Tag: Matt Cannone

The Halfway Pole – Stock Report 10/13

If you missed it, we recapped every game Saturday in our wrap-up, and now in the Stock Report we get into some hard analysis of the weekend. The top three of Wesleyan, Amherst, and Trinity, had to sweat things out for about a half before their superior depth and skill wore down their opponents attempting big upsets.

With half of the NESCAC season now over, trends are clear. New players are still emerging, and injuries are beginning to really be felt. Here’s your Stock Report.

Stock Up

Quarterback Max Lippe ’15 (Amherst) – After seeing the vast majority of the snaps in 2013, Lippe did not see the field at all in the first three and half games this year. That was until Coach EJ Mills turned to Lippe with the offense unable to generate anything against the Colby defense. The senior responded brilliantly in his first snaps completely changing the look of the Amherst offense. The Jeffs scored four offensive touchdowns in the second half with Lippe going 7-9 for 142 yards and throwing two touchdowns. Mills said that injuries limited Lippe early and that is a big reason why he had not played yet this year, but the senior was still the third quarterback to come off the bench on Saturday behind Alex Berluti ’17 and Reece Foy ’18. From his first throw Lippe looked completely in control, and played some of his finest football at Amherst. The Jeffs have been unable to settle on any QB in the last two years, but the reemergence of Lippe could not have come at a better time. This Saturday Amherst travels to Wesleyan in the biggest game of the season so far.

Courtesy of Megan Robertson (Amherst '15)
Courtesy of Megan Robertson (Amherst ’15)

Wesleyan Defense – We have mostly concentrated on the negatives with Wesleyan because they are not playing at the same level that they were in 2013. Those struggles however have been limited mostly to the offensive side of the ball. The defense is playing as good, if not better than last year. They are allowing the same amount of points, 14.0, and 16.1 (256.6 to 240.5) fewer yards per game compared to last year. Also, they are making more big plays as they are on track to finish with 20 takeaways and 18 sacks (17 takeaways and 15 sacks in 2013). The biggest difference is the three defensive touchdowns they have already recorded. Jake Bussani ’14 has returned two interceptions for scores. And it would be four defensive touchdowns at this point if a block in the back penalty had not negated a Donnie Cimino ’15 interception return on Saturday. The final third of the Wesleyan secondary’s triumvirate, Justin Sanchez ’17, recovered the fumble that led to Wesleyan’s clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter.

https://twitter.com/rebrown37/status/521096119695446016

Running Back Drew Jacobs ’18 (Middlebury) – The Panthers got the thrilling overtime victory over Williams on Saturday, and Jacobs was the player who kept the offense moving. He rushed for 81 yards and caught eight passes for 68 yards. He also caught the tying touchdown pass with under a minute left in the game. Jacobs has been huge for a Middlebury team that lost a lot of its talent in the ground game after last year’s starting running back Matt Rea graduated and dual threat Joey Zelkowitz ’17 decided not to play this year and focus on lacrosse. The Marblehead, MA native leads the Panthers in rushing yards and is second in receptions and yards. Middlebury has shown much more commitment to the running game.  Jonathan Hurvitz ’17 also carried the ball 18 times on Saturday and it looks like Middlebury has found two backs they can rely on and keep fresh.

Stock Down

Receiver Mark Riley ’16 (Bates) – We don’t associate great receivers with run-heavy Bates, but Riley brought consecutive games of more than a 140 receiving yards into Saturday. Then the Wesleyan secondary shut him out holding him to no yards. Riley was working without his starting QB Matt Cannone ’15. Backup Patrick Dugan ’16 performed admirably filling in, but Wesleyan made it a point of emphasis not to let Riley behind them and make big plays. Without Riley to lead the passing game, the Bates offense only mustered 164 yards. Despite not getting any yards on Saturday, Riley still leads the NESCAC in receiving yards with 349 – 77 more than anyone else.

Bowdoin Special Teams – When Tyler Grant ’17 showed off some top end speed to go 39 yards and put the Polar Bears up 30-17 with 2:06 remaining in the game, it looked over in Clinton. Then Amman Weaver ’18 took the kickoff 85 yards to bring Hamilton back to within one score. Then Bowdoin couldn’t keep Hamilton from blocking a punt with under 15 seconds left to give the Continentals one last chance at the victory. Those few mishaps nearly wiped out another good performance from the Bowdoin offense. Grant and Dan Barone ’16 have emerged as go-to playmakers for the Polar Bears who are now back to .500 after sneaking out the victory over the Continentals

Teams that Kick to Zack Trause ’15 (Tufts) – Will NESCAC teams ever learn? Trause is a beast in the return game, and letting him get the ball in space is asking for a big play for Tufts. Trause only touched the ball twice on special teams Saturday, but one was a 77 yard punt return. DON’T KICK HIM THE BALL! The schemes that Tufts runs on these returns are also top notch as they give a lot of misdirection. It did not make a big difference in the game Saturday because the Trinity run game once again showed that stopping it might require a brick wall being installed on the field. Still, teams should stop giving Trause any chances. If they do try to, don’t be shocked if Tufts starts to do crazy things like lateral the ball back to him if it’s a pooch kick.

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.

Week Three Power Rankings

After week one we had our knee-jerk Power Rankings that put Williams as the number one team in the NESCAC…yikes. Well after three weeks the NESCAC has become much more clear so it is time to take another look.

Our full weekend preview won’t be out until first thing Saturday morning so check back in for that.

1. Trinity (3-0)- Last week the Bantams played well below their capabilities and still beat Hamilton by 12. The Bantams are the most talented team in the NESCAC up and down the roster. The offensive line punished teams while the defense makes big plays. We won’t know really how good they are until they finish against Middlebury, Amherst, and Wesleyan.

2. Wesleyan (3-0)- In the first four games of 2013 the Cardinals beat opponents by an astonishing 35.3 points per game. Through three games the margin of victory has been (only) 17 points per game so they have not shown the same type of dominance. They miss LaDarius Drew ’15 who could possibly miss the rest of the year because of a foot injury.

3. Amherst (3-0)- We have said it before, but this is basically the same team as last year. The defense carries them and the offense relies on big plays to score points. Alex Kelly ’17 has emerged as the workhorse back, but once again the QB position is in limbo with Reece Foy ’18 pushing for time behind starter Alex Berluti ’17.

4. Middlebury (1-2)- Two close loses at home have knocked the Panthers out of the conference race early, but they are still a very good team. The defense was almost able to make enough plays to steal the game last week. Matt Milano ’16 was erratic going 9-31 against Amherst. The offense should get back on track against Williams.

5. Tufts (2-1)- The divide between the top four and everybody else is wide. Tufts certainly did not look like the fifth best team on Saturday, but who else can you put here? Zack Trause ’15 was a tackle by the kicker away from another touchdown against Bowdoin and leads the nation in kickoff return average.

6. Bates (1-2)- Injuries are threatening to hurt Bates in the next couple of weeks so head coach Mark Harriman will have to rely on his depth more than usual. The offense has not had nearly the same amount of punch that it did last year though Matt Cannone ’16 has made major strides as a passer.

7. Williams (1-2)- Well the last two weeks did not go as expected for Williams and the calls for Head Coach Aaron Kelton to be fired are as loud as ever. The team has to rally and find a way to recover quickly.

8. Bowdoin (1-2)- An offense that could not get any points on the board looked sharp against Tufts racking up 463 yards. The defense misses the presence of the three starting linebackers from 2013 as the Polar Bears are allowing six yards per play through three games.

9. Hamilton (0-3)- The Continentals deserve credit for keeping the game against Trinity so tight. The defense is playing at a different level this year allowing the second least first downs per game and tallying the second most tackles per loss per game as a unit.

10. Colby (0-3)- Losing Justin Ciero ’16 to transfer was going to hurt, but that does not explain why the defense has suddenly turned into one of the worst in the league. The Mules have to figure out how to make big plays in the passing game happen.

Five Observations from Our All-NESCAC Team

1.  We were a little conservative

Consider this: for our first team offense, every single player is a senior. Only three juniors make the first team defense. That doesn’t mean there are not a lot of talented underclassmen in the NESCAC, but talent takes a little longer to reveal itself than in other leagues in large part because of the decreased practice time. Because of the limits on practice time, especially in the spring, where there is none, players take a little bit longer to develop. What that means is that a lot of talented juniors who did pretty well as sophomores, but not enough to jump off the page, could end up on the team by season’s end.

2. Expect scoring to be down

Based on the All-NESCAC teams from 2013, more than half the first team defense and all but two players from the second team defense return. This is especially true on the defensive line where all eight honorees are back. When making up this team we even pushed guys who made first team last season down to the second team. When we talked to coaches so many of them stressed that they felt the strength of their team was in their front seven on defense. With the exception of Wesleyan, every offense has big questions about how it will be able to score consistently.

3.  Breakdown by School

Amherst Bates Bowdoin Colby Hamilton
8 6 6 6 1
Middlebury Trinity Tufts Wesleyan Williams
4 10 3 10 4

Couple of things to point out here. Of Wesleyan’s ten players, eight of them have made All-NESCAC before with Alex Daversa-Russo ’16 and Josh Hurwitz ’15 the two newcomers. Also related to Wesleyan, seven of them are first team including FIVE on the offensive side of the ball. Williams only having four might seem question given that we have suggested on this blog that they are primed for a rebound year, though we did not include safety Tom Caberle ’15, despite him making the second team last season. Though some could draw issue with that, competition in the secondary was fierce. Final thought here – isn’t it nice how the Maine schools have the same number of honorees? The 6-6-6 message there is an unfortunate coincidence as well.

4. Wanted: star offensive skill players

The first team offense has plenty of known talent on it, but the second team is more of a question mark. Guys like Matt Cannone ’16 and Tyler Grant ’17 have shown they have the talent to be All-NESCAC players, but have not gotten the opportunities yet to prove they will be. Many of the players on that second team in skill positions are who we think is going to take a big step up in production. The exception to the rule is Matt Minno ’16 who falls from the first to second team in large part because of the uncertainty at QB for Middlebury.

5. Wesleyan and Trinity have the most talent

We already knew this, but it bears repeating. The NESCAC championship will be decided by the Connecticut teams this season. Wesleyan has more returning starters, but Trinity has a case for having more sheer talent overall. If the two teams played tomorrow, the edge goes to Wesleyan because of their experience, but come the end of the season it should be a different story.

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.

Bates Team Preview – The Bobcats Are on the Prowl

2013 Record: 4-4

Returning Starters: 15 (6 offense, 9 defense, 0 specialists)

Offensive Overview:

The triple option run game always makes Bates a headache to face, but the loss of Ryan Curit ’14 and Shawn Doherty ’14 to graduation could change the number of passes this season. Matt Cannone ’15 will have to fend off a challenge from Patrick Dugan ’16 at QB. Dugan was seeing the majority of the snaps before he broke his ankle in the second game of last season, and Cannone played well in his absence. Nick LaSpada, backup QB in 2013, has also transferred to Merrimack. Ivan Reese ’17 replaces Curit in the fullback position that requires great physicality. In his only game as the starter against Middlebury, Reese rushed for 101 yards. Replacing Doherty is more worrisome because the returning players have much less experience. Shaun Carroll has the most yards of any returner- 61. To make matters even worse, leading wide receiver Kevin Davis ’14 also graduated leaving the passing game without its most dynamic target. Harrison Murphy ’16 and Chris Tomaino ’15 both have good size at 6’5″ and 6’2″ respectively while Mark Riley ’16 has also flashed big play ability.

The offensive line returns three starters in Larry Guinee ’15, Owen Mahan ’15, and Lyle Seebeck ’16. Mitch Hildreth ’17 will be one of the tackles with Jimmy Fagan ’17 the favorite to win the final tackle position. The interior line is more important for Bates than other teams because they run more often, so having returners at all three of those positions, with a three year starter in Guinee at center,  is a huge advantage for them. Finding playmakers on offense around the QB will be essential before the first game against Amherst.

Defensive Overview:

Star safety Andrew Kukesh ’14 is gone, but the defense should be better this season given all the starters back. Injuries forced younger players to step in, and now with those injured players back, the defense is one of the deepest Bates has ever had. The Bobcats runs the 3-3 stack that allows them to employ multiple fronts and blitz packages. Sam Hundley ’15, Joe DiPalma, and Tucker Oniskey ’16 start on the defensive line where they do the uncelebrated job of often having to take on multiple blockers. DiPalma is returning from a preseason injury that knocked him out of virtually all of 2013. Linebacker is very deep with Adam Cuomo ’15, Steven Hild ’15, and Josh Freedland ’15 all very experienced. Mark Upton ’17 also saw playing time earlier than expected because of injury and will provide depth and flexibility.

Unique to the Bates defense is the down safety, a player on both sides who has to be able to control the edge, rush the passer sometimes, and help out in coverage. Gilbert Brown ’15 is coming off a season where he performed well despite moving around position-wise. Pat Gilligan ’15 is currently the starter on the other side, and Ben Coulibaly ’17 will push him hard for playing time. Corner Mike Kelleher ’15 takes over the mantle of leader in the secondary without Kukesh. Kelleher is bigger than most NESCAC corners and is not afraid to come up in run coverage, tallying the second most tackles on the team last year. Safety Ryan Newson ’15 is the other returner in the group, and he played very well in part time action a year ago, so the dropoff from Kukesh might not be that significant.  The final corner position is Mike Lee’s ’16, with Brandon Williams ’17 a solid prospect for more playing time as well.

Courtesy of Bates Athletics
Courtesy of Bates Athletics

3 Big Questions:

1. Where does the offensive dynamism come from?

Even though the triple option is often seen as “three yards and a cloud of dust”, like any offense it still looks for big plays. Doherty and Davis supplied the vast majority of those. The QB will be featured more running the ball, but if the defense can key on one guy in the triple option, it’s over for Bates. An intriguing possibility (disclaimer: we have no evidence this has even been discussed by the Bates staff) is to move one of Dugan or Cannone to the slot position in order to get the most possible talent out on the field.

2. Can they hold onto the ball?

Bates fumbled the ball 15 times last season. Cannone alone accounted for six of them. One positive is that Reese did not fumble the ball once last season in his 50 carries while Curit had four fumbles, albeit in 145 rushes. An offense that struggles to move the ball and turns it over is an awful one. If Bates makes sure to take care of the turnover part, the offense will at least be decent.

3. Will all the pieces on defense fit together?

For all the talent and depth on the defense now, Bates finished ahead of only Hamilton and Tufts in terms of total yards given up. They allowed the Hamilton offense, a unit that averaged 283.8 yards per game, 392 yards in the final game of the season. They have to figure out ways to get more pressure on the QB as they only registered nine sacks last season. The loss of Kukesh appears likely to be significant as well. It won’t be enough to have a lot of very good players for Bates; a few of them will have to step up and become great.

Team MVP: Cannone would get the nod except it’s possible he is not even the starter week one, so instead the interior offensive line gets some glory for once. The trio of Guinee, Mahan, and Seebeck should clear big holes for Reese and the QB to run through. Guinee in particular is important as the center for helping to figure out blocking assignments.

Biggest Game: Oct. 25: Home against Colby

This one is simple. Bates gets the chance to avenge their 21-3 loss at home. Last season’s game was a disappointment with four turnovers playing a major role in Colby’s comfortable win. Bates was held for only 88 yards rushing, the first time they were held to under 100 yards rushing since Colby held them to 85 yards in 2011. The Bobcats will have to find a solution to the Colby defense.

Best Tweet: In case you didn’t know, Bates football lifts. #lightweight (actually a good deal of weight)

Bates has some questions to answer, but behind a strong offensive line and wealth of returners on defense, they appear capable of challenging anybody.