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
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
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.
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.