Tag: Tom Murphy

Williams Team Preview – The Defense Knows Howe to Win

2013 Record: 2-6

Returning Starters: 17 (seven offense, eight defense, two specialists)

Offensive Overview: 

One thing is certain about the Williams offense. Number 22 is going to see a lot of carries. Fifth-year running back Alex Scyocurka saw 155 of the team’s 261 carries in 2013, and that percentage will likely rise as the Ephs plan to ride the workhorse back. Where there is less certainty is the quarterback position, where returners Tom Murphy ’15 and Mark Pomella ’16 are competing with Boston College transfer Austin Lommen ’17. Lommen redshirted his first year at BC and didn’t see the field in year two, but that’s a similar story to that of a pretty successful quarterback who left his mark on the program up in Middlebury over the last couple years. Neither Murphy or Pomella had consistent success in 2013, so the door stands open for the newcomer.

Whoever is under center (or behind, as head coach Aaron Kelton intends to spread the field a bit more this season) will have experienced targets at his disposal. Steven Kiesel ’15 and Darrias Sime ’16 saw starter-like reps last year and were second and third on the team in receptions, and starting tight end Alex Way ’16 returns. The offensive line should be a strength. Led by Alan Felix ’15, the entire o-line will have starting experience.

Defensive Overview:

Williams’ 4-3 defense was slightly above average in 2013, but one area where the Ephs excelled as pass defense, allowing the second-fewest pass yards per game of any team in the conference. This is due in part to the work done by All-NESCAC First-Teamer James Howe ’16 at defensive end, arguably the best returning defensive player in the league. Howe racked up 10 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, and remarkably led the team in total tackles. All-NESCAC Second Team safety Tom Cabarle ’15 and company benefited from the pressure created by Howe and others. Both starting corners are back from last year, and fifth-year man Andre Lafontant will return from an injury that kept him out most of 2013 and should slot in next to Cabarle at safety. The Ephs return their entire starting linebacker core with Antonio Blanco ’15, James O’Grady ’16 and John Bond ’16 as well as Jack Ryan ’16 who has plenty of experience. The defense should improve in 2014 and will benefit if the offense can do a better job with time of possession.

Three Big Questions:

1. Can the offense sustain long drives?

The defense was better last year than most people realize, allowing the third-fewest yards per play in the NESCAC. But the offense did little to help out, putting up the worst time of possession in the league. Despite seeing so much time on the field, the defense was able to hold the league’s top four offenses to 21 points or less. So for Williams to turn its record around in 2014, the offense will need to show marked improvement. Much of that responsibility lies with the quarterback position, as there is experience and production returning at every other position.

2. Can Scyocurka stay healthy?

The feature back has struggled with injuries over the course of his career, which explains why he’s earned an extra year of eligibility. As a freshman Scyocurka carried the ball 67 times, but then only played in six games between 2011-12. Reports were that Scyocurka was healthier than ever entering camp. If he can combine his 2013 durability (59 percent of the team’s carries) and his 2012 explosiveness (5.3 yards per rush), Scyocurka might make a surprise push for Offensive Player of the Year.

3. Can James Howe elevate his game?

Howe already put up great numbers in 2013, earning 2.5 more sacks than the next most prolific pass rusher. But he can’t become complacent. So much of the defense’s success depends on his getting pressure on the quarterback and plugging holes against the run. It’s a long shot, but Williams has a Player of the Year candidate on both sides of the ball.

Team MVP: James Howe. He was probably the team’s best player last year, and even if he only repeats those numbers he would still be a logical choice. One could also look to the aforementioned Scyocurka or Felix as possible candidates, but Howe’s production from defensive end is so far above his peers that there’s really no debate.

Biggest Game: Nov. 8 at Amherst

The Biggest Little Game in America lives on for its 129th edition in 2014. No matter the records, this game is the most important on both teams’ schedules. Williams holds the historical advantage having gone 71-52-5, but the Lord Jeffs have won three straight. It’s possible that one (or both) of these teams will still be playing for a title in Week 8, which adds even more drama to this already emotionally-charged game.

Best Tweet of the Offseason: This is from back in March. Wide receiver Darrias Sime and former Williams basketball center Mike Mayer took some time to read to a class of first graders at South Elementary School.

Improved quarterback play should give the Ephs a good chance at competing for a spot near the top of the NESCAC in 2014. The defense will be strong again and the offense will lean heavily Scyocurka. If everything clicks the Ephs will be a surprise team this season.

Welcome to 2014

Suddenly the calendar has flipped to September, and that means football is everywhere all at once. The NESCAC football seasons starts later than every other conference which makes the wait just a little bit harder. And once it gets here we only get eight Saturdays before we have to wait for 2015. So cherish it and get ready.

The last images of the 2013 season included Trinity running wild over a previously dominant Wesleyan defense, Mac Foote throwing for a bajillion yards, and Amherst’s triumph over Williams for the third consecutive season. The Panthers, Jeffs, and Cardinals ended up splitting the NESCAC title three ways. Bowdoin made it onto ESPN again with their Hail Mary against Colby, and in the process they snatched the CBB away from the Mules and gave it back to Bates for a second straight year. And despite the loss at Trinity to finish the year, Wesleyan enjoyed their first Little 3 title in over 40 years after beating Amherst and Williams.

2014 promises to excite yet again given the wealth of returning talent across the conference. No team is more stacked with returners than Wesleyan and they look like the most talented team entering the season. And yet, the thumping that Trinity put on them to close out the 2013 season makes us pause before anointing Wesleyan the king of the ‘CAC. Middlebury will try to cement its place as a top-tier program despite the loss of star QB Mac Foote behind a defense ready for the spotlight. Williams looks to return to the the upper echelon, and they might do it because of a transfer at QB. The Maine schools Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin will battle for supremacy up north after an offseason that saw the teams get closer to each other in talent level. Finally, Tufts and Hamilton look to get off the losing skid, and one of them will do just that when they face off in Week 1.

The biggest offseason news surrounded the quarterback position. Way back in July we sent this tweet out.

That turned out to be not quite right. Three QB’s who ought to have been returning and who saw time in 2013 are not on their team’s respective roster this fall. The 2013 NESCAC Offensive Rookie of the Year Sonny Puzzo (Trinity), arguably the best QB besides Foote last year, Justin Ciero (Colby), and formerly highly recruited prospect Nick LaSpada (Bates) all have left school for a variety of reasons. LaSpada was the backup last year so his loss is not so significant, and Henry Foye, who played in all eight games last year, returns for Trinity. Colby joins Middlebury as the two schools with no significant experience in their returners.

Two fresh faces arrive on the NESCAC quarterback scene after transferring from Division 1 schools. While transferring down does not automatically mean success in the NESCAC, Michael Ecke at Colby (via UConn) and Austin Lommen at Williams (via Boston College) both inherit situations where they could easily start immediately.

Wesleyan, with the ultra-efficient Jesse Warren, might be the only team without at question at quarterback heading into camp in 2014.

As mentioned above, one such team with a fluid quarterback situation is Williams. The Ephs tried both underclassmen Tom Murphy and Mark Pomella at QB last season, but the pair combined for two touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Hence the door appears wide open for Lommen. Better quarterback play could be the only thing holding Williams back from competing for a conference title.

Williams has historically been one of the conference’s best programs, but a 4-4 season in 2012 and a disastrous 2-6 record last year has Ephs’ fans searching for answers. But there’s reason for hope. RB Alex Scyocurka, the workhorse of the NESCAC, is back for a fifth-year. The receiving corps is experienced. The entire offensive line has starts under its belt. The Ephs’ 4-3 defense, fourth in the NESCAC in yards per game allowed last season, should improve. Three All-NESCAC caliber players return on the defensive line (DE James Howe was a First-Teamer in 2013). Likewise, the entire battery returns at linebacker. And All-NESCAC Second-Teamer Tom Cabarle is back at safety to solidify the back four.

The Ephs’ played a lot of close games in 2013. But seven-point losses to Trinity and Middlebury, and a two-point heartbreaker at Wesleyan were too much for the Ephs to overcome. If someone can emerge for Williams at quarterback, the Ephs will be a surprise squad in 2014.

If Wesleyan hadn’t squeaked out that two-point victory over Williams in Week 7, they wouldn’t even have had a share of the NESCAC crown. After looking like the conference’s best team for seven weeks, the Cardinals laid a stinker against in-state rival Trinity. The question for 2014 now becomes not whether Wesleyan is the best team in the NESCAC, but whether it is the best team in Connecticut. Despite losing two games in 2013, Trinity clearly showed that at their best the Bantams are a force, especially at home where Trinity has not lost in over a decade (51 games). Wesleyan essentially returns its entire starting roster (more on that in the Cardinals’ preview yet to come), and is the favorite to win the NESCAC. But the Cardinals are not infallible. And they don’t want to be the Buffalo Bills of 1989-1993, dominating through much of the season before crumbling when it really counts. Is Wesleyan the cream of the crop? We won’t be able to answer that question for 11 weeks.

Courtesy of Bates Athletics
Courtesy of Bates Athletics

For those of you who haven’t read us before, welcome. We hope to provide you with the very best NESCAC coverage you can hope for. The NESCAC is a special conference; one where the term “student-athlete” still rings true in that order. As students at NESCAC member schools, we hope to express our love of this amateur game for you in our devoted coverage. We ask for your help in spreading the word about our product and helping us make it as good as it can be. Contact us about great stories, because we know they are innumerable. Follow our coverage of every week’s games, and revel in our committed analysis.

Over the next three weeks we plan to give you every tool you could imagine and hope for in order to prepare you for the NESCAC football season. Team previews, this season’s biggest games, our predictions for the standings and for the end-of-year awards, and heaps of other information and statistics, all leading up to the first Saturday of games. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Thank you.

-Adam Lamont (Bowdoin ’16) and Joe MacDonald (Middlebury ’16), Editors