Tag: Jourdon Delerme-Brown

Volatility at its Finest: Middlebury Football Preview 2019

2018 Record: 5-4

Projected 2019 Record: 5-4

Projected Offensive Starters (*6 returning)

QB – Will Jernigan ‘21*

RB – Peter Scibilia ‘21*

WR – Maxim Bochman ‘20*

WR – Maxwell Rye ‘20*

WR – Aidan Power ‘20

TE – Frank Cosolito ‘20*

OL – Kevin Woodring ‘20*

OL – Jack Purcell ‘20

OL – Colin Paskewitz ‘21

OL – Ben Berry ‘21

OL – Charles Ferrell ‘22

Projected Defensive Starters (*6 returning)

CB – Coltrane Marcus ‘20

CB – Jourdon Delerme-Brown ‘20

S – Jonathan Hobart ‘21*

S – Gordon Pollock ‘22*

LB – Wyllis McKissick ‘20

LB – Pete Huggins ‘21*

LB – Jack Pistorius ‘21*

DL – Martin Williams ‘20*

DL – Charles Roselle ‘21*

DL – Elijah Thiam ‘22

DL – Nick Leone ‘22

Projected Specialists (*2 returning) 

PK – Carter Massengill ‘20*

P – Maxwell Rye ‘20*

KR/PR – Greg Livingston ‘22

Offensive MVP: QB Will Jernigan ‘21

I know it’s a cop out to continue selecting the quarterbacks of each respective team, but Middlebury REALLY (emphasis on really) needs Jernigan to take a step forward in 2019. As a sophomore, Jernigan played in all nine games, but did not replace the turnover-prone Jack Meservy ‘19 until the fourth game of the season. The Georgia product did some solid things with both his arm and his legs (1,143 passing yards, 321 rushing yards, 17 all-purpose touchdowns), but turnovers were (and still are) a concern; Jernigan threw an interception in every single one of those starts in addition to a handful of fumbles. The good news is that most of his core weapons return to Middlebury, including workhorse Peter Scibilia and freakish tight end Frank Cosolito. If Jernigan can severely cut down on the turnovers and find a way to get these guys the ball in space, the Panthers could be a dark horse in the NESCAC Championship race. 

Defensive MVP: DL Martin Williams ‘20

Middlebury finished with a mere 11 sacks as a team last season; while this is surprisingly good enough for fifth in the ‘CAC, it’s merely half of the next highest number (Trinity had 22 sacks) on the list. If Middlebury is going to improve upon some disappointing defensive statistics from 2018 (allowed 28.3 ppg, including the third-worst pass defense), it needs to start with creating havoc behind the line of scrimmage. Here is where Martin Williams steps in, ready to improve upon last season’s performance. In 2018, Williams led the defensive line in tackles and finished tied for the lead in sacks, which was good enough for a selection on the 2018 All-Conference Second Team Defense. Williams and his partner-in-crime Charles Roselle ‘21 are more than capable of changing the momentum of a ballgame at any given moment, and the Panthers will undoubtedly need Williams (and the rest of the D-line) to step up in a major way this season in order for the Panthers to have a shot at dethroning the likes of Trinity, Amherst, Williams, etc. 

Team Slogan for 2019: #MiddKickoffCountdown19 #GoMidd #PantherNation

Middlebury might win the award for most generic team slogan of 2019. The supposedly seventh-ranked liberal arts school by US News decided to leave their wits in the classroom and play it way too safely with their selection(s). Do better, Panthers. Rating: -2.36/10

On the bright side (literally), this picture courtesy of Middlebury athletics is absolutely breathtaking and was an absolute must-add to the article. Middlebury photography skills: 1000/10

Everything else:

While I’m on the subject of artistic skills, shoutout to the Middlebury graphic design team. These images of players are absolutely D1 caliber. Exhibit A and B: 

Back to the real football talk: Middlebury’s major concerns come on the defensive side of the ball, but there is room for optimism as they return key contributors at nearly every position. Despite losing All-Conference Second Team linebacker Kevin Maxwell ‘19, the Panthers return Pete Huggins ‘21 (who finished tied for second with Maxwell in tackles) as well as starter Jack Pistorius ‘21 (34 tackles, 5.5 TFL) and key contributor Wyllis McKissick ‘20 (24 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery). Along with Williams and Roselle, sophomores Elijah Thiam ‘22 and Nick Leone ‘22 will most likely round out the defensive line. Both underclassmen contributed greatly as freshmen last season, combining for 33 tackles and 3 TFL. Alex Norton ‘20 (11 tackles 5 TFL) and Emo Schiappa ‘22 (11 tackles) will likely play a significant role as role players, although it would not surprise me if Norton ends up starting based on his high tackle for loss numbers. 

The real question mark for this Panther defense is at defensive back. For a team that had the third-worst pass defense in the NESCAC a season ago, I’m not sure if losing both starting corners is a good or bad thing; nevertheless, Coltrane Marcus ‘20 and Jourdon Delerme-Brown ‘20 will attempt to keep opposing receivers in check, with reserves Nate Stewart ‘22 and Kevin Hartley ‘20 ready to go on a moment’s notice. 

Offensively, the Panthers have weapons all over the field. Cosolito is the best tight end in the league and will be salivating at the opportunity to be matched up with an opposing linebacker. Wide receivers Maxim Bochman ‘20 and Maxwell Rye ‘20 are more than capable of making up for Conrado Banky’s production (26 catches for 376 yards and 4 touchdowns) and Scibilia is one of the top five running backs entering the 2019 season. In my eyes, the Panthers’ season comes down to the offensive line. Losing four starters is absolutely brutal, and although three of the four newly projected starters are upperclassmen, we’ve seen time and time again that offensive linemen need time to gel and work together. Not only are they tasked with creating holes for Scibilia to run through, but they have to protect Jernigan and allow him to get comfortable throwing the ball. If defenders collapse the pocket time and time again, Jernigan will get happy feet and either make errant throws on the run, or not trust his offensive line and look to scramble. If the O-line can neutralize the defensive pass rush, Jernigan should have no excuses getting the ball to his talented playmakers, and the Panthers should be in a position to win 6+ games. If not, this could be a long season.

It’s starting to get interesting; Week 2 stock report

Stock Report

Stock Up:

Bowdoin’s Ground Game: Despite their 0-2 record, things are looking up for the Polar Bears. After putting up a measly 6 points on 108 total yards of rushing against Williams week 1, the Bowdoin showed great improvement against Midd. They were able to put up 289 yards of rushing in week two, accounting for 2 of their 3 touchdowns. When I say they put up 289 yards I mean that Nate Richam put up 288 yards and the rest of their team averaged negative yardage. This feat earned Richam NESCAC Co-Offensive Player of the Week honors and may have begun to propel a formerly stagnant Polar Bear offense. After an absolute blowout week 1 Richam nearly single-handedly kept his team in the game week 2 and was nearly able to pull off the road upset against Midd. This kid is legit and I would not be surprised if he is able to help Bowdoin pull off an upset against one of the higher-tier teams later this season.

Ryan McDonald’s Patrick Mahomes interpretation: The Jumbos were easily able to keep Hamilton at bay last week, but QB Ryan McDonald seemed to be somewhat of a non-factor. Some may have been concerned coming into week 2 that he didn’t have what it takes to compete against a talented Wesleyan defense and that Tufts wouldn’t be able to figure out how to put points up on the board. All of those doubts were silenced Saturday night as McDonald was able to effectively spread the ball around to 7 different receivers, resulting in the 2 touchdowns that won the game for the Jumbos. Similarly to last years matchup, Tufts vs Wesleyan was a nail biter and McDonald proved that he has the guts to grind out a touch win against a tough NESCAC opponent.

The Jumbos are hot with McDonald under center right now.

Middlebury’s Linebackers: After allowing Wesleyan to move the ball up and down the field against them in week 1, Midd’s D showed up in week 2. Jonathan Hobart, Jourdon Delerme-Brown and Charles Roselle were all able to pick off Bowdoin’s former D1 quarterback Austin McCrum in week 2. These 3 turnovers proved to be crucial in Midd’s one-score victory over the Polar bears. While McCrum was able to throw for over 200 yards, it was due to volume passing as he recorded 39 attempts and was only able to connect on 20 of them, none for longer than 22 yards. This game should give the Panther defense lots of confidence when they come to Waterville to face a Colby team that has been struggling in the air to say the least. While their ground defense could certainly use some improvement, it looks as if Midd has the ability to compete against many of the elite quarterbacks in the CAC.

Stock Down:

Bates’ Defense: The Bobcats looked like a team that could sneak their way into the top half of the NESCAC after holding a solid Amherst team to only 19 points in week 1. Week 2 is a completely different story as they allowed Trinity to march up and down the field with no problem in their 59-16 loss. Bates’ pass defense looked formidable against Amherst, holding QB Ollie Eberth to only 112 passing yards and no touchdowns in the air. Trinity QB Jordan Vazzano on the other hand was able to pick apart the Bates defense with his eyes closed, passing for 353 yards and 5 touchdowns, a ridiculous stat line. If that wasn’t enough, running backs Sloane Lockwood and Max Chipouras combined with Vazzano for 217 more yards on the ground and 3 more touchdowns. Allowing nearly 60 points can be extremely disheartening for any defense and may well cause your defensive coordinator to retire at halftime. Bates will have to improve on almost every facet of their game in order to compete against Tufts next week, who have throw their hat into the running for NESCAC champion after downing a dangerous Wesleyan team in week 2.

Penney and the Cardinals need to step it up after an upset loss to the Jumbos.

Wesleyan’s Goal-line Back, Sean Penney: Penney was Wesleyan’s go-to guy inside the 10 yard line against Middlebury in week 1. He was able to convert 3 touchdowns in just 10 attempts, blowing through the Panther defense when he was called up. In week 2, Tuft’s defense seemed to have his number allowing him only 15 yards on 8 attempts, 0 of which reached the end zone. When the Cardinals needed it most week 2, Penney just wasn’t there to provide the momentum that he did in week one. It looks like it’s time to review the game tape and figure out what exactly he did in week 1 to make him so effective and why he wasn’t against Tufts. As for next week, Wesleyan faces an 0-1 Hamilton team, which may be a perfect opportunity for Penny to work on his craft in an almost surefire win for the Cardinals.

Hamilton QB Kenny Gray: Week 2 was a huge improvement for Hamilton’s Junior QB Kenny Gray. After Hamilton’s offense was unable to record a point against Tufts (their 2 points came on a safety), Gray was able to step it up week 2 and record 2 touchdowns, one in the air and one on the ground. One of Gray’s major issues week 1 was his accuracy. Tufts was able to pick him off 3 times and he was only able to convert of 18 of the 42 chances he took. Week 2 we saw a much improved Gray, completing 59.5% of his passes and limiting a talented Amherst defense to 1 interception. It already seems fairly clear that Hamilton doesn’t have too much of a chance to compete this year, but Gray is trending in the right direction. Perhaps if Gray continues to improve he will be able to lead the Continentals to a respectable record next year in his senior campaign.