Bison137
Professor
Posts: 16147
Reg: 01-23-06
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08-30-06 01:24 AM - Post#22154
The Bison open the season Saturday night at home against a good Duquesne team. As many of you know, the Bison last year were crippled by injuries, losing all three of their QB's early in the season, among others. With fourteen returning starters (would be 15, but one got beat out for a starting job) and some strong newcomers, I expect a much improved team this year. Andrew Lair, a transfer QB from Navy who is a redshirt freshman, is supposed to be very good, and the freshman class is supposed to be better than average as well. For what it's worth, the 44-man depth chart already has 14 freshmen on it (counting Lair), easily a record for opening day. Besides Lair, a few other frosh to keep an eye on:
(1) Josh Eden, an all-stater from State College, who has already won a startig job at DE;
(2) Paul Forcellini, a two-time all-stater from the Johnstown area, who had the following career stats - 5,056 rushing yards, 831 receiving yards and 73 touchdowns ... averaged 7.8 yards per rush, 18.1 yards per catch and 27.9 yards per kickoff return. Forcellini broke a 75 yarder for a TD and also had another rushing TD in last Saturday's intersquad game.
(3) Jason Davis, an all-stater from Ohio, who will handle the returns and may win a starting CB job before the year is over;
One other intriguing name is the current 3rd string QB (Terrence Wilson, las year's opening day starter is #2 on the depth chart), freshman Marcello Trigg, who was Florida's 3A player of the year and an all-state selection. His H.S. career stats, although not from one of the top areas of FL football, are still a lot better than the typical Bison recruit: 7100 yards and 82 TD passes (26 TD passes as a senior). The one knock on him is that he is only 5'11" but he may be a good fit for the option offense.
Speaking of the option attack, I am hoping that the new offensive coordinator opens up the attack a bit. I'm not opposed to a team like the Bison going with the option but, imo, there has to be some balance. The QB injuries last year robbed the team of any balance whatsoever.
The game summary ( http://bucknellbison.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082906aaa.html)
BISON LAUNCH 2006 SEASON WITH HIGH HOPES
Coming off a disappointing 2005 season, Bucknell wipes the slate clean and starts anew beginning with Saturday night's season opener against Duquesne at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The Bison have eight returning starters on offense and six on defense, while a host of young players had outstanding preseason camps and are expected to get some playing time on opening night. Among the newcomers is QB Andrew Lair, who is expected to get the start against Duquesne.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BISON
• ON THE SIDELINE: Tim Landis begins his fourth season at the helm of the Bucknell grid program. Landis is now 67-72-1 (.482) in his career, which also includes head coaching stints at Davidson (1993-99) and St. Mary's (2000-02), and 14-20 (.412) in three seasons with the Bison. Landis is 2-0 in his career against Duquesne, including a 28-21 victory in his first game as Bucknell's coach in 2003.
• THE OFFENSE: Under the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Ashley Ingram, the Bison spread option offense features plenty of depth across the board. Last season significant injuries at the quarterback position threw the offense out of sync, but with the arrival of QB Andrew Lair and four quality backups, not to mention a veteran offensive line and talent at receiver and in the backfield, the offense should be much more settled entering the 2006 season.
• UNDER CENTER: Navy transfer Andrew Lair is expected to get the start at quarterback on opening night. Lair had an excellent preseason, displaying a strong arm and excellent running ability while continuing to pick up the offensive scheme. Junior Terrance Wilson was the 2005 opening day starter, but a broken jaw limited him to just the one appearance last season. Wilson also had an outstanding camp and may see some game action as well. With junior Ryan Ahern currently sidelined with an injury, freshmen Marcello Trigg and Leonard Wilson provide inurance.
• BACKS & RECEIVERS: Bucknell will start a veteran at each of the three backfield spots -- junior Josh DeStefano at fullback and senior Peter Kaufman and junior Roosevelt Davis at the slotbacks -- but also look for a handful of freshmen to make an impact early in the season. Paul Forcellini looked very strong at fullback in the preseason and had a 75-yard TD run in last Saturday's scrimmage, while speedburners Rashod Bumpers and A.J. Kizekai could get some action at slotback. Sophomore WR Daniel Zvara, the team's top receiver in 2005, is a returning starter at wideout. Sophomore Alex Odenbach, who missed all of last season with an injury, has also won a starting berth. Sophomore Zach Allen, senior Richard Simpson and freshman Cale Cadman also figure to be in the receiver rotation.
• THE O-LINE: This is Bucknell's most veterant position group, with all five starters and the two top reserves either juniors or seniors with game experience. Leading the unit is team co-captain Stefan Niemczyk at left guard. A senior, Niemczyk is in his third year as a starter. Senior Joel Hoffer is back to start at center, while Michael Anthony nosed out Mike Boccella in a battle of seniors for the No. 1 spot at right tackle. Junior Chad Glasser at left tackle and junior Jonathan Grainger at right guard are also returning starters. Glasser is also the team's long-snapper.
• THE DEFENSE: While the Bison have plenty of experience at linebacker and in the secondary, three-fourths of the starting defensive line has been turned over since last season. A year ago Bucknell yielded 30.2 points and 383.8 yards per game, numbers that figure to go down this season with a more experienced group.
• DEFENSIVE FRONT: Former All-American Sean Conover must be replaced at defensive end, but Tim Landis thinks he has a good one in freshman Josh Eden. The State College native makes his starting debut on Saturday. Sophomore Todd Rinaldo and rookie David Young will see time at the other end spot. Junior Ryan Walsh is the lone returning starter on the line. Walsh has been in the lineup since late in his freshman season. Junior Brandon Friday gets his first starting opportunity at the other tackle position, with senior Mike Hardman also lending a veteran presence. Senior co-captain Dorian Petersen and junior Ryan Slater make up the heart of the defense at inside linebacker. That duo finished 1-2 on the team in tackles last season. Senior Matt Palermo returns at one of the outside linebacker spots, while freshman Sam Nana-Sinkham parlayed a standout preseason into a starting berth.
• DEFENSIVE SECONDARY: Senior CB David Frisbey, the team's interceptions leader with four last season, is one of the cornerstones of the Bison defense. Opposite Frisbey, sophomore Nolan Applegate will make his first career start on Saturday. At free safety, hard-hitting junior Stephen Collage is a returning starter. Freshmen have worked their way up to No. 2 on the depth chart at all three DB positions -- Jason Davis and Brandon Simmons at cornerback and Brigham Farrand at safety.
• SPECIAL TEAMS: The Bison will have to replace standout return specialist and former Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Year Dante Ross, but look for freshman Jason Davis to contribute right away in the return game. Nolan Applegate is also expected to return kicks and punts. The starting kicker (Will Carney) and punter (Phil Azarik) both return as well. Carney took over the starting job midway through last season and made 5 of 7 field goals, including both attempts over 40 yards. Azarik missed a large chunk of the season due to mono, but he is healthy this year and ready to show off a strong left leg. Also back in familiar roles is the long snapper/holder tandem of Glad Glasser and Daniel Zvara.
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