Aug. 9, 2005
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - The 2005 Lafayette football campaign opened on Tuesday as upperclassmen reported for 19 days of preseason camp at Kirby Sports Center and the Metzgar Fields Athletic Complex.
The Leopard coaching staff welcomed the program's 24 incoming freshmen to College Hill on Sunday. The newcomers underwent physicals, received their equipment and went through impact testing before having their first positional meetings on Sunday night. Two practices, one each on Monday and Tuesday afternoon, were scheduled for the freshmen to get acclimated to college football before the full squad gets together on Wednesday. Academic seminars for the frosh are also built into the itinerary for the first three days of camp.
Lafayette's 75 upperclassmen, including 29 seniors, reported through the afternoon and will meet their new teammates in team and positional meetings on Tuesday night. The squad will practice from 1:30 until approximately 4:30 from Wednesday through Sunday before staggered two-a-days start next Monday. The Leopards will be in shorts, jerseys and helmets the first two days, moving to shoulder pads on Friday and Saturday before the first practice in full pads on Sunday.
2005 LAFAYETTE FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
The 2004 season was a banner year for the Lafayette football program. Picked to finish no higher than fifth in the Patriot League, the team accomplished what most thought was unthinkable: eight wins, a national ranking in the top 20, a Patriot League championship and a bid to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs.
Now comes the hard part--doing it all over again.
Lafayette begins its first title defense in 10 years armed with 40 returning lettermen, including 10 starters on the defensive side of the ball. Linebacker Maurice Bennett has developed into one of the dominant forces in the Patriot League. An all-league first-team selection in 2004, Bennett tied for the league lead with 119 total tackles a year ago.
The emergence of Brad Maurer at quarterback was key for the Leopard offense down the stretch in 2004. He no longer has the comfort of handing the ball off to Joe McCourt, but does return his entire receiving corps and is more than capable of running the ball himself. The offensive line will feature a handful of new faces, but Drew Buettner and Robert Stroble return to starting roles.
Frank Tavani, the reigning Patriot League Coach of the Year, enters his sixth season as head coach with expectations surrounding the program at an all-time high. To that end, the Leopards are literally wearing bulls-eyes--targets have been screened onto the team's offseason workout t-shirts, driving home the point that Lafayette has suddenly transformed from the hunter, to the hunted.
On Offense
The focal point of the Lafayette offense will be junior quarterback Brad Maurer. After assuming sole possession of the job under center midway through his sophomore season, Maurer finished with a rush. He completed 86-of-125 passes (68.8 percent) for 886 yards and posted a pair of 100-yard rushing days, scoring six rushing touchdowns, over the season's final seven games.
He was named MVP of the Lehigh game after running for 124 yards and a touchdown and completing 11-of-21 passes for 108 yards, then set career highs for completions (19) attempts (27) and yards (211) in the playoffs at Delaware. The team's reigning Offensive MVP, Maurer enters the 2005 campaign with a firm grip on the starting job after splitting time with Pat Davis to open the 2004 season.
Davis proved himself as a more than capable backup, completing 26-of-47 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns. He engineered the game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter of Lafayette's 21-16 win at Richmond.
The receiving corps returns intact and will be bolstered by the return of Archie Fisher, who missed all but two games a year ago with hamstring and foot injuries. Fisher's lone catch in 2004 was a 32-yard touchdown in the season-opening win over Marist. In fact, seven of Fisher's 22 career catches have gone for scores.
Lafayette displayed remarkable balance in its passing game in 2004, as 13 different players accounted for Lafayette's 151 receptions and nine players caught one touchdown pass apiece. Brandon Stanford (33 catches, 299 yards) led his teammates in both receptions and yards, while also scoring two rushing touchdowns on just six carries, as a junior in 2004.
Joe Ort and tight end Chad Walker, both of whom finished with 18 catches in their junior campaign, proved themselves as sure-handed targets, while junior Travis Hutson (15 receptions) has deceptive speed on the outside.
The biggest question mark entering the 2005 season is who will fill the giant shoes of Joe McCourt, the 2004 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. A three-time 1,000-yard rusher, McCourt leaves as the school's second all-time leading rusher and with a legacy as one of the most dependable backs in Lafayette and Patriot League history. While the combo of McCourt and fullback Brendon Green would pound between the tackles and wear a defense down, the new breed of Leopard runners provides an element of speed coming out of the backfield.
Junior Jonathan Hurt, who made four starts at tailback in 2004, appears to be the front-runner to assume the starting job. He finished with 362 yards and five rushing touchdowns in 2004, including career-highs of 20 carries and 82 yards in his first start at Richmond. He scored twice in Lafayette's 21-16 win over the Spiders.
Senior Alfred Belton, junior Chris Williams and sophomores Anthony D'Urso and Brandon Mitchell comprise a quartet of fleet-footed backs who will also push for playing time this fall.
Senior co-captain David Nelson looks to be the heir-apparent to Green at fullback. Nelson ran 15 times for 60 yards and caught nine passes for 90 yards and a touchdown in a backup role last season. Senior Justin Lauver has lined up at receiver and in the backfield in his career. Junior Kevin Ganascioli will also see action at fullback.
Up front, Lafayette will blend a couple of veterans with a handful of newcomers. A pair of seniors, second-team all-league selection Drew Buettner and center Robert Stroble, return from a unit that paved the way for Lafayette to average 212.8 rushing yards per game (second-most in the Patriot League) in 2004. Junior Mike Saint Germain, who made a total of five starts at right and left tackle last season, is also back in the fold.
Buettner saw the bulk of his action at left tackle last season, but has played every position along the line during his career and is expected to line up at right tackle in 2005. Juniors John Lucas and Ryan Nase are penciled in at left and right guard, respectively. Senior Joel Miner and a handful of capable underclassmen will also push for playing time and provide unprecedented depth along the offensive front.
On Defense
In Tavani's first five seasons at Lafayette, the Leopards have been known more for a powerful offense than a stingy defense. That should all change in 2005, as 10 starters return from a unit that did not post great numbers last season, but always seemed to come up with a clutch stop. While the defense gave up yardage at times, it still finished second in the league in points allowed (19.1 ppg.) and held half of its opponents to 16 points or fewer by virtue of its play inside the 20-yard line. The Leopards allowed just five red zone touchdowns in 14 opportunities in league action.
The defense's lone loss leaves a large void to fill. Linebacker Wes Erbe, just the fourth two-time captain in program history, was the heart-and-soul of the unit for the past two seasons.
Despite his loss, Lafayette still boasts arguably the strongest linebacking corps in the league in seniors Maurice Bennett, Blake Costanzo and Dion Witherspoon. Junior Justin Stovall will also see significant playing time in 2005.
Bennett enters his third season as the anchor in the middle of the field. One of the top returning players in the league at any position, Bennett led Lafayette in tackles with 119 and 108 in 2004 and 2003, respectively. He recorded at least 10 tackles in nine different games last season and made 8-1/2 tackles for a loss of yardage, including four sacks.
Costanzo, an All-Patriot League second team choice in 2004, has posted at least 90 tackles each of the past two seasons. Costanzo also recorded 9-1/2 tackles for loss, including 5-1/2 sacks, last season. He made a career-high 14 stops at Bucknell and returned a blocked point-after for a defensive two-point conversion against Holy Cross.
Witherspoon made five starts in Erbe's absence last season, finishing with 53 tackles. He was in on 12 tackles against Holy Cross and 11 at Delaware.
Stovall saw most of his action in a backup role and on special teams in 2004, but forever etched his place in the annals of the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry with his performance in the Leopards' 24-10 win. Stovall made six tackles, forced a pair of fumbles and carried a fake punt 14 yards for a first down to extend the Leopards' go-ahead scoring drive in the third quarter.
The defensive front four was the most improved area of the field for Lafayette in 2004, and all the key players from that unit return in 2005. Senior Andrew Brown and junior Marvin Snipes, both of whom showed a penchant for making big plays, will again serve as the bookends.
Brown finished third among his teammates with 61 tackles last season, while also collecting three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and a pair of interceptions. His two-yard interception return was the go-ahead score in a 17-6 win at Georgetown, while at Fordham, Brown intercepted a pass to set up Lafayette's first touchdown, then recovered a fumble in the end zone to put the Leopards in front 14-0.
Snipes, a starter in each of his first two seasons, led his teammates, and ranked fourth in the Patriot League in tackles for loss with 12-1/2. He also led his teammates with six sacks and forced three fumbles. Senior Stephen McFarlane saw action in nine games a year ago in a backup role, and was named the defense's Most Improved Player after spring practice.
Senior Chris Brungo and junior Daniel Liseno open the fall as starters at defensive tackle. Brungo started six games at tackle in 2004 and has 5-1/2 career sacks. Liseno is a two-year starter and was the team's defensive line MVP in 2004.
Sophomore Kyle Sprenkle saw action in nine games as a rookie. Seniors Eduardo Sanchez and Kwame Lovell and junior Keith Bloom will also rotate in on the interior.
The Leopard secondary returns intact as well, with seniors Larry Johnson and Tye Murphy on the corners and juniors Bryan Kazimierowski and Torian Johnson manning the safety spots.
Larry Johnson is often deployed against the opponent's best receiver. He intercepted a pass against Marist on the first possession of the season and recovered a fumble at Princeton. Murphy, who along with Johnson started all 12 games at corner, intercepted a pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter of the win at Richmond.
Kazimierowski and Torian Johnson both had breakthrough years patrolling the secondary. Despite battling nagging injuries, Kazimierowski started eight games at free safety and collected 54 tackles and an interception. Johnson made 49 stops and picked off a pair of passes, returning one 46 yards to set up the go-ahead touchdown at Richmond.
Junior Trey Martell, who started four games a year ago, is also back in the fold. Martell proved especially potent blitzing from the secondary, counting 4-1/2 sacks among his 44 tackles last season. Senior Taj Murphy, junior Chad Hunter and sophomores Marcel Quarterman (the program's 2004 Rookie of the Year), Ryan Williams and Adrian Lawson will also compete for playing time.
On Special Teams
The kicking game will feature a number of familiar faces, with one notable exception, in 2005. Mike Davis has graduated after three years as the Leopards' punter, leaving the duties to sophomore David Yankovich. Yankovich enters camp as the lone punter on the Lafayette roster.
Junior Rick Ziska returns to handle the place-kicking duties. He hit 37-of-38 point-after attempts, tops in the Patriot League, and 7-of-12 field goals last season, including 3-of-4 kicks from beyond 40 yards. Pat Davis is the long snapper for the fourth straight season, and Maurer will likely continue as Ziska's holder on point-afters and field goals.
Larry Johnson will handle the bulk of the kickoff returns, as he has for the past two seasons. Johnson already holds Lafayette single-season records for kickoff return yards and kickoff return average. Brandon Stanford and Alfred Belton are likely to join him deep on kick returns, while Stanford is penciled in as the likely punt returner.
The Schedule
For the second time in three seasons and just the third time since 1915, Lafayette will play seven home games. The Leopards have the comfort of a three-game homestand at historic Fisher Field in September and a stretch of four home games in five weeks midway through the campaign.
Lafayette opens the 2005 season on the road, visiting Marist for an evening kick-off on Sept. 3. The trip to Poughkeepsie is the first in program history for the Leopards, who are 2-0 all-time against the Red Foxes.
Following the opener, Lafayette embarks on a three-game homestand that opens against Richmond on Sept. 10 and concludes in the Patriot League opener against Fordham on Sept. 24. The Leopards' 21-16 win at Richmond was one of the key turning points of the 2004 season. Sandwiched between is a visit to Fisher Field by Princeton on Sept. 17.
Lafayette makes its second trip to Washington, D.C. in as many years to take on Georgetown on Oct. 1, then returns home to play four home games in five weeks.
The stretch begins with dates with Ivy League foes Columbia and Harvard on Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, respectively. Harvard, which will serve as the Homecoming opponent for the second straight year, was the lone unbeaten team (10-0) in NCAA Division I-AA last season.
The Leopards will enjoy a bye week on Oct. 22, then close out the home schedule against Patriot League foes Bucknell and Colgate on Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, respectively. A blocked field goal on the final play helped preserve a 14-13 Lafayette win at Bucknell last season, while then-defending league champ Colgate edged the Leopards, 22-19, in Hamilton last year.
Road contests at Holy Cross (Nov. 12) and Lehigh (Nov. 19) close out the regular season slate. This year marks the 141st meeting of the Lafayette-Lehigh rivalry and is a rematch of the 2004 Patriot League championship game, which the Leopards won 24-10.
