Tag: Chudi Iregbulem

Mid-Season Awards – The Definitive Edition

Four weeks gone, four to go, and a whole lot of fun still to be had. The time has come to recognize a few of the players, coaches, and even teams  that have been living it up in the first half. And by living it up we mean making the NESCAC their own personal fiefdoms. Little fiefdoms where they carve up the opposition with the help of their teammates

Alright we’ll stop with the fiefdoms thing and get onto the awards.

Offensive Player of the Year: Running Back Chudi Iregbulem ’15 (Trinity)

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Courtesy of Trinity Athletics

Our preseason pick Wesleyan’s LaDarius Drew ’15 might be out for the entire season because of a foot injury, and Iregbulem has emerged from obscurity to be the clear winner at the halfway point. Well, not completely from obscurity, considering we did tab him as our dark horse contender before the year started. He ran for 137 yards in 2013, and came within three yards of that in his first game alone. He averaged “only” 84 yards the next two weeks before busting out for 184 yards and four touchdowns against Tufts on Saturday. The senior from Torrance, California waited his turn behind Evan Bunker ’14 and Ben Crick ’14 until this year. That is the way that Trinity works. They lose somebody, it’s next guy up every time. If Iregbulem keeps up his play, he will do something Bunker never did, win Offensive Player of the Year.

Consider this award also recognition for the Trinity offensive line that is the best in the league.

Also Considered: Jack Doll ’15 (Tufts), Jesse Warren ’15 (Wesleyan), Mark Riley ’16 (Bates), Alex Scyocurka ’14 (Williams), and Tyler Grant ’17 (Bowdoin)

Defensive Player of the Year: Safety Ryan Newson ’15 (Bates)

Courtesy of Bates Athletics
Courtesy of Bates Athletics

Newson is another player who has stepped into big shoes and in some ways out performed his predecessor. Andrew Kukesh ’14 was an All-NESCAC player multiple times for Bates, and the Bobcats have found a replacement just as good. Newson is one of three players to have four interceptions already, and he is also making a lot of tackles from his safety position. His 37 total tackles (24 solo) place him ninth in the league. The Bates staff knew what they had last year when they decided to move Kukesh to linebacker for  some games and get Newson on the field as much as possible. The Bates defense has played very well keeping the Bobcats in games despite their 1-3 record.

Also Considered: Jake Bussani ’14 (Wesleyan), Jaymie Spears ’16 (Amherst), Mike Stearns ’17 (Tufts), Addison Pierce ’17 (Middlebury), and Paul Johnson ’17 (Amherst)

NESCAC Rookie of the Year: Running Back Drew Jacobs ’18 (Middlebury)

Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics
Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics

Every year this is the most wide-open race, and we don’t even try to predict it before the season begins because coaches are loathe to reveal which freshmen will be big time performers before the season begins. Jacobs has lapped every other freshman in terms of production in the first half. He is seventh in the NESCAC in total rushing yards, but he really makes his mark in the receiving game as a running back. Jacobs has the fourth most yards from scrimmage in the NESCAC. He has brought some shiftiness to the Middlebury running game that has helped the offense become more balanced. This is the race most likely to change given that freshman usually see increased playing time in the second half as they gain more practice reps.

Also Considered: Reece Foy ’18 (Amherst), Drew Korn ’18 (Bates), Zach Altneu ’18 (Hamilton), Mbasa Mayikana ’18 (Colby), Bryan Vieira ’18 (Trinity), and Andrew Sisti ’18 (Bowdoin)

Special Teams Player of the Year : Kick Returner Zack Trause ’15 (Tufts)

Courtesy of Tufts Athletics
Courtesy of Tufts Athletics

Nobody else has been as dynamic as Trause in the open field through one half of the year. He ranks second in the nation in kickoff return average at 39.6 yards per return and third in the nation in punt return average at 22.4 yards per return.. His game of the year came against Bates when he returned both a kickoff and punt for a touchdown to propel Tufts to their exciting victory. He has come close to two other touchdowns as well with the kicker bringing him down once both against Bowdoin and then last week against Trinity. Teams might start to kick away from him given his proficiency and tendency to make teams pay every time they do.

Also Considered: Joe Mallock ’15 (Williams), Michael Dola ’15 (Middlebury), David Kurey ’15 (Bates), and Devon Carillo ’17 (Wesleyan)

Coach of the Year: Jay Civetti (Tufts)

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Courtesy of Tufts Athletics

No story has been better than Tufts in the first half of the NESCAC season. The Jumbos broke out from their 31-game losing streak with two straight wins to begin the season. Both games at home saw capacity crowds in Medford. The first win was a great moment for Tufts, but Civetti deserves more credit for turning his team around and getting them ready for their Week 2 game against Bates. That win to bring the Jumbos to 2-0 signaled that real change is afoot at Tufts. Civetti has seen a lot of losing at Tufts, and he is likely to still see a good deal more, but right now the program looks pointed in the right direction with him at the helm.

Also Considered: Mike Whalen (Wesleyan) and EJ Mills (Amherst)

Chudi Iregbulem ’15 Rises to Prominence

After losing star running backs Evan Bunker ’14 and Ben Crick ’14, the Bantams needed to turn to someone who would take over their dominant roles. Chudi Iregbulem ’15 has risen to the occasion. Iregbulem racked up one touchdown in his first three years at Trinity, so nobody knew what to expect out of the mysterious running back this year. Well, needless to say, Iregbulem has dominated the NESCAC. In his first game he scored three touchdowns in a rout against Colby. Iregbulem earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors, which sparked some chatter around the league. Three touchdowns for any player is outstanding, but for Iregbulem’s first start, it was downright impressive. Some might have said it was beginners luck, but Iregbulem answered with another dominant performance at Williams. He ran over Williams for three touchdowns, and caught one through the air. This established Iregbulem as a dominant player within the league. Hamilton seemed to have the answer for the Bantam back in Week 3, but he adjusted to rip through Tufts in Week 4. His best game by far came against Tufts this last week. Iregbulem earned another NESCAC Player of the Week award, and rightfully so. He ran for 184 yards, and found his way into the end zone four more times.

After not playing much his first three years, Irregbulem finally has the starting role, and he credits his success to multiple things.

“I’d say the biggest reason is the hard work I put in in the offseasons, knowing I would eventually get my chance. Also, due to the fact that we always have one of the strongest offensive lines in the league year after year.”

As of now, Iregbulem leads the league in touchdowns and has made his presence known. Many skeptics felt that Trinity would be at a major loss without their two running backs, but Iregbulem has silenced those skeptics. As the schedule strengthens down the stretch, Trinity is going to need their new star running back to come to play and continue his domination of the NESCAC. Trinity has came back from last years disappointing season with a vengeance, and much of this success has been a result of the commanding play by Iregbulem and their brick wall of an offensive line.

None of this would be possible without the holes big enough to drive a Cadillac through, created by the offensive line. Led by Matt Porter ’16, Joe Magardino ’15, Matt Flynn ’15, and Jake Golden ’15, the Bantam’s O-Line has paved way for the team to average 265.2 rushing yards per game. The two biggest questions of this year’s team were, how would the quarterback position perform, and how would the running game respond to the loss of Crick and Bunker? So far, both of these answers have been answered because of the guys up front.

Irregbulem is leading the league in every rushing category, and unseen in the box scores, has broken off a couple of huge runs that have swung the momentum of games. A perfect example of this is during last week’s game against Tufts. Tufts was giving Trinity a game as the Bantams found themselves looking at a 4th and 1 on the Tufts’ half of the field, in no man’s land (too far for a field goal, too close to punt). Irregbulem ran between the left side of the line, easily gained the yardage for a first down, then went on to make a safety miss and scored easily. Porter, a Junior from Chicago, IL has anchored the left side and has been playing just as an important role as Irregbulem in Trinity’s 4-0 record so far.

Porter says, “this year the line has more chemistry and we trust each other more. We are all confident and have the trust of the other skill position players.”

It should be no surprise to anyone why they have the trust of the rest of the team. Trinity leads the NESCAC in yards per game, averaging 413.5 ypg.

Trinity is currently 4-0 and getting hot at the right time. With Middlebury, Amherst, and Wesleyan to finish the season, the Bantams will have to play nearly flawless down the stretch. However they are not overlooking this week’s Bowdoin team who, despite being 2-2 and looking sluggish at times, tends to give Trinity difficulty.

“They always give us trouble” said Coach Devanney when talking about this week’s matchup. However, this year’s team knows what it’s going to take if they are going to reclaim the NESCAC title after missing out last year.

From Irregbulem: “I’d say that on offense we have an underdog mentality primarily because nobody in the league knew what to expect from our offense with the loss of Bunker and Crick. We’ve made it a mission to make a statement every game and play like we have a chip on our shoulder. In past years we played complacent at times because the offensive unit had been dominant for so long. But this year there’s a renewed sense of urgency and preparation for each game.”

If the O-Line keeps creating Moses parting the Red Sea type holes and Irregbulem keeps finding his way through them into the end zone, Trinity should put themselves in good position to reach Week 8 still undefeated and with a chance to take the NESCAC title.

Contenders All Survive – Saturday Wrap-up

Well, we watched a good twelve hours of sports yesterday that made us remember why we love October so much (how was your Saturday?). The first five hours were spent with a NESCAC game (or a few) streaming on a computer. We said it would be a somewhat boring day so of course two of the crazier games this year happened. Here is your wrap-up.

Bowdoin (2-2) 30, Hamilton (0-4) 24

The first game of the day was a wild one at the end. The teams scored 22 points in the final 2:24 with three attempted onside kicks and a Hail Mary to boot. The craziness started when, after a Hamilton TD made it 22-17,  the Continentals recovered an onside kick, only to see it erased by an offsides penalty. Bowdoin managed to recover the next attempt and Tyler Grant ’17 scored two plays later to put Bowdoin up 30-17 with 2:06. Then Amman Weaver ’18 took the ensuing kickoff back to the house, but Bowdoin once again recovered the onside kick attempt. Bowdoin had to punt with under 30 seconds left and saw Hamilton block it to take over at the Bowdoin 27 yard line with nine seconds left. Bowdoin finally clinched it when Dan Johnson ’15 intercepted Chase Rosenberg ’17 in the end zone with three seconds left.

Bowdoin has a complete game recap or you can watch the entire game on the Hamilton stream. Start it at the 2:48:00 mark to see the end of game craziness.

Wesleyan (4-0) 24, Bates (1-3) 10

The Cardinals sweated this game out as the Bobcats proved to be worthy adversaries despite playing without their starting quarterback Matt Cannone. Wesleyan struggled to move the ball on the ground except in the wildcat as Devon Carillo ’17 gained 92 of their 143 yards as the wildcat quarterback. This was a 17-10 game in the fourth quarter before Wesleyan converted a short field off of a fumble recovery into a touchdown on a screen from Jesse Warren ’15 to Jay Fabien ’15. The Bates website has a full recap and photos from the game.

Amherst (4-0) 35, Colby (0-4) 10

This was a 3-0 game in favor of Colby after one half, but quarterback Max Lippe ’15 entered the game for his first appearance of the season and changed the Amherst offense. After a Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn ’16 interception, Lippe entered and on his first attempt completed a 68 yard pass to Brian Ragone ’16 to set up the first Amherst touchdown. From that point on Amherst rolled with a Ned Deane ’15 interception return for a touchdown to make it 28-10 on the first play of the fourth quarter essentially ending it. For Colby, the game was like a broken record of their entire first half where they stayed close for a while before fading late. Amherst has a complete game recap or you can watch highlights featuring analysis from Head Coach EJ Mills below.

Trinity (4-0) 35, Tufts (2-2) 14

We came within one point of exactly nailing this score (we had Trinity 34-Tufts 14), as the Bantams used a big second quarter to move past Tufts. The Jumbos took the lead after another long Zack Trause ’15 punt return led to a short touchdown, but after that Trinity’s run game took over. Chudi Iregbulem ’15 led the way with 184 yards and four touchdowns. The home winning streak for Trinity now stands at 53 games. A fake punt pass from Michael Budness ’15 to Bryan Vieira ’18 helped give Trinity their second touchdown and the lead they would never relinquish.

Here is the full game recap.

Middlebury (2-2) 23, Williams (1-3) 20

The last game of the afternoon was also the closest as it took overtime to decide this one. The first half was a defensive battle with another 3-0 score, this one in favor of Williams. The Panther defense, like they have done all year, got Middlebury going with a fumble recovery for a touchdown by Will Bain ’15. Williams was up a touchdown late in the fourth quarter but could not close the game out on offense giving the Panthers back the ball with a little over two minutes remaining. That was all the time Matt Milano ’16 and company needed to tie up the game. In overtime Williams got the ball first and stalled inside the five yard line before settling for a field goal. A beautiful pass from Milano to Brendan Rankowitz ’15 won it for Middlebury and sent the entire Panthers team into the end zone in celebration.

Complete game recap and photos can be found if you follow the link.

Weekend Preview: September 27

The biggest change a team can make from week to week comes after week 1 and leading into week 2. Nothing can replicate game speed, and after coaches are able to look back at game tape for the first time and make adjustments, teams can look very different. Consider in week 1 last year Williams got blown out by Colby 31-6. Then a week later Trinity needed two A.J. Jones ’14 touchdown receptions in the fourth quarter to keep the Ephs from ending the Trinity home winning streak. More on the Williams-Trinity matchup later.

The overarching story line to watch this week is how teams perform on the road. In our opinion, only one team (Wesleyan at home against Hamilton) can be considered the favorite at home. The last time four road teams won in one weekend was actually this same week two years ago with the exact same slate of games. A home underdog springing an upset would mean a disturbance in the early season hierarchy, even if it is a momentary blip.

Three to Watch

1. Quarterback Austin Lommen ’16 (Williams)- I know that we focus a lot on Lommen and Williams prospects for improvement, but this is the week that we really learn how far Lommen can take the Ephs. Last week he was able to lean on a great defensive effort and running attack against Bowdoin. He was efficient going 18-27  for 184 yards and one touchdown. Still Trinity will make him do a lot more in order to beat them. They have the strength to slow down running back Alex Scyorcurka ’14 enough to make Lommen have to make throws. It is clear that Lommen has great chemistry with his high school teammate Steven Kiesel. He will need to find the open receiver as Kiesel will likely face tight coverage from either Mike Mancini ’15 or Brian Dones ’17.

2. Linebacker Addison Pierce ’17 (Middlebury)- The Panther defense rose to the occasion last week especially in the run game, and Pierce was a player who had a breakout game. He played a lot freshman year finishing fifth on the team in tackles, but last week was special. He totaled ten tackles including three and a half TFLs (tackles for loss), equal to his total TFLs for all of 2013. The Panthers got penetration into the backfield all day from their linebackers stopping Kyle Gibson and co. before they could get momentum. This week is another interesting matchup for the Midd defense against a Colby offense that actually ran the ball effectively against Trinity.

3. Running back Ivan Reese ’17 (Bates)- Last week Amherst shut down the inside running game for Bates holding Reese to only 19 yards on 10 carries. In fairness, Amherst was perfectly designed to shut down the interior given all the talent up front on defense. 19 yards should be by far the least amount of yards that Reese gets in any game. The interior of the Tufts defense should not present the same problems Amherst did so look for Reese to be fed the ball early and often in the home opener for Bates. The offense needs to improve on their execution from week one in order not to waste another great performance from the defense.

Austin Lommen '16 in action against Bowdoin (Courtesy of Williams Athletics)
Austin Lommen ’16 in action against Bowdoin (Courtesy of Williams Athletics)

The Picks

Game of the Week- Trinity (1-0) at Williams (1-0)

Williams fans are riding high after opening their new field with a thumping of Bowdoin. A victory this week would put them into a tizzy. The Bantams are feeling pretty good themselves after taking it to Colby in the second half to run away with the win. Our writers Sean Meekins ’15 and Carson Kenney ’15, both Trinity students, put Williams above Trinity in their power rankings. Maybe it was just a psychological play to fire up the Bantams, but the point remains that after week one, this matchup got a little more interesting.

As we mentioned above, Williams almost shocked Trinity in Hartford last year. The stats tell us this was not the result of any fluke luck. The teams had essentially the same amount of yards, first downs, yards per play, and penalties. The difference was Williams’ four turnovers to Trinity’s one. The play of the game came when Brian Dones ’17 picked off Tom Murphy ’15 in the final minute to set up the winning touchdown for Trinity.

Lommen has to avoid making those type of mistakes for Williams to win. Williams will make a strong commitment to running the ball especially given how Carl Lipani ’17 was able to run for 133 yards last week. Some of Williams biggest plays in week one came on screens and draws where they were able to give Scyocurka and Jean Luc Etienne ’15 space to work with. The experienced Trinity linebackers will likely snuff that type of play out meaning the Ephs will have to manufacture big plays down the field.

On the other side of the ball the decisive matchup is between the Trinity offensive line and the Williams defensive front seven. James Howe ’16 will need to get help from his cohorts which might not include defensive tackle Adam Datema ’15 this week. Chudi Iregbulem ’15 and company enjoyed success mainly in the second half after wearing down Colby because Trinity held the ball for 37 minutes. The Williams defense has to make sure Trinity does not get into a rhythm running the ball. These are two teams similar in ethos that have seen every game between them since 2006 decided by eight points or less.

Prediction: Trinity 22 over Williams 17

Middlebury (0-1) at Colby (0-1)- These are two teams both coming off tough losses that look very comparable. The Mules were feeling good at halftime against Trinity down only a safety and getting the ball to start the second half. Then things fell apart pretty quickly and Colby ended up losing 32-7. Middlebury had a chance to tie Wesleyan at the end of regulation before a near blocked punt turned into a game ending roughing the kicker penalty. Colby has to do a better job of not letting up the big play, whether that’s on offense or defense. How the Colby secondary plays against a Middlebury offense that outgained Wesleyan last week will be the difference.

Prediction: Middlebury 31 over Colby 23

Amherst (1-0) at Bowdoin (0-1)- Quick disclaimer/heads up: I am doing the color commentary for this game on the Bowdoin webcast through NSN. Bowdoin could take few positives away from the game against Williams. Expect them to open things up more on offense to keep Amherst off balance because running against the Jeffs is very difficult. Amherst has to cut down on the turnovers that helped Bates almost beat them last week. Keeping Alex Berluti ’17 in the pocket is a must for the Polar Bears. If he escapes and makes one player miss, he can easily rip off a 30 yard run. Bowdoin always seems to play Amherst tough especially in the first half, but it will be tough for them to make enough plays to win.

Prediction: Amherst 20 over Bowdoin 6

Bates (0-1) at Tufts (1-0)- The Jumbos were able to celebrate their first win in four years last weekend, and it will be interesting to see how the team plays this week. Preparation against Bates is crucial, and if Tufts spent too long in the glow of their victory they will be in trouble tomorrow. The Bates running game should get more traction this week than it did against Amherst.  This is a must win game for Bates to gain momentum before they face Williams and Wesleyan at home in back to back weeks. Expect the Bobcat defense to really clamp down and frustrate the Tufts offense.

Prediction: Bates 23 over Tufts 13

Hamilton (0-1) at Wesleyan (1-0)- The Cardinals blitzkrieged their first four opponents in 2013, and Hamilton was no exception. This game was over last year after the first drive of the third quarter when LaDarius Drew broke off a 76 yard touchdown run to put Wesleyan up 28-0. It is still unclear if Drew will play this week after missing last week due to injury. Chase Rosenberg ’17 will put the ball in the air a lot again this week for the Continentals, but expect the Wesleyan defense to pick a couple of those passes off.

Prediction: Wesleyan 31 over Hamilton 10

Last week: 5-0

Season: 5-0

Stock Report – September 22

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Just as we did for baseball, every Monday we will look back at the weekend by examining some of the players, units, and coaches that stuck out. Week 1 featured an escape by the Jeffs at home, a successful opening of a new stadium in Williamstown, and a triumph for Tufts.

Stock Up

Williams Secondary- In the preseason the defensive line got most of the love for Williams, but the secondary was the star in week 1. Four of the five top tacklers for the Ephs were defensive backs. That includes Tom Cabarle ’15 and Jack Ryan ’16 accounting for all three tackles for loss. To cap it off, top corner Taysean Scott ’17 returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown. The Bowdoin passing offense struggled for the first three quarters to find receivers open downfield before moving the ball after Williams went into near prevent defense. Trinity represents a different animal in terms of offensive attack next week for Williams, but if the Ephs can count on their secondary being sure handed in their tackling, that will go a long way in slowing down the big play ability of the Trinity run offense.

Trinity Offensive Line – Colby held tight for a while before the Bantams turned the burners on to extend the home winning streak to 52. In total Trinity ran for 289 yards against the best run defense from 2013. Coach Jeff Devanney turned to his line for the first drive of the second half. The Bantams ran the ball on 11 of the 12 plays of the drive including the first 10. Chudi Iregbulem’s ’15 touchdown made the score 22-7 to essentially put the game away. From left to right the Bantam line goes Matt Porter ’16 6’2″ 285 lbs, Jake Golden ’15 6’1″ 290 lbs, Joe Magardino 6’2″ 275 lbs, Connor Flynn ’15 6’3″ 280 lbs, and Will Lynner ’16 6’2″ 270 lbs. Then throw in tight end Brendan Oliver at 6’3″ 235 lbs for good measure. At this point in the season, this is the best positional unit on either offense or defense in the entire NESCAC. Switch the Trinity offensive line onto any other NESCAC school and that school would go at least 4-4.

Tufts – Saturday’s win over Hamilton was the first victory for every single player on the Tufts roster as a member of the Jumbos. The atmosphere in Medford was one of jubilation. Have to give credit not only to the team and coaches but also the crowd. There was a feeling that the streak was coming to an end soon, and students turned out in force to watch their team. Corner Mike Stearns ’17 was the star on a defense that bended but didn’t break. The sophomore had an incredible 16 solo tackles to earn Co-Defensive Player of the Week. Also important in the victory was Mike Rando ’17 who finished with 188 all-purpose yards. Tufts has a lot of work to do in order to keep improving given they had only 12 first downs to Hamilton’s 23.

Stock Down

Quarterbacks – As a group, NESCAC QBs threw for 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 58.4 completion percentage. Two interceptions were returned for touchdowns and Colby’s Gabe Harrington’s ’17 fumble led to a Trinity defensive touchdown. Defenses being ahead of offenses is not unusual in Week 1. Coaches are also usually more conservative as they try to feel out exactly how comfortable their quarterback is. Still, several signs point to passing being down around the NESCAC all year. The first is the obvious drop off Middlebury will see with Matt Milano ’16 now at QB. Milano actually threw for the second most yards in week one but had two interceptions including a crucial one to Justin Sanchez ’17. Both Trinity’s Henry Foye ’15 and Jesse Warren ’15 will not be asked to make many throws because of the strength of their running games. The surprising start of Alex Berluti ’17 for Amherst could also mean less passing for the Jeffs because of Berluti’s running ability.

Wesleyan’s Invincibility – Given all of the starters returning from last season, some expected the 2014 season to be one big victory lap for the Cardinals. That looks silly now after they escaped from Middlebury with an eight point victory. Sure they were playing without running back LaDarius Drew ’15, but that is no reason for only averaging 1.7 yards per carry. If not for a Middlebury roughing the kicker penalty, the Panthers would have gotten the ball back with a chance to tie with just under two minutes left. Maybe Middlebury will not take any steps back this season or Wesleyan simply came out flat in the first game. Luckily the Cardinals should not be challenged at home next weekend by Hamilton but they then face three difficult games. The defense really carried the Cardinals to the victory with Justin Sanchez’ ’17 TAINT (touchdown after interception) and Donnie Cimino’s ’15 punt return bailing out the offense.

Gutsy Decisions – The most exciting game of the weekend swung on a single play with Bates electing to go for two and the win at Amherst. While the gamble by Coach Mark Harriman did not work out, the decision to go for it was definitely the right one. Like we predicted, the game was extremely low scoring with Bates averaging only 2.9 yards per play. Forgetting for now everything that followed afterward, at the moment Bates had jumped on a huge miscue from a Gene Garay ’15 fumble to score their touchdown. An offense that had struggled all game suddenly could win the game in a situation perfectly built for their scheme. Though he missed a kick earlier in the game, the ability of Amherst kicker Phillip Nwosu ’15 probably also played into Harriman’s thinking. In overtime that kicking advantage could easily have been the difference for the Jeffs. As the underdog on the road, Harriman was completely right to take the gamble and play the odds. The only possible problem was the play call. Instead of relying on some variation of the triple option, Matt Cannone ’16 dropped back for a pass hoping to catch the Jeffs by surprise. Our guess is Harriman thought he saw something in the Amherst defense that could be exploited on that play, but it just did not work out.

 

Fantasy Report – Week 1

Week 1 of the NESCAC football season is in the books. There will be plenty of “real” news and analysis coming later on in the week, but let’s kick Monday off with what everyone really cares about. Fantasy football.

 

The Bantams (Meekins) vs. Foye Story (MacDonald)

 

Meekins’ two controversial early picks of “back up” running backs looked pretty good this week. Kyle Gibson wasn’t spectacular, but Nick Kelly broke away for a 42-yard TD on his way to 77 yards over nine carries, and both was his team’s leading rusher on the day. Wesleyan and Meekins got pretty much what is to be expected from Jesse Warren, who posted 20 points by throwing for 163 yards and two TD’s, and Gene Garay made good on his first round status, outscoring all other wide receivers in play besides Jay Fabien (Team Lindholm).

However, Foye Story edged The Bantams, ironically, on the strength of Chudi Iregbulem’s NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week-winning performance. Well over half of my points came from Iregbulem and Alex Scyocurka, and I’m excited for both of their potential this season. The bad news: I started the wrong Hamilton tailback (Rico Gonzalez over Jeff Hopsicker) and Middlebury wide receiver (Matt Minno over Grant Luna), but a win’s a win.

Alex Scyocurka tore up the Bowdoin defense for 128 yards and two TD's.
Alex Scyocurka tore up the Bowdoin defense for 128 yards and two TD’s.
The Bantams (Meekins) Foye Story (MacDonald)
Position Player Points Player Points
QB J. Warren 20 H. Foye 6
QB M. Caputi 5 G. Harrington 10
RB K. Gibson 6 A. Scyocurka 24
RB J. Rivers 2 C. Iregbulem 32
RB N. Kelly 8 I. Reese 1
WR G. Garay 11 M. Minno 2
WR I. Dugger 4 G. Lanzillo 0
WR C. Ragone 7 N. Joseph 10
TE B. Oliver 0 B. Harasimowicz 1
FLEX D. Von Euw 0 R. Gonzalez 0
FLEX D. Sime 2 S. Carroll 2
K P. Nwosu 1 J. Mallock 3
D/ST Trinity 16 Colby -2
TOTAL 82 89

Team Lindholm vs. Lord of the ‘CAC – The Fellowship

How ’bout those Ephs?! The Williams defense carried Team Lindholm, scoring more than everyone else in the matchup besides Panthers QB Matt Milano. Pretty amazing that Lindholm pulled off the victory despite four goose eggs on the board. Two of those are pretty glaring, as Lindholm (and the rest of us) assumed that Max Lippe and Ryan Hislop would be starting for their respective squads, but it looks like both could be looking at reserve duty unless injury or bad performance strikes. Kenny Adinkra, too, will need to step up his play after Kelly’s breakout day.

As for Team Lamont, he should be encouraged by a solid showing from Austin Lommen in his first NESCAC game, and Carl Lipani looked great in Colby’s season opener. Other than that though, Lamont got a lot of mediocre performances. The Wesleyan D/ST was good not great, and unfortunately Mike Rando didn’t accrue any points for his return duties, causing Team Lamont to pull up just short.

Matt Cannone, downed at the two here, and the triple option had little success against the Amherst defense.
Matt Cannone, downed at the two here, and the triple option had little success against the Amherst defense.
Team Lindholm Lord of the ‘CAC – The Fellowship
Position Player Points Player Points
QB M. Lippe 0 M. Cannone 10
QB M. Milano 21 A. Lommen 15
RB K. Adinkra 2 L. Drew 0
RB R. Hislop 0 T. Grant 4
RB J. Semonella 1 C. Lipani 13
WR H. Murphy 0 B. Ragone 5
WR J. Hurwitz 0 E. Drigotas 0
WR J. Fabien 14 L. Duncklee 1
TE J. Day 10 A. Way 2
FLEX M. Budness 1 D. Barone 4
FLEX Z. Trause 16 M. Rando 5
K M. Dola 2 L. Schweepers 0
D/ST Williams 19 Wesleyan 13
TOTAL 86 72

Handicapping the Player of the Year Races

Predicting the potential Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year is about searching for trends in the voting pattern of the NESCAC coaches. Seven of the last eight Offensive POY were quarterbacks, and six of the last seven Defensive POY were linebackers. With that being said, this season looks like it could be very different.

Offensive Player of the Year

The Favorite: Running Back LaDarius Drew ’15 (Wesleyan) – Both All-NESCAC QBs from last season are gone, and Drew looks to be the feature running back on the most explosive offense in the league. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns including a 167 yard performance against Bowdoin last year. However, he slowed down as the year went along, averaging under four yards per carry in three of his final four games. Also, Kyle Gibson ’15 will also take a lot of carries and was actually more productive per rush in 2013. Drew could run into a situation where the Wesleyan coaches decide to only give him about 15 carries a game (he averaged 20.5 in 2013), letting Gibson run more, and keeping Drew from putting up big numbers.

Contenders:

Quarterback Jesse Warren ’15 (Wesleyan) – If carries are split by Drew and Gibson then Warren could win if he repeats his efficiency from last season but with slightly more production. Another 15:3 TD:INT ratio will give him a good shot.

Wide Receiver Luke Duncklee ’15 (Colby) – The most productive receiver in the NESCAC will collect a lot of credit if Gabe Harrington ’17 has a seamless transition to the starting role. Fellow receiver Nick Joseph ’15 will also need a good season to make sure teams can’t key on Duncklee.

Quarterback Matt Cannone ’16 (Bates) – After seeing Cannone in action in the scrimmage against Colby, it was clear the junior has made major improvements to his game especially in the passing game. He will rack up both passing and rushing yards in the Bates offense.

Running Back Alex Scyocurka ’14 (Williams) – Opponents keyed on Scyocurka a lot meaning he averaged only 3.3 yards per carry, but he should be able to punish defenses with a more balanced attack this season, and he’s as healthy as he’s ever been, so perhaps he can get closer to the 5.3 yards per rush he averaged in 2012. An improvement as a team will also help his prospects, though he has to cut down on the four fumbles from a year ago.

Wide Receiver Gene Garay ’15 (Amherst)-  The only other receiver who looks to have a shot at POY honors is Garay. The senior was the leading receiver for Amherst last season and should see even more targets with Jake O’Malley graduated. He is also helped by the potential for big plays in the return game.

The Darkhorse: Running Back Chudi Iregbulem ’15 (Trinity) – Iregbulem has not seen the field very much because of all the talent in front of him, but now he steps to the forefront. He will get the majority share of carries in tandem with Jacob Rivers ’15. His 7.2 yards per carry average is inflated somewhat because it came at the end of blowouts against tired defenses. Consider his potential a tacit compliment to the entire Trinity offensive line who will deserve much of the credit if he has a great season.

Defensive Player of the Year

The Favorite: Defensive End James Howe ’16 (Williams)

Howe was the only sophomore selected to the All-NESCAC First Team in 2013. He tallied 55 tackles, which is impressive for a lineman, especially given the fact that teams would choose to run the opposite way if given the choice, seven more than the next-highest total by a lineman, Colby defensive end Caleb Harris ’15. Howe led the league in sacks with 10, 2.5 more than Harris, and was one behind Amherest linebacker Chris Tamasi ’15 with 17 tackles for loss. Usually linebackers get the most recognition because they are asked to do the most on the field, but Howe is on another level compared to his peers. His pressure and dominance on the line makes the linebackers’ and defensive backs’ jobs easier, and for that he comes into 2014 as the favorite to bring home this honor.

Contenders:

Linebacker Tim Patricia ’16 (Middlebury) It’s been noted before, but the tackle numbers on defenses like Middlebury and Tufts are inflated because their offenses run so many plays. Nevertheless, Patricia is a playmaker. The former Rookie of the Year has been a force in the Middlebury for the Panthers since day one. It’s not his athletic tools that make him a great tackler, but his football IQ. Proof that his numbers are not just a product of high play totals: Patricia accounted for almost 14 percent of Middlebury’s tackles and over 13 percent of solos. Leading tackler Joey Cleary ’14 tallied just over 16 percent of Bowdoin’s tackles and just under 16 percent of solos.

Safety Jake Bussani ’14 (Wesleyan) The only thing that might keep Bussani from making a run for DPOY honors is the wealth of talent surrounding him on defense, but the graduate has made the All-NESCAC First Team in three straight seasons. His stats weren’t as impressive as in the previous two seasons, but that doesn’t mean that his play has tapered off.

Defensive End Caleb Harris ’15 (Colby) We already mentioned Harris above, but it’s worth reiterating that Harris was the cornerstone of the best run defense in the league last season, and was only six off the pace for most tackles on his own team.

Linebacker Chris Tamasi ’15 (Amherst) Much like the next name on this list, what sets Tamasi apart is his ability to penetrate the backfield. Tamasi led the NESCAC with 18 tackles for loss and had four sacks, tying with teammate Ned Deane ’15 for the most among linebackers.

Linebacker Mike Weatherby ’14 (Trinity) A year after making the All-NESCAC First Team for the first time, Weatherby is back for a fifth year at the heart of the Bantams defense. Weatherby is great at stopping the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage, as he racked up just one sack in 2013 but 11 tackles for loss.

Cornerback Brian Dones ’15 (Trinity) It’s tough to leave out Dones’ teammate, safety Mike Mancini ’15, but the corner might be the best pass defender in the league. His three interceptions and 11 pass breakups were both tops in the NESCAC, and his 1.8 pass breakups per game was tied for 11th in the nation. Teams might choose to throw away from Dones this year, but expect him to still make some big plays.

The Darkhorse: Safety/Linebacker Gilbert Brown ’15 (Bates) Brown fills the “down safety” position in Bates’ 3-3 stack defense, a position that requires a great deal of versatility. This allows Brown to be a factor in both the run and pass game, and on occasion he will be called on to create pressure on the quarterback. He racked up 42 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions and two pass breakups in 2013. Bates’ defense should be much improved this season with a bunch of starters returning, and Brown could elevate his game and become a game plan player around the NESCAC.

Anyone you think we missed? Let us know in the comments.