Flashes.

Harnish takes upperhand in QB battle...and more

The news in Huskieland has been, albeit, dry the last couple weeks and in that time I've found times to vacation and golf or whatever have you before it gets crazy and school starts. But there has been some interesting notes as of lately:


There was a lot of hype for NIU Alum TC Dantzler coming in to the Olympics this year wrestling at the 74kg/163lbs weight class. A problem for him and the rest of the wrestlers was that their scale was off by 5 lbs, forcing Dantzler to lose 23 lbs over a 2-week period. Peter Basci of Hungary beat TC in the 3rd round 3-0 and managed to make it all the way to the Semi-Finals. One more match won by Basci to get in to the finals and TC would have been able to compete for a Bronze, which unfortunately didn't happen. For more info on Dantzler, you can check out his website at http://tcdantzler2008olympian.com/ Just getting to the Olympics was the 37-year-old's dream, something he is proud he has accomplished.


Earlier on Tuesday, there was a scrimmage going on inside Huskie Stadium. rFR Chandler Harnish went 10 of 15 passing for 175 yds and 2 TDs, outdoing rSR Dan Nicholson who went only 2 of 6 for 12 yds and an INT in limited action. Nicholson was described as being "sore" from throwing a lot in the last week since shoulder surgery in the off-season. That isn't good news for Dan N, who appears to be on a short leash. The next big scrimmage is on Saturday the 16th which is also "Fan Day" where you can get autographs from the players.

LB-turned RB-turned DB David Bryant has picked off one of FR Brandon Rogers' passes. I'm pretty sure that kid is going to redshirt, because whenever he is mentioned he is throwing a pick. He should be good in the future though. SR Matt Simon, SO Landon Cox and walk-on rFR Willie Clark stoodout all having 3 catches a piece.


Jerry Kill thinks that the D-Line can be the strength of the team this year, barring injuries (knock on wood). I'll be first to admit that our DEs are pretty sick with SRs Craig Rusch and Larry English manning the helms, while the interior contains less heralded prospects such as sophomores Mike Krause and DJ Pirkle. Backup DEs JR Brandon Bice, JR Mike Kritikos and SO Jason Cruikshank are pushing the starters hard every practice.

Kill also mentioned how true frosh defensive linemen Adam Coleman, Brian Lawson and Sean Progar-Jackson have already mad a strong impact and will push for playing time this year. Add SR Alex Krutsch and SO Ed Jackson to the mix and you have a nice D-Line depth for once.


Other position battles to watch this camp that are wide-open:

Fullback (my guess at a depth chart)

JR Anthony Antonnaci
SO Kyle Skarb
SO Connor Flahive
rFR Pat McAvoy
FR Victor Jacques

Tight End

JR Reed Cunningham
FR Dan Edem
FR Jason Schepler