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2007 Independents Preview
New QB at Notre Dame; Navy looks to keep things
going
by
Raphielle Johnson
2006 saw two Independents go bowling; Notre Dame
(losing to Navy in the Allstate Sugar Bowl) and Navy (losing to Boston College
in the Meineke Car Care Bowl). Army, who welcomes Stan Brock as their new head
coach, will be looking to beat the rival Midshipmen for the first time since
2001. Temple leaves the ranks to become the thirteenth member of the
Mid-American Conference; leaving three (Western Kentucky will play a mixed
schedule of Bowl Subdivision and Playoff Subdivision schools in anticipation of
their move to the Sun Belt Conference). But the more things change, the more
they stay the same as the Irish and Middies should be headed to bowl games this
year. Below is a quick preview of what the three Independents bring to the table
in 2007.
Army (2006: 3-9; 13 returning starters- 6
offensive, 7 defensive)
As stated earlier, Stan Brock
moves from offensive line coach to head coach at the suggestion of former head
coach Bobby Ross. Brock didn’t hesitate to make changes, especially when it came
to the style of offense that the Black Knights will run. Former Portland State
head coach Tim Walsh takes over for Bobby Ross’ son as the new offensive
coordinator (he will also oversee the quarterbacks), and Army will go to a
pro-set offense that should bring some different looks to the table. The good
news is that the Black Knights have some experience both in the backfield and on
the outside.
Two quarterbacks with starting
experience, senior David Pevoto and sophomore Carson Williams, who took over at
the latter stages of 2006. Who starts the opener at Akron is still to be
decided, but whoever it is will have some nice options to hand the ball off to
in the backfield, be it tailbacks Wesley McMahand and Tony Moore, or fullback
Mike Viti. There are also a few options at wide receiver, most notably Jeremy
Trimble. The question mark for the offense is the line, where the Black Knights
will look to replace three starters.
The good news for Army on the other side
of the ball is that three of four starters in the 2006 secondary return, a group
that helped the Black Knights in having the nation’s eighth-best pass defense.
While only one starter returns to the linebacking corps (Charlie Rockwood),
players such as Brian Chmura and Frank Scappaticci have plenty of game
experience. The line returns both defensive tackles, but must look to players
such as Brandon Thompson, Victor Ugenyi and David Shore to fill in at end. This
is extremely important when you take into consideration that the Black Knights
were 115th against the run last year.
Punter Owen Tolson returns, but the
Black Knights need someone to step up and take the placekicking chores. Adam
DeMarco and Andrew Rinehart are competing with the senior Tolson for that job.
The return game should be good, and benefit from the rule change moving kickoffs
to the 30, thanks to the likes of Trimble (2 punt returns for touchdowns in
’06), Corey Anderson and Carlo Sandiego.
Army’s schedule isn’t one to scoff at
this year, as seven of their twelve opponents went to bowls last season.
Included are back-to-back trips to Wake Forest and Boston College early in the
season, but with their opening two games at Akron and home to Rhode Island, it
isn’t inconceivable that the Black Knights could be 2-0 heading to
Winston-Salem. Later games include visits to Georgia Tech and Air Force, a home
game against Rutgers and the traditional season finale against archrival Navy.
The schedule has its potholes, but Army could improve on their three wins from a
year ago.
Navy (2006: 9-4; 10 returning starters- 8
offensive, 2 defensive)
After watching last year’s groups of
seniors become the first class at Navy to play in four straight bowls in school
history. And when you consider the history of Navy football, this is no small
accomplishment. But if Paul Johnson’s group wants to have a shot at five
straight, they need to replace nine starters on the defensive side of the
football. Inside linebacker Clint Sovie is the lone returning starter in the
front seven, and Irv Spencer will man the other ILB spot for the Midshipmen.
Outside linebacker spots will be up for grabs between Matt Humiston, Matt
Wimsatt and Matt Nechak.
The line will be even less experienced, leaning on
the likes of Chris Kuhar-Pitters and Michael Walsh at the end spots and Nate
Frazier at nose tackle. Many players stand to get opportunities due to their
inexperience up front, so it’s tough to tell who exactly will be up front in the
opener against Temple August 31st. Three starters need to be replaced
in a secondary that was 85th against the pass in 2006, with junior
Rashawn King being the unit’s lone holdover. King had 50 tackles last season,
along with four pass breakups.
Either Blake Carter or Ketric Buffin could end up on
the side opposite King, with Buffin having a chance to see some reps at rover as
well. Jeff Deliz looks to be in good shape to start at free safety, with a
competition for the top spot at rover between Buffin and sophomore Jesse Iwuji.
Looking at special teams, the Midshipmen struggled with their punting, meaning
an open competition between senior incumbent Greg Veteto and freshman Kyle
Delahooke. Matt Harmon looks to be the choice again this year as the team’s
place-kicker (8-11 field goals, 37-38 PATs). The return game was nothing to
boast about last year either, but look to the versatile Reggie Campbell to be
counted on for both kickoff and punt returns this season.
The offense, which led the nation in rushing last
year at a clip of 327 yards per game, will look to replace three starters on the
offensive line. Other than that, every other major contributor returns,
including junior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada. Kaheaku-Enhada replaced
the injured Brian Hampton and did an admirable job leading the Navy attack for
the remainder of the season. Fullback Adam Ballard, the team’s leading rusher in
2006, returns, as do slotbacks Shun White and Reggie Campbell.
Although the Middies don’t throw the ball often,
they do have experience (and size) on the outside, thanks to the likes of Tyree
Barnes, OJ Washington, Curtis Sharp and Greg Sudderth. One of these players
needs to step up and fill the role left open by the graduation of Jason
Tomlinson, but there’s plenty of talent to get this done. On the line, the
starters at center (Antron Harper) and left tackle (Anthony Gaskins) return, and
the team will need their leadership up front if they are to approach last
season’s rushing numbers.
Navy will have some tough games to contend with on
their schedule, including trips to Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, and a
home contest with ACC Champion Wake Forest. But there are also enough
opportunities on the schedule for the Midshipmen to get the six wins required
for bowl eligibility, which would send them to the San Diego County Credit Union
Poinsettia Bowl. How many wins they end up with will most likely depend on how
much growth is experienced by their defense.
Notre Dame (2006:
10-3; 9 returning starters- 4 offensive, 5 defensive)
After a season in which Notre Dame went
back to the BCS, head coach Charlie Weis has the task of replacing the likes of
Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, Rhema McKnight, Darius Walker and three-fifths of
his offensive line. The first question that needs to be asked of the Irish
offense is who will be calling the shots at quarterback in the opener against
Georgia Tech. Much-ballyhooed recruit Jimmy Clausen was all but handed the job
by experts and fans alike, but he had a throwing arm issue to deal with in the
spring that still may not be fully healed. This opens the door for junior Evan
Sharpley and sophomore Demetrius Jones, neither of which has a wealth of
experience to fall back on. Whoever wins the battle won’t have a grace period to
ease into the role with the Yellow Jackets coming to town; good luck dealing
with that one.
Also up for grabs is the running back
job, which has a lot of talent but little experience from which to choose.
Senior Travis Thomas switches back over to running back after spending 2006 as
an outside linebacker. Junior Jabbie was the offensive MVP of Notre Dame’s
spring game, and sophomore James Aldridge is the team’s leading returning
rusher. Also look for freshmen Armando Allen and Robert Hughes to get a shot to
carry the load. Asaph Schwabb returns to the starting fullback spot after
recovering from a knee injury suffered early last season.
While David Grimes is the most
experienced returnee at wide receiver, whoever the quarterback is will have the
luxury of throwing to tight end John Carlson, who may be one of the best tight
ends in the nation. Carlson had 47 catches last season, far and away the most
for any returning offensive player. Grimes produced as Notre Dame’s third
wideout last year, but he’ll be counted on even more this season. Other options
outside include D.J. Hord, George West and Robby Parris. Incoming freshmen Duval
Kamara and Golden Tate were fantastic playmakers at the scholastic level, and
there’s no reason why they won’t be given a chance to prove themselves early on
at Notre Dame.
John Sullivan (center) and Sam Young
(right tackle) will be counted on to lead the offensive line. Despite the
group’s experience last year, Notre Dame was 72nd in the nation in
rushing; a ranking that will have to improve in order to take some heat off of
the team’s young quarterbacks. Paul Duncan (tackle) and Mike Turkovich (guard)
look to be the leaders for starting roles on the left side of the line. How well
the line does in run and pass blocking will have a direct correlation on how
well this team does in 2007.
The defense was average for most of
2006, with some moments of big-play ability followed by surprising displays of
ineptitude. Senior safety Tom Zbikowski returns to lead the defense, and the
secondary should be the strength of this unit after last year’s performance. In
Ambrose Wooden and Terrail Lambert, new defensive coordinator Corwin Brown has
two competent corners that have been through the fire. Coach Brown, who came in
from the New York Jets, will install a 3-4 system that should cover up the
unit’s relative inexperience up front. Trevor Laws is the lone returning starter
on the line, but he’s moving from tackle to end in this new scheme.
Maurice Crum Jr. returns to lead the
linebacking corps, and players such as Toryan Smith, Joe Brockington Anthony
Vernaglia and John Ryan have game experience. How well the group grasps the new
scheme, along with the learning curve of the defensive line will tell the
defensive story for Notre Dame this season. At punter, the Irish are well taken
care of with senior Geoff Price returning, but the kicker position is the one
that needs some work. Sophomores Ryan Burkhart and Nate Whitaker, along with
freshman Brandon Walker, will all have a shot to claim the job. Burkhart handled
kickoffs for most of 2006. As for the return game, look for Zbikowski to return
punts again this year with David Grimes and George West being two of the many
options at Coach Weis’ disposal to return kickoffs.
All that talk of Notre Dame’s
inexperience and we haven’t even gotten to their schedule. To describe their
first eight games as brutal may be an understatement, with visits from Georgia
Tech, Boston College and USC sprinkled in with trips to Penn State, Michigan and
UCLA. The final four games are more than manageable for this group, but it’s the
beginning that could either spell an early end to their BCS dreams, or a
springboard back into the national spotlight come January.
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