Nothing New: Week 1 Power Rankings

With the first week in the books we finally got a glimpse of what each team is looking like this year. Obviously one game is a small sample size, but we’ve learned a thing or two about the league this year. Trinity is still Trinity, Wesleyan is not to be taken lightly, and the bottom of the league is still looking more or less the same. I’m sure this year will bring plenty of surprises like we see every year, but Week 1 didn’t bring too much excitement. There were exactly zero games decided by less than 12 points and besides Bates vs. Amherst none of the games were within 27. So much for more parity this season. Fortunately, this made it a bit easier to do the power rankings, so let’s see where each team falls:

  1. Trinity

The two time defending champs did nothing to make me believe they aren’t still the league’s premier team in a 35-0 drubbing of Colby. RB Max Chipouras ’19 put up a stat line (15 carries, 173yds, 3TD) that would be ridiculous for anyone else, but given his standards I’ll call it “good.” A potential reason for concern is that QB Jordan Vazzano ’21 completed just 9 of his 26 pass attempts for 210 yards, although 97 of those yards were on one play. It was his first game with a new team, but 8-25 for 113 yards sounds a heck of a lot different than 9-26 for 210 yards. Either way, it’s easy to win when your defense doesn’t give up any points, and the Bantams continued to look outstanding on that side of the ball. A matchup with Bates in Week 2 isn’t particularly imposing, so Trinity will have another week to workout the kinks before they head to Williamstown for their first big test.

  1. Wesleyan
Sean Penney ’21 has clearly found a role as the goal line back for Wesleyan

The Cardinals played host to Middlebury in Week 1 and made an absolute statement. Putting up 52 points is absurd even against the weaker teams in the league, let alone the Panthers. We all know how good QB Mark Piccirillo ’19 is, but I was very skeptical given that Wesleyan graduated 4 of their top 5 pass catchers from last season. Well they came out with a very balanced offensive attack that featured 3 rushing touchdowns from Sean Penney ’21, and just 19 pass attempts by Piccirillo. The Wesleyan defense looked excellent as well, and Ben Thaw ’20 put on the defensive performance of the week with 2 interceptions – returning one for a touchdown. Coach DiCenzo showed that he has already found his team’s identity, and will certainly game plan well for their Week 2 showdown at Tufts.

  1. Tufts

I’m not quite sure whether the Jumbos’ 29-2 victory over Hamilton says more about them or the Continentals, but I’m going with the former. This was exactly the type of statement win that Tufts wanted to make in Week 1, highlighted by QB Ryan McDonald ’19 rushing for 98 yards and 4 touchdowns to go along with his 99 passing yards. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the season opener for Tufts was the outstanding effort by their defense. They intercepted 3 Hamilton passes, forced 1 fumble, and had 6 sacks. Granted the Continentals don’t have the strongest offense in the league, but it’s mostly the same personnel that dropped 28 points on the Jumbos in Week 1 last season. Tufts is clearly getting better and their defense will be tasked with slowing down a versatile Wesleyan team that just hung 52 on Middlebury. Mark this one on your calendar, folks.

  1. Williams

Bobby Maimaron ’21 is a weapon. Let’s make that very clear. He completed 13 of 23 passes for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns, while tacking on 78 more yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. He can seemingly do anything, but he doesn’t have to because the Ephs boast one of the best receivers in the league in Frank Stola ’21 and one of the best running backs in the league in TJ Dozier ’21. Oh, and don’t forget about linebacker TJ Rothmann ’21 who looks like one of the most promising defensive players in the league. Notice anything these guys all have in common? They’re only sophomores. Look out NESCAC, Williams is here to stay. Mark Raymond is turning this program back into a dynasty and I, for one, am very afraid. They’re ready to be in the conversation with the conference’s elite because their championship window is just opening.

  1. Amherst
Bo Berluti ’19 was the only Mammoth receiver to get anything going against Bates

A 19-7 victory over Bates isn’t the most impressive feat, but a win is a win. Plus, the Mammoths had no idea what to expect from a team that completely changed their schemes on both sides of the ball. Amherst is still Amherst and they’ll find ways to grind out wins. Jack Hickey ’19 is a workhorse out of the backfield, racking up 22 carries for 137 yards against the Bobcats. Ollie Eberth ’20 completed 9 of his 13 passes to his two favorite targets, Bo Berluti ’19 and James O’Reagan ’20, but there don’t seem to be too many reliable options beyond those two guys. Fortunately, their defensive unit is as good as any, so they don’t need to be putting up 30+ points every game to be successful. They’ll host a Hamilton team in Week 2 who looked like a JV squad against Tufts, so if that performance is any indication then this one should be a cake walk for the Mammoths. Editor’s Note: 5th?! Cmon, Cam. They have the best defense in the league and returned their whole lineup. I guarantee they move up in week two.

  1. Middlebury

Middlebury showed us that they still have quite a bit to figure out. They did not come to play against Wesleyan and got ripped apart. I know that the suffocating defense of the Cardinals is a nightmare for opposing teams and Mark Piccirillo is pretty good, but the Panthers couldn’t even keep it within 30? Not a great start. Their defense was abysmal, and the offense couldn’t pick up the slack either. Seemingly the only bright spot was that 9 different receivers had multiple receptions, indicating that the pass-heavy offense that they’re known for is still very much in effect. Jack Meservy ’19 showed promise by completing 25 of 43 passes and 2 touchdowns, but also threw 3 picks and didn’t have a single completion for more than 18 yards. I’m confident that the Panthers will start to put things together, but this game should serve as a wakeup call. Luckily they host Bowdoin this weekend, so they’ll have an opportunity to continue finding out what works and what doesn’t.

  1. Bates

The Bobcats should feel about as good as you can feel after a 19-7 loss. Amherst is one of the league’s best, and Bates refused to go away. In fact, it was still a one score game with 5 minutes left to play. The defense looked very solid, led by DB Jon Lindgren ’20 and LB Pete Daley ’19 who had 12 and 8 tackles, respectively. The new offense is going to need a bit more work as they were only able to muster 7 first downs the entire game. Someone besides QB Brendan Costa ’21 is going to have to step up on offense, because he’s the only one making plays at this point. It’s not good when your punter has almost triple the amount of punt yards as you have in total offense. Yes, the Mammoths play very tough defense, but so does Trinity, who the Bobcats will face in Week 2. The expectations shouldn’t be too high for this one, but after a solid showing in Week 1 Bates should continue to focus on making progress. It’s the little victories.

  1. Hamilton

Apparently I was way too high on Hamilton going into this season. They returned a ton of key offensive players including QB Kenny Gray ’20, RB Mitch Bierman ’21, and WR Joe Schmidt ’20 who all did damage in 2017. I thought this would put them in position to have a breakout season and while this still could happen, it looks much less likely. Their offense put up a goose egg and was actually bailed out by their defense to avoid the shutout. Not to say that their defense played particularly well, but allowing 29 points isn’t a terrible effort. Alex Ganter ’19 looked solid, recording 7 tackles and 1 sack that resulted in the safety. Needless to say, the Continentals have a lot to figure out right now, as they’ll go back to the drawing board in preparation for their visit to Western Mass this weekend to take on the Mammoths.

  1. Bowdoin
Austin McCrum didn’t look like a quarterback who once had D1 potential this past weekend

As Colby mentioned in the Stock Report, there has to be a bit of disappointment from Polar Bear fans after a poor performance from transfer QB Austin McCrum ’21 in their season opener against the Ephs. Bowdoin needs to establish their offensive threats after losing their top two receivers from last season in Nick Vailas ’18 and Bryan Porter ’18. RB Nate Richam ’20 looked serviceable, but they really could not get anything going on offense at all. Linebackers Liam Dougherty ’21 and Joe Gowetski ’20 had decent games, but they ran into a hot Williams offense that dominated the game from start to finish. It’s a tough road ahead for the Polar Bears who face Middlebury, Amherst, and Tufts over the next three weeks. They’ll try to take baby steps each week to improve steadily until they reach the weaker portion of their schedule later in the season.

  1. Colby

The last two spots in the power rankings could go either way, but I put Colby in the cellar because of their inability to score a single point in Week 1. The game plan against Trinity was clearly ground and pound, as RB Jake Schwern ’19 carried the ball 29 times for 108 yards. QB Jack O’Brien ’20 only threw for 93 yards, and the Mules actually had 5 players with negative rushing yards. The defense could have been worse, but it’s hard to judge given that the Bantams had their reserves in for the entire second half. It’s hard to play the league’s best right from the get-go, and the result was pretty much as expected. Like Bowdoin, their upcoming schedule does not look promising so the focus will be on progress. Colby hired Coach Cosgrove for a reason, and he can’t be asked to produce results this quickly. Rome wasn’t built in a day, right?

Stay the Course: Bowdoin Football Preview 2018

(Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)

Stay the Course: Bowdoin Football Preview 2018

2017 Record: 0-9

Projected Record: 1-8

Projected offensive starters (*4 returning)

QB – Noah Nelson ’19*

RB – Nate Richam ’20*

WR – Greg Olson ’21*

WR – Michael Cloppse ’20

WR – Chandler Gee ’20

TE – Robert Millett ’21

C – AJ Mansolillo ’19*

OL – Jacob Palmer ’20

OL – John Galusha ’20

OL – Justin Winschel ’21

OL – David Monti ’21

Projected defensive starters (*6 returning)

LB – Liam Dougherty ’21*

LB – Harrison Craig ’21

LB – Joe Gowetski ’20

DB – Cameron Rondeau ’19*

DB – Jack Whiting ’19*

DB – Owen Gifford ’21*

DB – Matt Williams ’20

DL – Robert Caputo ’19*

DL – Yuejay Reeves ’19*

DL – Nat Deacon ’20

DL – Tomasi Fakatoumafi ’22

Projected specialists (*3 returning)

K/P – Michael Chen ’20*

KR/PR – Owen Gideon-Murphy ’21*/Matthew Williams ’20* 

 

Offensive MVP: Wide Receiver Greg Olson ’21

(Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)

No not Greg Olsen, All-Pro tight end for the Carolina Panthers. I’m talking about Greg Olson, future All-NESCAC wide receiver for the Bowdoin Polar Bears. Olson was stuck behind a couple of senior wide receivers last year, but still managed to have an impact when he saw some action, mustering 17 receptions for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns. This is his year to break out, as he’ll be the team’s go-to option out wide. At 6’3”, 210lbs, Olson has the physical tools to be an elite NESCAC receiver, and he’ll benefit greatly from a year of collegiate experience under his belt as well as the loss of the only two guys ahead of him from last season. Expect Greg Olson to have a big year, as he’ll try to do his best Greg Olsen impression and help Bowdoin turn the ship around this season.

Defensive MVP: Linebacker Liam Dougherty ’21

(Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)

Dougherty stepped on campus in Brunswick last fall and immediately made an impact. As a freshman, he led the team with 53 tackles and played significant minutes in all 9 games. Now that he’s had a taste of what NESCAC football is like, he’s poised to have a huge sophomore season. Given his size at 6’, 210lbs, it will be important for Dougherty to be able to defend smaller, quicker guys when he drops back into coverage. If Bowdoin continues to employ their aggressive defensive approach, I’d look for Dougherty to see an increase in his sack numbers. Now that he’s found a role in this Polar Bear defense, Dougherty will only continue to get better and will be one of the scariest threats in the league for opposing offenses.

Biggest Game: November 10th @ Colby 

Bowdoin is currently riding the longest active losing streak in the NESCAC, having lost 17 in a row. Their last win was the final game of the 2015 season against none other than the Colby Mules. Not only is this game part of the CBB rivalry, but if the Polar Bears can’t get their act together, they could go into this game riding a 25 game losing streak. They haven’t come within 10 points of the Mules since the last time they beat them, so the revenge factor will be strong in this one.

Best Tweet:

https://twitter.com/CoachKyleMac1/status/1031909466466398208

I love this tweet for a few different reasons. Coach McAllister clearly wants to show off that he knows how to use GIFs, but I’m not really sure how this one is relevant to the tweet itself. I’m also interested in where he came up with the hashtag because it’s got a good ring to it, but I did some research and didn’t see that particular hashtag used anywhere by any of Bowdoin’s other football coaches or their official team Twitter. I’ll let it slide because I like the sound of it, but he couldn’t have at least used the right “too?” Hopefully the incoming freshman class is as excited as Coach McAllister because throwing grammar to the wind is very un-NESCAC. Power move. 

Everything Else:

The Polar Bears have had a rough couple of years, but there are a few reasons to feel better about this upcoming year. First of all, they return a ton of guys who got solid time last season. The majority of players who start and get significant time are underclassmen, so they will only continue to develop and improve. They also welcome impact freshman Tomasi Fakatoumafi ’22 from the Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii who will join the team as a defensive end. Fakatoumafi has a college-ready body and will certainly see significant game action right out of the gate. He’ll be a valuable addition to a defensive line that has really struggled as of late, allowing over 60 more rushing yards per game than any other defense in the conference.

Another cause for excitement is the starting quarterback battle that is currently taking place. Noah Nelson ’19 and Griff Stalcup ’21 split time under center last season, partly as a result of injuries to each of them. This year it’ll be a battle between them as neither one played well enough in their opportunities last season to officially win the starting spot. The water got muddied even more when the Polar Bears landed transfer Austin McCrum ’20 from Division I Lafayette College. None of these guys have a clear advantage over the others, so it’ll be a true three-horse race for the starting job.

The addition of Austin McCrum gives Bowdoin quarterback depth that they haven’t had in recent years (Courtesy of Maine Journal Tribune)

Bowdoin isn’t undergoing any major personnel or scheme changes, but they have struggled in recent years playing with very young lineups. Coach Wells encourages his team to stay the course and trust the system they have in place. They’ll continue to develop the youth that they have and hopefully with a bit more experience under their belt, they’ll be able to start seeing the success that they haven’t seen over the last few seasons.