Tag: Brendan Ranowitz

Middlebury Team Preview – Panthers Look to Find Their Matt Saracen

2013 Record: 7-1

Returning Starters: 15 (5 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialists)

Offensive Overview:

In case you hadn’t heard, there was some pretty good quarterback play in Middlebury over the last couple years. Mac Foote’s name is all over the NESCAC record book, right alongside his predecessor Donnie McKillop. The question now is whether there is a young Panther ready to step up and be the next great NESCAC quarterback. Middlebury’s one-back, spread offense depends heavily on good quarterback play, and three signal-callers are currently in the hunt for the starting job. Each has played well and shown improvement this preseason, and the competition is still up in the air. Matt Milano ’16 served as the primary back up in 2012 and 2013, but had just seven passing attempts in 2013. Eric Bertino ’15 fell behind Milano on the depth chart last season, but one more year of familiarity with the playbook will help him in this battle. Youngster Jake Stalcup ’17, who doubles as a reliever on the baseball team, has the best size of the group at 6’5″, and is absolutely a factor as well. The coaching staff probably won’t make a decision on its starter until the week before the team’s season opener.

There are further question marks on offense. All-NESCAC tight end Billy Sadik-Khan is gone to graduation, and explosive playmaker Joey Zelkowitz ’17 has followed the path of multiple two-sport stars before him at Middlebury and hung up the football cleats in order to focus on lacrosse. The offensive line has two returning starters in Blake Shapskinsky ’15 and Dan Finta ’15, and BC transfer Win Homer should provide stability at left tackle, but the other two spots are up for grabs. Whoever wins the QB battle will have talented and experienced receivers at his disposal with All-NESCAC First-Teamer Matt Minno ’16, Second-Teamer Brendan Rankowitz ’15 and Grant Luna ’17 all back. Ryan Hislop ’15 is the favorite to see the majority of the carries early on, but he has yet to show consistency in his career.

Defensive Overview:

The opening day defense will have more experience than its counterparts. Tim Patricia ’16 is among the best tacklers in the NESCAC, and indeed leads the league over the past two years in total tackles. There isn’t tremendous size on the defensive line, and coach Bob Ritter tends to rotate bodies through those positions in order to keep legs fresh. At the back, Matt Benedict ’15 is a strong all-around safety with a lot of experience, and Nate Leedy ’17 burst on the scene last year at cornerback and instantly became one of the NESCAC’s best, tallying one pick and seven pass break ups. Patricia and Benedict each made the All-NESCAC Second Team in 2013. The defense was above average last year, ranking fourth in points per game allowed despite seeing more snaps than any other team in the league, but will need to be even better while the offense goes through a transition.

Courtesy of Middlebury Campus
Courtesy of Middlebury Campus

Three Big Questions:

1. How great was Mac Foote’s impact?

The Middlebury offense always provides the opportunity for a few great individual seasons. But you still need talented players in order to be successful. The best player on the field for Middlebury over the past three seasons has been Foote, and it’s impossible to know right now if Minno and the rest of the receiving corp can repeat last year’s production with a new wing under center. Will Middlebury be able to hold onto the ball for long drives? Or will the defense be playing with a lot of short fields behind them? Can the offense repeat the level of red zone efficiency that it displayed in 2013? The ramifications of Foote’s departure are multiple, and his replacement will need to play at a similar level in order to come close to again earning a share of the NESCAC crown.

2. Can the defense create big plays?

Middlebury employed a bend-don’t-break strategy in 2013, allowing the fifth-most yards per game but only 16.2 points per game. It worked for the Panthers last year, but it is a dangerous way to play defense. Furthermore, the Panthers would like to improve on the eight interceptions and five fumble recoveries they garnered last season.

3. Is Middlebury here to stay?

The Panthers have three championships since 2000, but two of those (2000 and 2013) were one-third shares, with the only outright title coming in 2007. After a 4-4 2011, Middlebury has gone 7-1 in back-to-back seasons. Can the Panthers maintain their current level of success? It will come down to whether Coach Ritter and the rest of his staff have brought in enough talent to reload given the departure of so many impact players on the offensive side of the ball.

Team MVP: Middlebury will rely more heavily on its defense than in past years, and Nate Leedy has the ability to shut down a team’s best receiver. Cornerbacks don’t often get this kind of recognition, with the majority of the glory on defense going to the linebacking corps, but Leedy might be the most talented Panther on the defensive side of the ball.

Biggest Game: Oct. 25 at Trinity

Middlebury opens the season against tri-champion Wesleyan and meets Amherst, the third member of the championship trio, in Week 3, but both of those games come at home. While the first three weeks will tell us a lot about this year’s Panthers team, the most interesting game for Middlebury will be its Week 6 trip to Hartford. Trinity’s winning streak is well-documented, and assuming that Middlebury doesn’t sweep Wesleyan and Amherst (and the rest of its early season games), the Panthers will need a win at Trinity to stay in the championship hunt.

Best Tweet of the Offseason: From Middlebury freshman Logan Shrout, who has already figured out the best part of college sports.

The 2014 Panthers still have plenty of talent on the roster, and will undoubtedly have some newcomers make an impact. Is it enough to compete for a championship once again? Only time will tell.