Oct. 1, 2003
By Scott Rex
Athletic Communications Graduate Intern
Following Lafayette's turnaround 7-5 campaign of 2002, there was little doubt what the Leopards' strength would be in 2003. A 1,000-yard rusher in Joe McCourt, a two-time 2,000-yard passer in Marko Glavic, a slew of talented receivers and an experienced core of offensive linemen lifted expectations on the offensive side of the ball near an all-time high.
But fourth-year head coach Frank Tavani had a secret. While the guys scoring the points were receiving all the hype, defensive coordinator John Loose was fashioning a secondary that could be relied upon to shut down an opponent's offense.
The results? Through two games, Lafayette leads the nation in pass defense (55.0 ypg.), pass efficiency defense (56.09 rating) and total defense (154.0 ypg.).
The group is a mix of young and old, with a pair of sophomores or a freshman being in the mix at any given time. But the unit is stabilized by its four seniors: Joe Goodwill, Anthony Hawthorne, Justin Pettigrew and Matt Van Doren.
"They were all a part of that first class that entered the program four years ago and they've provided the leadership to get this program turned around," Tavani said. "Our defense maybe does get overlooked a little, but any good team starts with a solid defense. I think our kids are aggressive and run extremely well. We just need to keep playing hard."
"This is the first time since I've been here that our second team is just as good as our starters," Pettigrew said. "Our second teamers now are better than some of the starters we had a few years ago. We're deep. The backups are just as good and that helps us push each other in practice every day because if you take a play off, you could lose your spot."
"We always knew what we could do," Van Doren said of the Leopard defense. "All the talk is always about the offense, and we haven't received a whole lot of respect in the press. That will change this year though."
Hawthorne doesn't mind if the offense keeps getting the attention, as long as the defense keeps making plays.
"That's the way we like it. People are focused on our offense and don't really prepare for our defense," Hawthorne said. "We have a lot of guys in there who played a lot last year, but we don't really have any 'big-name' guys. We just want to go out and prove that we do have a good defense that can come out and stop people and make plays."
Hawthorne created a habit of making plays early in his Leopard career. He made an immediate impact on special teams as a freshman and sophomore, then continued that success with a more prominent role in the secondary as a junior. In 2002, Hawthorne led the Patriot League in forced fumbles with two, recorded his second career interception and was voted Special Teams Co-MVP by the coaching staff.
"Hawthorne is a guy who has played as a backup and on special teams and is now gaining valuable game experience. He's physical back there and he's going to continue to get better," Tavani said.
Van Doren has been a constant in the secondary since his sophomore season. He appeared in nine games in 2001, starting five, and returned an interception a Patriot League-record 98 yards for a touchdown against Holy Cross. He started all 12 games at cornerback last year and was in on 45 tackles. He also broke up 13 passes and intercepted one on his way to being named Most Valuable Defensive Back by the coaching staff.
Pettigrew earned his second varsity letter in 2002 after appearing in 10 games and tallying 12 tackles and six pass break-ups. He also collected his first career interception against Duquesne. Pettigrew started three games in 2001 and was in on 20 tackles and broke up five passes.
Without a doubt, the heart and soul of the defense, and the entire Leopard team, for that matter, is cornerback Joe Goodwill. Goodwill earned his first varsity letter in 2002, playing primarily on special teams. He was in on six tackles and blocked a punt that led to a touchdown against Duquesne. But to truly understand the importance of Goodwill to the Leopards, one has to look no further than the teammates he lines up next to everyday.
"Joey Goodwill is the motivator. He's live everyday and gets everybody ready to go," Hawthorne said. "He motivates the whole defense. If you're ever feeling down or tired, just sit next to Joe and he'll get you going. He always makes us laugh. There's never a down moment with Joe."
"Joe Goodwill and I have been great friends since freshman year," Pettigrew said. "Anytime he's been called upon he's played well. He's just the type of guy that's going to go out there and give you 100 percent every time."
"He just works hard," Van Doren said. "I remember coming into camp as a freshman and just seeing him work hard. He's always the first one in line for everything. He does a great job on special teams and loves playing on special teams, which is something a lot seniors don't like to do."
Goodwill admits relishing the role that a lot of players might not accept.
"For me, it's always been easy not being the starter or the go-to guy because I recognize that Matt and Anthony are really good players," Goodwill said. "They're talented and they've proved that they deserve to be the starters. I've always enjoyed playing on special teams because I feel that's an important and exciting aspect of the game where big plays can be made.
"My role is a guy who plays on special teams, tries to create some big plays on special teams and comes off the bench as needed to provide depth as a sub or in an injury situation," he added.
"He practices like it's a game," Tavani said of Goodwill. "He's just happy to be a part of the team and he's earned a lot of the young kids' admiration for the effort he puts out. He's not hung up about how much playing time he gets, which is usually one of the biggest complaints a coach has to deal with."
The standard has been set for the Lafayette defense. The Leopards have proven they are capable of making plays and putting the Lafayette offense in a position to score. Expectations are high on a unit that has performed among the best in the country. Too bad nobody knows about it.
