tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59518990181037724792024-03-05T01:27:04.591-08:00Ramblings From the BenchPaul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-33080683361894263272020-11-01T12:29:00.002-08:002020-11-01T12:40:34.851-08:00A historic Lafayette game ... and what's happening in 2020 <p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have
you been missing college football?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oh
sure, you can watch games on television, but the pandemic has ruined the fall
for fans like those at Lafayette and Lehigh, who have seen their Patriot League
fall season blown up and who have been waiting for some kind of answer about
the possibility of league games in the spring. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I’m
pretty much retired as a contributor to The Morning Call, which is short on
staff and news space and has made some drastic changes. I’m learning to live
with it, but it’s not fun. I was looking forward to seeing Leopard home games
from one of Jack Bourger’s chair-back seats in Fisher Stadium. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Then
I remembered something. Did you know that 90 years ago – on Oct. 25, 1930, to be
exact – the first indoor intercollegiate football game on a regulation field
was played in the then-one-year-old auditorium on the boardwalk in Atlantic
City, N.J.?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
teams: Lafayette College vs. Washington and Jefferson.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
final score: W&J 7, Lafayette 0.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">According
to the story that appeared in The Morning Call the next day, the game attracted
16,000 people.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
building, according to a Morning Call advance, was about 500 feet long, 300
feet wide, with the ceiling 135 feet above the surface. It was built in 1926
and opened in 1929.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Six
inches of topsoil and clay were laid down in the auditorium as the playing
surface. A Morning Call story three days before the game reported that “40
freight cars carrying 2,500,000 pounds of dirt” would be used.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The
normal lighting equipment in this great chamber consists of 600,000 watts of
electric power, but in addition to this, there will be special lighting used
during the game and these units are in themselves capable of furnishing more
light than would be used for night football or baseball. In this way the light
in the structure … will closely approximate the sunlight.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
newspaper account, which was not bylined, said the temperature inside the
building was between 60 and 65 degrees “as benumbing cold winds blew down the
boardwalk outside with furious rage.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only score of the game came in the third
quarter, and here’s how the newspaper explained it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The
ball was on Lafayette’s 45-yard line when Stewart Wilson, the giant W and J
fullback, dropped back to kick. …the ball sailed deep into Lafayette territory
and to all intents and purposes was destined to cross the goal line.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“The
Lafayette safety man watched it closely, but just a foot or so from the goal,
the ball struck some slight impediment and bounded several feet into the air,
but kept in the playing area. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">“At
the same time, it took a hop against the Lafayette safety man (Socolow) and
then rolled away. The wide awake Demas, of W and J, made a dive and obtained
possession of the white oval within a foot of the goal.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Three
times, the Lafayette defense stopped the Presidents from scoring, but on fourth
down “the oval was snapped to the herculean Wilson, who rammed through centre
for the winning touchdown.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wilson also
kicked the extra point.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lafayette’s
Cook missed a field goal in the first quarter; Lafayette got to the W&J 35
in the second quarter; and in the fourth period, the Leopards recovered a
fumble and then used a Wilcox-to-Mundy pass to get to the Presidents’ 6-yard
line. But Lafayette was unable to score.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lafayette
and W&J were familiar rivals. They first met in 1898, and they played a
1922 game in the Polo Grounds in New York City. Lafayette took a 13-0 lead in
the first half, but W&J rallied in the second half to win 14-13. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
this game was deemed as even more impressive. Fans traveled from Easton by what
the newspaper reported as “special excursion trains and bus lines” and car.
Many didn’t leave to return home until Sunday. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lafayette
had played Penn State to a 0-0 tie the previous weekend on Lafayette’s March
Field.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now
called Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, the building has been used for a number of
sports. Former heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes of Easton fought and
lost an on fourth-round TKO to champion Mike Tyson in 1988. That was one of
seven times Tyson fought in Boardwalk Hall.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lots
of college football games have been played there, including the 1964 Liberty
Bowl. Monica Seles defeated Martina Navratilova in 1995 in what was Seles’
return to tennis after being stabbed in 1993. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Interestingly,
the long article on the Wikipedia online history of the building does not
include the Lafayette-W&J football game. That could soon change.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Leopard
A.D. speaks out</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
keep track of the contributors to the Lafayette Sports Fan Forum, hoping to get
some information. A post just the other day caught my attention because of the
posters posted a link to a Twitter post featuring Lafayette athletic director
Sherryta Freeman. I found it interesting and I looked for a release on the
college website. Not finding one, I decided on the next best thing: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>transcribe Freeman’s remarks and get them out
via blog. So, here they are. I broke up the comments into paragraphs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: medium;">“As
the director of athletics, I have been able to witness and participate in the
process of addressing diversity and inclusion within our community. I am proud
of the work of our student-athletes, our coaches, our staff, whether it be
through individual teamwork or organization work or larger forums to engage in
discussion. All of those things are so important.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: medium;">If
I go back to the start of the summer, it was important for us to have timely
conversations to help our community process what was happening nationally. We had
open dialogue with our student-athletes, coaches, staff about their emotions,
their experiences, their past and also what they believed needed to happen on
our campus in order to move the conversation around systemic racism forward for
positive change.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: medium;">We
support the formation of the Athletes of Color organization. Our student-athletes
have already done incredible work, including leading student-athlete
conversation, the design and production of a Black Lives Matter T-shirt and a
video launch. We have also increased the presence and input of SAAC and Athlete
Ally as we recognize how critical their leadership will be around diversity and
inclusion work.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: medium;">Coaches
and staff participated in extensive educati0n around systemic racism, realizing
that you have to fully comprehend issues and history of racism before you can
take action against it, And those sessions were very powerful and productive.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">We
also implemented staff education in partnership with the office of
intercultural development <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All staff will participate in a series of workshops
</span></i><i><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">utilizing the
power of eight identities, and let me see if I can get them all -- gender,
sexuality, ability, ethnicity, race, socio-economic status, religion and age.
How all of those identities correspond and intersect with that of the student-athlete.
I firmly believe that as educators our staff needs to be well versed in
diversity and inclusi0n issues.<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">Throughout our
conversation and dialogue, we have developed the Lafayette athletics commitment
to fight against racism in the area of representation, education, awareness,
support in programming and resources and pledges.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: medium; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">We publicly
released at the end of the summer some of the steps we plan to take, and we are
well on our way. We have already implemented the educational component and promoted
awareness for our own Black Lives Matter initiative with the fantastic work of
the Athletes of Color organization. Our next steps are underway as we have
established a task force to formalize a diversity, equity and inclusion plan to
ensure follow-through and accountability to all of those commitments. <o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";"><span style="font-size: medium;">Ultimately,
Lafayette athletics shall be the program that embraces diversity, personifies inclusion
and is the destination for people of all backgrounds to come together as one
team. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I love what Lafayette athletics is
doing so far and there is so much more to come.”</span><o:p style="font-size: 12pt;"></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">Freeman could
have given us a little insight into what the league was doing to address the
unresolved sports issues<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";"><b>A Leopard shares his concern, too</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">I know lots of
people are wondering where they stand. In fact, I received a communication from
a member of the 2020 Lafayette football team recently, too. He shall remain
anonymous for some obvious reasons, but he has agreed to allow me to use his comment.
Here it is.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">“I don’t think
the college is doing much to make us have a season. It’s easier for them to say
no. I don’t believe we will have a season (we should find out this week). It
puts older guys like me and the seniors in a tough spot because we would have
to some back for a 5<sup>th</sup> year which is not ideal. Some guys might go
use their eligibility at a graduate school. … I wish I had more insight on this
whole thing.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">A lot of people
thought a league meeting scheduled in October might provide some closure to the
issue. It didn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">I feel really
bad for every senior – not only those at Lafayette, either. It must be killing
them to watch these games on TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also
felt terrible for Lafayette defensive lineman Malik Hamm, who was selected as a
first team pre-season All-America. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
forget it.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white; color: #14171a; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI";">And, I’m wondering what the college will do for these seniors. I’m
also wondering if all the coaches are receiving their full pay for not
coaching. And finally, a lengthy statement from the director of athletics that touches
on eight areas of concern – not one “identity” that addresses a sports issue. Do
athletics matter at Lafayette? Just wondering.</span><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-43637161865826312952019-12-02T21:33:00.000-08:002020-01-10T12:01:05.235-08:00Cleaning out my notebook one last time<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfbWmxLnYIsXp0QocKKuUbaHflbg0qDvg-ZeFmO3FwhwI1BazWidZHv6UdHWs9l4s8TGVYnsWUMGBfwi8W8JIAAzmVwMiLjYEnDpZmGKyJnnLWEug4ElnLC6X8ImNU6pTjoT6zmc-7EWa/s1600/LEHIGH+Kordenbrock+Winning+Kick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="1081" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfbWmxLnYIsXp0QocKKuUbaHflbg0qDvg-ZeFmO3FwhwI1BazWidZHv6UdHWs9l4s8TGVYnsWUMGBfwi8W8JIAAzmVwMiLjYEnDpZmGKyJnnLWEug4ElnLC6X8ImNU6pTjoT6zmc-7EWa/s400/LEHIGH+Kordenbrock+Winning+Kick.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jeffrey Kordenbrock kicks the winning field goal at Lehigh out of a Sean O'Malley hold.<br />
All photos courtesy of Lafayette communications.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
season No. 138 of Lafayette College football is in the books. The 16<sup>th</sup>
time the Leopards have finished with four wins. The last time was 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Breakthrough?
Coach John Garrett declared that after defeating Lehigh for the first time. I
think it was too soon to tell because this year was the weakest for the Patriot
League overall. But it had a look of potential. And remember, it was I who said
the Leopards had a shot at running the table after not winning a nonleague
game! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now
as we come to the end of another football season, I am also come down the
homestretch of my direct involvement with the program at Lafayette, having been
The Morning Call’s beat writer from 1968-77 and more recently during my formal
retirement years, 2008-2019. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
my 80<sup>th</sup> birthday staring me in the face, it’s time to take a seat in
the stands, and having had some issues this year with bladder cancer caused me
to alter the way I handled the beat. This season didn’t give me the same
satisfaction of past years and I think it’s time to turn it over to someone
else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
that makes this my final “official” report on Leopard football. It’s going to
get wordy because I want to address the most recent season overall, the
Leopards’ future, #155 of The Rivalry and some other thoughts from my notebook.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">THE
TEAM RECAP<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
went into the season really conflicted about the possibility for success. After
the huge turnovers in the coaching staff on each of Coach John Garrett’s first
two 3-8 seasons, I was concerned about the effect all the change would have on
the players.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
when losses continued to pile up during the nonleague portion of the schedule,
I feared the worst. Quarterback Sean O’Malley had not been nearly as successful
in 2018 as a sophomore as he was as a freshman, but I wasn’t too surprised when
he was awarded a scholarship after making the coast-to-coast commitment to
Lafayette as a walk-on. After all, he had two more years to improve. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
was totally stunned, however, when O’Malley slid back into the middle of the
pack of quarterbacks and the battle for the starting spot came down to freshman
Keegan Shoemaker and junior Cole Northrup, the latter O’Malley’s backup for two
years. And when O’Malley became the holder for PATs and field goals, I actually
thought that if Sean wanted to play more college ball, he should ask not to be
played at all so that he could retain the year of eligibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
was also scratching my head when, after Shoemaker and Northrup shared playing
time in the season opener and had very similar stats, Shoemaker was tabbed as
The Man for Game 2 and Northrup never saw the field again. To add to his year,
he suffered a knee injury in practice and is still rehabbing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well,
chalk up a win for Coach Garrett. Shoemaker had his stumbles during the season
– 14 interceptions and being sacked 40 times – but a 60 percent completion mark
helped make him the most successful Leopard freshman QB ever with 216-for-340
for 2,545 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and a net 348 yards rushing, which was
beaten by only one running back, Selwyn Simpson (360). He really put an
exclamation point on his rookie season when he led that fourth-quarter march to
the Jeffrey Kordenbrock field goal that broke a four-game losing streak against
arch-rival Lehigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shoemaker
is easily my choice for Lafayette’s offensive MVP. And when you think that 13
of the 17 players who caught passes in 2019 will return, the possibility of
continued improvement in the passing game is strong. Seven of those players –
Joe Gillette, Julius Young, Jordan Hull, Jaden Sutton, John Gay, Chris Webb and
Logan Whelan – will be only sophomores next year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
had seven QBs on the roster this season. All of them will return for 2020. And,
you can be assured that Coach Garrett will have QBs on his wish list of 2020
recruits. So, the time may come when Shoemaker’s job is under siege. But that’s
a battle for another day. Congratulations to the Patriot League Rookie of the
Year and many-time weekly rookie or offensive player of the week. It was quite
a run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Thirteen
players had rushing statistics for 2019, and 10 of them return. Simpson gets my
vote for most improved offensive player, even though he rushed for only 360
yards. Three of Lafayette four wins were directly impacted by Simpson, who
scored both touchdowns against Lehigh and had the winning TDs against Bucknell
and Fordham. The 113 yards-per-game team rushing average, featuring Simpson,
Sutton and Gay, still needs to improve for Lafayette to get better control of
games. But it was better than either of Garrett’s first two years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett
always says the most important thing is what happens to the ball and that his
goal is to have every offensive possession end with a kick – an extra point, a
field goal or a punt. Jeffrey Kordenbrock earned himself a spot in the history
book of Lafayette-Lehigh games with his 28-yard game-winning field goal. He
also was a perfect 24-for-24 on PATs and 11-for-14 on FGs and booted three
three-pointers against Holy Cross. Two of his misses were in the season opener,
which is a good sign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
will be a senior, and I would hope Garrett could recruit a kickoff-punter
specialist for 2020 to relieve the workload. Kordenbrock and Ryan O’Hara
combined for a punting average of just 35 yards, with only one 50-yarder and just
8-of-64 putting the opponent inside its 20-yard line. And on kickoffs, only 5
of 46 were touchbacks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
kick return game didn’t produce a single point this season, but Sutton’s
28-yarder got the Leopards off to a good start in the fourth quarter against
Lehigh. No return all season was longer than that one, with J.J. Younger
leading the way with a 19-yard average on 27 returns. Opposing teams punted 45
times to Lafayette’s 64, and Lafayette was able to return only four of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Lafayette roster listed 13 offensive linemen. Eleven of them return next season
– three will be seniors. Eight of the linemen were starters in at least one
game, and captain Jake Marotti was the only senior in the bunch. Joe
Grundhoffer, John Burk and Gavin Barclay started every game, which is a great omen
for 2020. Burk and Barclay were second team all-league. Two freshmen also broke
in, with Alex Barshaba starting three games before suffering a season-ending
injury and Nathan Slater starting 10 of the 12 games. That’s a nice fivesome
with which to begin next season, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring in a handful of
the big guys in the 2020 class of recruits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
2019 Leopards scored 78 points more than those in 2018, but they also played
one more game. They need to become more productive offensive – or more
efficient defensively – in the middle periods. They were outscored by 101
points in the second and third quarters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">However,
the greatest need, in my mind, is an offensive coordinator – one who actually
earns his keep. If Garrett is going to continue as the head coach, it’s time
for him to delegate some offensive responsibility. He has been very
single-minded about this in his three seasons, finally deciding not to take on
even an in-name-only guy this year. Being the head coach doesn’t mean
micromanaging the whole thing. Let other guys do the work; if it’s done right,
you’ll get a lot of credit. And I don’t think the offense has to look like
something out of an NFL playbook, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
for the defense, the picture, to me, features lots of potential, but some
critical needs as well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s
start with Malik Hamm, league Rookie of the Year in 2018 and Defensive Player
of the Year in 2019. He was a marked man every week, with offensive
coordinators everywhere scheming to avoid him. He had fewer tackles (43-58) but
almost as many tackles for loss (15-11.5) and sacks (8.5-8.0) as e had in 2018.
He also had eight QB hurries and three pass breakups and a blocked kick, so
even when he wasn’t making tackles, he was making it possible for teammates to
do so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
impressive as Hamm was, I thought the PoY honor might have gone to Lehigh
linebacker Keith Woetzel with 118 tackles, 12 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss –
in one less game. The difference? Hamm’s team won the BIG one! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My guess. Winning matters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hamm
returns next year for his junior season, and he’ll be joined by the player who
in my mind was Lafayette’s defensive MVP: freshman linebacker Marco Olivas. He
started only three games, but he was all over the place every week. He may have
benefited more than anyone from opponents’ concentration on limiting Hamm.
Olivas was second on the team in tackles with 81, third in tackles for loss
with 9.0 and second in sacks with six. But he also had a pass interception, two
fumble recoveries, three fumbles forced and three QB hurries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Against
Lehigh alone, he recovered a fumble that led to the Leopards’ second<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>TD, intercepted a pass that gave the Leopards
possession at the Lehigh 37 (which they squandered) and was credited with the
sack on the final play of the game as Lehigh QB Alec Beesmer tried to make a
desperate play. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Together,
Hamm and Olivas make watching Lafayette play defense fun. And they look like
they’re having fun doing it. Defensive coordinator Manny Rojas brought a 3-4 look
to College Hill, but he also was willing to make adjustments when necessary to
take advantage of his talent. Guys like Olivas and Bill Shaeffer benefitted
greatly from that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
defense takes a pretty good hit on graduation day, with Yasir Thomas and Eric
Mitchell from the secondary and Ryan Barnett, Keith Earle and Demetrius
Breedlove from the front seven departing. Thomas and Mitchell each played in 45
games, Barnett, who I think might have been the most improved defensive player
(he started five times after having only one start his first three years),
played in 39, Breedlove in 36, Earle in 35. Mitchell had seven career
interceptions and 147 career tackles. Thomas, a team captain, had 189 tackles
for his career, and in the Lehigh game this year, he intercepted a pass for the
first time. His teammates converted that pick into Lafayette’s first touchdown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
defensive front, which during preseason was being figured as the strength of
the unit, was hit hard by injuries. Ian Grayson and Harrison Greenhill, both
projected starters, played in only eight and three games, respectively. They
will be welcomed back for sure. Breedlove came back for a medical fifth year
but also was hampered and played in only seven games and had only three tackles
after having 62 to go along with 11 pass breakups in previous seasons. He even
saw some action at tight end this year. Freshman Damon Washington came on
strong and wound up with 34 tackles and two sacks. But in the final analysis,
this group needs some support personnel, too, to maintain the momentum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Major
Jordan could easily turn out to be one of the Lafayette captains next season.
He was the leader in solo tackles with 70 and total tackles with 112. That
gives him 181 for his career and he’s always around the football. He, Ryan
Dickens and Billy Shaeffer give the Leopards a solid set of linebackers.
Dickens wears the jersey number of a hard-hitter from a couple of years back,
Brandon Bryant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Caleb
Burr started all but one game at corner and he returns along with Romeo Wykle, Otis
Thrasher and DaRon Gilbert. Wykle made six starts, Thrasher five and Gilbert
three. The secondary will be a point of emphasis for the defensive staff. The
Leopards were beaten for some long plays -- 75, 65 and 37 by Sacred Heart, 48
by Albany were the longest, and had only six interceptions for the year while
giving up 22 passing touchdowns. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
is just 1-15 in non-conference games since Garrett became head coach. Next year
doesn’t seem to get any better. The Leopards will go to Sacred Heart, Navy and
Penn and play at home against William & Mary and Harvard. They haven’t
played Navy since 1994 and are 4-8 all-time against the Midshipmen. The last
victory over the Mids was in 1903, when Lafayette captain Ernest, listed as a
tackle in the article in the Baltimore Sun, ran 70 yards for a touchdown and
Shuster kicked the PAT with a minute to play. Touchdowns were worth just five
points then, so the final was 6-5. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">THE
DEPTH CHART <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You won’t get this from Coach Garrett, so
here’s my version of an off-season two-deep. For entertainment purposes only:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">OFFENSE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">QB
--- KEEGAN SHOEMAKER ………. Sean O’Malley<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">RB
--- SELWYN SIMPSON………………… Jaden Sutton-John Gay<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">WR
--- QUINN REVERE…………………….Chris Webb <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">WR—JOE
GILLETTE………………………….Julius Young<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">WR
--- JORDAN HULL…………………….Logan Whelan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">TE
--- ZADOK SCOTT………………………..Steve Stillianos<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">LT
--- NATHAN SLATER……………………Casey McCollum<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">LG
--- ALEX BARSHABA……………………Matt Fiume<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">C
--- JOE GRUNDHOFFER………………..Taron Hampton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">RG
--- JOHN BURK…………………………. Mike Hughes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">RT
--- GAVIN BARCLAY…………………… Josh Roberts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DEFENSE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DE
--- MALIK HAMM……………………… Damon Washington<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DT
--- IAN GRAYSON……………………….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DT
--- HARRISON GREENHILL…………..Colin Hurlbrink<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">OLB—BILLY
SHAEFFER……………………..Jyaire Stevens<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">OLB—MARCO
OLIVAS……………………..Luke Ragone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ILB—MAJOR
JORDAN………………………Brian Reilly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ILB—RYAN
DICKENS…………………………..Blamassie Meite<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">CB
--- CALEB BURR………………………………Otis Thrasher<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SS
--- TESSEMA HASKINS…………………….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">FS
--- ROMEO WYKLE………………………….DaRon Gilbert<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">CB
--- TAYJON MARTIN……………………….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
one piece of trivia: 70 players were on the field in at least one game, but only
seven – Barclay, Burk, Grundhoffer, Hamm, Major Jordan, Mitchell and Thomas –
started every game, according to the season participation sheet. Six played in
only one game, and the only player to start his only game was QB Northrup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">LAFAYETTE-LEHIGH
WINNER’S INTERVIEW<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhU0nFZOwxrEcNo7-XQ2QC7BZniO5CGVfvTq2ML0vBg5qLH3CvQ0N6hUKI18vxLNHPpHYPCs97-JvIGQjvSunXK7IMK8jL9tBNxfqZY_UxeTgv0jYaHIpA6D1jiLEvpOPBhyphenhyphen3QuYWg2L4/s1600/LEHIGH+--+GARRETT+CELEBRATES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwhU0nFZOwxrEcNo7-XQ2QC7BZniO5CGVfvTq2ML0vBg5qLH3CvQ0N6hUKI18vxLNHPpHYPCs97-JvIGQjvSunXK7IMK8jL9tBNxfqZY_UxeTgv0jYaHIpA6D1jiLEvpOPBhyphenhyphen3QuYWg2L4/s400/LEHIGH+--+GARRETT+CELEBRATES.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coach John Garrett celebrates the Leopards' win in The Rivalry #155.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some
comments in the aftermath of that 17-16 thriller against the Brown and White on
their Goodman Stadium turf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Linebacker
Major Jordan finished off a terrific junior season with nine solo tackles
against Lehigh and was asked what the victory means to the Lafayette program
going into the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
said: <i>“That win was really huge. It’s something we all talk about. The
seniors really love this game, and we kind of did it for them because they
never beat Lehigh before. We wanted to send them out on a good note and that’s
what we did here today. I was really proud that everybody was on board for it.
They took it really serious. They found a reason to play. I’m just grateful for
this opportunity and I’m really proud of our seniors and what we did here
today.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach
Garrett really surprised me in his first season (2017) when he called the
Lehigh game “just one game.” So, on Saturday, I mentioned that I understood he
was usually a one-game-at-a-time guy but I wondered, does this game mean more
to you every year than it did the year before?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
said: “Well, I think it’s a big game every year. The importance doesn’t keep
mounting; it’s Lafayette-Lehigh. Next year’s going to be 156 and it’s always a
big game. And, it could very well have Patriot League implications again. So,
it’s always a big game.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Given
that generalization, I’m still uncertain, even after the spontaneous reaction
from the usually non-responsive fans on Saturday, whether he sees this game as
different than any other. He says, “It’s a big game” often.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he was enthused enough to leap into the
air when the game ended, and he felt the wet thrill of victory when he was
doused with a water bucket by captain Jake Marotti. There’s still hope.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
was 6-for-17 on third-down conversions and 2-for-3 on fourth-down conversions.
The two successful fourth-down plays were on the first touchdown drive, and the
TD was scored on a third-and-14 play from the Lehigh 18. Garrett was asked if
he had made a pregame commitment to being aggressive on fourth downs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
said: I don’t think you go into any game saying you’re just going for it on
fourth down. You always assess the situation. And those were 4<sup>th</sup>-and-1
(actually one was 4<sup>th</sup>-and-2) and we felt like we could run the ball
to get them and we did. So, we really set the tone there with a confident
attack and then put some belief in our offensive line and our runners to get
it, and they did. So, it was a great show of our toughness, tenacity,
aggressiveness to be able to take that ball and drive down and score. Those
plays can be defining plays. The guys really executed them well. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett
on handling the emotions of the week:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“What
we do, obviously, this has added inspirations. What we do is we try to lay out
the expectations early about what it means, because of how many young players
we have. There is a huge percentage of guys on the team that had never played
in the game that are actually playing in games and a huge percentage that have
only experienced it at home. So, we had to lay out the expectations of what
it’s like, even to the point where we have to tell the guys it’s a grass field.
You have to get your grass cleats and plant and cut, so just being able to
educate them as well. But to your question specifically, laying out the
expectations sets the urgency, sets the intensity, the expectation of how
focused you have to be in practice because of how much this game means. And
then you have to go to work. You can’t get them emotionally too high early
because it becomes exhausting. We just went to work. Wednesday and Thursday.
After Friday, after the work is done, you say, okay, the emotion should start
to build, you should feel the adrenalin. I think the guys handled it well and
they peaked at the right time”. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett
on whether he had ever seen game officials get the down wrong as they did when
Lafayette punted on a third down, then had the play erased so the Leopards
could finally run a third down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It’s
the first game I’ve been involved in, but the famous game is the
Colorado-Nebraska game. where they got it wrong and they kept it wrong. So,
credit to the officials to get it right, and they were very cooperative and we
showed them. We showed our play list, then had it sent down, great job by Phil
LaBella to send it down on the phone to show them. They were tracking it. They
just had to go back and look at each play; they had it wrong after the penalty
after they face-masked Keegan. They didn’t recount the down. We knew we were
right and that’s why we kept explaining it to them. They just kept the clock
running and that’s where we got the delay. Then luckily we told them and they
went to video review and got it right. So, really pleased the way the officials
handled it. In Colorado-Nebraska, it decided the game. This didn’t have an
impact on the game but it was good they got it right.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett,
asked about the closeness of the game even though Lehigh had 151 yards more
total offense:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Well,
easily, the turnovers we forced, they had four of them. We intercepted two,
forced a fumble on defense and forced a fumble on special teams. When you can
force four (turnovers), we had two interceptions, so we were plus-two. Bigger
thing is how the drives end. We had all our drives except one end with a kick …
extra point, field goal or punt. One ended on downs after that fiasco. They
ended drives with fumbles and interceptions. We had 14 points off turnovers.
So, that’s the difference. And the big message all week was, the team that’s
going to win is (dependent on) how you respond to the events of the game and we
responded the right way. It really shows how mentally tough our team is that
they can concentrate and take advantage of those things.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett
on what was said when he hugged Selwyn Simpson after a touchdown and
unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for spiking the ball:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“His
first (TD) was an inside run on 3<sup>rd</sup>-and 14-at the 18 …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>on the second run, a 3-yarder in the third
quarter they ruled he spiked the ball. It was determined he slammed the ball on
the ground. It was an interpretation. Officials ruled it was intense enough to
be a spike. It wasn’t a Gronk spike. He just was really glad that he scored.
They called it on him. I said, ‘They called a penalty on you for spiking it.’
He said, ‘Sorry, coach.’ I said, ‘I love you, let’s go win.’” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Major
Jordan on the defense limiting Lehigh to three consecutive field goals to take
the lead:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“That’s
something we take pride in every day. We talk about the goal-line defense; when
it gets in the red zone, we have to make them kick or cause a turnover. That’s
one of the biggest things we worked on and I felt throughout the year we did
really well with that. The d-line gets a heckuva push up front … the DBs like
to lock up right inside the red zone … linebackers fill the alleys and the
hole. I mean, I’m proud of all the guys and what they did. Just the standard
they have when people get in the red zone. How important it is and how we take
care of it, I’m really proud of the guys for that.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lehigh
had 1<sup>st</sup>-and-goal on Lafayette 4 in third period, but Hamm and Jordan
make stops and DaRon Gilbert broke up a pass, holding B&W to a Henning FG.
Then Lehigh had a first down at the Lafayette 14, but it had to settle for
a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>33-yard FG and still later, Lehigh had
first down at the Lafayette 11, where Yasir Thomas, Ian Grayson and Marco
Olivas made big plays and Henning kicked a third straight FG from 22 yards to
make if Lehigh 16-14 with 3:03 to go. It didn’t look good for the Leopards at
that point because the offense couldn’t get the job done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jeffrey
Kordenbrock on what he was doing while his teammates were driving down the
field in the fourth quarter:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I
was watching a little bit on the scoreboard because the (kicking practice) net
was facing the other way. Players were coming up and telling me, we got your
back no matter what. That put more confidence in me. Having teammates like that
is just insane.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
when asked about the distance of a possible game-winning FG, he said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Wherever
they can get me, I’m happy with. If it turned out to be a 55-yard kick, I’d be
happy to just get that opportunity. But they got me a little bit closer, which
was nice.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shoemaker
on the game-winning drive:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I
knew we had to protect the ball and just get it out on time and to the open
guy. The receivers did the rest and did a good job getting open, and so did the
o-line protecting me. They were great. … I was feeling good. The line did a
great job throughout the game. I didn’t have to get out (and run) that much
unless they called my number to run. I had fresh legs … (on the first play, an
11-yard scramble) I saw that field just open up and it was there so I took it.”
<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">THE
FUTURE FOR THE PATRIOT LEAGUE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQbikMSjXJpLagmxemMiBN0cCZHmyrly0eiBeqUBRs5wOgYM_lTLMKcfUpJXm0MpwAY5CaSzrwr0b8ZRptfoMCDSSX-BsZPb8ncPTAUb0oWz-wCYlKss1cUGfyKqHngmEQUOvqC4Xmlks/s1600/LEHIGH+--+CLUTCHING+THE+TROPHY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQbikMSjXJpLagmxemMiBN0cCZHmyrly0eiBeqUBRs5wOgYM_lTLMKcfUpJXm0MpwAY5CaSzrwr0b8ZRptfoMCDSSX-BsZPb8ncPTAUb0oWz-wCYlKss1cUGfyKqHngmEQUOvqC4Xmlks/s200/LEHIGH+--+CLUTCHING+THE+TROPHY.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passing around the MVP trophy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Patriot
League champion and automatic qualifier Holy Cross got about as good a draw as possible,
facing Monmouth in the opening round of the NCAA FCS playoffs, only to lose 44-27.
The Crusaders were the only five-loss team in the tournament. The Hawks edged
Lafayette 24-21.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
league took a bit of a hit during the FCS tournament announcement show on Nov.
24. Holy Cross was at the very bottom of the bracket, and when its game was
revealed, Jay Walker, one of the three announcers on the show, said of Bob
Chesney’s team, “They just survived the carnage which was the Patriot League
this year. They beat up on everybody on a weekly basis. They were the only one
with a record good enough to get them into the postseason.” Another of the
announcers, Rene Ingoglia, chimed in by calling Holy Cross “ultimately the best
Patriot League team.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
don’t know what Walker’s definition of “beat up on” is, but he obviously disrespected
Lafayette, which forced five turnovers and defeated the Crusaders 23-20. Lehigh
and Bucknell both lost to the Crusaders by seven … hardly a beatdown as far as
I’m concerned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
has only one non-conference victory in John Garrett’s three years as head
coach. The Leopards defeated Central Connecticut State 31-24 last year when
C.J. Amill scored three touchdowns – one on a punt return and another on a
23-yard run with just 33 seconds left in the game. Garrett milked that game all
season as his signature win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well,
the Blue Devils, who were 6-5 in 2018, posted an 11-1 regular-season record,
won the Northeast Conference championship and were one of three teams
undefeated against FCS opponents this year. They played Albany (9-4) in the
opening round of the FCS playoff tournament – and lost 42-14. Albany defeated
Lafayette 36-7 this season. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I feel compelled to ask one question at this point:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
do the Patriot League institutions want from their football league?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
the decision was made to take the league from need-based aid to merit-based
scholarships, I thought the goal was to separate from the Ivy League teams and
to be able to stand tall against other Eastern U.S. conferences that were
giving them. That decision was made in February of 2012, and I was delighted to
see it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wrote a piece for The Morning Call, saying: “</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Look out,
Harvard. Beware, Penn. Move aside, Yale. Don’t look now, Villanova, Delaware
and William and Mary, but the little ol’ Patriot League is coming to get you. The
days of forcing the families of highly intelligent and highly talented high
school football players to make college choices based solely on the bottom line
– How much is it going to cost us? – are about to end.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The move was a long time coming. Here’s a quick
history lesson for newcomers to the league.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Basketball
scholarships were adopted by the league in 1998 and all other sports, except for
football, came on board in 2001.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fordham
decided to initiate scholarships in June 2009, playing its first game with
scholarship players in 2010 and was declared ineligible for a Patriot League
title while continuing to play a full schedule. In December of that year,
league presidents deferred a decision on merit-based scholarships for two years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In a statement at the time, the Council of the
Presidents announced, "We had discussions about various financial aid
models and recognized and evaluated the benefits as well as the potential costs
associated with athletic merit aid for football. League presidents expressed
their commitment to the stability and long-term positioning of the
League."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Patriot League basketball made its first big
noise when Bucknell, a No. 14 seed, defeated Kansas in 2005 and in March of
2012, Lehigh, a No.15, knocked out mighty Duke in the first round of the March
Madness tournament. Lehigh athletic director Joe Sterrett can attest to the
sudden popularity the Bethlehem university achieved after that win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Meanwhile, football continued to operate under the
need-based format, And sometimes, it was great fun. When you get to be my age –
I’ll become an octogenarian next April – 10 years of life seems like last
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in football, 10 years is
forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For instance, remember when Lafayette defeated
Penn, Yale, Columbia and Harvard<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in the
space of a month? That was 10 years ago. Rob Curley, Mark Layton, Ian Dell,
Mike Schmidlein and the rest won’t ever forget it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither will I. The Ivies were ready to crown
the Leopards as champions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That was also the year Fordham broke ranks with
the league.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next year, the Rams
began using scholarship players. In its fourth year, Fordham was 12-2. And when
the Rams were readmitted to the championship race in 2014, they won the
championship at 6-0 and had an 11-3 overall mark and won a first-round FCS
game. It looked like a move to scholarships just might work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Colgate went to the FCS quarterfinals in 2015, but
in 2016 Lehigh, the undefeated league champion, lost 64-21 in the first round
of the playoffs; and in 2017, Lehigh won a league tiebreaker with Colgate at 5-1,
then lost 59-29 in the first round. And last season, Colgate was undefeated in
the league, got a first-round bye in the FCS, knocked off James Madison and
then was shut out by North Dakota State 35-0.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Are football scholarships having the hoped-for
results for the league? This season, for example, the Patriot League was 10-29
in non-conference games. In the seventh year of scholarship players. Only one
league team had a winning mark against outsiders. Georgetown, which was at the
bottom of the league with a 1-5 mark (beating only Lafayette), was 4-1 in nonleague
contests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But Georgetown does NOT give merit-based
scholarships.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Colgate Coach Dan Hunt told me a couple of weeks
ago that he notices he’s having fewer head-to-head recruiting contests with Patriot
League teams these days. He says teams are trying to get footholds in various
part of the country that they may not have looked at in the need-based years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I mentioned earlier, Lafayette has a 1-15
record against non-conference teams in Garrett’s three seasons. But the
Leopards are not alone in the nonleague-futility department. In the six seasons
since Fordham returned to the league in 2014, the nonleague record for the PL is
75-149. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It has not been getting better, either. Just the
opposite. In the last three years, Patriot League teams have won just 25 non-conference
games while losing 85. That’s 7-28 in 2017, 8-28 in 2018 and the 10-29 this
year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette has contributed mightily to that
record. Where does the blame lie? The administration has not been fully
committed to scholarship football, asking Friends of Lafayette Football to
cover the cost of four scholarships a year. If it is their desire to play with
the big boys, the administrators have to put up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">They should not only open their own wallets, but they
should take the lead in petitioning the Patriot League to increase the number
of scholarships to the 63 permitted in the FCS. Redshirting? Not necessarily.
But limit the use of the transfer portal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But there’s also a possibility that the Patriot
League would decide it doesn’t need to try to bang helmets with the likes of North
Dakota State, Sam Houston State, Montana State or even James Madison to have a group
of teams that will create interest among alumni, students and friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Make the addition of at least two teams a priority
and then set up negotiations with the Ivy League for a yearly postseason series
leading to some kind of Eastern championship. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe the top two Ivies and the top two
Patriot Leaguers qualify. Short and sweet. No need to take the season into
January, but let’s play for something!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just sayin’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-17366920257742015662019-11-25T09:41:00.001-08:002019-11-25T14:19:35.744-08:00THE RIVALRY: Trivia and a mea culpa<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUb4O3aH-RDza54Y04F2AL5_jKBoF0VfAjFNfsQvRLkoZzM3Ur7AIVdUpqbCgxRSHlZopbBaL7r0_AnkAIloHG2LKSUI7Cw4jIDSZPuZYM6GMFmNicNYa-Nnkrzj3MC_OwZHOgoAtZf0hQ/s1600/JEFFREY+KORDENBROCK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUb4O3aH-RDza54Y04F2AL5_jKBoF0VfAjFNfsQvRLkoZzM3Ur7AIVdUpqbCgxRSHlZopbBaL7r0_AnkAIloHG2LKSUI7Cw4jIDSZPuZYM6GMFmNicNYa-Nnkrzj3MC_OwZHOgoAtZf0hQ/s1600/JEFFREY+KORDENBROCK.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">JEFFREY KORDENBROCK</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve
been thinking a lot of Lafayette’s 17-16 win over Lehigh last Saturday in game No.
155 of college football’s most-played rivalry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have been trying to figure out how I would play it in one of my final blogs with which I plan to assess the 2019 season. Every season, after all, is in some way affected
by the outcome of the Lafayette-Lehigh game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is a game that produces all kinds of trivia, so here’s what I think is the best
addition of 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><b>This
is the first time Lafayette has won the game by a single point. </b></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
is also only the second one-point game in the entire series. Lehigh won the
1929 game 13-12 in a game where quarterback Arthur Davidowitz kicked what
proved to be the winning extra point. Lehigh broke a 10-game losing streak to
Lafayette in that game and the Brown and White blocked two extra point attempts
and a late field-goal try to preserve the win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
is the second paragraph that appeared in The Morning Call the next morning, Nov. 24, 1929, courtesy of my favorite historical website these days, newspapers.com. The sports writer is not mentioned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>“Scenes
such as probably never before been witnessed in the concrete saucer of Lehigh
University were witnessed in the hysterical demonstration following the final
whistle of referee W.C. Crowell. Out onto the field rushed the Lehigh partisans,
fairly smothering the Lehigh players in their frantic efforts to reach them,
and one swaying mass of humanity ushered the players off the gridiron. Staid
old grads for the time forgot themselves to join in the wild demonstration and
the steel city was truly a typical college town last night in every sense of
the word.” </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s
a great story to add to the history of The Rivalry, but it’s not the only
reason for this blog.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Frankly,
I screwed up in my Sunday morning story and this is a mea culpa to Lafayette kicker Jeffrey Kordenbrock, head coach John Garrett, everyone else
connected with the Lafayette program, and to the readers who expect much more
accuracy from a guy who’s been in this business in one form or another for 60 years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
the press conference after the game, Coach Garrett addressed Kordenbrock’s
28-yard game-winning field goal. At the time, I asked Garrett if he had a
distance in mind for a field goal attempt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">He said, “Every game we establish the kick line based on circumstances, the weather,
the field, all that stuff. Before the drive, before the half if we’re in two-minute
or at the end of the game. The kick line was 33. We were well inside of that because
of how well the offense executed.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
knew immediately that I had the angle for my Morning Call story. I also asked
Kordenbrock about the kick line a bit later, but when I finally got to writing
the story to meet an early Saturday deadline, I hadn't transcribed my entire interview
with Kordenbrock. The clock was ticking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett’s
“The kick line was 33” was in my head. It wasn’t until Sunday, when I had more
time to devote to remarks after the game, that I realized I had misunderstood
Garrett’s answer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
I had taken more time, I would have heard Kordenbrock tell me, “I told coach I was
comfortable from 33 in, which would come to a 50-yard kick. Anything inside of
that I felt comfortable. He definitely put me inside of that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That
phrase <u>“which would come to a 50-yard kick”</u> changed the whole meaning of the
winning kick. I wrote with the understanding that the “33” meant a kick of 33
yards was Kordenbrock’s comfort zone. That meant the offense had to get to the
Lehigh 16.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
fact is, Kordenbrock was telling me he would have been comfortable with a
kick in which the <i>line of scrimmage</i> was the 33-yard line, which would
have put the holder at the 40 and the distance of the kick would have needed to
be 50 yards, taking into account the 10 yards from front to back of the end
zone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fortunately,
Keegan Shoemaker and his friends on the offense got the ball to the Lehigh 11,
which set up a hold at the 18 and a winning kick of 28 yards. I got all of that
correct. Whew! Thank goodness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I also must admit that I woke up in the middle of the night and wondered what it must have been like when Kordenbrock and his college roommate and field-goal holder Sean O'Malley were alone in the room, after the victory celebrations. I wonder how many times they relived the moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16px;">O'Malley was Lafayette's starting QB the last two seasons but lost the job to Shoemaker this year. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16px;">On Saturday, Kordenbrock said, "Sean and I have a really good relationship. He's been a good sport about it ... done everything he could to help the team. Whether that be as the backup quarterback or as the starting holder, he's definitely making an impact on the team and you can see that on the field."</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kordenbrock
was good on 11 of his 14 field goal attempts this season. Eight of the 11 were longer
than Saturday’s boot – one a career-best 44 and three others of 40 yards or
more. He missed only one kick when the Leopards were in the red zone. This year’s
performance, which included three FGs against Holy Cross, put him in a tie for
eighth in field goals made in a single season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As a reward for his effort on Saturday, Kordenbrock was named the Patriot League's special teams player of the week today. He also received that same honor after his Holy Cross effort. Congrats to him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
needs eight next year to get into the top 10 for his career. All he needs are
chances, and there’s no reason to think he won’t have them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-30075157103625492782019-11-14T11:48:00.004-08:002019-11-14T11:48:49.120-08:00Reinhard: A chat with Colgate's Dan Hunt<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">No
current Patriot League football coach – assistants included -- has spent more
time in the league than Colgate’s Dan Hunt. It may be only his sixth year as
the head coach, but Hunt spent another 19 years as a Dick Biddle assistant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Hunt
won league Coach of the Year honors in three of his first five seasons. He’s
not getting it this year – in fact, he will finish with fewer wins this season
than any other since he succeeded Biddle in 2014. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
3-8, he’s having a tough time, but he could still have a say in who represents
the league in the FCS postseason tournament. Lafayette would to well to put the
blinders on this week and focus on nothing but the Raiders, who have a whopping
45-13-4 advantage in the head-to-head series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
caught up with Hunt the other day to get some comments for my Morning Call
preview of the game. But before we hung up, we talked about lots of other
things as well. So, I thought I’d simply post the interview in full. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
HOW’S THE WEATHER UP THERE TODAY (WEDNESDAY)?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DAN
HUNT – Well, it was 8 degrees at practice yesterday; we had about three inches
of snow Monday night and it’s been cold enough for it to stick around. And
today’s not that much better. But then it moderates. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
DO YOU WANT THIS SEASON TO END?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– I never really want a season to end; it’s just that this one has been a
unique one for us. I’m impressed with this team because, even at its worst, the
kids showed up every day for practice ready to work and didn’t lose their
energy. To be honest, this has been a lesson for me a little bit on managing
expectations and how you approach things, but I never want to see it end. It’s
just too much fun being out there working with them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>THIS IS DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE FOR YOU,
BUT THE WHOLE LEAGUE IS SO SCREWY.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– Heh, heh, yeah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
HOW DO YOU FIGURE WHAT’S GOING ON IN THIS LEAGUE?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– You really can’t, and last week certainly proved it. I look at this year,
more than any, that the entire league top to bottom has very comparable talent
and experience. I don’t think there’s any team that had a ton of experience
coming back and everyone has their selection of good players and there are some
really good young players playing really well for people. I said at the start
of the year that this could be the year where 4-2 could win the conference. I
don’t think that’s ever happened. At least, I don’t remember that. So, it’s
crazy. Every week you look at the scores and I wouldn’t want to be a gambler
trying to predict this league.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
SEEMS LIKE EVERY GAME IS COMING TO THE LAST PLAY<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– You look at Georgetown; they have three league losses and two were on the
last play of the game. Their game with Lafayette was a one-score game and their
game with us was tight to the end. Tight victories which makes for entertaining
games. Going into any game, especially in your own conference, you just never
want to feel like you’re overmatched. You want to feel like this is going to be
a game that comes down to who executes better. I think right now you could say
that in every conference game, which is exciting at least.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
LEHIGH HAS A BUNCH OF GAMES IN A ROW WHERE IT WAS THE LAST PLAY OR OVERTIME,
AND LAFAYETTE BLOWS A 21-POINT LEAD BUT WINS AGAINST FORDHAM AND NEARLY BLOWS
ANOTHER ONE AGAINST HOLY CROSS. THEY’RE WELL AHEAD AND ALMOST DON’T WIN IT. I
DON’T KNOW WHERE THAT COMES FROM. I WONDER, IS LAFAYETTE GETTING BETTER OR IS
THE REST OF THE LEAGUE COMING BACK?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– Coaching today is so much psychology and taking the temperature of your team
and finding a way to keep them playing with confidence. Lafayette is doing that
right now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
IT’S YOUR FINAL GAME … I DON’T KNOW IF YOU EVER PLAYED LAFAYETTE IN YOUR FINAL
GAME.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– I don’t remember it. We usually finish with Lehigh ever year, so it would
have to be a situation like this where we get done a week early. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
TWELVE DATES THREW THINGS OUT OF WHACK.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– We’ve been practicing since July 27. We finish with 10 games in a row. It’s a
challenging schedule. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
THE INJURY SITUATION: GRANT BRENEMAN WAS OUT A WHILE AND NOW HE’S BACK AND IT
SEEMS THAT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF GAMES THINGS ARE BEGINNING TO COME TOGETHER.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– Grant is back; he’s all the way back. Our two best games have been our last
two. At least, as a coach, you have goals for your team, but one of your goals
no matter what your record is, no matter what your preseason ranking is, your
goal is to get better every day and every week. The last couple weeks, we’ve
been getting better as a football team; so, hopefully, we have one more week of
continuing that trend of improving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
YOU COULD MESS THINGS UP IN THE LEAGUE; THIS COULD END UP IN A FOUR-WAY TIE.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– It’s crazy, isn’t it? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
FRESHMEN FOR LAFAYETTE THIS YEAR HAVE BEEN MAKING SOME BIG CONTRIBUTIONS, NOT
JUST KEEGAN SHOEMAKER, BUT OTHERS, TOO. WHEN I LOOK AT YOUR TWO-DEEP, YOU HAVE
ONLY ONE WHO STARTS BUT YOU HAVE ANOTHER HALF DOZEN BACKUPS. IS THIS MORE THAN
USUAL FOR YOU?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– It’s certainly, yes, and it’s good and bad. It’s good in that I think that,
as teams keep working with the scholarship model, you’re getting some better
talent and they’re able to do more early. But also, scholarship or
non-scholarship, it doesn’t matter, experience is important, so you have to
live with the freshman mistakes. I think there are certain positions that lend
themselves more to having freshmen play early. I think it’s impressive to have
a freshman quarterback; I think it’s impressive to have a freshman linebacker;
a running back, or defensive lineman or some of that is not as challenging
mentally so you can let your physical talent take over. You’re seeing more and
more of it and I guess you can take that as a positive for the talent level. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
HAS YOUR RECRUITING CHANGED?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– I’m a little bit different. I think recruiting is important, for sure, but I
think the Patriot League, probably more than any league, is about retention and
development. I think you have to keep your kids for four years and you have to
improve them all. That’s why I like coaching in this league; it’s really about
coaching. Recruiting is important; it never isn’t. But at the end of the day,
we’re not getting five-star kids. We’re getting kids who are in the Patriot
League for a reason and FCS for a reason and you have to manage that and find
kids who you can see three years down the road and make that come to fruition
through hard work on their part and coaching. For all the challenges this
league presents, that’s one of the great advantages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
LAFAYETTE HAS A BUNCH OF PLAYERS FROM TEXAS. THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF LAFAYETTE;
THEY HAD TO GO TO GOOGLE OR SOMETHING. THAT’S PART OF HOW SCHOLARSHIPS HAVE
WIDENED THE RECRUITING AREA. ARE YOU FINDING THAT?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– Oh, 100 percent. I think scholarships have done that; I think each team in
the league is trying to find almost unique areas to themselves. I think one of
the things the scholarship has done is that the percentage of head-to-head
recruiting within the conference I think has gone down. There are certain areas
in the country each school is going into and signing kids where we don’t go
there. We’ve really done well in the Midwest and Chicago and places we didn’t
go before and places that not a ton of people are going. I think everyone, with
the limited numbers, people are realizing that if everyone spreads out, you’re
not doing as much head-to-head. A kid now through social media and the internet
can learn about your team and learn about your school. Twenty years ago, they
would have never considered it because it was a foreign land; but now,
technology and the media have made the world a lot smaller. You’re getting kids
who will jump on Google and find out about your team or the league and say, oh,
this might be for me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
THEY ALSO FIND OUT FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES ARE STARTING AT DIVISION I LEVEL.
AND MAYBE THE LAST THING THEY REALIZE IS THAT, IF YOU COME TO A PATRIOT LEAGUE
SCHOOL, YOU’RE ALSO GOING TO GET A QUALITY EDUCATION. IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT
FOOTBALL.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– Correct. I think the more that message gets out, and if we can continue to
have teams succeed at a national level, I think that’s important, then you keep
selling the brand for everybody.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S GOING TO BE HARD, LIKE WHOEVER WINS THE LEAGUE IS GOING TO
BE IN TROUBLE THIS YEAR.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– Yeah, I agree with that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
AND YET, WHO KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS TWO OR THREE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– Things have to line up for you. The years we were able to be fortunate enough
to win in the playoffs and advance, you obviously have to be healthy, you have
to have the right combination of talent, But it really is about experience at
that point. Guys that have been around the block, have seen it, have played a
couple of those teams. When that all lines up, you have a chance and you have
to manage it right and get a little bit of luck, but you have to manage it
right and do a good job when you have that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
YOU LOST 25 GUYS … <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
-- Heh, heh, 28.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
HOW MANY OF THEM WERE STARTERS?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH:
– That’s what I meant about managing expectations. Our kids got that taste last
year. Hey, we beat James Madison, we played North Dakota State. We want to build
on that and do better than that. And we set our goals kind of [high], but look
at what we lost. Offensively, we lost two all-Americans on the offensive line,
and all-American tailback, an NFL wide receiver and the Patriot League’s leading
receptions-per-game – and that’s a different kid than the NFL guy. And
defensively, we lost everybody except for our two all-Americans, which were a
D-lineman and a corner. An all-American corner can be taken out of the game;
it’s hard for Abu [Daramy-Swaray] to influence a game on defense because the
next thing you know, they don’t throw your way and that’s it. It’s almost the
same with a defensive lineman [Nick Wheeler] if you just double team him. It’s
hard. We lost so much production off last year’s team. I probably should have
set our goals a little differently, especially with the first five games we had
to play this year. That would have been challenging for any team and I think it
affected us mentally. That’s on me. I should have done a better job there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE THEM TO COME AROUND AFTER THE BRUTAL START. WAS THERE A
TIME WHEN THEY WERE DRIFTING, OR DID THEY STAY WITH IT?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– They stayed with it, but again, it was a confidence thing. By the time we
played Lehigh, it’s five in a row and not many games were too competitive. We
had that attitude that we were waiting for something bad to happen rather than
for something good to happen. We just didn’t have that intangible spark. We
finally got it against Cornell, but we didn’t play well and had some bad things
happen to us that game that we overcame. We went to Holy Cross and just didn’t
play well at all. Something happened the last two weeks, but it’s too late. I
think we’re playing our best football, which is what you want at the end of the
year. It’s such a lesson in trying to be resilient and if we had just set our
goals a little differently and been a little bit more realistic, we would have
been able to handle it better. That’s something I learned from the year. The
good thing is, at least, while it would have been easy to completely mail it
in, they haven’t done that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
AND THEN THE LEAGUE PUTS THE FAVORITE TAG ON YOU.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– Exactly right. Hey, it’s great to have that and to be ranked in the top 15
[nati0onally], but when we took a realistic assessment of everything we lost
from last year, I almost thought, who do we think we are? We have a lot of kids
playing who hadn’t played yet. You couple that with five really good teams to
open up with, that’s what happens. It just kind of spirals. In 2015, we were
2-4, but we found a way to put it together in the league and get through the
league and then make the playoff run. The difference was, with that team,
nobody had any expectations going in. I think we were predicted to be third in
the league. So, they didn’t feel like they were letting people down every week.
This year’s team, it was like oh we’re the favorite, we’re ranked in the top
15, we’re just letting everybody down with each loss. That was hard to manage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
BRENEMAN IS AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME, AND WHEN HE’S THERE WHO KNOWS? BUT YOU DON’T
SEEM TO HAVE HOLLAND-TYPE RUNNING BACK TO OVERPOWER PEOPLE.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– James was special. We struggle with it up front, too, which hurts the running
back, but we’re getting there. The good thing is, a lot of the kids playing now
will be back next year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE THIS YEAR?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH
– If you’re going to have a bad year, let’s have a bad year so it wakes
everybody up. If you go .500 or around there, it doesn’t hit you in the face.
When you struggle and have it like this, you know you have to shake some things
up. So, there will be some positives from this. I learned a lot this year about
mistakes I made and I’m looking forward to fixing them and keeping that little
chapter in the book so if we’re ever in the situation we know how to handle it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ME:
SEE YOU SATURDAY.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DH:
I’m hearing 40 degrees. We might not have to bring our long-sleeved jerseys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-60669277585883332242019-10-30T18:27:00.000-07:002019-10-30T18:27:04.856-07:00Lehigh-Holy Cross-Gilmore: A flashback<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">When Kevin Higgins left Lehigh to becomes
quarterbacks coach of the Detroit Lions in 2001, he gave Lehigh athletic
director Joe Sterrett three recommendations for the head coaching position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Pete Lembo, Higgins’ assistant head coach. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Dave Cecchini, the offensive coordinator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Tom Gilmore, the defensive coordinator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Together, those four guys had put their talents
together to make Lehigh virtually unbeatable. In Higgins’ last three seasons as
head coach, the Brown and White lost only one regular-season game. Won 32.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sterrett got Higgins’ decision on a Sunday. On that
same day, Sterrett met with the entire coaching staff and learned that, if he
was willing to stay inside for Higgins’ replacement, all of Higgins’ coaches
were committed to staying to maintain the momentum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sterrett met with each of Higgins’ recommended
staffers for about an hour apiece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A paralyzing snowstorm the next day kept Sterrett
from doing anything on Monday, but he did call the college president. He had a
decision, he told Dr. Gregory Farrington.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">On Tuesday, he met with the coaches as a group
again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">On Wednesday, he announced that Lembo would become
the head coach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">During the press conference confirming all the
decisions, Sterrett told us that the three coaches “never viewed [the interview
process] in competitive terms, so this is not a case of one winning and two
losing. I told them none of them was good enough [to replace Higgins] but
together they have a chance.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The whole thing was a big deal. The Morning Call carried
four stories in the paper on Feb. 8.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Now, it seemed, Lehigh had a three-headed leader,
even though Sterrett chose Lembo because, he said, Lembo “is the most
prepared.” Pete had not really been involved as much in coaching as in
administrating – he was also the recruiting coordinator under Higgins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We all wondered how long this arrangement would
work because all three coaches were looking to make names for themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Lehigh went 8-4 in 2002, after which Cecchini left
to coach the offense at Harvard. The Brown and White went 8-3 in 2003, after
which Gilmore left to become head coach at Holy Cross. Neither one of those
moves surprised anyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Gilmore coached in Worcester 14 years and won 72
games, the second most in history there, but wound up being fired with four
games remaining in the 2017 season. And now, he’s back as the first-year head
coach at Lehigh. He succeeds Andy Coen, who retired after 12 years as the head
coach.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Brown and White, coming off a 3-8 season, are
on a four-game winning streak right now and lead the Patriot League with a 3-0
mark. Holy Cross is 4-4, but 2-0 in the league and coming to Goodman Stadium at
12:30 p.m. on Saturday for a showdown that could determine the league champion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It’s going to be a special day for Gilmore, but it
won’t be any more emotional than Oct. 8, 2005 was. That was the day he returned
to Goodman for the first time as Holy Cross head coach. Lembo was on the Lehigh
sideline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Keith Groller covered the game for The Call. I was
there as a columnist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just this week, I
stumbled across the column that I wrote from that game. I’m going to share it
again because I think it just seems to be a perfect fit this week. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">As Christmas
presents go, the one Tom Gilmore gave himself in 2003 was a 1,000-piece jigsaw
puzzle times 10.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">It was on
Dec. 24 of that year that the man who distinguished himself as the architect of
a Lehigh defense that was the envy of the Patriot League football decided to
accept the position of head coach at Holy Cross.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">The
Crusaders had just finished a 1-11 season. A handful of 3-8 and 2-9 seasons
during the 1990s decimated a program that won three straight Patriot League
titles and posted a 30-2-1 record from 1989-91. The only winning season after
’91 came in 2000, when they were 7-4.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Still,
Gilmore was pretty much hemmed in at Lehigh after Pete Lembo was named head
coach and Gilmore and Dave Cecchini were tabbed defensive and offensive
coordinators, respectively, when Kevin Higgins left South Mountain for the NFL.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">When he
arrived in Worcester, Gilmore found a campus that didn’t care a lot about
football. Alumni had turned their backs on the program, too. And when he hit
the recruiting trail, he also discovered that most of the quality players
wouldn’t give him the time of day.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Holy Cross’
2004 numbers didn’t suggest any great renaissance, either – the Crusaders were
3-8, and only one of those wins was in the league.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">But on
Saturday, when Gilmore returned to Goodman Stadium as the enemy for the first
time, a couple of Holy Cross seniors, who bought into his program because they
were tired of carrying the “loser” label, put their own stamp on the Gilmore
revival.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">The 1984
“Hail Mary” pass from Doug Flutie to Gerard Phelan that enabled Boston College
to shock Miami may forever be the most replayed collegiate touchdown play in
New England.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">But in the
future, somebody’s going to have to make room for John O’Neil-to-Sean Gruber,
Oct. 8, 2005.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">The ball was
heavy and wet. The field was rapidly disintegrating into a quagmire as the
result of heavy downpours. The Holy Cross offense had been nullified all day by
a Lehigh defense that included a bunch of guys who had played for Gilmore. Time
was running out, and a field goal would not do any good.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Gruber was
not the No. 1 option on the second-and-8 play at the Lehigh 34, but he said
that O’Neil, prior to the play, said, “I may throw it up, so be ready.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">O’Neil
heaved it long, and it appeared that Lehigh defensive back Kaloma Cardwell had
the best angle on it. Gruber wasn’t sure where the ball was, “so I ran to
[Cardwell] because he knew where it was.” The ball got into Cardwell’s hands,
but Gruber reached in and snatched it from him in the end zone.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">“Had
[Cardwell] not tried to make a play, the ball may well have fallen incomplete,”
Lembo said, although not faulting his senior for the effort. “It was one of
those freak things that happen.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">The result?
Holy Cross 13, Lehigh 10.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Holy Cross
is now 4-2 overall, 2-0 in the league, and Gilmore allowed himself to get a bit
giddy.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">“I don’t
know what’s in store the rest of the season, but I really believe we can with
the rest of our games,” he said. “I know it’s not going to be easy, but I don’t
think a Holy Cross football coach has been able to say that in an awful long
time, to say that we have a good chance of winning out and winning the
championship.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Colgate and
Lafayette may have something to say about that, but on this day, it was hard to
deflate Gilmore’s enthusiasm. His team earned it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Colgate
didn’t win the title that year. Neither did Lehigh. The league champ turned out
to be Lafayette, winning the second of three consecutive titles under Coach
Frank Tavani. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lembo
is currently the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator at the
University of Memphis, which is 7-1, with its only loss coming by two points to
Temple. Cecchini is now the head coach at Bucknell and still looking for his
first win of the season. Higgins is assistant head coach at Wake Forest, which
is 6-1 with its only loss coming against Louisville (62-59). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
Lehigh and Holy Cross warm up on Saturday, Gilmore might have a chance to say
hello to some players who were part of his final team. But when the game
begins, there will be no doubt about where Gilmore’s heart and mind will be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I
don’t think anyone who met me during my 14 years at Holy Cross could say I
didn’t bleed purple,” Gilmore told a reporter the day after being dismissed.
And, that was probably true.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
trust me. Tom Gilmore has had a transfusion. His blood is brown and white
through and through, and the only team he wants to see win a game on Saturday
is the one whose home is Goodman Stadium. And if it happens, no one will be
happier than Gilmore. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-17664522092238928552019-10-27T15:23:00.002-07:002019-10-27T15:23:50.310-07:00Leopards replay: The start of something good?<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYFduHQYHxgJ6SMlYYcgeIeNNIDS6fN5gJfvlfUJbLYmll-nY-IMaTa-7g8POiKeW2YuXaqhLgXTCi1CsAQrA41bs1pWIB44gFJwX-Jm76tQs-6tSAkJig-Fz-vDQIQ_XkBMMJF9dgO0I/s1600/SIMPSON+SCORES+WINNER+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYFduHQYHxgJ6SMlYYcgeIeNNIDS6fN5gJfvlfUJbLYmll-nY-IMaTa-7g8POiKeW2YuXaqhLgXTCi1CsAQrA41bs1pWIB44gFJwX-Jm76tQs-6tSAkJig-Fz-vDQIQ_XkBMMJF9dgO0I/s400/SIMPSON+SCORES+WINNER+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selwyn Simpson celebrates his winning touchdown. Photo courtesy of Lafayette Sports.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I got a bunch of grief when I came out with my Lafayette-Leopards-run-the-table
prediction for the Patriot League portion of the schedule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">They had a bit of a stumble in the opener against
Georgetown, a game they might have won.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 1.0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But the tables turned for them big time on
Saturday against Bucknell – in a game they just as easily might have lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My point is this: the 2019 Patriot League has no
such thing as a lock to win or lose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Proof? Look at league leader Lehigh. A win Colgate
on a last-minute TD … a win over Fordham in overtime … a win over Georgetown on
the final play. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Can what took place on Saturday be contagious for
Lafayette? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Can Lafayette use that rare touchdown-off-turnover
victory over a Bison team that has to be stunned today be the “breakthrough” we
haven’t heard Coach John Garrett talk about for several weeks?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Until that fourth-quarter rally against the Bison,
the lead to my Morning Call game story was probably going to be about the Bucknell
punter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My story was trimmed in several places, including my
last paragraph. Here’s a piece of what wound up on the cutting-room floor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I wrote, “In a real oddity, Bucknell punter Alex
Pechin, who coming into the game had punted 278 times in 42 games for an
average of 44.7 yards per kick, went through the entire first half without
punting once – the first time in his career that has happened. He was the
leading punter in the FCS going into Saturday’s games.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I thought it was quite something that Pechin missed
two field goals, both very makeable with his leg, and also that he, a former
quarterback, actually completed a pass on a fake field goal during the opening
half. That successful fake, plus a pass interference penalty in the end zone
against Lafayette later in the same drive, got Bucknell to the Leopards’ 10, where
big defensive plays by Marco Olivas, then Keith Earle and Ryan Barnett forced
the Bison to try the 26-yard FG that Pechin pushed wide right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">That muffed first-half scoring chance by a team that
was struggling just as hard as the Leopards were to find a winning formula, was
my first hunch that my Bucknell, 23-20 pick in the capsule in Saturday’s
newspaper was in jeopardy. This was not the kind of thing that happened in Lafayette’s
favor in past games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">By the way, it didn’t take long for Pechin to get
his first punt of the second half. Bucknell came out of the locker room and Bitikofer
threw three straight incomplete passes. Took a grand total of 19 seconds off
the clock. And, his first punt was an unimpressive 38-yarder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Prior to the game, I talked with several Lafayette
parents who were tailgating behind the press box area. When they asked me how I
had picked the game, I had to admit I had picked against their kids. My
rationale was: your kids have lost seven times in a row; they have to prove me
wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Well, they did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">With Selwyn Simpson leading the way, they finally got found a way to win. Simpson's 22-yard touchdown run that produced the 21-17 win over Bucknell pumped new life into the kids from the Bourger Varsity Football House.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was wrong for this game, but the victory fit well
into my league prediction made prior to the Georgetown opener. So, I was wrong,
but I was right. Or, I was right but I was wrong. Take your pick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Pechin story was not the only thing cut from my
Sunday-paper piece.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Keegan Shoemaker contributed 47 yards rushing on 12
carries. What was cut out was the fact that five of those yards were for a
touchdown on the opening drive of the game. That drive was a thing of beauty.
Eleven plays, 70 yards, almost six minutes of clock and a 7-0 lead to show for
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">But even before the Leopards were done feeling good
about themselves, Bucknell struck back. A 40-yard run, an 18-yard pass and
finally a 16-yard TD pass and it was 7-7. The Patriot League, 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Another sentence cut from my game story said, “Bucknell
quarterback Logan Bitikofer threw for 159 yards and two scores, but he was
unable to connect on a large number home run-type throws that all wound up
being too long for receivers who had managed to get behind Lafayette defenders.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Believe me, a couple of those throws were scary. He
just wound up and heaved what seemed to be bomb after bomb, many on first
downs, but he was well out of the reach of the streaking receivers. Lafayette
dodged some trouble there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">My story mentioned the 95-yard drive on which
Shoemaker finally snapped out of his touchdown-pass funk with a perfect strike
to Nick Pearson. In that drive, Jaden Sutton, a freshman who had an 86-yard TD
against Georgetown, fumbled on the end of a run early in the drive. On other
weeks, Lafayette probably loses the ball there; but on Saturday, center Joe
Grundhoffer manages to retrieve it for an 11-yard pickup and a first down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sutton got a chance to redeem himself for that
fumble by catching two passes, one a 20-yarder, to advance the ball to the
Bison 43, where Shoemaker and Pearson took care of the rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">And finally, Bucknell squandered opportunities on a
couple of turnovers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sean Naiman recovered a Shoemaker fumble at the Bucknell
42, but the Bison eventually missed a 39-yard field goal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Later, Rick Mottram intercepted a Shoemaker pass
and returned it to the Lafayette 35. An 11-yard sack by Marco Olivas was huge,
and Bucknell finally pooched a punt on fourth down at the Lafayette 33.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This was just never meant to be the Bisons’ day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Next up: the Fordham Rams. The Rams gave up 57
points in losing to Ball State, 45 in losing to Stony Brook and 48 in losing to
Yale. They are 3-5 overall, and in their two Patriot League games they have
beaten Georgetown 30-27 on a touchdown with 16 seconds remaining and lost to
Lehigh 30-27 in overtime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Ah, the Patriot League. On any given Saturday … <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-37022275287506347522019-10-17T14:09:00.000-07:002019-10-18T06:22:45.230-07:00Lafayette FB: A QB shakeup, scouting the Hoyas<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
admit to getting a bit nit-picky. One of my favorite targets is the depth chart
released by Lafayette football coach John Garrett.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have come to accept the fact that the two-deep list that usually comes with sports
information director Phil LaBella’s weekly game notes may not be an accurate
indication of who will or won’t play in that week’s game. Garrett is super
protective of information concerning injuries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last
week was the worst. The notes for the Leopards’ game with Princeton came with
no depth chart page. To compound the dilemma, Princeton Coach Bob Surace also
provided no two-deep for the Tigers. Garrett and Surace are long-time friends,
so I don’t know if they were playing some kind of mind game before the
undefeated Tigers and the winless Leopards met last Friday night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I arrived at the weekly media luncheon on Tuesday, the first thing I wanted to
see was whether Garrett would again be withholding information, fearful,
perhaps, that he was giving Georgetown Coach Rob Sgarlata some secrets in
advance of Saturday’s game in Washington. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
happy to say depth charts for both the Hoyas and the Leopards were handed out.
I immediately began looking for names of previously injured players who might be
making a return for what Garrett would say “almost feels like a second season”
consisting of all six Patriot League contests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i>(NOTE:
I’m not going to address the “almost” remark, except to say that if what’s
about to begin this week doesn’t feel “exactly” like a second season, the next
six Saturdays won’t be much fun for Leopard fans. No one should be happier than
the Leopards to have a clean slate and something to play for.)</i><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i></i></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
the thing that stood out to me this week was not that offensive linemen Alex
Barshaba and Taron Hampton, or defensive linemen Harrison Greenhill, Ian
Grayson or Colin Hurlbrink, or defensive back Tre Jordan or tight end Jake
Taggart – none of whom has played for weeks – finally would be back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What
stood out was that Garrett’s No. 3 quarterback was sophomore Shane Davis. Is Coach Garrett telling us the competition didn't end back there in Game 2, when Keegan Shoemaker was named the starter over C0le Northrup?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here I've thought all along that junior Northrup had been giving freshman Shoemaker a run for his money. And what about sophomore
Troy Fisher, the former Pittsburgh CCHS star who has yet to get on the field
despite some impressive reviews. Or junior Reed Aichholz and freshman John
Paci. Back of the seven-QB pack, all of them. Shane Davis is moving up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">(Note:
The whole Lafayette-Garrett QB situation has been baffling to me ever since the
then new head coach brought in four of them in 2017, giving him eight for the start
of summer practice. But it became even more befuddling when I heard Penn State
football coach James Franklin say on his weekly Thursday night radio program
that “We’re taking all four quarterbacks to Iowa.” With all those available scholarships,
Franklin has <b>only</b> four QBs? How does he sleep at night with such a
shortage?)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">During
the question-and-answer portion of the luncheon Tuesday, I asked Coach Garrett
how Davis suddenly leaped over several other contenders and onto the “podium”
with Shoemaker and two-year starter Sean O’Malley, now serving as the Lafayette holder
for field goals and extra points. I should have known what was coming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Well,
every decision we make as far as personnel is based on what we see on the field,”
Garrett said. I supposed that comment was meant to put me in my place. Hadn’t
he given me the same answer many other times?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Since
Shane Davis has been here, he has been very serious-minded and has prepared.
And every opportunity he has gotten, he has proved to us that he can be counted
on, that he is learning the offense and what to do and how to run the team.
Based on his play he has earned that position.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach
made no comment about any of his quarterbacks being unable to play, but I heard
from the grapevine that Northrup may have some kind of knee problem that would
require surgery. I emailed LaBella and asked if he was aware of that. He responded
that, indeed, Northrup already had his knee worked on but that he learned it only
on Tuesday. “Cole is recovering and doing well and is out indefinitely but has
not been ruled out for the rest of the season,” Phil wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wish Coach Garrett could have shared that. I admit that I also wonder now if
others on the injured list I mentioned earlier also might be in the same position.
What I do know is Hampton hasn’t played in any games; Greenhill and Grayson
have played in just two; Barshaba, Tre Jordan and Hurlbrink have played in
three and Taggart has been in four. Demetrius Breedlove saw is first action
last week but I’m not sure whether it was on offense, defense or special teams.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">During
the conference I asked Coach Garrett for three keys to defeating a Georgetown
team that is 4-2 and, if nothing else, has learned how to win. Some people
might argue that point because last week, in their league opener against
Fordham, the Hoyas took a four-point lead in the fourth quarter and then
intercepted a Rams pass to get the ball with just 2:57 left. They moved to the
Fordham 26, where they could have attempted a field goal. Instead, they went
for a 4<sup>th</sup>-and-2 and were stuffed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Fordham,
with just 1:21 left, took advantage of the Hoyas’ prevent defense and completed
passes of 11, 20 and 25 yards to get to the G-town 17. Three incomplete passes
followed, but on fourth down, Tim DeMorat hit Kokosioulis for a touchdown and a
30-27 stunner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
does that mean the Hoyas will be deflated – or fired up – this week? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“First
of all, it’s always about us, not about them,” Garrett said Tuesday. “We’re
only concerned about how we play. That’s the biggest thing. We need to be able
to play explosively on offense and also eliminate the things that cause us to
lose. Reduce penalties, don’t turn the ball over. They have been very advantageous
and opportunistic with turnovers. They’ve gotten a lot of turnovers. In their
win against Columbia, Columbia turned it over five times. I can’t remember the
last time someone has lost when they got five turnovers. They take advantage of
those. <i>(NOTE: Hoyas turned two TOs into TDs)</i> That’s the biggest thing.
We need to be explosive and generate big plays on offense and eliminate errors.
And then defensively, what we need to do is prevent those explosive plays. They
have some real threats on offense. And then tackle the running back so he doesn’t
have long runs and then get off the field on third down and then create those
turnovers, which gives us an opportunity to score in advantageous position.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
the record, according to the NCAA FCS stats, Georgetown is tied for sixth in
the country in turnover margin – at +7 – compared to Lafayette, which is tied
for 106<sup>th</sup> – at -5. The Hoyas had intercepted nine passes; the
Leopard, only two. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And here are a couple
of other statistical comparisons between the two teams based on their rankings
in the Patriot League.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">PATRIOT
LEAGUE STATS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>HOYAS<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> 'P</span>ARDS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Scoring
Offense<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>1<sup>st</sup>,
32.8 ppg<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>3<sup>rd</sup>, 18.7
ppg<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Scoring
Defense<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>1<sup>st</sup>, 13.0
ppg<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>5<sup>th</sup>,
33.7 ppg<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rushing
Offense<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>1st, 179.5 ypg<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>5<sup>th</sup>, 88.5 ypg<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Passing
Offense<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>6<sup>th</sup>,
199.0 ypg<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1<sup>st</sup>, 257.8
yp</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rushing
Defense<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>2<sup>nd</sup>, 123.7
ypg<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>7<sup>th</sup>, 207.5 ypg<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Total
Defense<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>1<sup>st</sup>,
276.7 ypg<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>5<sup>th</sup>, 445.8
ypg<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Total
Offense<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>1<sup>st</sup>,
378.5 ypg<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>3<sup>rd</sup>, 346.3
ypg<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-down
Offense<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>1<sup>st</sup>,
29-70-41.4%<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>6<sup>th</sup>, 25-86-29.1%<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-down
Defense<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>1<sup>st</sup>,
32-90-35.6%<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>7<sup>th</sup>, 42-87-48.3%<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Linebacker
Ryan Dickens was one of the player guests at the Tuesday luncheon, and he may
have had the perfect analysis of the Leopards’ position.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“They’ve
won and they’ve proven they can win,” Dickens said of Georgetown. “Watching
film, they’re a good team … We’re not taking any opponent differently. They
came in here last year and they moved the ball and scored points on us. It left
a pretty sour taste in our mouths and we’re really excited to get back at them.
We have no reason to be confident in anything because we played better teams. We
haven’t won a game. That’s the big mindset … We’re unproven and that’s good for
us because it gets us going. We’re excited for that … we’re not looking over them
to any other team. We’re focused on just Georgetown.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Because I made that bold prediction about the Leopards winning the league title, I decided while doing the capsule for Saturday's Morning Call that I had to pick the Leopards. So, guys, you have to work harder than ever for me tomorrow. Leopards 17-13.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-1399488471062759142019-10-13T11:57:00.000-07:002019-10-13T11:59:41.565-07:00Can the Leopards solve their third-down dilemma?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Two
Ivy League football teams, one Patriot League team and one of my “favorite”
all-time FCS teams – the Leathernecks of Western Illinois – all outrank the 0-6
Lafayette Leopards in third-down ineptitude in 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">According
to the latest NCAA FCS football statistics, through games played on Saturday,
WIU ranks No. 124 in third-down conversions, having been successful just 21 of
90 times in six games for 23.3 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
three C’s – Columbia, Colgate and Cornell – rank No. 119-121, respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lions and the Big Red have played just
four games, while the Raiders have played seven and been successful on just 25
of 91 chances on third down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">All
that should come as no consolation for John Garrett, the head coach, offensive
coordinator and play caller for the Leopards, who are 25-of-86, for 29.1
percent to sit in 115<sup>th</sup> place on the national list.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
Lafayette should be concerned about the fact that the sixth game of the season
was its worst showing yet and the Leopards opener their Patriot League season
on Saturday at Georgetown,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which, while
not at the top of the list with 32-of-90 third-down conversions allowed (34<sup>th</sup>
in the FCS with 35.6 percent), does rank No. 1 in the PL in that category. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
even of more concern should be the fact that the Hoyas – that rebel non-scholarship
university that is arguably the envy of the league right now in many respects –
also ranks No. 3 in the country in total defense with an average of 276.7 yards
per game given up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Now,
understand, third-down efficiency has not been anything to brag about throughout
Garrett’s tenure on College Hill. The stats indicate the Leopards were 47-of-159
for 31 percent success rate in 2017 and 49-of-151 for 32 percent last season. Only
marginally better than this season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
lack of third-down offense was accentuated on Friday night at Princeton, when Lafayette
was 2-of-16. I decided to break down that one down. Here’s how it played out from beginning to end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-9<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- rush for minus-1 yard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-9
– pass intercepted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-2
– pass to #89 incomplete<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-5
– pass to #89 incomplete<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-9
– pass to #22 … 0 yards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-3
– rush for minus-4 yards<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-2
– rush for 1 yard … followed by rush for 0 yards on 4<sup>th</sup> down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-14
– rush for 7 yards … followed by a pass for 11 yards & FD on 4<sup>th</sup>
down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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– rush for 1 yard and FD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-5
– pass to #85 incomplete … followed by a FG made on 4<sup>th</sup> down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-9
– pass to #85 incomplete<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<sup>rd</sup>-and-4
– pass to #6 incomplete<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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– rush for 0 yards … followed by rush for 4 yards on 4<sup>th</sup> down<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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– QB sack for minus-6 yards<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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– pass for 7 yards and FD<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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– pass intercepted<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
final third-down results show that Lafayette gained two net yards on seven
rushes (one a sack), seven yards on two pass completions, two first downs, five
incomplete passes, two passes intercepted and eight punts. Way too many blown
opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Conclusion:
Garrett’s call for “constant and consistent improvement” hasn’t had positive
results when it comes to third down. What happened? Execution? Better opponent defensive
players? Not putting playmakers in the best position to succeed?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Is
there a cure? If not, my bold prediction for the Leopards is in big trouble.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-90042409091547996632019-10-03T11:36:00.000-07:002019-10-03T11:36:00.152-07:00Leopards: The 2019 Patriot champs? Or not!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I,
Paul Reinhard, being of sound mind (obviously questionable) and body (doubtful) do hereby, with great trepidation, make the following declaration:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
College will win the 2019 Patriot League football championship -- without
losing a game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">WHAT?!?!?!
Have I gone mad?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did someone slip me a
Mickey?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we need that guy Adam Schiff
to start some witch-hunt-type investigation?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
nowhere near April Fool’s Day, so it can’t be anything like that April 1, 2003
column I wrote exposing the “fact” that Mario Andretti was coming out of
retirement to drive for his son Michael at the Indianapolis 500. That’s a story
for another time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
the idea of the 2019 Leopards winning the league title might sound just as
preposterous as that Andretti challenge. They are, after all, 0-5 as they take
their midseason bye week. And the next opponent, Ivy League favorite Princeton, the No. 2 offensive team in the FCS after its first two games, doesn’t figure to set the stage for a title run for Coach John Garrett’s team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As
a matter of fact, Lafayette is now mired in the longest losing streak (eight
games over two seasons) since it lost 14 in a row from Oct. 20, 1951 through
Sept. 26, 1953. It had a 14-game winless streak from 11-2-63 through 9-18-65,
but two ties, including to Lehigh in THE GAME No. 100, figured in there. It
lost seven straight during that drought. I’m pretty sure the Lafayette sports
information guys won’t be including that information in next week’s game notes.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Also,
this year’s team has no Ross Scheuerman to run for 1,113 yards and 14
touchdowns and finish with 1,920 all-purpose yards … no Mark Ross to catch 74
passes for 1,078 yards and eight touchdowns … no Matt Smalley to intercept five
passes, break up and defend 21 more and contribute 562 yards and two kickoff-return
touchdowns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
they do have a freshman quarterback whose overall numbers compare well with
Drew Reed’s 132-182-5, 1,887 yards and 17 touchdowns and a 184.9 efficiency
ranking as he teamed with the three all-stars just mentioned above to rally the
Leopards to their last bit of Patriot League glory in 2013, a season that
included an 0-5 non-league record.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
remember at some point during that 2013 season saying, “If this team can play a
<i>little </i>defense, it can win this thing!” And it did. It defeated Fordham
and Lehigh when they were ranked among the top 15 FCS teams in the country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There
are no ranked teams this season. But Lafayette is 26<sup>th</sup> in NCAA FCS
passing offense this week and 64th-of-124 in total offense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
spent the first two years of the John Garrett searching for offense. The new
coach picked a freshman quarterback to lead his team. For a while, it looked
like Sean O’Malley might be the man, but the Leopards couldn’t do better than
3-8 with him at the helm and Garrett making all the calls, and O’Malley’s
second season did not match his first from an individual standpoint, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
then, along came Keegan Shoemaker. Garrett awarded two-year starter O’Malley,
originally a walk-on, a scholarship – then put him on the bench in favor of the
new freshman phenom. In fact, O’Malley dropped behind Cole Northrup into the
third place in the QB lineup. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shoemaker
and Northrup shared time in one game, neither seeming to have a clear advantage
statistically. But Garrett settled the competition quickly, starting Shoemaker
in the second game, and the talented Texan has turned plenty of heads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shoemaker
has completed 102 of 159 passes for 1,291 yards, eight touchdowns and five
interceptions. He also has gained 227 yards on lots of scrambles and some
designed runs. But he also has been sacked 25 times and 144 lost yards. In the
end, he has 91 net rushing yards and two touchdowns. His total offense of 1,392
yards (276.4 per game) leads the league. He has been rookie of the week twice
and offensive player of the week once. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
sacks are the biggest concern for me. Last year, Lafayette’s offensive line
allowed only 15 sacks, least in the league. At this point, the Leopards are
last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last
week, Shoemaker stayed down after two of the seven Penn sacks. He eventually
got up and he missed only one offensive play. Kudos on his toughness (but I
must admit I questioned his being put back in late in the fourth quarter). Things
won’t get any easier on him as league teams take aim at the bull’s eye on his
back. If one of those hits puts him out for significant time, I want my
prediction back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
offensive line has made some positive strides this season as Lafayette has
rushed for an average of 99 yards per game, which isn’t bad considering the
fact that Coach Garrett has yet to make the ground game a major priority for
his offense. The average yards passing per game are up 113 over a year ago, the
running average just 12 ypg. Last year’s final numbers included that 280-yard
aberration at Fordham; the average for the other 10 games was 68 ypg. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
trainer Matt Bayly and the team doctors can get captain and offensive tackle
Jake Marotti back to full strength, things will certainly pick up. Only once
all season have they had the same starting o-line in back-to-back games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Four
running backs have shared that spot, with Selwyn Simpson being out since the
second game. J.J. Younger and Jaden Sutton have contributed, but Gay seems to
have the best north-south moves. Through it all, the only player who has run
the ball more than 10 times a game is Shoemaker. The QB has 16 more carries
than the top running back. Maybe that will change come league play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Leopards have what has to be the best crop of receivers in the league. But how
they are used is befuddling sometimes. Take Zadok Scott, a sophomore tight end.
Probably the No. 3 guy until last weekend, Scott caught his first pass – in
fact his first six passes – and scored two touchdowns against Penn. Steve
Stilianos, another sophomore who had 15 catches in the first four games, had
two vs. Penn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
the wide receiver slots, junior Quinn Revere, another Texan, had five catches
for 84 yards and Nick Pearson had five for 96 yards. Julian Spigner, the
Bethlehem Catholic High product who started the first three games of the
season, has apparently lost that spot and has had only three catches in the
last three games. He has two touchdowns but only 10 total catches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">All
three of those players, along with Gillette and the tight ends, give Lafayette
too many weapons for any opposing defense to handle. And, if Garrett wants to
do it, the attack need not be limit to dump-off type throws. In what turned out
to be a 56-40 loss to Sacred Heart, Shoemaker’s 391-yard passing day included
plays of 44, 41, 40, 33 (twice), 29, 21 and 20 yards. And when the passing game
was working, the Leopards also managed a 44-yard touchdown RUN and another 25-yard
run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
the beginning of the season, I’d have said that the success for the Leopards
would be determined by the improvement of the offense. Well, the offense has
produced an average of 22 points per game, which should be enough to win a
bunch of games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
now needs the more experienced defense to step up. It is allowing an average of
208 yards per game rushing and 252 per game passing. That’s 464 yards per game
total offense, which puts it 104<sup>th</sup> out of the 124 FCS teams.
Opposing teams have successfully converted 47 percent of their third-down plays
and 60 percent of their fourth-down plays. They have scored points on 21 of 23
trips into the red zone, where Lafayette has actually done some of its best
work, forcing opponents to settle for field goals six times and stopping two other
chances completely. They have just six sacks and two pass interceptions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Patriot
League coaches will probably apply extra study to the Leopards’ game with
Sacred Heart. The Pioneers really picked on the ‘Pards’ secondary that day,
scoring touchdowns on plays covering 75, 65, 37, 24 and 20 yards and finishing
with 407 passing yards on just 22 completions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">QBs
the Leopards will have to prepare for include Fordham’s Tim DeMorat, who threw
for two TDs last year under the worst of conditions and has passed for eight
this year; Logan Bitikofer of Bucknell, who passed for three TDs in last year’s
29-27 loss to Lafayette – and even Georgetown’s Gunther Johnson, who has four
TD passes this year on only 48 attempts and who ran the option for two scores
against the Leopards a year ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
I’m not saying that Lafayette has any kind of a cakewalk to a 6-0 PL record in
2019. I actually think the league is so balanced (that’s parity, not power)
that the Leopards could also lose six in a row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I’m not the consummate pessimist and it’s a lot more fun to consider
the possibility of winning, despite what I think are some high hurdles on the
sideline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
can think of more cases in which defeat has been snatched from the arms of
victory over the past 27 games, of which Lafayette has won but six. Bucknell
and Lehigh in 2017 and Monmouth and Georgetown in 2018 stand out. Then you had
the 2018 game with a Lehigh team that was ripe for pickin’ but used a 43-yard fumble-recovery
touchdown on the first play of the game as a catalyst for 34-3 butt-kicker in
the 154<sup>th</sup> meeting in the series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
this year is going to be different because the young players who are going to
make it happen don’t know any better. Most of them had never even heard of
Lafayette until a recruiter showed up at their scho0l – in Texas, Ohio, New
York, New Jersey, Michigan, North Carolina – yes, even Pennsylvania. Freshmen
don’t often walk in and contribute immediately. But the 2019 edition of Leopard
football is loaded with rookies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shoemaker,
out of Prosper, Tex., is the biggest influence on my midseason opinion. Wide
receiver Joe Gillette (Strongville, Ohio) has 18 catches for 282 yards and a TD
and also has a 44-yard TD run on a jet sweep. Running back John Gay (Jeannette,
PA) has 192 yards and two touchdowns on 44 carries and also has a 26-yard
receiving touchdown. Both have become starters the last three games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
on the offensive line, Alex Barshaba (Staten Island, NY) and Nathan Slater
(Hudson, Ohio) have had lots of meaningful playing time. And we can’t forget
running back Sutton (Winston-Salem, NC) and receiver Julius Young (Houston,
Tex.), who has only four catches, but they account for 112 yards. Both have
played in every game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="tab-stops: 210.25pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Damon
Washington (Iselin, NJ) and Marco Olivas Fort Worth, Tex.) have made the
biggest contributions on defense. They have 24 and 36 tackles, respectively. They
have come along at the right time, too, because the Leopards’ biggest problem
in 2019 has been the size of the injury bug. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach
Garrett doesn’t appreciate any talk about injured players, but it’s hard for
him to sidestep the issue these days. Having to play without the likes of
Harrison Greenhill, Ian Grayson – and a handful of others to a lesser extent –
has affected the overall product. The two-deep chart for the Penn game had
freshmen in all four second-unit linebacker spots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
also seems that Malik Hamm, the Patriot League’s defensive rookie of the year
in 2018, is a marked man this year. Teams are finding ways to blunt his effectiveness.
He has yet to record a sack and has three tackles for loss among his 17 total
in five games. Nine of those tackles were in the season opener. He has also
blocked a kick. I do think he’ll solve the puzzle; hopefully, it will be sooner
rather than later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
other contributing freshman is kicker Ryan O’Hara (Little Silver, NJ). He has
done all the punting, with a long of 56 yards, and has kicked off seven times,
sharing duty with placekicker Jeffrey Kordenbrock. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Special
teams have not yet had a major impact for the Leopards, but they have given up
one kickoff-return TD. J.J. Younger has 15 kickoff returns for 311 yards, but
his longest is 28 yards. He is, however, capable of going the distance. He showed
it with a 95-yarder last season. Kicking away from him is not the best option,
either, because I think Gillette may be every bit as dangerous a returner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
that’s my look at the Leopards. Now, here’s a quickie look at the competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">GEORGETOWN
(3-1) </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">– The
latest Patriot League stats show the Hoyas leading the league in scoring
offense and defense, pass and total defense, rushing offense, least sacks
allowed and leading the FDCS in turnover margin (plus-9). That should be
impressive enough to move them to the head of the class. Still, it’s hard to
give a lot of weight to routs over Marist (1-3, win over Stetson) and Division
III Catholic University (0-4). But the win over Columbia (1-1, 24-10) gets your
attention. The Hoyas put together a nonleague schedule that gives them a chance
for success as they learn, with Davidson (3-1) and Cornell as the other ’19
foes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">FORDHAM
(2-3)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> –
Stony Brook is 4-1 and Ball State is 1-3, its only win over the Rams. Richmond
is 1-3, Bryant is 0-5; CCSU is 3-1. Junior Zach Davis is the league’s leading
rusher, with three 100-yard games and is the only back averaging 100 yards a
game; and QB Tim DeMorat is second in passing ypg and total offense. Fordham
also is the leader in sacks with 15 in its five games. Ellis Taylor is the
league leader with four. Linebacker Ryan Greenhagen is the tackles leader with
55.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">HOLY
CROSS (1-3)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
– Arguably the toughest out-of-league schedule, beating New Hampshire (2-2),
but losing to Navy (2-1), Yale (2-0) and Syracuse (3-2, routed by Maryland,
Clemson). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That schedule has left the
Crusaders 112nd among the 124 FCS teams. Coach Chesney is reportedly doing a
bang-up recruiting job, and people are saying they will be the dominant team in
the league before long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">LEHIGH
(1-3)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> –
Problems for the first-year head coach Tom Gilmore; only win so far was 10-3
over Merrimack (2-3), a new FCS team. Losses were to Villanova (5-0) and
UC-Davis (2-3, including 27-16 loss in ND St) and 3-2 St. Francis. Bright spot
is rush defense, leading the league at 90 ypg allowed. But the Brown and White
hasn’t yet found the successor to Dominick Bragalone or Brad Mayes, for starters.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">BUCKNELL
(0-4)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> – The
scheduler didn’t make things easy for new head coach Dave Cecchini. Temple
(3-1), Sacred Heart (3-1), Villanova (5-0), Princeton (2-0). Enough said. Bison
defense, often the team’s strength, is ranked at the bottom of the league in
most categories, including 545.8 ypg average.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">COLGATE
(0-5)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> –
Villanova (5-0), Air Force (3-1), William & Mary (2-3, win over Albany), Maine
(2-3) and Dartmouth (2-0) was a nonconference murderer’s row. The Raiders,
gutted by graduation and then losing their veteran starting quarterback, are
learning the hard way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
really hard for me to have the Raiders at the bottom of the pile. The big
question mark is quarterback Grant Breneman. I figure the rest of Dan Hunt’s
crew will be ready for the league games, which for them kick off this week
against Lehigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just
not ready enough for the Leopards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 8.0pt;">And
here’s the small print. I’ve been wrong before, so take this for what it’s
worth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-86974809906872652812019-09-25T19:10:00.002-07:002019-09-25T19:10:30.935-07:00Where have all the Leopards gone?<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">With
11 freshmen listed on the two-deep this week, this might be a good time to look
at what a disastrous season this has been for the Lafayette football team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach
John Garrett doesn’t make a habit of talking about injured players, but when he
was asked by Mike Joseph at Tuesday’s luncheon whether he expected to see some
of his key players returning to the lineup against Penn on Saturday, Garrett
said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“We certainly hope so, Mike. We look at it
every day. We have constant communication with Matt Bayly and the staff. We
check in with them three-four times a day just to see who’s available for
practice and to what extent and then start to make those prognoses for the
weekend. So, we hope to, but nothing is definitive now.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I looked at the participation chart from last week’s
game at Albany and compared it to the roster. While I know the head coach has
been hedging on this player or that player, I didn’t realize exactly how many were
NOT available for that game against the Great Danes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Start with three players who have seen no 2019 action
at all. Running back Mike Dunn was injured in training; fifth-year senior defensive
lineman-tight end Demetrius Breedlove has yet to be cleared, and senior linebacker
Jack Lamb, who I thought was a prospective starter at the end of spring ball, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>also has been out and never accounted for.
Neither has senior linebacker Kevin Hutchinson, who played in 23 games in his first
three years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">They are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Four regulars from the defensive line – Keith Earle,
Harrison Greenhill, Ian Grayson and Colin Hurlbrink … six offensive linemen –
captain and starter of 22 straight games in 2017-18 Jake Marotti, freshman
starter Alex Barshaba, Taron Hampton, Colin Bradley, Casey McCollum and Ben
Wild … senior running back and former staerter Selwyn Simpson … tight end Zadok
Scott … and linebacker DaRon Gilbert were among other players I figured I might
see on the field but who did not play Saturday. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I must admit that a couple of those
players may have no played by coaches’ decision, but I believe the great
majority are among those who <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Garrett and
his staff are checking on regularly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The two-deep for this week has Earle and Hurlbrink
listed among the defensive starters, and Marotti, Barshaba and Wild are listed
as No. 2s. for the Penn game and getting them back would enhance the Leopards’
chances against the Quakers. But, as Garrett said Tuesday, “Nothing is definitive
now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The absence of some of them have provided
unexpected opportunities for freshmen and other backups. Damon Washington last
week became the fourth different starter at one of the d-tackle spots and
responded with a 14-assist performance that earned him rookie of the week
honors in the league, and fellow frosh Marco Olivas had 12 assists at linebacker.
Running back Jaden Sutton got four carries and made one catch. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach Garrett was asked about his impression of
the progress of the first-year players. He said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’m really pleased with how our guys are
playing and their approach, no matter what class they’re in. We’re getting
great effort from everybody and they’re playing the right way, tough and
competitive … One of the great thrills in coaching is to see how your players
respond to different situations. One of those is the transition from high
school to college … are they going to look at it and say, ‘no problem’ or is it
‘whoa this is too big for me’ or what role do they settle into. I love that,
and I love putting them in those situations so see how they respond and we have
guys who are responding the right way. Damon having to play earlier than
anticipated typically in a regular football season … this guy is chasing down
running backs and getting in on 14 tackles as a freshman. That type of energy
and effort is contagious and we’re getting it out of our quarterback. The common
theme is they all love football. We’re getting that type of effort from all our
players, regardless what class they’re in.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Freshman quarterback Keegan Shoemaker, who carried
the ball 23 times against Sacred Heart and was scrambling all over the field, had
12 carries against Albany, and Garrett was asked whether that was a result of a
different game plan on the defense of the Great Danes. Garrett said:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“No change in the game plan. We still had
RPOs, still had QB runs, we still had those opportunities for him to run. They
just didn’t present themselves as much. They were much more of a zone defense, where
they were playing coverage rather than pressuring. That keeps him in the pocket
and your pass reads are open quicker. He had opportunities in zones to get the ball
out as evidenced by the passes he was able to complete. It was a completely different
defense compared to Sacred Heart, which was pressure all over the place and a
lot of movements and twists and the line of scrimmage was dirty, so he had to
move around a lot. It wasn’t that way against Albany, so it really was the
style of the game.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-21476025476624018872019-09-21T06:00:00.000-07:002019-09-21T06:12:41.027-07:00Will Shoemaker, Leopards 'clean up' for Albany?<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
wonder how good Lafayette football coach John Garrett thinks freshman
quarterback Keegan Shoemaker can be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
Tuesday’s weekly luncheon, Garrett praised the youngster from Texas, saying, “ …
he allows us to play explosively … I’m really pleased with his play.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But later, he said, “… he has a lot to clean
up on his game.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shoemaker
has completed 64 percent of his passes (57-for-89) in his first three college
games. He has an efficiency rating of 148.53. How good is that? Well, last year, Sean O'Malley's rating was 93.97, and in 2017, it was just over 104. </span><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shoemaker already has more touchdown passes
than O’Malley had all of last season (four).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
he has given Garrett an added dimension: escapability that makes for some good
highlight-reel type running plays. He scored two touchdowns in Saturday’s game
against Sacred Heart and was credited with 23 rushing attempts – most of them
coming when he didn’t find open receivers but saw an open running lane. There
was no hesitancy in his game. He took off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
don’t think Garrett can expect any more of Shoemaker. What Garrett’s offense needs
is a complementary conventional running game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last
week against SHU, four other players were part of the running game. Wide
receiver Joe Gillette had the best run, a 44-yard jet sweep that he turned into
a touchdown. It was his only carry. J.J. Younger, John Gay and Jalen Sutton combined
for 17 carries and 34 yards. Selwyn Simpson sat out the game with an injury. Gillette,
Gay and Sutton are all freshmen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
will be interesting to see how the University of Albany deals with Shoemaker
this afternoon. The opposing team’s defensive staff is now well aware of Keegan’s
willingness to take off and run and the fact that the wide-receiver sweep is
still the best running play in the Leopards’ book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
Tuesday’s luncheon, Garrett said, “The No. 1 goal isn’t yards, although they
can help when the game is in the balance. We need to score points and don’t make
it easy for (Albany) by making mistakes and turning the ball over. We have a
lot to clean up.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But he also cited
things like his team’s relentlessness, toughness, competitiveness,
determination and effort in last week’s loss. He figures as long as his
Leopards continue to play that way, the wins will come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last
week, Lafayette had more explosive plays than in any other game since Garrett
has been head coach. The Leopards had pass plays of 44, 41, 40, 33, 33, 29, 21
and 20 yards and runs of 44 and 25 yards against SHU.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Because
Shoemaker is not your quintessential dropback passer, protecting him has been a
concern. In three games, he has been sacked 14 times. That’s only one less than
the 2018 o-line allowed. Two freshmen, Alex Barshaba and Nathan Slater, have been
starting on that line this year. Both have shown lots of promise, but they need
a full offseason of work with strength and conditioning guru Brad Potts to
build themselves up. The other starters – Joe Grundhoffer, John Burk and Gavin
Barclay – are all underclassmen, too. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
performance by Shoemaker sent me back into the archives to the last time
Lafayette had a multi-threat quarterback. That would be Brad Maurer, who led
the Leopards to league titles in 2004-2006.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
2004, Maurer, then a sophomore, rushed 148 times for 838 positive yards. He was
thrown for losses of 195 yards, giving him a net 643 for the year. He scored
nine touchdowns running.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2005, Maurer
rushed for 271 net yards on 97 carries and no touchdowns; and in 2006, he had
94 carries for 295 net yards and five TDs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
important thing about those seasons, however, is the fact that Lafayette was
not a one-man offense. In 2004, Joe McCourt rushed for 1,193 yards and 16
touchdowns; in 2005, Jonathan Hurt had 985 yards and 13 touchdowns, and in
2006, Hurt had 1,165 yards and 15 touchdowns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Wouldn’t
Coach Garrett like to have a weapon like either of those guys in his arsenal?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-33356208757361609442019-09-11T08:13:00.000-07:002019-09-11T08:22:41.817-07:00Leopards: A look back, and a look ahead<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Caught
on the tape recorder at Tuesday’s football luncheon:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It
came down to a fourth-and-1 and they jumped into a wildcat and they were able
to knock us off the ball and run out the clock. So, we were right there and pleased
how team played.” –</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
Coach John Garrett. He was referring to the closing minutes of last Saturday's game, when
Monmouth was able to control the clock while Lafayette needed a stop. That fourth-and-1
play resulted in a 16-yard gain and the Hawks were able to finish it off from
there because Lafayette could not stop the clock.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“[Special
teams coordinator Greg] Frantz has done great job building a culture on how
important special teams are. A lot of kids coming in never had to play special teams
because they were the best kids on their teams. Everybody was all-conference,
all-state, something. So, when they got in the room, Coach Frantz really made
it an emphasis point that you’re going to have to earn your spot and some of
you guys aren’t going to be able to make the bus, especially for Patriot League
games … We want 11 guys out there that are going to want to hit and make a
difference in the game. I and the other seniors try to emphasize that you can
change the game just by a punt, by a kick, by a huge kickoff return.” – </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ryan Monteyne, who got the
first punt block of his entire football career, on the lead role he can play as a
member of all the special-teams units.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Actually,
we were supposed to be in holdup on that call and right before we lined up,
Coach Frantz made the call to go for the block. The entire game we were not
going for the block … hold them up. Try to get a good return. We all went for
it. That was supposed to be the gap that was open and we flew through. Marco
[Olivas] scooped up the ball. I thought they were going to get in the end zone,
but at least we did get the touchdown with [Julian] Spigner right after that.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> – Ryan Monteyne on his
blocked punt that led to a Leopard touchdown. Olivas is only a freshman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“We
recruit quarterbacks nationally and we believe the Dallas-Fort Worth area is a
great area to recruit so that’s one of the areas where we have boots on the
ground. We were able to see Keegan through the normal recruiting process. Then
we watched tape and were impressed. When we were allowed to watch him in the
spring, we saw him live, then the real recruiting starts. We have to determine
if they are the right kind of guys and if they love football. Just in the times
we were with Keegan and watched him compete, he made that very clear that he’s
an excellent competitor, loves the game, played with passion and had good
football and personal character. He was able to check off all the boxes … Keegan
came in in summer and dove right into learning the system, and leading the team,
and getting in shape, and working extra. He’s in the building all the time
watching tape with receivers and fellow quarterbacks. He just proved that every
opportunity he was in there he kept getting better and better and better and he
really, combined with natural talent, needs preparation and he played the most
consistently and he’s proven to be the guy who is worthy to start.” </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">– Coach <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Garrett on the process that brought Shoemaker
to this point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Jake
[Marotti] is progressing well since his injury a few weeks ago and will continue
to play more as he sees fit … Harrison [Greenhill] has an injury, and we look
at it each day to see how he does, whether he practices or not, and we will assess
it and determine whether he plays on Saturday … [Ian Grayson] did have an injury
in the game [last Saturday] … we should be OK; we’ll be able to practice the
right way, pretty normally, and be prepared for Saturday.” -- </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach Garrett on the
status of a number of injured players and whether any position changes might be
necessary to shore up the hard-hit defense for Saturday's home opener against Sacred Heart. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“[Sacred
Heart will be] another big challenge in every phase … very versatile on offense
… two backs are really good … quarterback is versatile, can escape and throw …
good receivers and a tough offensive line … defense was a ton of ways to disrupt
an offense with pressure … make the line of scrimmage messy with pressure … if
you handle it early, it quiets down a little bit, but if you don’t, it’s like
blood in the water and here come the sharks. So, we have to handle it early and
keep our poise … thee have a reputation of being strong, tough, hard-nosed… but
we are a much different team than that first year. We believe we have a chance
to win every time we go out. We stand toe-to-toe and build confidence.”-- </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach Garrett on the task
ahead this week vs. Sacred Heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-55171891437877751832019-08-28T08:34:00.004-07:002019-08-28T11:31:31.731-07:00More on the QBs and other Lafayette stuff<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
what is Lafayette College football coach John Garrett thinking when he releases
a depth chart with a three-headed starting quarterback position?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Can
there be anything positive about telling the public and his season-opening
opponent, William & Mary, that he will start Sean O’Malley OR Cole Northrup
OR Keegan Shoemaker on Saturday night in Williamsburg, Va.?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
sat alone in the visitors’ grandstand at Fisher Stadium on Saturday to get my
first in-person look at the 2019 Lafayette Leopards. Two other guys sat halfway
up the home-side grandstand; as far as I could tell, no other visitors were
present. I doubt very much that a W&M spy was lurking in the bushes,
looking for the answer to one question: Who do we prepare for this week in
practice?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Faced
with the task of putting together a season preview package for The Morning
Call, I figured I’d better see the team in action at least once. And, sure, I
wanted to know who was emerging as the cream of the crop among the seven QBs
who were in preseason camp. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
that respect, I guess the fact that freshman Shoemaker had moved in front of
highly touted sophomore Fisher was the biggest revelation of the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
the fact that Garrett would not make a public commitment to one of the top
three on Saturday after practice, on Monday when he listed a depth chart to
give to the William & Mary folks, or on Tuesday at the weekly media
luncheon makes me wonder if (1) Garrett is just too concerned about destroying
the morale of the two “losers”; (2) Garrett is just intent on not giving the
slightest bit of information to the Tribe staff; or (3) Garrett is planning to
use the Saturday night game as a continuation of the three-man tussle even if
it means diminishing his chances of pulling off some kind of upset of the CAA
opponent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett
went to great lengths to try to convince us that he had orchestrated a
four-game, equal-reps competition between O’Malley and Northrup last season
before O’Malley finally “grabbed the bull by the horns,” to borrow one of the
coach’s favorite clichés. We know the facts don’t back him up on that, but that
didn’t cause him to ever change his story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m
thinking maybe that, after careful deliberation between the head coach and the
offensive coordinator, the Leopards will play all three “starters” on Saturday
night, just to make us think Garrett’s mind is still open to any one of them
taking charge. During the practice last Saturday night, when the Leopards
devoted the final couple of periods to game simulation, he did rotate the three
of them. What’s more, he sent Northrup out there first.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Did
that mean anything? He later told me that the number of plays a guy gets in the
game means more than whether or not he’s the starter, so I’m hoping he doesn’t
mess with the heads of all three players with what looks like a major case of
indecision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
O’Malley not to start would be against everything Garrett has shown us in the
past, when he stuck with the California kid through everything. If Northrup
starts and is pulled quickly, he could consider the start to have been nothing
more than a tease. And Shoemaker? Well, I think he should be thrilled to just
be considered at this point.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
thought Northrup had the best of it on Saturday evening. The left-hander
definitely had my play of the practice when he rolled to his right, then turned
and threw back across the entire field – and DOWN field, too – to freshman Joe
Gillette for a good gain. Not a touchdown, but that didn’t matter. It was what
this team needs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">All
three of Garrett’s “starters” had some problems during the practice, too. O’Malley’s
first pass in 11-on-11 was right into the hands of #12. The problem for O’Malley
was that #12 is defensive back Otis Thrasher, who turned the interception into
a pick-6. O’Malley followed that up with a scramble that would have been a sack
if the quarterback was “live”. I’m sure that wasn’t the start the presumptive
starter would have wanted. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
He was not the only QB with problems. In fact, Northrup, who I thought was the
best overall, had a couple of badly overthrown balls and things for the QBs
would have been a lot worse had it not been for at least four catchable balls
that were dropped by defensive players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the defensive guys, so I don’t
want to mis-identify those who dropped balls, but I’m certain those drops came
up when the film of the practice was reviewed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
difficult, too, to get a good assessment of the running backs when they are not
being tackled. But the play of the day on Saturday was turned in by J.J.
Younger, who somehow must have elude a “thud” and suddenly broke into the clear
and ran about 70 yards for a “touchdown” with no one giving chase. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
guys who had the most fun, though, might have been tight end Jake Taggart and
freshman QB Shoemaker. Shoemaker hit Taggart with a short pass, and Taggart
took it into the end zone for a “touchdown” – and finished off the play with a
spike that would have drawn a flag during a game but which he probably loved in
practice. It got a big reaction from everyone on the field, too.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>SOMETHING TO PONDER</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">After finishing this blog, I was doing some reading on past Leopard games and discovered something interesting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">In 2010-11, Lafayette had a combined record of 6-16. In 2012, the Leopards went on the road to start the year. The opponent was William & Mary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">Lafayette probably had no business winning that game, which had, among other things, a 78-minute delay because of lightning and storms. But on a night when Vaughn Hebron started ahead of a sophomore named Ross Scheuerman, Lafayette pulled off a 17-14 stunner. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;">Just sayin'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>EXTRA
POINTS </b>– I feel bad about not having more to say about the defense, but those
guys were playing with their hands tied on Saturday. And with no free TV
on the W&M game, the only reports we’ll get are from any of the Lafayette
Sports Fan Forum crew who go to Williamsburg. Oh, maybe I’ll get a Sunday phone
call and a critique from a game spectator, but I do plan to look on goleopards.com
or on the W&M website for some live stats. I read on the LSFF that there is
a radio broadcast people might be able to stream on their computers. Station
WTYD 92.3 if you’re willing to give it a try. The <b>Lafayette Sports Network </b>will
carry only six games this season. I asked SID Phil LaBella about that and he
responded that it has become increasingly more difficult to get the road games
because other schools have their own deals. That’s a bummer for those of us who
have been spoiled for so many years. I can’t understand, though, why anyone
would not welcome a second station just to get its name and its program more
recognition. We really have it good with Mike Joseph’s analysis to go along
with Gary Laubach’s play-by-play. I’ll miss them. … The biggest surprise for me
on Saturday was that Troy Fisher had apparently been demoted to No. 4
quarterback. The kid is big with a strong arm and came from a successful high
school program. Something just hasn’t clicked at Lafayette, and I’m frankly surprised
he didn’t go the Brycen Mussina route and find himself another place at which
he could show his stuff. Or, it’s simply a matter of the importance of a
Lafayette education for his future. … Freshman Alex Barshaba was with the No. 1
offensive line throughout the Saturday practice. Big boy at 6-6, 315. Because
cocaptain Jake Marotti was not practicing, another freshman, 6-3, 265-pound Nathan
Slater was at left tackle. Those two kids are sure to be tested Saturday night because
defense is reportedly the W&M strong suit … Coach Garrett said he expected
all his players to be ready to play against the Tribe, but a lot of them were not
participating on Saturday evening. Injuries are the coach’s least favorite
pregame topic. So, we won’t know until we see who was NOT on the participation
chart against W&M. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-70650580650022566802019-08-21T15:33:00.000-07:002019-08-22T03:22:03.803-07:00Mario and I: More thoughts on Pocono <br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
NTT IndyCar Series likes to think of itself not only as the premier open-wheel
racing series of the United States, but arguably the most competitive in the
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
you have to wonder how those people can make such a boast when they are
apparently willing to drop a bomb on their last meaningful race in the
population-rich Northeastern portion of the U.S.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">All
because some of their super-talented drivers don’t want to be challenged?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pocono
Raceway has taken some pretty vicious criticism from some in the racing
community in the past couple of days. But, consider that<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nothing
any architect could have done would have prevented the freak series of events
that resulted in the death of Indy-car driver Justin Wilson in 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
when multiple cars crashed on the seventh lap of last year’s ABC Supply 500 and
Robert Wickens wound up with a paralyzing spinal cord injury after his car was
thrown into the fence, Turn 2 was exactly where it was when the Monroe County track
first hosted Indy cars in 1971.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
finally, Pocono’s “tricky triangle” configuration had no role whatsoever in the
first-lap disaster at the 2019 ABC Supply 500 on Sunday, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
future of the relationship between Pocono and the NTT IndyCar Series is very
much in doubt these days, but it isn’t right to rush to judgment and put the
blame on the 2.5-mile superspeedway to which Dr. Joe Mattioli gave his life’s
savings more than 50 years ago, fighting one battle after another to keep it
open and turn the former spinach farm into a viable sports facility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
a RACE track today. Built to test speed and endurance and courage at more than
200 miles per hour and for as many as 33 or 40 cars competing at one time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Put
all those things together and you have the ingredients for potential serious
trouble, because, for the men (or sometimes women) behind the wheel, there is
only one object. To win.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
only one wins on any given day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Listen
to what Alexander Rossi, who was taken out in Sunday’s crash and who may have
lost his chance to contend seriously for the NTT Series season championship,
had to say to NBC-TV after emerging from the infield medical center:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“We
were three wide. Ryan [Hunter-Reay] was on the inside; I was in the middle and
[Takuma Sato] was on the outside. I can’t even begin to understand how, after
last year, Takuma thinks any sort of driving like that is acceptable. To turn
across two cars, at that speed, in that corner, in a 500-mile race is
disgraceful, upsetting … this team works too hard … to have something like that
happen.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sato,
of course, felt different. He tweeted: “I feel I need to say a word. I’m sorry
I was involved with @AlexanderRossi for the championship. Looks like he was
squeezed both Ryan and I, and if you reference seams, Alex clearly moved up. We
all racing very close and unfortunately we made contact.” And, later, he
tweeted, “I didn’t mean I was blaming Alex at all. I just said the facts and I
apologized for the situation on my previous tweet. Now I show you this as well
that I just drove straight.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
watched the replay of the crash over and over again and I don’t know where Sato
is coming from. I know it’s only fractions of a second at those speeds, but
Sato was NOT clear to charge to the inside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
true that Sato is an Indianapolis 500 champion. But why would Michael Andretti
not have him back the following season to reap the benefits of that 2017 win?
Curious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sato
is also the driver who crashed out of nine of 17 races in 2010, his first
season in IndyCar. Do you think maybe he never should have had a second year?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He’s
also the one who crashed out of four consecutive races in one stretch of 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
haven’t seen any decisions on Sato’s immediate future. If he is not penalized
for the Pocono faux pas, something is wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’re
waiting, too, for the Pocono decision from IndyCar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Eastern
tracks have come and gone from the Indy-car schedules. Remember when they raced
at New Hampshire, Watkins Glen, the Meadowlands, Trenton and Langhorne?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And,
of course, the Nazareth Speedway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">On
August 29, 2004, the final race ever held at the Nazareth, I wrote,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“If
popularity is measured by the number of people who show up at the funeral, the
Nazareth Speedway had more friends than we expected.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">We
guesstimated that 21,000 people attended that race.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Long
after it was over, I ran into Tony George, president of the Indy Racing League,
who looked over the empty grandstands, asked me about what would happen to the
seats when the track was shut down and then said, “It was always great to race
on tracks like this and Richmond, but I guess business is business.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Nazareth decision was made by International Speedway Corp. and left the IRL
looking for a race. This time the track is not the initiator of the breakup.
IndyCar holds the decision in its hands. I can’t believe some of the owners
from the glory days of the sport will permit Pocono to go away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
Doc Mattioli were still alive today, he might well tell IndyCar to go shove it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
his grandson, Nick Igdalsky, the current CEO at Pocono, cares. A lot. It was a
pretty brave move when Pocono courted a staggering series in 2013 and invited
the open-wheelers back. The track undoubtedly continues to lose money, but
Igdalsky’s love of IndyCar racing – a love shared by his grandmother, Dr. Rose
Mattioli – keeps him going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
guess Nick has more than a little bit if Doc’s Italian intensity in his DNA and
will one day be rewarded for it. He’s working at it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">MORE
WITH MARIO<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">At
79 years of age, Mario Andretti, the Italian immigrant who came to the U.S. and
lived the American dream to the fullest, should probably be kicking back in a
La-Z-Boy recliner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
if the NTT IndyCar Series is running somewhere, he’s almost surely going to be
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">You
may find him in the pits, or you may see him driving the series two-seater Indy
car at over 150 miles per hour, giving celebrities and VIP’s a taste of what he
felt while winning four Indy-car national championships, a Formula One world championship
a Daytona 500 and more than 100 other races in almost every kind of car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
was home after a couple of days at the lake in the Poconos, but now it’s on to
Canada tomorrow at California the next day. Can’t keep him down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
was on a roll when he got talking about Pocono and racing’s future there. The
story is in Thursday’s Morning Call, but I had lots of leftover quotes, so here
are some of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">FAVORITE
TRACK – “I always say that was my favorite superspeedway. Why? Because it
presented challenges no other superspeedway does as far as the compromise requirement
in the setup and the difficulty in negotiating the corners, each totally
different in radius, banking … Pocono is not for sissies. It’s that simple. Some
of the incidents that we’ve had could have happened anywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">TAKING
CHANCES – “Now me, as a driver, I know better now because I made plenty of mistakes.
So, it’s all about rethinking a little bit more and saying, you know what, let’s
have a little more patience or something. I don’t know if that’s even possible
with drivers’ mentality because we’re all the same in that sense." ... </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>“</b>Obviously, the series is so well placed
right now with top equipment across the board, and because of that, it’s hard
to pass. So, on starts or restarts, everybody is trying to gain whatever positions
they can because track position is king.”</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DON’T
BLAME A TRACK – “The mentality of the drivers is to try to pick on <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>somebody’s weakness, and that’s where you push
the envelope and get caught out on these situations. I guarantee you that whoever
feels responsible will be a little more cautious next year. You always try to
learn from the mistakes. But nevertheless, no matter where go, it’s still the
drivers’ responsibility not the track’s fault when things happen. Pocono does provide
different challenges, no doubt, but again, I think the drivers that usually get
the job done, they love it. The drivers at that level love the challenges. I certainly
did. I loved this place. I love it just driving the two-seater. With the
two-seater, Pocono is the best ride of any oval because of the different corners.
I love driving it today as much as I did competitively.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">IF
NO POCONO -- Nothing here. The series should keep as many ovals intact as
possible. That’s what makes the series what it is, a very diversified series
and you cannot afford to lose the ovals. They are the backbone of what Indy
race was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DIVERSITY
-- Now it’s so diversified that it separates itself from any other discipline.
Indycar was at the forefront of diversification. Personally, it’s the most
coveted championship in all of motor racing because the champion needs to be
proficient in all the different aspects of racing – short ovals, super
speedways, street courses, road courses. All that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">NO-NO
RICHMOND – When I asked Mario about the possibility of Pocono being included in
a rotating schedule with a track like Richmond, thus having a race one year,
but not another, he shouted, “NO, NO, NO, NO, NO! You have to keep the
continuity. I disagree vehemently with that!!” I think it meant it. Instead, he
said Pocono’s people should inquire about the events at ST. Louis and Mid-Ohio,
where crowds come out in droves for the Indy cars. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">WHAT ABOUT
MICHAEL -- I asked Mario whether he and his son were on the same page
concerning Pocono’s future. “Not always with Mike, and that’s why we try
not to discuss it,” Mario said. “He does his thing; I do mine. We don’t have to
always agree together and many times we don’t. I express my views; he expresses
his. He doesn’t have to have my approval; I don’t have to have his.” Of course,
Michael has a lot to lose when his cars are involved in wrecks like Sunday's.
Two of his cars went out, and while they got back, they lost lots of valuable
sponsor-recognition time and also replacement cost. Being an owner is a double-edged
sword sometimes.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-84076806493929317102019-08-03T07:16:00.002-07:002019-08-03T18:17:36.486-07:00Lafayette FB: An overview on Day 1<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Okay,
here we go. Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. Day 1 of the 138<sup>th</sup> season of
Lafayette College football. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Year 3 of
the John Garrett era. Practice 1, noon-2:30 p.m., in Fisher Stadium. Eighty-six
players, according to Coach Garrett.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Twenty-four freshmen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach
Garrett took part along with the rest of the Patriot League coaches in a media teleconference
call on Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sat through the
entire thing, so I have some decent ammo on the rest of the league. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
was hoping for something on the Lafayette Leopards, too, but what I got from
Coach Garrett was pretty much everything he’s been saying since the day he was
hired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
one comment has been haunting me for three days. He said, <b><i>“So, there’s
really nothing wrong with the system.”</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
thing is, Garrett IS the system<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- at
least offensively. Ever since Rich Bartel left town before 2017 summer camp
ever started, thus leaving the offensive coordinator spot vacant, it has been
clear that Coach Garrett wants to do things HIS way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in being the architect of the
program, bringing in strong coordinators and assistants to carry out the master
plan. He seems to want the master plan in his hands alone. We’ve heard lots of
murmurs for two years about what impact the assistants have – or don’t have. I
believe that’s why there has been such heavy turnover at the end of each
season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach
Garrett told us he had this list of contacts that he could use to put things
together on College Hill. He brought in Luke Thompson from Georgetown and
pretty much gave him free reign over the defense for two years. Got some good results from that, too. Thompson is now
gone, succeeded by Manny Rojas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Doug
McFadden, the only holdover from the Frank Tavani days, and Christian Pace are
the only assistant coaches who have been with Garrett from the beginning. McFadden
coaches defensive backs; Pace moved to offensive line this season after
handling tight ends and fullbacks his first two seasons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
when Garrett says that his system is working
just fine, even if it has not produced more victories, we can either believe
him and content ourselves with whatever takes place over the next couple of
months. Or, we can hope for some kind of adjustment in his way of thinking or in
the personnel he chooses to carry out the plan that has been less than
spectacular to now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Even
as I write this, I have my doubts about offensive change. Garrett didn’t give
any evidence of it during his brief time on the league's conference call.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“We
won three games each of the last two years and it easily could have been five
or six,” he said. “Wow, if we keep doing the little things and work hard, we’re
going to win games or make that big play … we have made so many improvements,
upgrading the team by bringing in the right kind of guys and improving the
talent, something we think about every day. Players who were sophomores then (in
2017) are now seniors … bigger, stronger, faster … it’s like we have to shake
our head sometimes and say, boy, look at you now, you’re playing like a top
player. We’ve beaten every team in the Patriot League except Colgate and Lehigh,
and we’ve had good, hard-fought games with them. We have come to play each
week. We focus on how we play …”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
used his other quotes in my Morning Call story the other day. I figured that
was the assessment Coach Garrett wanted people to hear. Now, it's been heard.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
reality is not nearly so rosy. For example, in two games with Colgate, the
Leopards have scored NO points and the Raiders 72. And against arch-rival
Lehigh, Lafayette has scored 10 points in the last six quarters while giving up
58. I don’t know which was more painful, the second-half collapse in ’17 or the
total no-show last season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If
there’s nothing wrong with the system, the Leopards’ struggles must stem from personnel
or coaching. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Right
now, none of that really matters because the slate is again clean on Day 1. Garrett
has lots of returning starters – eight on each side of the ball. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rojas is the only new member of the defensive
coaching staff. This may be his first shot as a coordinator, but he has a solid
history. He’s been a winner – three times he has been to the FCS postseason.
And, he has returning assistants in McFadden, Andrew Seumalo and Rich Yahner,
who already know the players. There’s talk of a change from 4-3 to 3-4, although
Garrett said on Wednesday that there’s “not much change” and that the Leopards
will likely play both three-man and four-man fronts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett
is pretty protective of his depth chart, but he did give one last week. The 10
offensive linemen consist of two seniors, three juniors and five sophomores.
Listed on the first team for now are cocaptain Jake Marotti and Gavin Barclay
at tackles, Ben Wild or Taron Hampton and John Burk or Colin Bradley at guards
and Joe Grundhoffer at center.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Receiver
may be the strongest overall group – providing, of course, the quarterbacks get
the ball there. Nick Pearson (41 catches, 592 yards), Quinn Revere (38-336), Julian
Spigner (20-188) were the top three a year ago. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only problem was that Revere’s two TD
catches were high for the entire team, which had just four. Jake Liedtka had
only one catch in ’18. Pearson also has been an effective speed-sweep runner at
times and is a preseason all-league selection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tight
end Steven Stilianos turned out to be a pleasant surprise for a freshman last
year. He had multiple catches in three different games, including one
touchdown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Selwyn
Simpson is listed as the first-team running back. He now weighs 235 pounds and
he has shown some real flashes – like runs of 51 and 38 yards against Fordham
last season. His 112 yards that day are a career high. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
other day, I saw a post from him on Twitter. I replied to the post that I
expected this to be a breakout year for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He answered, “Yesssirr!!” If that happens, things could certainly get
interesting. Lafayette needs an effective running game more than anything. Garrett
has said many times he loves to run the ball, but he hasn’t made the run a priority for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now, J.J. Younger, who
also figures to be a key player on kick returns, seems to be the No. 2 guy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mike
Dunn is listed as the backup at both running back and fullback, but there has
been word on the grapevine that he suffered a summer training injury. Garrett
didn’t mention it Wednesday, and sports information director Phil LaBella
couldn’t confirm it for me, either, so for now, this is talk. But a good source told me Dunn has had or will have surgery for a pectoral muscle in jury. At noon today, we’ll
know whether he’s ready to go. Devon On was the only healthy TB for the spring
game; three frosh are joining the group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
was interesting to me when I received a two-deep chart for defense that it consisted
of 12 positions, not 11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chart has two
ends and two tackles up front, four linebackers and four d-backs in the secondary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
first unit, according to the chart, has 2018 freshman sensation Malik Hamm and senior
Keith Earle, who combined for 22 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks last year, at
ends and Harrison Greenhill and sophomore Colin Hurlbrink at tackles. Ian
Grayson, who started the first four games last year before being sidelined with
a shoulder injury, is listed behind Hurlbrink. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Billy
Shaeffer and Jack Lamb have the outside linebacker spots, with Major Jordan and
Ryan Dickens inside. Jordan was the third leading tackler last year with 66. Eric
Mitchell and Tre Jordan are listed at corners and Yasir Thomas and Romeo Wykle
at safeties. Mitchell has started 28 games in his career and had three
interceptions as a sophomore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Last,
but certainly not least, QUARTERBACK!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
question on the conference call came not from me, but from John Leone, who
recently retired from Lafayette but who will continue to be part of the Lafayette
Sports Network team. After giving the stuff about QBs getting too much credit
for a win or blame for a loss, the need for the right players surrounding him, and
after acknowledging Garrett’s opinion of two-year starter Sean O’Malley as
tough, smart and gritty, Leone asked, “What’s the quarterback competition look
like going into the season?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here
is Garrett’s complete answer: “Well, it’s the same competition like last year.
It was really heated last year. If you remember, Sean and Cole Northrup were
neck-in-neck, getting the same reps in practice. And, they split time for the
first four games; then Sean had the big game vs. Central Connecticut, where he
completed 24 of 36 passes for 343 yards and three touchdowns and we beat that
playoff team with a great team effort. That’s when he really separated himself.
But it’s going to be a big, heated competition this year; it was like that in
the spring. Cole Northrup is vying for the starting job; Troy Fisher is vying
for the starting job, and we brought in Keegan Shoemaker … as a freshman, who
we have high hopes for. So, it is going to be really competitive. We don’t know
who the starter’s going to be. We just look at how they play and determine that
on the field. So, I’m excited to see who emerges and grabs the bull by the
horns.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">No
mention at all of Reid Aichholz, a 6-5 junior who’s in his third season of
waiting; sophomore Shane Davis or freshman John Paci. It’s interesting to see
the bio on Aichholz, who ran for almost 1,400 yards and 39 touchdowns and threw
for 4,000 yards and 37 touchdowns in two years for Indian Hill High in Cincinnati.
He’s a two-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll member with 3.85 semester
GPAs and a freshman and sophomore, so he’s obviously a smart kid on his way to
big things. Somehow, he can’t break through with Coach Garrett. But he
definitely fits the coach’s description of the right kind of guy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett
has adopted “Break Through” as his mantra for 2019. Is he willing to do
whatever it takes for the Leopards to have the chance to do that? We’ll see.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-23137438777297505762019-05-20T12:21:00.001-07:002019-05-24T03:17:59.270-07:00Celebrare, Mario: A year to remember<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoI2FQorNwrGXySyoJLg61FAU4TIKedf81jTO8hwDQNI91S2LRhDBrA1eVMuKwLdDpKLjOYo-ktXjQw-L1XwEbnXdITV_mP9VYpLXjzFVdEpA_vho8QJfwVOA2819mArAm2SVAmN832LEI/s1600/MARIO+1969+PROGRAM+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1129" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoI2FQorNwrGXySyoJLg61FAU4TIKedf81jTO8hwDQNI91S2LRhDBrA1eVMuKwLdDpKLjOYo-ktXjQw-L1XwEbnXdITV_mP9VYpLXjzFVdEpA_vho8QJfwVOA2819mArAm2SVAmN832LEI/s320/MARIO+1969+PROGRAM+%25282%2529.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My autographed copy of the 1969 program.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">How well I
remember the “Arrivederci, Mario!” Tour of 1994. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Everywhere
Mario Andretti went that year, people showered him with accolades one last
time. It didn’t matter whether he won on the track or not – at least, not to
anyone except Mario himself. For everyone else, it was a matter of giving a
good friend a deserved sendoff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
somehow, I can’t think those 12 months could have compared to what should be tabbed the
“Celebrare, Mario!” month the world’s most recognized race car driver is experiencing
right now at the Indianapolis 500.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He is being blown away by it, and he doesn’t mind admitting it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">CELEBRATE!<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Twenty-five
years after he stepped out of the cockpit as a full-time speed merchant, no one
is saying “goodbye … see you later … bye-bye” to the Italian immigrant who has
put Nazareth, PA, solidly on the map. People everywhere are opening their arms
and embracing him, maybe like no other time in his life. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Some
health issues will prevent me from attending the 103<sup>rd</sup> Indianapolis
500 next weekend to watch the final chapter of this special time for Andretti
as he is hailed for not only his only Indy victory 50 years ago, but also as the principal
ambassador of his life-long pursuit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
I have to say it’s been enjoyable for me to step into that time capsule and
take myself back to my early years in the newspaper business. To re-read old
stories and stir up old memories. But most of all, to talk to Mario again about
those days and maybe to learn some things I never knew or even thought about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
story that appears in The Morning Call. But we talked about so much more, so I
thought I’d share some of the conversation with you.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">FIRST, THE BACK STORY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigm8gEmdO0OBwWaxqz3Y77RNlSFjYr9-zxFfSgUmRnqgAe5HttFoqPs4sfp_GJwvgXUvbMk8uyWoK0MS4lu54T1-PizWheQt5aC6KvTiGk0Fnsr_WiU9BamwMV2niEjSNK3FKjDKZQEHMS/s1600/PAUL+%2526+MARIO+--+1971+POCONO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1242" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigm8gEmdO0OBwWaxqz3Y77RNlSFjYr9-zxFfSgUmRnqgAe5HttFoqPs4sfp_GJwvgXUvbMk8uyWoK0MS4lu54T1-PizWheQt5aC6KvTiGk0Fnsr_WiU9BamwMV2niEjSNK3FKjDKZQEHMS/s320/PAUL+%2526+MARIO+--+1971+POCONO.jpg" width="248" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two younger guys at Pocono, 1971.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mario
won 17 races between 1964 and 1967 in a car owned by Al Dean. Dean also owned
the car in which another Lehigh Valley racing legend, the late Eddie Sachs, sat
on the pole twice and finished second in 1961 classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Andretti
won back-to-back national championships and finished second the third year he
drove for Dean, so when Dean died in 1967. Andretti, perhaps fearful of losing
all the momentum he had built up in three years, took a step he didn’t really
want to take. He became a car owner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“At that point, we didn’t have another plan, and
things were going so well for all of us and I wanted to keep everything
together,” he said. “So, I took over the responsibility, even though that was
never my objective. I didn’t really want the business side of it – worrying
about the sponsors, about the budgets and all that. But I did it.” </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mario
won four races in 1968, but he laid an egg at the Indianapolis 500 and finished
dead last. He ran second in 11 races on the United States Auto Club circuit and
finished second in the standings to Bobby Unser – by just 11 points.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Enter
Andy Granatelli. His two-year turbine experiment at Indianapolis had been
unsuccessful, and to add insult to injury, USAC put restrictions on the
“whooshmobile” that left the turbines uncompetitive and sent Granatelli in a
different direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
during that 1968 season, two things happened that changed everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I always had a great open relationship with Andy,
and in ’68, when I did Formula One, I sealed the deal for new Lotus cars for
[the USAC series in] 1969,” Andretti said. “It was a deal for myself with Colin
Chapman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Andy made a separate deal with Colin where STP was
going to sponsor Colin’s cars. So, all of a sudden, I’m talking to Andy. I
don’t know if I said it [first] or if he said it. I asked him, ‘Do you want to
buy my team?’ He says, ‘Yeah, I’ll buy the team.’ It was perfect. He bought the
team and Colin honored the deal. In ’69, Andy owned the team. It was happy days
for me. That’s what I wanted.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
BUSY 1969 SCHEDULE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Racing in the 1960s required more than a lead foot.
Versatility was a major requirement for success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">No one proved to be more versatile than Mario. That
helped him win USAC titles in 1965 and 1966 and finish second in both ‘67 and
’68 – even after spotting A.J. Foyt and Bobby Unser 1,000 points each in those
last two seasons. Foyt and Unser were Indy winners in 1967 and 1968; Andretti
scored no series points at the speedway. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I did 37 races that year,” Mario said of 1969. “My
season started February 1 at the Motor Trend 500 NASCAR race at Riverside
[Calif.] and my last race was Dec. 31 at Sebring in a Formula 5000 car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I drove in seven different categories with 10
different cars. Here’s a quickie. My first race was Riverside with the stock
car; my second was South Africa in Formula One; the third was a midget race at
the Houston Astrodome; the fourth race was the 12 Hours of Sebring in a sports
car and the fifth was at Phoenix in an Indy car. I also won Pike’s Peak Hillclimb
in ’69.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I sealed the USAC championship by August. I easily
could have had five straight national championships. We really had something
going; it was just amazing. [Jim] McGee and Clint [Brawner] were a perfect duo
for me. Clint had the wisdom and experience; McGee had his modern thinking.
Clint kept us in check.”</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">INDY
500 PREPARATIONS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Lotus was fast. Andretti was the first driver
to top the 170 mph mark in practice. Then, for the first time in the modern
history of the 500, the entire first weekend of qualifying was rained out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The weekend produced the story of Jigger Sirois,
who was the first qualifier but waved off his run after three laps. Rain a
short time later closed the track. Had Sirois not waved off, he would have been
the provisional pole sitter for at least a week, even though his speed was
about 10 mph slower than the fast cars.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">During the week of practice between qualifying
weekends, Andretti was running fast again when suddenly a broken hub threw his
car into a spin and a vicious crash. Mario managed to get out in a hurry but
suffered some bad facial burns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“The biggest fear of mine was that this was not the
first incident for the Lotus,” Andretti said. “Graham Hill and Jochen Rindt on
the other side [Europe] had issues, but the crashes were minor. When I
destroyed the car and almost killed myself, it was obvious that vital components
were breaking.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mario said Granatelli had entered a fourth car at
Indy – a Brawner Hawk Mario drove to win an early-season event in California.
The Hawk was not intended to run, though; Granatelli entered it only to get
another garage in Gasoline Alley for the month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“The Hawk was legal, but when I crashed the Lotus
on Wednesday, we were left with only two practice days and I didn’t feel near
as good about our chances,” Andretti said. “We all knew the team had to go on.
We were not going to let Andy down, or STP, because of the importance of it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mario said Granatelli wasn’t consulted about the
decision to pass up the backup Lotus in favor of the Hawk, which was a new car
at the beginning of the season. “We had control of the team,” Mario said,
referring to himself, Brawner and McGee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Despite a lack of practice, Mario qualified the
Hawk for the middle of the first row, but the team ran into trouble with race
officials when it sought to add a radiator to deal with an overheating problem
with the Hawk. “We didn’t put the outside cooler on the car for qualifying
because it caused too much drag,” Mario said. The rules said you ran the car
the way you qualified it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The team threatened to withdraw, but never followed
through. In fact, a talented fabricator-mechanic on the crew managed to fit the
radiator behind the head of the driver. “Without it, there was no way we would
have finished,” Mario said recently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It
was a monumental job to make that happen.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">THE
RACE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mario went into the race with a car that was fast
enough to win. Would it hold up? Even Andretti was unsure what the rigorous
500-mile test would demand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Hawk led 116 laps that day. There were
challenges by A.J. Foyt and Lloyd Ruby. Foyt led 66 laps in the earlier stages
of the event, but a long pit stop to repair a manifold ruined his day as he
finished 19 laps behind; and later, Ruby had a fuel tank problem and dropped
out just after half way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“The racing was pretty tight with Ruby; he was out for
bear,” Mario said. “I had to measure myself. He led and I had to go after him
and make sure that I could pass him. He was making it tough, but I passed him
and once I was in the lead, I knew I could pass him, so I let him go by and I
was following him to rest the engine a little bit. We had some tight
situations, but it was good racing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Asked if he had any particularly scary moments
during the race, Mario said, “There were two instances. One car, [Gordon]
Johncock, I think, blew an engine and I slid really wide in Turn 3; and then
later, I was lapping a car in Turn 2 and I lost a little bit of concentration
and I got up in the grey [and out of the racing groove] pretty bad. I figured,
‘Holy s---, buckle down, man.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mario wound up winning by more than a lap and
admitted that “I could have lapped them again, but I didn’t need to.” It was beautiful to watch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">WHY
JUST ONE INDY WIN?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I asked Mario, “When you finally won that 1969
race, you probably figured you’d be able to win five or six more in your
career, right?”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“I look at Dale Earnhardt,” Mario said. “He was
winning everything, but he couldn’t pull off the Daytona 500 until near the end
of his career. How do you explain that stuff?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I don’t feel sad. I’ve been there. I was competitive.
I could have won others. I was close. There was one I did win by the rulebook
and it was taken away from me. They disregarded the rules.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That race, of course, was the 1981 Indy 500. Bobby
Unser crossed the finish line first, but the result was protested and it was
ruled that Unser had passed as many as eight or nine cars under yellow. The
result was overturned, and when the official order of finish was posted the
next day, Andretti was the winner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But, wait. Car owner Roger Penske wasn’t going for
that. And almost six months later, a three-person appeals panel changed the
Unser penalty from one lap to a $40,000 fine and took the race way from Mario. “I
could have accepted just about anything else,” Mario told Ted Meixell. “But not
this. It’s ludicrous. I’ll never be able to swallow this. Never, never, never
could I have dreamed of this coming down.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That series of circumstances just a year after I
left USAC to become sports editor at The Morning Call. I would have had a tough
time defending the slap in the face chief steward Tom Binford, who became a
good friend of mine, received from a panel that knew better but didn’t defend
him. I was irate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In putting this together, I came across a bumper
sticker that was circulated after the horrendous decision. I thought I had lost it. Here's a photo of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-rQ-LrFweZOVU466dKCorDGcl5glzaW-36v4Ab3DraXgpta2F2vm38UR-UQyDoNUKAUSn_6zrMWzgTLTDP8Z8v2tKM7-DlguVuKD05UW0e1ZdMLmASRmXGmb2xtLsc30v4U0HAzkThOI/s1600/1981+INDY+BUMPER+STICKER+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="1600" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-rQ-LrFweZOVU466dKCorDGcl5glzaW-36v4Ab3DraXgpta2F2vm38UR-UQyDoNUKAUSn_6zrMWzgTLTDP8Z8v2tKM7-DlguVuKD05UW0e1ZdMLmASRmXGmb2xtLsc30v4U0HAzkThOI/s320/1981+INDY+BUMPER+STICKER+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Back to the question about why he had so much
heartache at Indy, Mario said, “I also dominated there. In 1987, nobody was
close to me [Mario led 170 of the first 177 laps before falling out]. Look at
Michael. Same thing. He dominated but didn’t win Indy. But it is what it is.
Michael said he won at Toronto seven times and he doesn’t know why. I won
Trenton six times and Long Beach four times and I don’t know why. You put the
same effort in every time. Sometimes it's your day, sometimes it's not.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFd0qVEZNKULDxMVD5_Q-ooPiZXmFnAayzScUVFgAABF2YrODhyuFvSrIH_BeTaL7DCweotCCoftBYB3B92DMUjXc0M5pjGFp2-VxQoprKPrZhOtIMY54twGSy3__hPJq-tMBaZUQIAMH/s1600/MARIO+--+%252769+NAZARETH--2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbFd0qVEZNKULDxMVD5_Q-ooPiZXmFnAayzScUVFgAABF2YrODhyuFvSrIH_BeTaL7DCweotCCoftBYB3B92DMUjXc0M5pjGFp2-VxQoprKPrZhOtIMY54twGSy3__hPJq-tMBaZUQIAMH/s320/MARIO+--+%252769+NAZARETH--2.jpg" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mario and Clint Brawner at Nazareth National during Mario Andretti Week, 1969. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">THE
NAZARETH CELEBRATION</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was, in a word, terrific. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The two-mile-long parade was huge, and Mario
admitted recently that he came across a YouTube video of the event and that he
had forgotten what a big deal it was not only for Nazareth but for the entire
Lehigh Valley. He rode at the beginning with Dee Ann and sons Michael and Jeff,
so he didn’t get to take it all in first-hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He said he was particularly surprised to see the
Mummer’s string bands – four of them, to be exact – that came from Philadelphia
and New Jersey. Maybe that’s because they were delayed in arriving because of a
highway accident and they actually marched near the end of the parade. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just for kicks, here’s a link to one of those
parade videos.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAp2vlJCV38"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAp2vlJCV38</span></b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Local fans couldn't have asked for a more perfect 100-mile USAC championship dirt-car race at Nazareth National Speedway. With his wife in the hospital awaiting the arrival of the couple's third child -- Barbie was born during the night -- Mario broke the USAC record for a 100-mile race on dirt and led all but 10 of the 89 laps on the 1 1/8-mile track 18 years later would be paved and would become a regular stop on the Indy-car circuit until 2004.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Nazareth had no facility large enough for a crowd
of about 1,000, so a grand testimonial dinner was moved to the old George Washington Motor
Lodge on what is now MacArthur Road. I was proud to cover not only the 500, but
also the coronation that was accorded Andretti by the Lehigh Valley community
he has always loved unabashedly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In my story of the testimonial, I wrote that Granatelli
said, “I spent $8 million in 23 years at Indianapolis, and let me tell you, it
was worth waiting for to win with Mario.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“A race driver, to me, is not just someone who gets
in the car and goes. He’s a man who is easy to work with, doesn’t get bigheaded
when success comes his way, knows his car inside and out, can talk to the
public and has a good head on his shoulders. Mario is all of those things – a
true champion.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Andretti said, “No matter what happens from now on,
this is the summit. There are a few simple words which say best what Dee Ann
and I feel at this moment. Thank you very much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I don’t think I’ll ever really be able to convey
my feelings. I appreciate it no end. I keep telling myself I wish you wouldn’t
have done all this, but I’m so glad you did. All men work to succeed and to
provide for their families, and they all enjoy any attention they can get. But
no matter how high you get, there’s always something special that stays with
you, your home town. To be honored by the people a man knows best and who know
him best is a great feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I still have a lot of ambitions and goals, but
I’ll never think about leaving here. I’ve been lucky and won a few races, and
this year we hung in and got the greatest win of all. I don’t know if I deserve
all of this, because I’m just one small member of a big team.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Mario deserved it 50 years ago, and nothing has
changed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So, celebrare, Mario, celebrare!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-28006469236189548042019-04-26T18:36:00.000-07:002019-04-27T04:43:56.738-07:00Can Leopards benefit from some Sooner advice?<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I think I found the answer to Lafayette football’s offensive problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Or,
I found AN answer worth trying. And, it comes via another collegiate head coach
who has no offensive coordinator.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
have been saying Lafayette Coach John Garrett needs to hire an offensive
coordinator and actually give him charge over the Leopards’ attack, which
produced an average of just 13 points per game in 2018 and 12 ppg in 2017. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
won three games in ’17 and scored a grand total of 31 points in the three games
combined. The Leopards got a lot better in winning in 2018, scoring 81 points
in their three wins. But they also had five games in which they scored six points
or less. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
one statistic that stuck out above – or below – all others was that Lafayette
scored only four touchdowns on pass plays in 2018. Eleven games, four passing
TDs. Only one other team in all the FCS had fewer TD passes (Jacksonville with
three), and that team threw just 63 passes all year. Lafayette threw 361. It
was horrible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette
fans far and wide – with the exception of Beverly Hills, Calif., the home of
Lafayette’s starting quarterback the last two years, Sean O’Malley – are calling
for a new guy under center, or taking those direct snaps. But coming out of
spring practice, it appears O’Malley is still the favorite to start at William
& Mary on Aug. 31. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I’ve
thought a lot about what Garrett, who likes being his own offensive coordinator
and has finally not even named an OC for 2019, might do to jack up the offense.
Garrett has OC in his resume, but he has been anything but dynamic as a play caller
for two years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
earlier today I was looking at Twitter and I came across a feed that was
retweeted by John Loose, the former Lafayette defensive coordinator who is now
an assistant at Army West Point. The thing is the tweet had nothing to do with
defense. It was all about offense, and I listened to it – all 59 seconds of it –
six times in a row because it may be just what Lafayette needs to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
coach delivering the message is Lincoln Riley, the head coach at Oklahoma
University. In January, Riley, following two years in which the Sooners were
24-4, signed a new five-year, $32.5-million contract. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Oklahoma was an offensive
powerhouse. Riley is making millions. His most recent QB, Baker Mayfield, won the Heisman Trophy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And, Riley operates without an offensive coordinator. Surely, Coach Garrett can relate to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He
has a very interesting thought about offense, and it’s my word for Lafayette’s
Garrett.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DUMP 7-ON-7 PRACTICE
PERIODS. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What?
The 7-on-7 is the favorite of many coaches, Garrett being high the list. Last
week, in part because of small numbers but also because it’s the way he likes
to operate, Garrett used more 7-on-7 than anything else during the Leopards’
spring game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here’s
what Riley had to say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“For me, like, I get sick of 7-on-7. Like, 7-on-7 drives me
crazy. To me, we used to, back in the day at Texas Tech, we would do 7-on-7 for
40-45 minutes straight, and now at Oklahoma we probably do 7-on-7 5-6 minutes a
day, and that’s it. And we don’t even do it every day because to me, in the
game, this day and age, with all the play action and all the movements,
quarterbacks moving around, RPO’s, all that good stuff,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to me, 7-on-7, there’s a place for it, but I
don’t know that it really applies. And to me, sometimes it can teach some bad
habits, too, especially from the quarterback position, S0, back in our drills,
we said, alright, we’re going to revamp our drills, and we made everything
movement-based and trying to make the quarterback uncomfortable, the thought
process being these guys get enough comfortable throws, just standing there in
the pocket, 7-on-7, no rush, this and that, they get plenty of that."<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
words “teach some bad habits … from the quarterback position” hit me harder
than a Malik Hamm sack. Images of QBs dropping back and scanning the field without
fear of being slammed, taking longer than they’d ever have to throw under “live”
conditions against first-team defenses, danced through my head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
then I remembered how often last Saturday, passes in 7-on-7 were incomplete,
which seems almost inconceivable, I thought: Maybe what O’Malley, Troy Fisher,
Cole Northrup and Reed Aichholz really need is to be moving round more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Be, as
Riley put it, “uncomfortable.” Hit receivers on the run. If the receivers
don’t come open, take off and get some yards on your own. And maybe, just maybe, force a defensive player to worry about you and free up your receiver for big yards down the field. I've seen lots of opponents do exactly that to Lafayette's secondary with big results. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That
sent me back to the Lafayette Roster. Consider, Fisher passed for 4,329 yards
and 44 touchdowns and ran for 1,513 yards And 32 touchdowns in high school;
Northrup threw for more than 7,000 yards and 72 TDs; O’Malley passed for 4,199
and 32 TDs and ran for 540 yards and 11 TDs; and Aichholz passed for 4,055
yards and 37 TDs and ran for 1,378 yards and 39 TDs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
also remembered former Lafayette Coach Frank Tavani telling me Northrup
reminded him of ex-Leopard QB Brad Maurer, who led the team to league championships with
his arm and his legs. He threw for 5,114 yards and 28 TDs and ran for 1,209
and 14 TDs as Lafayette won or shared titles in 2004-6. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maybe
they’ve felt a bit confined by an offense that is based more on dropping back
and trying to read the defense’s every nuance. Those quarterbacks achieved much
success during their high school careers; but suddenly, they are mired in offensive
pothole that has swallowed them up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Who
on the Lafayette Sports Fan Forum or in the stands at Fisher hoping for
something different, would not applaud a bold move like putting aside the
pro-style offense of the first two years of the Garrett era and replacing it
with a wide-open, go from broke once in a while, style. Is Garrett capable of
it? Which of the quarterbacks would suddenly bloom?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is anyone capable of it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it worth a try?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Read
those Riley comments again. Or, go to Twitter and search for the video that
grabbed me. Then get back to the drawing board. It’s not too late. The players
might love it, too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-33586847217587945972019-04-23T07:26:00.001-07:002019-04-23T07:26:59.433-07:00Spring football '19: The rest of the story<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">It sounds a lot like a
cliché, but it really isn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“A day like today is tough
because when the defense does well, it means the offense isn’t, and when the
offense does well, the defense is not. Either way, somebody on Lafayette is
going to win. That’s a positive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How we
play is most important. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One fumble, a
couple of tipped passes on which defensive players did the things we’ve been
stressing all spring, not a lot of penalties. Spring ball goes quickly, mainly
because you’re having fun.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">That was Lafayette Coach
John Garrett’s glass-half-full assessment of the final practice of spring
football camp on Saturday. They called it the spring game, but it didn’t have
much of a game look to it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">That’s understandable
because, as I wrote in my story for The Morning Call, the number of players not
taking part (20} was nearly as large as the number of available offensive
players (23, including the kicker and five quarterbacks) and more than the
number of healthy defensive players (18).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The list of “watchers”
starts with running backs Selwyn Simpson, J.J. Younger and Mike Dunn … goes to
o-linemen Jake Marotti, Casey McCollum, Austin Pyne and Taron Hampton … and
tight ends Scott Zadok and Jake Taggart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">That said, I’m giving the
running game pretty much of a pass. Devin On, a walk-on, gave a good effort
running and receiving; tight end-turned RB Ryan Monteyne got what looked like a parting
of the Red Sea late in the day and ripped off an uncontested 55-yard
“touchdown” run.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">So, we still don’t know if
there will be any improvement on the running side, although Marotti, who has
been elected as a captain, did say, “Maybe I’m a little biased but I love
running the ball. We [o-line] have some very good plays and schemes to run the
ball efficiently, but the rest of the guys have to run as well.” He said he
wasn’t pleased with the runs in Saturday’s live periods “because I think we can
play great. It’s little things here or there.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Other missing players on
Saturday were defensive backs Colin Thorne, Jordan Anderson, TayJon Martin,
Caleb Burr, Tre Jordan and Clennie Murphy … linebackers Jack Lamb and Christian
Hollar … d-lineman Ian Grayson … and wide receivers Aziz Diomande and Logan
Whelan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">A couple of those players
figure to be in the mix in the fall, but the defensive players were not missed
Saturday because that group seems to have talent that may be disruptive for
opponents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">New defensive coordinator
Manny Rojas has some active rushers in d-linemen Malik Hamm (who could be the
best in the entire Patriot League), Harrison Greenhill, Keith Earle and
linebackers Major Jordan, Lamb, Ryan Dickens and Billy Shaeffer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">There were lots of tackles
for loss and would have been lots of sacks if QBs had been “live” on Saturday.
Coach Garrett said that pursuing the ball, swarming and generating turnovers
have been points of emphasis in the spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It does appear those guys like to have fun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">But until the Leopards’
defense comes up against a more polished offense, it’s going to be difficult to
say how good they can be. Lafayette gave up 29 points per game a year ago.
Because the offense struggles so much to get points, the defense is constantly
under pressure to carry the big load.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">There was no question that
the major emphasis of the Saturday workout involved <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Lafayette’s handful of
quarterbacks. Garrett continues to express satisfaction with the way the battle
has been going. I was personally disappointed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The theme for the day
seemed to be “safe passes.” Instead of running some plays in which a couple of
talented wide receivers challenged the defensive secondary by throwing down the
field, almost all of the throws were in the “to the flat” or “checkdown”
throws, so completions were for short gains.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Only two meaningful
11-on-11 live sessions were included in the practice. The first was the opening
drive, on which Sean O’Malley was 4-for-7 and took the first unit to the
defense’s 18-yard line. When back-to-back incomplete passes stalled the drive,
Jeffry Kordenbrock, with no defensive players rushing, missed a 35-yard field
goal. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">O’Malley didn’t have
another full-squad series the rest of the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Rising sophomore Troy
Fisher, who, I was told, seemed to have the upper hand in some earlier practices,
was used second on Saturday. He had a 3-and-out series early, and later, he had
a longer series in which he was 4-for-7 passing but for only 15 yards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">If this was to be the day
where Fisher showed his stuff, he came up short. In 7-on-7 action, he threw
eight passes, but five of them were incomplete. He just never seemed
comfortable. It was like he may have been trying too hard because a number of
his throws were over receivers’ heads. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Cole Northrup, who started
out the spring at No. 2, never got a shot in an 11-on-11 situation. He was
9-for-11 in the 7-on-7, including a 26-yarder that was the longest completion
of the day. I was surprised by the restraints put on him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Reed Aichholz didn’t play
at all in the first half, with Shane Davis getting a couple of opportunities. Aichholz
was just 1-for-4. Davis was 4-for-6 in limited action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s really difficult to
tell whether the QB problems are with the throwers or with the play selection. I
don’t recall one play that I would have considered imaginative.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Garrett doesn’t seem to be
in a rush to replace O’Malley as the starter but also doesn’t seem to have done
anything to make him more effective. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">O’Malley threw only four
touchdown passes all last season. It’s scary to think the passing game might be
as futile this fall, but, given all the coaching changes Garrett has had to
deal with during this offseason, the Leopards still seem to lack one major
ingredient – an innovative offensive coordinator who has some authority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Garrett decided to not
even replace his latest departing OC, instead adding that responsibility to his
duties as the head coach. He was calling the plays anyway last season. He has a
new quarterbacks coach in Kort Shankweiler, who has set aside his real estate
career to get back into coaching. Just how much leeway Garrett gives him
remains to be seen. Shankweiler is the son of a 40-year coaching veteran, and
that has to count.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m not sure how much the
film of Saturday’s practice will shape the future thinking of the coaching
staff. One thing is certain: the Leopards look to be a long way from the “Break
Through” type of team Garrett was thinking of when he came up with that motto. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">THE CAPTAINS – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Offensive
tackle Jake Marotti and strong safety Yasir Thomas will be the leaders for this
year’s Leopards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Marotti didn’t practice
all spring after having shoulder surgery, but he said the rehab has been right
on schedule. He expects to be cleared in early June, which will give him time
to prepare for August.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I asked him what his
message would be to the team, and he said, “Keep everyone on board. Stick
together and have the same mindset. When one bad thing happens, some guys put their
head down and get depressed and angry, But, if everyone is on board, the most
important thing will be the next play, the next drive. We’ll have to be ready
to battle through adversity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We will
have some dark times, but you have to see the light and aspire to be great.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The 6-6, 295-pound rising
senior from Ambridge (near Pittsburgh) admitted that “I’ not the most vocal guy
on the whole team,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but I like to lead by
example and with the offensive linemen, I’m very vocal.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Marotti has started 22 games
in a row. He was a Patriot League first team all-star last year, when the
Leopards o-line led the league is fewest sacks and fewest tackles for loss
allowed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">When safety T.J. Jones
suffered a concussion during the 2016 season, Lafayette coaches made a bold
move: They took wide receiver Thomas and put him at safety. Thomas started
against Georgetown and has been in that position ever since.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">After playing his first
three years in jersey #3, he has changed this year to #1, which also seems to
be a perfect fit. He put the word “Tenacity” on his helmet for spring practices
and he told me, “That word is like me and I use it throughout a lot of things
in my life. People where I come from (Paterson, N.J.), they don’t make it to age
21; I just keep that in the back of my head. I thank God for my blessings every
day and I live (tenacity) every day, on and off the field.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Thomas is an animated guy,
as was shown by his reaction Saturday was his name was announced as a captain.
He said he has been working toward this spot since walking off the field as a
34-3 loser to Lehigh last fall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">“It wasn’t my last game,
but it hurt … deeply,” Thomas said. “It made me want to grind and become a
better man.” He said his challenge to his teammates would be “to start strong and
finish strong … believe in yourself and believe in your teammates. As you
become a senior, it kicks in that there’s no one ahead of you. This is my last
year. I will challenge people and I expect them to do the same to me. I love
the chase for perfection.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">THE FINAL WORD – </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Coach Garrett probably would have liked more contact in the final
practice, “but we couldn’t wear them out because we don’t have great depth. We
couldn’t do a lot of pounding. We wanted to get through without injuries, and
we did that, so now it’s a matter of getting our injured players back for the
summer. I was pleased how quickly the defense pick up the new system. The
offense had to mix and match some parts out there. We had some real injuries,
but they will heal.”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-53702647777776305202019-03-25T09:24:00.000-07:002019-03-25T09:24:23.197-07:00Are you ready for some Lafayette football?<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Spring
football camp at Lafayette College begins on Tuesday. Coach John Garrett has
not yet posted a preseason depth chart, but I can almost give him a pass this
time because he has so many new coaches who haven’t had a chance to do any evaluations
yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
can also say this. We can make some calculated guesses based on the starting lineups
from the final game of the 2018 season against Lehigh. No one involved with the
Leopards’ program wants to rehash that game, right? Neither do I.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But,
for the record, Lafayette last-game starters who are back this year are: quarterback
Sean O’Malley; wide receivers Julian Spigner and Nick Pearson; tight end Steve Stilianos;
offensive linemen Jake Marotti, John Burk and Gavin Barclay; defensive linemen
Malik Hamm, Harrison Greenhill and Demetrius Breedlove; linebacker Major Jordan
and defensive backs Yasir Thomas and Eric Mitchell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One
other starter was wide receiver Tim Payne, but the freshman has decided he will
leave Lafayette at the end of the current semester. The last sentence of his “goodbye
note” on Twitter was a bit disconcerting to me. “My next goal is to find a
school where I feel at home, comfortable, and will allow me to excel not only
in track and football, but in life as well,” he wrote.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
thought that’s exactly what the Lafayette experience was supposed to be all about.
In fact, I have always thought the Leopards were student-athletes, not athletic
students. Have great Division I athletics exposure, but also work hard in the
classroom and come away with a degree that will translate to success for a
lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
think Lafayette President Alison Byerly and athletic director Sherryta Freeman
should have a heart-to-heart chat with Payne to determine where things went
wrong for him. He was injured a good part of the football season, but he did
have four catches against Lehigh; then, he had a number of indoor track
performances that were among the best in college history. But that wasn’t
enough for him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
I spoke with Coach Garrett on Sunday, I told him I was surprised by the Payne decision,
and Garrett said, “What are you referring to?” Surely, he already knew because
Payne is not listed on the roster and a note on his Twitter page told the world
about his decision to look for another opportunity, another school. I told Garrett
I had read the note.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“That’s
this day and age,” Garrett said, although I felt he really didn’t want to
discuss it. “With the NCAA transfer rule, you can do that. He hasn’t made any
decision yet, but we can’t stand in his way or anything. Sometimes guys just want
to research other opportunities; we’ll see what happens. It all depends on the
opportunity he gets elsewhere. We just have to deal with it the way they’ve set
it up with the NCAA rules now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It
sounded to me like the coach thought there was still a chance that Payne, if he
didn’t get another suitable offer, might elect to stay at Lafayette. I’m not
saying that’s what Garrett said, just that I took it that way. But I have to
say that that was not the impression I got from Payne’s note.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we’ll see where that goes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">A FACT CHECK<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
we discussed the quarterback situation, Garrett was happy to share the fact
that it would be “open” competition involving Sean O’Malley, Cole Northrup
and Troy Fisher. Then he used the phrase “Just like last year.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Sean
and Cole split time; they had equal reps in spring; they had equal reps during
training camp,” Garrett said. “They came out almost a dead heat and they split
time the first four games of the season. Not many people remember that. They split
time. They were going in series, series, series, and not until Sean’s excellent
performance against Central Connecticut State, where his was 24-for-36, 343
yards and three touchdowns, did he really pull away.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remembered the two then-sophomores playing
in the season opener against Sacred Heart, but thought the whole experiment blew up
shortly after that game. I decided to check.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">According
to the play-by-play charts, against Sacred Heart, O’Malley and Northrup were on
the field for six offensive series each. O’Malley 32 plays, Northrup 28 plays. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
following week, against Delaware, O’Malley had seven offensive series to four
for Northrup. Thirty-seven plays for O’Malley; 13 for Northrup. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But
the situation turned. Against Monmouth, Northrup didn’t play. Zero series. O’Malley
was on the field for all 10 series, including touchdown drives of 12 and 15
plays – the latter 96 yards. Sixty-four offensive plays. In Week 4 against
Colgate, O’Malley ran the offense the first 10 series; Northrup got one throw-away
series in the fourth quarter. Forty-eight plays for O’Malley, six for Northrup.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In
the Central Connecticut State game, which produced Garrett’s first non-conference
victory, O’Malley did have his best game of the season. The stats: 30-for-41,
328 yards, 1 touchdown. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Just sayin'.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">WALKING WOUNDED<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s
inevitable that spring practice is played with a small number of players
because you’ve got only three classes instead of four. But then you have any
number of players who are still rehabbing from offseason surgeries or have
other ailments that will keep them from performing at 100 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Garrett
said he didn’t have the actual count from the training staff (he said he expected that today), but he did share
the following list of players who are presently on the not-ready list.
Offensive tackle <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jake Marotti,</b>
shoulder injury; offensive tackle <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Austin
Pyne,</b> unspecified; tight end <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jake
Taggart,</b> ankle surgery; defensive lineman <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ian Grayson,</b> shoulder surgery; defensive back <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TayJon Martin,</b> unspecified; defensive back <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jordan Anderson,</b> wrist; wide receiver <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Aziz Diamonde,</b> hip; defensive back <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Eric Mitchell,</b> both shoulders. Garrett said Mitchell is “progressing
pretty well” and might take part in some contact situations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">THE ROSTER<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Six
players will be changing numbers this season. They are: Yasir Thomas, going
from #4 to #1; TayJon Martin, going from #21 to #2; Keith Earle, going from #92
to #9; Billy Shaeffer, going from #81 to #21; Jack Lamb, going from #59 to #45;
and Ed Rogowski, going from #54 to #56 … The roster includes two walk-ons who
are already in school. They are running back Devon On and offensive lineman Eli
Rouse … Kevin Hutchinson will be switching from linebacker to defensive
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zadok Scott, who started out as a
wide receiver, is now a tight end. … I did not yet have a depth chart, so I tried
to think of some new way to show the roster. I decided to break it down by position
and secondarily, by class. It is not intended to be a depth chart because it
shows seniors first, then juniors and sophomores. The incoming freshmen are in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BOLD. </b>It proved to me to be an
interesting way to see how many players are listed, by position group. So, here
it is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">QUARTERBACKS</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sean O’Malley, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cole Northrup, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Reed Aichholz, Jr <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Shane Davis, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Troy Fisher, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Keegan
Shoemaker, John Paci<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">RUNNING BACKS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mike Dunn, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Selwyn Simpson, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>J.J. Younger, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Devon On, So. (walk-on)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jaden
Sutton, John Gay IV<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">OFFENSIVE LINEMEN<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jake Marotti, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Colin Bradley, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">John Burk, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Taron Hampton, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Gavin Barclay, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Austin Pyne, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mike Hughes, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Casey McCollum, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Joe Grundhoffer, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Matt Fiume, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Joshua Roberts, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ben Wild, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eli Rouse, So. (walk-on)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Alex
Barshaba, Nathan Slater<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">WIDE RECEIVERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Nick Pearson, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Julian Spigner, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jake Liedka, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Quinn Revere, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Michael Moriarty, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Logan Whelan, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Aziz Diomande, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dan
Byrnes, Ryan Dengler, Joe Gillette, Jordan Hull, K.J. Rodgers, Chris Webb,
Julius Young.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">TIGHT END-FULLBACK<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Blake Meyer, Sr.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ryan Monteyne, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jake Taggart, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Zadok Scott, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Christian
Rollinson<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DEFENSIVE BACKS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Yasir Thomas, Sr<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tre Jordan, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Eric Mitchell, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kevin Hutchinson, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Colin Thorne, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Otis Thrasher, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Clennie Murphy, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Jordan Anderson, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">TayJon Martin, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Romeo Wykle, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Tessema Haskins, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Caleb Burr, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Joe Egan, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Daron
Gilbert <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">LINEBACKERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jack Lamb, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ryan Dickens, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Major Jordan, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Billy Shaeffer, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ty Hranicka, So. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Christian Hollar, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Blamassi
Meite, Marco Olivas, Luke Ragone, Brian Reilly, Jyaire Stevens, <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">KICKERS-PUNTERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Jeffrey Kordenbrock, Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ryan
O’Hara<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">DEFENSIVE LINEMEN<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Keith Earle, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Ryan Barnett, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Demetrius Breedlove, Sr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Harrison Greenhill, Jr <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Malik Hamm, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ian Grayson, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Colin Hurlbrink, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tristan
Tritt, Damon Washington</b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">LONG SNAPPERS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Stewart Hackleman, Sr. (also DL)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ed Rogowski, So.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-68965174953675595502018-12-19T08:51:00.001-08:002018-12-19T08:51:52.374-08:00On early signing day, a look back at the 2018 Leopards<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">These
cannot be the happiest of times in Lafayette College’s Bourger Varsity Football
House, despite the rose-colored-glasses approach head football coach John
Garrett took in a recent letter sent to supporters of the football program.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jack
Bourger, one of the football program’s biggest boosters in many ways for a long
time, told me he didn’t receive the letter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">What’s
wrong with that picture? Plenty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Offensive
line coach Gordon Sammis, who would get my vote for Lafayette 2018 Coach of the
Year for football for the job he has done with the big guys up front, has resigned
and taken the same position on the staff at William and Mary.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
rumor mill includes others who may leave, but there is no confirmation from the
college. Sports information director Phil LaBella told me he often learns about
coaches leaving only when the next college -- in Sammis’ case, W&M – call
requesting biographical information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ve
also heard some grapevine chatter about movement from within the ranks of the
players. I have no first-hand knowledge right now, but the first semester is
ended, so if players are moving, word should be getting out. Perhaps some are
waiting to see if they can attract any scholarship offers. A transferring
player might become public knowledge as NCAA Divisi0n I’s early signing
period begins today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
is also the day Coach Garrett will tell us who he and his staff have in the
Leopards’ den for 2019. Garrett told Mike Joseph during a recent interview on
the Lafayette Sports Network that he had “six verbal commits” and that he is
intentionally holding some of his scholarships back for what he called “BCS
quality players that don’t have a home.” He said he doesn’t want only players
who think the best they can do is FCS football, but those who are “on the cusp”
with FBS recruits.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
mention all these things to say that I haven’t given my final thoughts on the
2018 Leopards. The season ended on such a low note on Nov. 17 that I just
wanted to get away from things for a while, but with the 2019 early signing day
upon us, I figured I’d better take care of the loose ends. The second
anniversary of the announcement of Garrett’s hiring is less than a week away,
too. So, here we go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">THE HEAD COACH’S REPORTS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Coach
Garrett’s season-in-review letter to alumni supporters looked to me like a
final-exam writing assignment given to him by athletic director Sherryta Freeman.
Masters of rhetoric, those two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
can just see them meeting and Sherryta telling John to tell ‘em how great it is
to be a part of Lafayette football … how you couldn’t do it without their money
… about how you’re looking forward to the offseason … not satisfied, but
motivated … about those great 2018 achievements … introduce the slogan for 2019
… invite ‘em to a party or two … in fact, invite ‘em to drop in to your office anytime
and have a chat; no need to call … wish ‘em a Merry Christmas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oh,
and keep it to around 615 words. Words like, “The best is yet to come!” … “We
improved this season in many ways.” … “Thank you for you (sic) love and
devotion …” … “We will ‘Break Through’ in 2019!” … “Even if we beat Lehigh, we
are in the same place we are now …” In other words, say a lot without really
telling us much of anything we don’t already know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Also,
while speaking to Mike Joseph at the half of a recent women’s basketball game,
Garrett had another chance to talk about 2018 and 2019. He mentioned “three
great wins” … “two Patriot League road wins” … “building something special
here” … reminded us that Sean O’Malley was once a walk-on freshman who became the
starting quarterback … teased us about QB competition next spring involving
O’Malley, Cole Northrup, Troy Fisher “and anyone who proves worthy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
letter and the interview hit all the high notes and pretty much avoided the low
ones. Even what may well have been the lowest -- that 34-3 fiasco against
Lehigh. Coach did mention it – wrote in his letter that “No one was more
shocked, angry and sad that we lost to Lehigh than me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
shock and anger weren’t the emotions he showed or mentioned during the postgame
press conference. I don’t think I’ll ever forget him saying, “It’s one football
game. It doesn’t define us. It won’t define the program. It’s one football game
…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of what he said in that
answer didn’t matter because the only thing I could think was that he didn’t yet
understand the full significance of the rivalry yet. And this at the end of a
year in which he used “Be Significant” as the team credo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">One
thing he did say was, “We were not ready to play and I take full responsibility
for that.” I thought he was going to elaborate; but instead, he said, “We had a
good week of practice; the guys knew what was at stake, but this comes down to
them (Lehigh) playing better than us in every aspect of the game.” That was hyperbolic
understatement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
jumped on that one. “How could they not be ready for Lehigh?” I asked. He said,
“Well, I don’t think they weren’t ready. They just didn’t play well up to their
capabilities.” I thought, now what am I supposed to say. If the Leopards were
ready to play, Garrett is off the hook in the blame game. Personally, I think
he nailed it in his initial statement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Are
you embarrassed by the number of unsportsmanlike penalties and that kind of
thing that your team was hit with today?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I asked. “Well, I don’t think that’s the right word. We just keep
emphasizing to be the right kind of guy and keep your poise. The game was
chippy all game and we need to be able to keep your composure.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’m
not a Leopard insider, but even I was embarrassed while watching the team lose
its poise in the biggest game of the year. And, in talking to some alumni since
the game, I haven’t heard one tell the penalties were a positive. After the
first one, someone should have made sure the players knew that those penalties
were unacceptable, chippy or not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maybe
the T-shirt slogan for 2019 should be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LEHIGH:
</b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 28.0pt;">ONE</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> FOOTBALL GAME</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 28.0pt;">?</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">on the front and </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 28.0pt;">NO! </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">on
the back. If there is anyone left in Lafayette Nation – and I know there is
because I do look at the Lafayette Sports Fan Forum – Garrett will not be
permitted to forget that if the Leopards had just one game they could win in
Garrett’s third season, it had better be the one against the enemy from South
Bethlehem. For the record, that has happened only once. In 1945, the 0-7-1
Leopards defeated Lehigh 7-0. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
his Lafayette Sports Network chat with Joseph, Coach Garrett talked about
“signature wins on the road” at Bucknell and Fordham as some of the positive
aspects for the 2018 season. He also called them and the victory over Central
Connecticut State “three great wins.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">There
is no question that Lafayette needed those victories over Bucknell and Fordham
– by a total of six points. The most impressive aspect of those games was the
ground game … 280 yards rushing against the Rams, 138 against the Bison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
signature wins? And “great strides”? Huh-uh. Fordham finished 2-9, Bucknell
1-10 for the season. They played a combined 11 home games; they were 0-11.
Those two teams were fifth and seventh in the league in total offense (Fordham
119<sup>th</sup> and the Bucknell a dead last 124<sup>th </sup>in the NCAA
Football Championship Subdivision).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Georgetown was sixth in total offense (121<sup>st</sup> in the FCS), but
Lafayette not only didn’t defeat the Hoyas, it didn’t even score a touchdown. And
Lehigh was dead last in the league in total defense, and we all know how well
Lafayette exploited that weakness, don’t we?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">CCSU
had a 6-5 season, so it’s understandable that Garrett would put emphasis on the
31-24 victory that came on a C.J. Amill 23-yard touchdown run with 33 seconds
left in the fourth quarter. It was also Garrett’s first win against a
non-league opponent. But it wasn’t a momentum-changer because O’Malley never
had a better game – and that one came in the season’s first month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">And,
as far as “building something special here,” I don’t think that was obvious to
most who followed the Leopards. Garrett’s motto for 2018 was “Be Significant.”
But the Leopards lost games by 45, 37, 31, 29 and 26 points. So, as good as the
defense was on several occasions, it still has a long way to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Coach
Garrett never mentioned the Army West Point game in either his interview with
Joseph or in his letter to supporters. That 31-13 loss, in which the defense
was far better than it was two years earlier in a 62-7 drubbing, may have been
one of their best efforts. The 10-2 Black Knights controlled the game, for
sure, but they had to know they were in a fight from the Leopards’ defense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Garrett’s
letter gave interested alumni and fans a peek at the coach’s rhetoric for 2019:
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BREAK THROUGH.</b> Right now, though, everyone
is still waiting to see what the team is going to look like in the spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">WHERE DO WE START?</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">It
seems pretty obvious that the starting point has to be the quarterback
position. Garrett reminded Joseph, as though he had never heard it before,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>how QBs often get too much credit for wins
and too much blame for losses. Well, I’m not in the blame-all-on-O’Malley camp,
because I think he’s doing exactly what the head coach has told him to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">If
Sean doesn’t have the tools needed to make the entire offense work, it’s up to
the man calling the shots to do what he’s being paid to do. Allow offensive
coordinator-QBs coach John Van Dam to work up to his job description. Change
the starter for the spring practice period, thus allowing the new guy to get
into some kind of groove. Also, make some changes to the offensive schemes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
other words, try Northrup as the starter – if he sticks around. With two more
QBs entering the battle in the 2019 recruiting class by signing on today, what kind of
message is Northrup getting – or Fisher, or even Aichholz? Garrett has had two
years of being the champion for O’Malley. Sean exchanged the five pick-sixes of
his freshman season (he had only two in 2018) for an anemic four touchdown
passes in his sophomore year (he had 12 in 2017). Garrett continues to support
him, but the results beg the question: Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
would not be surprised at all if, after looking at Brycen Mussina’s successful
transfer to Shippensburg -- 254-for-431, 21 interceptions, 3,376 yards, 32
touchdowns, 306.91 ypg, a 142.80 rating, freshman of the year in the PSAC
Eastern Division – as many as three of the present five QBs decided to do the
same and have fun both going to school playing football again. Brycen never got
a shot from Coach Garrett. Nice going, Brycen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Coach
Garrett told Joseph that he is recruiting a “potential starter” at quarterback
every year. It’s time to have a real “no incumbents” competition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">WHO’S BACK, WHO’S NOT?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Another
four-touchdown season from the passing game in 2019 would very likely lead to
many more unhappy endings. Nonleague games are against William & Mary (4-6 in
2018), Monmouth (8-3), Sacred Heart (7-4), Albany (3-8), Penn (6-4) and
Princeton (10-0). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">For
the first time since 2002, the Leopards are playing a 12-game schedule, seven
on the road. Here it is, without starting times that are yet to be determined. It’s
interesting that the last addition, Albany, is the opponent that had the worst
2018 record. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Aug.
31 – at William & Mary<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sept.
7 – at Monmouth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sept.
14 – SACRED HEART<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sept.
21 – at Albany<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sept.
28 – PENN<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oct.
5 – Bye<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oct.
12 – at Princeton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oct.
19 – at Georgetown<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Oct.
26 – BUCKNELL<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nov.
2 – FORDHAM<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nov.
9 – at Holy Cross<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nov.
16 – COLGATE<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Nov.
23 – at Lehigh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Lafayette
graduates 21 players in 2019 and despite the fact that they won only nine games
in four years, some of them are going to be missed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">On
offense, C.J. Amill did so much in his 41 college games. He wound up his career
with 742 yards rushing, 499 yards receiving, 1,858 yards returning 88 kickoffs,
and 79 yards returning punts. And, he scored touchdowns in each of those four
areas. That’s a career total of 3,178 yards, which got pretty much lost because
of the losses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Selwyn
Simpson and Mike Dunn are the leading returnees at running back but had only
four touchdowns between them in 2018. Nick Pearson was the leading pass
receiver with 41 catches and 592 yards – but no touchdowns. Quinn Revere and
Julian Spigner also caught more passes this year than Amill did; and J.J.
Younger amassed 512 yards on kickoff returns and provided and produced the
season’s best moment with a 95-yard touchdown. None of the returning players
has ever returned a punt in his career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Up
front on offense, Kevin Zataveski, a three-year starter who was named the
team’s offensive MVP, and Logan Grieser, who missed one whole season and parts
of his other three years but who started 19 games and wound up being honored
for his perseverance and courage, must be replaced. But having every-game
starters Jake Marotti, John Burk and Gavin Barclay back is a great start. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>number of freshmen got playing time and should
be ready to step up, but it remains to be seen how the change in o-line coach –
from Sammis to Christian Pace – will work out. The o-line was the area of
greatest improvement and that must continue. The guys allowed only 15 sacks in
all of the ’18 campaign. At tight end, Jake Taggart, who started the first four
games before being injured, should return, but he’ll have to beat out rising
sophomore Steve Stilianos, who made a nice debut, even though it only consisted
of 14 catches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jerry
Powe was named the team’s most valuable defensive player, and that may have
been more a testament to his four years, 43 games, mark of 259 tackles than of his
senior season of 67 stops. Michael Root, who was a fifth-year player, played in
45 games in his career and had 252 tackles. Defensive end Andrew Chuma, who
excelled in the classroom as well as stepped up large during his senior year on
the field, will be missed, as will safety Trent Crossan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">There
is plenty of reason for feeling good about the defense if Coach Garrett can
hang on to defensive coordinator Luke Thompson. Malik Hamm, the Patriot
League’s defensive rookie of the year and freshman All-American, easily could
have been selected as the top defensive player on the team with 8.5 sacks and
15 tackles for loss among his 58 stops. With the likes of rising seniors
Harrison Greenhill, Demetrius Breedlove and Keith Earle returning on the line as
well as linebacker Major Jordan and defensive backs Yasir Thomas, Eric Mitchell
and Tre Jordan, the outlook is bright.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">But
the new linebackers and experienced d-backs need to step up because in 2018,
opposing teams converted 47 percent of their third-down plays and 73 percent of
fourth-down attempts. Those aren’t winning numbers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">MY BEST LEOPARDS IN 2018<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">DEFENSIVE
PLAYER</span></u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> –
Malik Hamm. I can’t believe he could be voted the league’s best rookie and not
get a spot on the all-league team. He has a great upside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">OFFENSIVE
PLAYER</span></u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> –
C.J. Amill. He really worked hard for everything he got. He took a beating but
kept getting up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">MOST
IMPROVED DEFENSIVE PLAYER</span></u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> – Major Jordan. He had only three tackles in his freshman
season but was third best on the team with 66 this year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">MOST
IMPROVED OFFENSIVE PLAYER</span></u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;"> – Quinn Revere. He had no catches while playing in eight
games as a freshman, but he had 38 this season for 336 yards. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">MOST
IMPROVED POSITION GROUP </span></u><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">– Offensive line. Two of the four longest gains of the season
were on running plays – 1 58-yarder by Amill and a 51-yarder by Simpson. But
the biggest improvement was in pass defense, with only 15 sacks. Also, fewer
pre-snap penalties. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;">THE REST OF THE STORY</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
the “great strides” or “building something special” department Coach Garrett
has been referring, to, consider these comparisons:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: 12 TDs, 15 interceptions, 179 ypg, 104.74 rating (the 2017 stats for
Sean O’Malley) … or 4 TDs, 12 interceptions, 158 ypg, 93.97 rating (his 2018
stats)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: A 10-7 victory over Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. (2017) or a 31-24
victory over Central Connecticut State (2018)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: two games in which you did not score a TD (2017) or five games in
which you did not score a TD (2018)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: a 3-3 league record (2017) or a 2-4 league record (2018)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: 15 pass interceptions by the defense (2017) or five pass
interceptions (2018)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: two fumbles lost (2017) … eight fumbles lost (2018)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: 19 sacks and 52 TFL (2017) or 21 sacks and 58 TFL (2018)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: 430 yards, 4 TDs rushing (2017) or 960 yards, 11 TDs rushing (2018)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: 17 giveaways (2017) … or 21 giveaways (in 2018)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">Which
is better: 23 takeaways (in 2017) … or 9 takeaways (in 2018).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-64371412621857875662018-11-20T17:32:00.000-08:002018-11-21T10:17:36.898-08:00Lafayette-Lehigh: How big was that first play?<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Neither
Lafayette nor Lehigh had any positive momentum going into Saturday’s football
game in Fisher Stadium, so it makes sense to me that the team that could get an
upper hand the quickest would have a distinct advantage.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">But
Leopards coach John Garrett didn’t agree with me at the postgame press
conference when I brought up the first play from scrimmage, on which Lehigh’s defensive-line
rush, Julian Lynn stripped the ball from Lafayette quarterback Sean O’Malley
and Lehigh’s Davis Maxie caught it and ran for a 43-yard defensive touchdown.
It put the visitors’ side in a frenzy.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
approached the play with the premise that you could have made a lot of money in
Las Vegas if you placed a bet that a defensive end’s first-play touchdown would
end up giving Lehigh more points than Lafayette would score all day.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
play was so bizarre to me that I stumbled around to find the best words to say
to Garrett, who finally asked me, “What’s your question?”</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
admitted, “I don’t know. I’m not sure. I just watched it and …”</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And
Garrett interjected, “Do you want me to tell you about the play?”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I
acquiesced, and he said, “It was just a freak play. The left tackle got beat on
the play on an inside move. (O’Malley) got hit; the ball went up in the air.
(Maxie) caught it and ran it in. So, it’s a freak play.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
agreed with that simple explanation. I don’t agree with what he said next.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It’s
7-0, but that really didn’t have anything to do with the result of the game.
There’s 14 minutes and 49 (actually 41) seconds to go in the first quarter, so
(we) just gotta be able to respond and keep playing.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">My
take is that the play by Lynn and Maxie had plenty to do with the game. Both
teams were undoubtedly on adrenaline overload at the time. But when those two
d-linemen delivered that blow, only one team could possibly remain on that pregame
high. Lehigh. In fact, those kids in white uniforms were higher than ever,
while the kids in Maroon had to be deflated. Big time.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Consider
what happened in the next few minutes. First, Lafayette’s offense went
3-and-out and punted, after which Lehigh drove 78 yards for a field goal. Then
Lafayette went 3-and-out again, only to have a wild center snap on a punt sail
over the head of punter Jacob Bissell, who fell on the ball at the 1-yard line.
On second down, Dom Bragalone scored a touchdown.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lehigh
17, Lafayette 0. And, still 6:42 left in the first period.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sure,
lots of playing time still remained; but Lehigh must have felt invincible by
that time.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">“What
they were able to do is they responded well to the events of the game; they
executed,” Garrett said. “They played well on defense; they were able to drive
the ball and score, and they played better than us in every aspect of the game.
They outexecuted us. Give all the credit to Lehigh. They were harder to beat.
They generated more explosive plays; they created turnovers, so it’s real easy
to see what happened. Just stay factual. So, there’s really no magic
psychological analysis; it’s just they played better.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Coach
Garrett talked earlier in the week about his team’s resiliency. But on
Saturday, that resiliency was neutralized by a Lehigh team that wanted the win
more. And Garrett was left to say, “That’s going to serve as great motivation
for our football team to have a great offseason and continue to show signs of
improvement like we did all year.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">He
said the Leopards were not ready to play and that he was to blame for that, but
he insisted that his team will “not be defined by that one game. That’s was not
us. It’s one game that we didn’t play well.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
this one game happened to be against the team you want most to beat. Winning is
magnified when it comes to this game. It’s important not only to the record or
to the alumni or to the college, it’s also important for what’s coming up now
for Garrett and his staff. Lafayette seems to be lagging well behind some
Patriot League schools when it comes to verbal commitments, and the early
signing period is coming quickly – one month from today. That game on Saturday
couldn‘t have played well in the minds of some student-athletes who are being
recruited by both Lafayette and Lehigh.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here
are a few other left over season-ending tidbits.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">THE LEHIGH GAME STATS – </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The Leopards had only one
running play of more than 10 yards (a 15-yarder by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Selwyn Simpson</b>). The Lehigh defense was porous against the run all
season, but Lafayette didn’t attack it hard. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">C.J. Amill</b> had just 52 yards on 13 carries … The Leopards had only two
of what Coach Garrett calls “explosive plays” in the pass game (gains of 15
yards or more) and there were several key drops. The most crucial was on
O’Malley’s best throw of the day, to freshman <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tim Payne</b> on the final play of the first half. The ball went off Payne’s
hands in the end zone. A catch was a touchdown. … <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">J.J. Younger</b> had kickoff returns of 36 and 42 yards to give the
Leopards excellent field position, but the offense was unable to get any points
after those run … <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sean O’Malley’s </b>passed
for 162 yards, making it the eighth time in 11 games he was under 200 yards. He
finished the year with four TDs and 12 interceptions … <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Malik Hamm</b> had a sack to finish the season with 8.5. The freshman
d-end had sacks in six of the 11 games. … another d-end, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Billy Shaeffer</b> had the first pass interception of his career and
the only Lafayette pick in the game …</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">THE PENALTIES – </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The two teams combined for
174 yards in penalties – Lehigh 80, Lafayette 94. Two of the flags against
Lehigh were for sideline interference, and offensive line coach Donnie Roberts
admitted after the game he was guilty of both – one on the first-play fumble
fumble-return touchdown, the other when Riley O’Neil blocked a punt. Lehigh
also had three unsportsmanlike conducts … Lafayette had three unsportsmanlike
conducts and two personal fouls among its calls, and when I asked Coach
Garrett, “Were you embarrassed by the number of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties
and other things (facemask, holding)?” he said, “Well, I don’t think that’s the
right word. We emphasize be the right kind of guy and keep your poise. The game
was chippy all game. All of us need to keep our composure.” … Lehigh had the
ball for less than 10 minutes in the first half but almost 21 in the second
half … Lafayette has now lost four in a row to Lehigh and has not defeated the
Brown and White at Fisher since 2006, the year they completed a three-peat of
Patriot League titles. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">2013 CHAMPIONS … AND A
FUMBLE – </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Frank
Tavani’s last Patriot League championship team, which rallied behind
quarterback Drew Reed to win in 2013 by routing Lehigh 50-28, was saluted as
part of its five-year reunion. The college missed the boat, however, when it
failed to invite Tavani, who now lives in Lebanon but undoubtedly would have
loved to see the guys again. Tavani texted me that he felt “bad for my guys
(the current juniors and seniors on the 2018 team) after the loss to Lehigh.
Great to chat briefly with guys like Mark Ross, Ross Scheuerman, Luke
Chiarolanzkio, and Brad Bormann. The list of attendees also included Collin
Albershardt, Alex Alford, Matt Andrews, Shane Black, Mike Boles, Robin Cepeda,
James Coscia, Darrell Crawford, Pat Crosby, Dan Dellovade, Robert DePietro,
Demetrius Dixon, Shane Dorner, Ryan </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Forrester,
Matt Gill, Brandon Hall, Toussaint Helm, Johnathon Hoffman, Draeland James, Ben
Jeannot,. Greg Kessel, Andy Labudev, John Lang, Skyler Lash, Rand Lewis,
Randall Logan, Kyle Mayfield, Zach Mazur, Garrett McNally, Jake McTighe, Steve
Mercado, David Miller, Max Ngolla, John Poetzsch, Tyler Robinson, Matt
Rothrock, Zach Schnitzer, Matt Smalley, Duncan Sparks, Connor Staudle, Tim
Vangelas, Tyrus White, Darren Wright, Nick Zataveski.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">ANGUS EVANS: NOSE GUARD – </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">I didn’t get to mention
this prior to the Lehigh game, but Evans, a 6-5 275-pound senior who was a high
school quarterback and a college tight end and who never played a down on
defense, took the “next man in” thing to another level when, two days before
Lafayette’s game at Army West Point, defensive coordinator Luke Thompson asked
him if he would be willing to fill in at nose guard when the defensive line got
a bit thin. Evans, who has the look of a d-lineman and who had been buried deep
in the offensive depth chart, jumped at the chance. He got 10 snaps against the
Cadets and called the experience “awesome. I’d do anything (Coach Thompson)
asked me to do.” Angus started a couple of games as a freshman, played in every
game as a sophomore but missed his junior year because of a preseason leg injury.
He got only one snap against Lehigh. He played in seven games and had only one
catch in 2018. But the experience at Army was one he’ll never forget. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></b></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">EXTRA POINTS –</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"> A terrific trio of Matt
Mrazek, Dylan Wadsworth and Rocco Palumbo wandered around together greeting
lots of alums. I told the three of them they could try suiting up – but
probably would not have any balls thrown their way. Their old numbers were
busy, however.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Tim Payne, </b>wearing Mrazek’s #17, caught four passes; <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Steven Stilianos</b>, wearing Wadsworth’s
#89, caught two; and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nick Pearson, </b>wearing
Palumbo’s #6, had three catches and also ran the ball four times. I continue to
find it interesting that, in one of its fund-raising ads, then freshman Mrazek
is featured making his touchdown catch against Lehigh in Yankee Stadium … <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>It was a busy week at Lafayette in many ways. On
Friday night, the college took in its last Hall of Fame class. I’m sorry I
missed that celebration, because a bunch of the players from two teams I saw a
lot of around the turn of the century were on hand for their teams’ induction.
The Brian Ehlers-Tim Bieg-Tyson Whitfield-Stefan Ciosici-Brian Burke et al years
were terrific fun. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">LEAGUE HONORS -- Malik Hamm</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> was named Patriot League Rookie of the Year
early this week. Nice honor for him after finishing with 8.5 sacks, 13.5
tackles for loss and 58 total tackles. Teams paid a lot of attention to him
late in the season, but he was a factor every time out. He was also a
second team all-star. The league's first all-star team included
fullback <b>Will Eisler (second time), </b>offensive tackle <b>Jake
Marotti</b> and return specialist <b>C.J. Amill. </b>Amill also
was named a second-team running back. Linebacker <b>Jerry Powse </b>waas
named first team defense. Other second-team picks included wide receiver <b>Nick
Pearson, </b>center <b>Kevin Zataveski, </b>linebacker <b>Michael
Root </b>and defensive back <b>Yasir Thomas. </b>The academic
all-league team also was announced and included safety Trent Crossan and
defensive end Andrew Chuma. Congrats to all those guys. The annual football
awards dinner for the Leopards is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 9.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-90743005953975528802018-11-16T12:47:00.001-08:002018-11-16T12:47:29.156-08:002018 in review: not a lot of positive memories<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Oe-wFfzws_gOc49EQKuHE2kn1ESA7Ms1u4G_Rm0CcREvDX5k2JDBm0BJ_JGjSrjQGJM5MFOSnhbWIdL_4Fxq6aWeleGuvi6I0a0lV6_uVkuH0i73HRibLzjFLvTWQQiLiSvZoCW3G5Jd/s1600/DO2F1017%255B11245%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1600" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Oe-wFfzws_gOc49EQKuHE2kn1ESA7Ms1u4G_Rm0CcREvDX5k2JDBm0BJ_JGjSrjQGJM5MFOSnhbWIdL_4Fxq6aWeleGuvi6I0a0lV6_uVkuH0i73HRibLzjFLvTWQQiLiSvZoCW3G5Jd/s320/DO2F1017%255B11245%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">J.J. Younger scored the season's first TD on a 95-yard kickoff return (Photo courtesy of Lafayette College).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Did you know that that seven of Lafayette’s 10 previous
opponents this season – including all five non-league foes – have winning
records going into games this weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Coach John Garrett mentioned the difficult
non-league schedule his team faced this year – Army is currently 8-3, Delaware
and Monmouth 7-4 and Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut. I’m not going to get
into a ton of research, but I don’t remember a year when the OOC opponents were
this good as a group.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Here’s a brief game-by-game recap. Because after
the second game, Coach Garrett told the media, “If both (Sean O’Malley and Cole
Northrup) continue to play at the starter level, they’ll continue to get reps.”
Alas, at a time when we thought they were going to share responsibilities <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to take advantage of their differing talents, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the competition almost disappeared for the
rest of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">O’Malley had one of his real disappointing games of
the 2017 season against Lehigh. He was 6-for-18 for 43 yards. It was hard to
watch. He didn’t play at a “starter level” that day, but there was no
substitution. He has thrown for only three touchdowns this year while being intercepted
11 times. In two seasons, he has 15 touchdown passes and 26 interceptions.
Seven of those picks have been returned for touchdowns. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sacred
Heart 35 (6-4),</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Leopards 6 – The Leopards gave the appearance of a
real quarterback competition when they used both Sean O’Malley and Cole
Northrup in the opener, but neither was effective. Northrup got three series in
the second quarter and two in the fourth, and that would be the most play he
would get all season. Two Jacob Bissell field goals provided the only Lafayette
points, while Sacred Heart rolled up 407 yards of offense <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Delaware
37 (7-3), </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Leopards 0 – The Leopards managed just 118 yards of
total offense, and the Blue Hens scored on five of six red-zone opportunities
while winning for the 14<sup>th</sup> straight time in the series. Lafayette
was minus-18 yards on her ground on just 11 plays. Northrup got minimal playing
time in the rout – two series early in the game and two after it was 37-0. He
was 1-for-4 passing and was the team’s leading rusher for the day with seven yards
– shows how dominant the Blue Hens were.</span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Monmouth
24 (7-3)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">, Leopards 20 – The Leopards scored their first TD
of the season, but it didn’t come from the offense; it came on J.J. Younger’s
95-yard kickoff return. Lafayette led 20-15 at the half but was shut down in
the second half. Monmouth had too many big plays and rolled up 528 yards of
offense.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Colgate
45 (9-0),</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Leopards 0 – The Leopards failed to score a
touchdown for the third time in four games, and this timer they contributed to
the Raiders’ attack by permitting them to turn three turnovers into scores.
Northrup played only one series for the Leopards and it came with 6:16 left in
the game after Colgate had scored all its points. He was 4-for-5, including a
28-yard hookup with Jake Liedtke.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Leopards 31, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Central
Conn. 24 (6-4)</b> – C.J. Amill rushed for two touchdowns and ran back a punt
for another score as the Leopards won their first non-conference game in John
Garrett’s tenure as head coach. Quarterback O’Malley had his best game of the
season, throwing for 328 yards and 30 completions on 41 attempts. Chris
Granjean had the first catches of his career – six of them for 104 yards.
Jeffrey Kordenbrock replaced Bissell as Lafayette’s kicker.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Georgetown
13 (5-5),</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Leopards 6 – Leopard wide receiver Nick Pearson
had career highs for pass receptions (10) and yards (140), but Lafayette was
held without a touchdown again while the Hoyas made 13 second-quarter points
stand up for the win. Kordenbrock booted a pair of 40-yard field goals for
Lafayette. O’Malley was intercepted three times and sacked four times and
completed less than half his p49 passes for 250 yards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Leopards
29, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bucknell (1-9) 27 –</b> The Leopards
finally got their running game going, getting 138 yards on 42 plays. Five
different players got into the scoring column for Lafayette, which limited the
Bison to minus-2 yards rushing for the day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Leopards
21, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fordham (1-9) 13 –</b> With heavy
winds and rain making passing almost impossible, the Leopards went to the run
and gained a season-high 280 yards on 58 plays, with both Amill and Selwyn
Simpson gaining more than 100 yards. Meanwhile, Fordham had minus-20 yards on
the ground in Lafayette’s best defensive effort. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Holy
Cross 40 (4-6), </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Leopards 14 – The Leopards had 15 minutes of
positive momentum – and 14 points – but then gave up 40 consecutive points in
the middle periods, outgaining them 342-71 to turn he game into a rout. The
best play of the day for the Leopards was Amill’s season-long 58-yard run for a
touchdown. O’Malley an interception, two sacks and only 156 yards passing, but
he went all the way until, in the middle of the final series, Northrup was
inserted. He ran one play, fumbled and recovered it. Felt really bad for Northrup;
no good reason to make a switch there. I saw it as an insult to Northrup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Army
West Point 31 (8-2), </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Leopards 13 – Army ran the ball on 57 of its 63
plays and defeated the Leopards for the 18<sup>th</sup> straight time.
Kordenbrock’s two field goals and a TD pass from O’Malley to Will Eisler
accounted for the only Lafayette points. The Cadets never trailed but didn’t
pull away until the second half.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><b>NOTABLE QUOTABLES</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><b>COACH GARRETT ON THE LEHIGH GAME</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">"What
you do is go back to history and relate to players how important it is to the
community and to former players. There’s a great tradition here that throughout
the week I get emails from former players wishing us luck, sharing
memories and, like I did last year, I share some of those with the
team. That resonates with them. (The former players) remember these plays
and years that they played the game vividly, and that helps. (This year's players)
have their own memories they talk about recent history as well. … they know
it's the longest played rivalry; they know it’s the greatest rivalry in college
football, everybody knows what's at stake."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">POWE, AMILL ON COMING TO THE END OF THEIR CAREER</b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jerry Powe -- </span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">"Not<b> </b>only
this week, but the last couple week, I’ve been taking everything in and
appreciating Tuesday practice and Wednesday practice, enjoying everything. I’ve
been blessed to do this for four years; I’m excited, but at the same time, it
is my last week, so, I just want to make everything out of it and give what I
can to prepare for this game."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">C.J. Amill -- </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I'm taking
everything in, from putting the helmet on, coming for meetings, even just water
breaks on sidelines… really taking in every moment because it’s the last game.
You never know how quickly it will come. That we’re here already is amazing to
me, but I’m definitely taking in every moment and appreciating it and spending
time with my brothers on the field. That’s the way I’m trying to slow it down. It’s
been a nice little ride and I don’t want to miss it"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-6319049807451013772018-11-09T16:17:00.002-08:002018-11-09T16:17:52.438-08:00Lafayette-Army notebook: Leopards will honor players' favorite vets<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lafayette Coach John Garrett
said Tuesday that some teams that face Army West Point like to pay tribute to
the Cadets and their service to the country in various ways. With this game
also being played so close to Veterans’ Day, Anthony Martin, the equipment director
at Lafayette, suggested one that may be the best yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Each
Leopard was asked to select a relative or friend who has or currently does
serve in the military. Players came up with photos of the persons they chose,
and special decals were made from the photos and will be placed over the “L” on
the side of the helmets for this game. After the game, the decals will be taken
from the helmets, placed on backing, framed and given to the players as a
memory of the game and of the person they chose to honor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For
example, offensive lineman Gavin Barclay said his two grandfathers served in
the Army and he chose his father’s dad, who served in Vietnam from 1964-66;
linebacker Major Jordan selected his father, who was in the Navy from 1985-89;
and defensive lineman Harrison Greenhill selected his high school defensive
line coach, who, he said, became a mentor and father figure to him and who had
been a lieutenant colonel in the Marines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Way
to go, Anthony. And, God Bless America!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">COACH GARRETT ON THE
QUESTION: WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO PLAY ARMY, WHICH HAS 170 PLAYERS – ALL ON FULL
SCHOLARSHIP – ON THE ROSTER? – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It’s a<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>great
challenge, a storied program, a great atmosphere. Sometimes it’s important to
go through life with this attitude.: I want to do things for the inherent value
of the experience. this is a great challenge to go so I played at Army, give it
all I got … they bleed like anybody else and they’re not invincible. They’ve given
up a lot of points; won some close games against teams they should beat. But we’re
gonna give it everything we’ve got. It doesn’t matter who we play. We are just
concerned about us. We’re thrilled to play Army. We like challenges. We like to
go through life embracing challenges. And this is a great one for us on
Saturday,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">ARMY COACH JEFF MONKEN
ASSESSES HIS TEAM –</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
“We’ve got to be trying to play our very best football at this time of the
year. We’re well into the season and we made some mistakes (last) Saturday that
frankly I don’t think we should be making at this time of the year, so, hopefully
we will improve on those things and play better this week. We’ve got to continue
to strive to be as close to perfect as we can. I think it’s probably impossible
to play absolutely perfect. But if we don’t shoot for that perfection in our
fundamentals and perfection in our assignments and all those things, we’ll be
well short of it.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">HARRISON GREENHILL ON ARMY
COACH JEFF MONKEN</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> – “Coach Monken is a hard-nosed guy and it’s
something you have to respect. He knows what he wants and he demands it out of
his players. He’s not afraid to run up the score, but it’s our job to stop that
from happening. We’re going to go out there and put our bodies on the line. We
signed up to play this game. We had them scheduled. It’s inevitable. We’re at
the point of no return. Just gonna go and get it done.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">COACH MONKEN ON FACING AN
FCS OPPONENT –</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
“It’s the same guys we’re playing with. We don’t have a room full of guys with four
and five stars next to their name and who had 17 Power 5 scholarship offers
they turned down to come here. We just got a bunch of guys who loved to play football,
wanted to play football at the highest level an had an opportunity to come
here. That doesn’t mean we don’t have some guys in this room that have
scholarship offers; we do. But it’s a lot closer than people realize in terms
of the ability level from FBS to FCS. There’s nothing really to indicate to us
what we might see on Saturday.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">GREENHILL ON FAKE PUNT RUN
VS. HOLY CROSS –</span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">
“We practiced that play since the week after Delaware and we’ve had it in the playbook
since then. Coach was looking for the right time to call it. So, when he called
it, I was ready to go. He instilled a lot of confidence in me and I had a lot
of confidence in the guys on the punt team as well that they’d make their blocks
and get the outside guys. When I got the ball I let my instincts take over. I knew
I needed to get the first down, but I got a little bit more than that and it
was awesome.” He gained 26 yards on the play.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">SOME INTERESTING STATS – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Army West Point has elected
to go for a first down on 32 fourth-down situations this season. The Cadets were
successful 29 times – an amazing 91 percent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>… In a game against then-No. 5 Oklahoma, The Black Knights<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>piled up 87 offensive plays and 44:41 of
possession while leaving the Sooners time enough for only 40 offensive plays.
Andy Davidson of Emmaus ascored one of his two 2018 touchdowns with less than
two minutes to go to tie the gtame at 21, but Oklahoma won it in overtime … <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Army defense has allowed just 100 yards
per game rushing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and nine TDs. Opponents
have scored 15 touchdowns passing against the Cadet … Army has allowed
opponents to convert on third down on just 27.6 percent of the time … Lafayette’s
defense has allowed third-down conversions 41 percent of the time … <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-71368273929585476192018-11-05T12:14:00.001-08:002018-11-05T12:20:01.439-08:00Flashback: Lafayette-Army, 2016<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Rachel
Robertson, who followed the Lafayette football team for <i>The Lafayette </i>newspaper,
accompanied me to the Leopards’ locker room after the team’s 62-7 blowout loss
to Army West Point back in October of 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">She
had no idea what she was walking into. Neither did I.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Coach
Frank Tavani, who supposedly had time to cool off, came into the room and,
when I said, “I don’t know where to start,” that was all he needed. He was hot, not cool.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">“</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“Where you start is, we stunk; we got an ass
whooping out there like I’ve never been involved in and it looked like we
didn’t want to play. It’s disgusting and embarrassing. You want me to say
anything more than that? Next question.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It almost seemed like a dare.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I used that quote
high in my game story for The Morning Call. I figured that, coming on the heels
of a two-game stretch in which his team gave up 1,053 yards rushing and 120
points, and with a losing streak going to six games, Tavani deserved to blow off
the steam. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Rachel was shocked.
I was, too. It wasn’t the Tavani had had come to know since coming on to the beat as a freelance writer in 2009. He said lots more than I have quoted, but you get the picture.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Tavani was much quieter the following day, but he wasn’t totally over it. His only regret may
have been that “that poor girl from the student paper” had to feel the wrath. “I
snapped and that was the end of it,” he said. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Why bring that up
now? Well, the Leopards are headed back to Michie Stadium on Saturday to face
the Cadets. The juniors and seniors on the team can’t help but remember 2016.
And for Tavani, it wasn’t all about the football game.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pPDLg52ACzSnHrnbz76a1GSVfxm2iFLPMu7PgDHEnR79ordz0-6-8sKdpw5peg59M8LVC1_84LxVGm8tz3z366c-SQAsfhLxkPLpTZp1J1PHc3i4O7P1wPHHmB5czPQq341jjMAl40sP/s1600/IMG_2445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4pPDLg52ACzSnHrnbz76a1GSVfxm2iFLPMu7PgDHEnR79ordz0-6-8sKdpw5peg59M8LVC1_84LxVGm8tz3z366c-SQAsfhLxkPLpTZp1J1PHc3i4O7P1wPHHmB5czPQq341jjMAl40sP/s400/IMG_2445.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That sea of white behind the Leopards is the Corps of Cadets.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A day at Michie is special
for spectators. The cadets march into the stadium and they sit together in the
stands behind the visiting bench. As regimented and disciplined as they can be
much of the time, they’re still a bunch – a big bunch – of college kids, and they know how to have a good time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Often, that's at
the expense of the visiting team. Some of their comments can be funny; some can
be nasty. All can be distracting for visiting players on the sidelines. And
football players are supposed to be into the game, not the shenanigans in the
stands.Tavani noticed that some of his players were engaging the cadets. That was a no-no. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Tavani, of course,
is no longer the head coach at Lafayette. I don’t know at this moment if John Garrett has
ever been on the visitors’ side at Michie. He definitely has not been there as
a head coach. I’ll ask him tomorrow.</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">If he hasn’t, I’ll suggest he talk with
his four captains about what they might expect from the people in a uniform
other than the one the Black Knights will be wearing.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There will be a strong
U-S-A flavor on Saturday. The crowd the last time was over 38,000. Very few of
those people were rooting for Lafayette. The Leopards are the enemy, and the
Corps of Cadets and the Army West Point fans are weapons coach Jeff Monken will
use to his benefit.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I don’t know of
anyone who thinks Lafayette can win, or even challenge, the Knights. Many think
the game should not even be on the schedule. Especially the week before Lafayette-Lehigh
No. 154. Those fans wonder who might NOT be playing against Lehigh because of an
injury suffered against an Army team that will take no prisoners.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In 2016, Army used
three quarterbacks. They accounted for 259 yards rushing. Each scored a TD. The
third one drove the final nail into the coffin when he ran 41 yards with less
than three minutes left. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Asked about Army
after Saturday’s 40-14 loss to Holy Cross, Coach Garrett, asked to comment
about the Knights, said, “Well, Army’s our next game. We will practice and
prepare for them as our next opponent. We’ll go back to work and get the team
ready to play on Saturday.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Army has won 17 now
and 18 of 19 overall against the Leopards. But, no white flags will be waving
from the visitors’ side at Michie. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<br />Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5951899018103772479.post-53160327320070211732018-11-02T18:11:00.000-07:002018-11-02T20:29:35.480-07:00Dale's 1803 House adventure: the rest of the story<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dale Earnhardt Jr. with Dick Farmer (right) and me.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8ktDWAv5h4G35TvwVCAaLuqJm04P3VWp7yaLcdwIu-MSPOetvOTCKX7qi-LJJqiO0mSUAZiF9jkrm4H8ug9oH72z44K0106xBPLeXxa1xNjoCjAg8sDO0KnrXeJ5bdUMdvtA60nP47Xz/s1600/GRAVESITE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8ktDWAv5h4G35TvwVCAaLuqJm04P3VWp7yaLcdwIu-MSPOetvOTCKX7qi-LJJqiO0mSUAZiF9jkrm4H8ug9oH72z44K0106xBPLeXxa1xNjoCjAg8sDO0KnrXeJ5bdUMdvtA60nP47Xz/s200/GRAVESITE.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I was in Indianapolis when Mario Andretti won the Indianapolis 500 in 1969.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I was in Bankstown, Australia, when Marty Nothstein raced to the men's sprint gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway went </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">crazy when Andretti pulled into Victory Lane for his ceremonial sip of milk and
that now famous kiss from car owner Andy Granatelli.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I listened as the chants of “U-S-A! … U-S-A! …
U-S-A!” drowned out the “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie … Oi, Oi, Oi” and Nothstein
hoisted son Tyler in one arm and daughter Devin in the other at the Dunc Gray
Velodrome after putting an exclamation point on his bicycle racing career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The victories by Andretti and Nothstein rank among
the top one-day events of my newspaper career. Emotional celebrations of local athletes
at the peak.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But on July 27 of this year, I experienced a
different type of emotional event involving a high-profile athlete. No howling
crowds. No television cameras.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I watched Dale Earnhardt Jr. walk through a house. And a graveyard. Only four other people were present. But, this was not their day. This day
belonged to Dale Jr., and he immersed himself in it. It was terrific.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I couldn’t believe it when Dick Farmer, whom I
first met when we played in the same senior tennis group, called to tell me
Earnhardt Jr. had a direct connection to the 1803 House, a home that has been a
labor of love for him for about 45 years. How could the family with such a rich
Southern history have real ties with the Lehigh Valley?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But sure enough, it’s all true. The family, which
then spelled the last name Ehrenhardt, came to the United States through
Philadelphia, then moved up into what was then Northampton County but has since
been made part of Lehigh County.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Johannes Christopher Ehrenhardt was the patriarch.
He had two wives. The Margaretha Funcken line settled in Pennsylvania in what became Lowhill Township – and, later, in Emmaus, where
they requested the Moravians from Bethlehem to come and establish a church that
still worships on Main Street in the borough. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16px;">The line of the second wife, Anna Sybilla Taubin, moved to North Carolina earlier. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Eventually, the Emmaus limb of
the Ehrenhardt-Earnhardt family tree also shifted to North Carolina, but the 1803
House lived on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dale Jr. knew his family had landed in the U.S. at
Philadelphia, but he didn’t know about the Emmaus connection until he got a
letter from Dick Farmer. He was also urged by Don Hawk, a former Earnhardt
Enterprises employee and longtime family friend, to read the letter, When he did, he decided he wanted
to see the place for himself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He spent about an hour in the house, with Farmer
filling him in on life at the turn of </span></div>
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the 19<sup>th</sup> century. Dale walked
off by himself several times and just looked intently at the home. His buddies,
Tony Mayhoff and Rick Allen, were into the tour, too. And, after touring the
home, we all went to God’s Acre cemetery in Emmaus, where Jacob Ehrenhardt Sr. and
Jr. are both buried. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dale was busy taking photos with his cell phone,
and I’m sure he was anxious to show them to his wife, Amy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dale told me that standing in the 1803 House made
him think about all the things that could have happened along the way that
might have changed what has taken place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Like when the families
came over on the ships to Philadelphia,” he said. “A lot of people didn’t
survive that journey. A lot of people died on those boats. Thirty percent of
the passengers typically would die on those journeys. If my family had somehow
met that fate, I wouldn’t have been able to experience the life I have. It
makes you feel so small.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He said the discovery
of the 1803 House was one of the most significant pieces of history he has
found in his eight-year search. Perhaps the only topper for him came in 2015
when he and his then-fiance, Amy, went to Germany in search of the church in
which his ancestors worshipped before coming to America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He said when he began his
journey into time, at age 37, that he would make a trip to Germany in the year
of his 40<sup>th</sup> birthday to a place he didn’t even know of at the time.
He had seen books in which were the names of his direct relatives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I had never been to
Europe, so I had no idea what to expect,” Dale Jr. said. “It’s a church that’s
400 years old and I had documents that proved they were there, and their names
were in those books. So, I was going to get this tour from an individual that
was in charge of the archives.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Unbeknownst to Amy,
Dale Jr. took with him a piece of jewelry.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“I knew I was going,
and I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to go; when we go to see the church, and if it
feels right, I’m going to ask her [to marry me].’ So, she didn’t have a clue,
because we were there celebrating my family and the genealogy and my 40<sup>th</sup>
birthday and all. It worked out perfectly, and she loved it. Now, she’s
insisting that at some point, we’re going to take our children over there just
to see all that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It was really
emotional to be standing in that building. It’s a very small church, built 400
years ago; in a town of 300 people, the church would be small. The town has not
changed or grown or anything in over 300 years, it’s literally the same town as
it was when my family lived there. That was pretty amazing. Just a tiny
insignificant place.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">He looked at the 1803
House in much the same way. I wouldn’t be surprised if he </span></div>
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decided to come back
one summer for the annual celebration at the House. “That will be a lot of fun,”
he told me, and I couldn’t help but hope that his use of the word “will” rather
than “would” was intentional. The town would love it; Dick Farmer would be ecstatic,
and for Earnhardt Jr., it would be another piece of the puzzle put into place.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“It becomes an
addiction almost and a game to gather more and more information and to validate
it like to understand it is legitimate and authentic truth,” he said of the
search for more information about his family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">“When you’re going back
seven to 10 generations, there’s so many ways to get tripped up. [You can] so
easily get down the wrong path and get a lot of misinformation. It becomes a
real challenge, but it’s an enjoyable one because there’s so much discovery and
you learn so much about the toughness of these people, having to live in the
conditions they had back then, it must have been … they knew nothing but hard
work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Getting Dale Jr. back
would be another dream come true for Farmer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Farmer has been
president of the Friends of the 1803 House, Inc., for the last five years, but
his love of preserving architecture from long ago stems back to the days when
he worked in Philadelphia on Independence Hall and Independence National Memorial
Park.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Farmer and his wife,
Zona (Cope), who is an Emmaus native, moved back to town after college,
because, he said, “We loved our families, we loved the town and we love this
[1803] house. So, we keep finding out more information on the house, which
makes the community we live in more significant all the time.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Note: here's a link to the main story on Dale Jr.'s visit and his observations. You can find it on The Morning Call's website: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">https://www.mcall.com/sports/motorracing/mc-spt-dale-earnhardt-emmaus-family-20181025-htmlstory.html</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>Paul Reinhardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02735527464610081758noreply@blogger.com2