Projected Record: 2-6
Projected Offensive Starters (*Six Returning)
QB: Sandy Plashkes ‘19
RB: Peter Boyer ‘19
SE: Marcus Ross ‘19*
SE: Noah Stebbins ‘18
Slot: Mickoy Nichol ‘18*
Slot: Frank Williams: ‘18*
LT: Sean Lovett ‘18*
LG: Dylan Rasch ‘18
C: Jimmy Fagan ‘17*
RG: Martin Guinee ‘19
RT: Mitch Hildreth ‘17*
Projected Defensive Starters (*Ten Returning)
DE: Jack Maritz ‘18
DT: Collin Richardson ‘18*
DE: Sean Antonuccio ‘17*
OLB: Joe Frake ‘19*
ILB: Sam Francis ‘17*
ILB: Mark Upton ‘17*
ILB: Max Breschi ‘18*
OLB: Andrew Jenkelunas ‘18*
CB: Brandon Williams ‘17*
FS: Trevor Lyons ‘17*
CB: Arthur Churchwell ‘19*
Projected Specialists (*Three Returning)
PK: Grant Dewald ‘18*
P: Justin Foley ‘19*
KR/PR: Frank Williams ‘18*/Ben Coulibaly ‘17
Offensive MVP: Tailback Peter Boyer ’19
Boyer took last year to get his feet wet, and now he is primed and ready to lead the Bobcat rushing attack. Averaging 4.3 yards per carry last year, Boyer showed his potential, so expect this to be a big year for him. With quarterback Patrick Dugan ‘16 gone, expect to see Boyer take on more of the workload until Sandy Plashkes ‘19 settles in under center.
Defensive MVP: Linebacker Mark Upton ’17
A team captain this year, Upton started all eight games last year at middle linebacker. He was the engineer of this defense and finished second in the NESCAC in total tackles (71) and tackles per game (9). He has led the conference in forced fumbles (3) for two years straight and also led the Bobcats in sacks (4) and tackles for loss (8) last year, illustrating his natural instincts for pursuing the pigskin. He was also named to New England Football Writers DIII All-New England team and won the Stephen B. Ritter Academic Award (top-10 cumulative grade point average). Very active on the ball, expect Upton to raise his level of play again this year as he steps onto the gridiron for one more season.
Biggest Game: October 29th vs. Colby
The first game in Bates’ CBB title defense kicks off when Colby comes to Lewiston. I think this is going to be their biggest game because of the gritty battle these two had last year that ended in a margin of victory of just a single point. Expect Coach Harriman to come out trying to implement the same kind of defensive strategy he did against them last year, but know that Colby will come out swinging as they look for revenge. Expect a run-first defensive game that will come down to the final possession. I believe Sandy Plashkes will be the X-factor in the game, as Bates will depend on his efficiency in order to spread the field and open up the rushing attack for the Bobcats.
Best Tweet: It’s hard to go wrong quoting Belichick.
“Mental toughness is doing the right thing for the team when it’s not the best thing for you.”
– Bill Belichick
— Skip Capone (@Coachcap77) September 6, 2016
Summary:
Even though Bates did not finish last season with a great record, the Bobcats feel that there is a lot of promise for this season. A lot of key guys who were once the young guns are now the seasoned veterans, which bodes well for Bates. Depth is not an issue, which means Coach Harriman can get experimental with players at different positions if need be.
One of the things the team wants to emphasize this season coming off of last season is turning margin of error into margin of victory. Last year, four of the Bates’ eight games were decided by 12 points or less. Throughout preseason, the leaders on the team have been harping on perfecting the “little things,” such as understand the situation in a game or where to be positioned on the field. In an eight-game season, the little things often decide how well you do in the NESCAC. For the Bobcats to see success they have to do a better job in the red zone, both offensively and defensively, something that hurt them in critical moments of games last year.
One of the biggest questions is the quarterback spot. Patrick Dugan ‘16 is a big loss, so it will be interesting to see how the season unfolds with sophomore Plashkes taking over. He should be pretty comfortable behind center with a veteran line that has captain James Fagan ‘17, three-year starter Mitch Hildreth ‘17, and Sean Lovett ‘18 anchoring the front. In regards to the skill positions on offense, Bates is deep and boasts good slot receivers in Noah Stebbins ‘18 and Marcus Ross ‘19, who came onto the scene late last season as a freshman.
As for the defensive unit, almost every starter is returning from 2015, so the Bobcats should show improvement through experience in this respect. The hard-hitting Upton will lead the unit with classmate Brandon Williams ’17 who led the team with six total takeaways. Sam Francis ’17, who ranked third on the team with 49 total tackles, is another leader on this team who will make a big impact on this side of the ball.
The Bobcats will rely on the front seven to take pressure off of the defensive backs, who allowed almost 250 passing yards per game last season. The secondary will be thrown right into the fire when they face Trinity on opening day, so we will see where Coach Harriman’s team stands on Saturday.
