2008 Woodie Awards
Football will rely on an experienced defense in '07
By Adam Brewer
Rocket Sports Editor
Issue date: 5/4/07 Section: Sports
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That just might be the case for the 2007 Rock football team this season, as the low scoring Green & White game last Friday is another reason why SRU might depend more on its defense.
In the Green & White game at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, the Green defeated the White squad in a defensive battle by the score of 16-7.
On offense for the Green team, junior quarterback Nate Crookshank passed for 143 yards with one interception.
Crookshank's main targets on the night were the top three receivers on The Rock roster.
Junior wideout Paul Favers caught four balls for 50 yards while junior H-back Colin Golden had five receptions for 44 yards.
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Terry Grossetti hauled in two passes for 40 yards to round out the passing attack.
Junior running back Corey Manfull made his return to the field after missing the entire 2006 season with a solid effort in the last spring practice.
Manfull rushed for 50 yards on seven carries.
Backing up Manfull for the Green team was redshirt sophomore Travis Sarver. Sarver had eight rushes for 24 yards in the contest.
On defense for the Green, sophomore defensive end Tyler Boudreau was a menace on the d-line, racking up three tackles and two sacks, one of which was good for a Green safety.
Redshirt freshman outside linebacker, Rich Barnes, was another active player in the scrimmage, returning an interception for a touchdown late in the game.
For the White offense, both backup quarterbacks had their shots in the game.
Redshirt freshman Brad Galvan went five-for-seven in the game while freshman Brandon Frohnapple went five-for-14 for a combined 182 passing yards.
The leading receiver for the White offense was sophomore wideout Joshua Prigorac.
He caught eight balls for 101 yards. Redshirt freshman receiver Dallas Richardson hauled in two passes for 57 yards and had the lone White touchdown.
Freshman running back Damarcus Cleckley ran for 40 yards on four carries while freshman tailback Ryan Lehmeier tallied 17 yards on five rushes and sophomore tailback Nate Sipes rushed for 15 yards on four carries.
On defense for the White, sophomore linebacker Jonathan Molnar and sophomore defensive lineman Jason Curenton each had three tackles while sophomore defensive lineman Mike White recorded two tackles and a sack.
As was shown in this scrimmage, defense will be a pivotal part for Rock football next year as it will try to get over the hump and be the team to beat in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division.
SRU defensive coordinator and defensive line coach, Shawn Lutz, is excited about the upcoming season and thinks the defense will be a force in the '07 campaign.
"We finished strong at the end of last year, and we have a lot of guys coming back on both sides of the ball," Lutz said. "We have had a lot of high-energy and competitive practices during the spring. We are really excited about our chances for this year."
That optimism might have come from last year's defensive numbers in the PSAC for the Rock.
In 2006, the Rock allowed 18.3 points per game (fifth in the PSAC), 163.5 passing yards per game (third), 105.7 rushing yards per game (fifth) and 269.2 total yards per game (third).
The Rock allowed only 58 first downs to its opponents (second) and was first in the conference in redzone defense (56.8 percent) and opposing third down conversions (27.9 percent).
Lutz said that whether it is on or off the field, the defense follows some set principles.
"Our goal on defense is to be relentless," Lutz said. "Everything we do, we do it relentlessly, whether it is on or off the field from practicing to studying film.
We have six principles on defense and that is to run to the ball, to tackle and to be mentally and physically tough, we want to prepare for perfection, we want to play a full 60 minutes during each game and we want to create turnovers."
The relentlessness may rest with the experienced defensive line, on which two of the four are seniors, and the amount of energy they bring to the whole defensive unit.
"I always believe that the game is going to be won or lost in the trenches," Lutz said. "I truly believe that we will have one of the strongest defensive lines since I have been here."
The line is anchored by junior defensive end Cory Lacek. Lacek had 57 total tackles with a team-high nin e sacks and 27 tackles for loss last year, and an interception.
Despite Lacek missing some practice time during the spring with a hamstring pull and mononucleosis.
Lutz thinks he should be ready for the season and he should be back into all-conference form, as he was in 2006.
Junior defensive tackle Clint Forsha will also be returning. Lutz credited Forsha with being the premier interior linemen in the PSAC. A year ago, Forsha recorded 50 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and four sacks.
The other two players squaring up to be on the line are Boudreau and freshman Marty Kern.
The line has depth this year with White and redshirt freshman Patrick Marsilio backing up Lacek and Boudreau at the end positions. On the inside, Curenton, freshman Nick Marts, sophomore Troy Stininger and freshman Aaron Nall are all viable backups that will compete for playing time.
At the linebacker positions, the Rock has lost two of its three starters from 2006 with Jerome Whiting and Seth Randall graduating.
Heading up the linebacker core is junior Jared Palmer, who will move from outside to inside linebacker.
"The reason we moved Palmer from outside to inside is because that linebacker calls all of our plays, fronts, stunts and blitzes," Lutz said. "In the middle, we need a guy that is very physical and can make a lot of plays, and I think right now he is our best linebacker. He outworks people, he is very tough, hard-nosed and strong, and I think he is going to have a great year for us."
As of right now, manning the other linebacker spot is sophomore Jake Barzen and Barnes.
"Jake is the old-fashioned linebacker, he is a plugger and he finds a way to make plays," Lutz said. "Richie is your ideal linebacker, he has speed and he is strong."
Backing up Barnes are junior Matt Fontana and Molnar while freshman Andrew Pianetti will be backing up Barzen.
Sophomores Dom Razzano and Bill Lamb, along with freshman Bill Elliott, will back up Palmer in the middle.
The Rock secondary features perhaps the most depth of any position on the team.
"We have a lot of guys in the secondary that are fast and athletic, but the key in this position is that we are young. Three of our four starters a year ago are returning," said Lutz.
Junior Jim D'Amico will be coming back to fill one of the safety positions while sophomore cornerback Sam Morant will be moving to the other starting safety spot.
"Jim is like a coach out there, he doesn't make a lot of mental mistakes and he knows how to be in the right position," Lutz said. "Sam will be a big plus for us at the safety spot because he can hit, cover and make plays for us."
Despite this being the position with the most depth, earlier in the spring the Rock lost two safeties that will be out for the year.
Junior Willie Murel and sophomore Tommy Crowl suffered ACL injuries and will be out in 2007. Freshman Tyler Henderson has missed all of the spring practices, but will be back in the fall to add depth to the safety position.
Other backups at safety are freshmen Aaron Wilson, Brandon Murarik and Deandre Robinson.
At the corner position, redshirt freshman Anthony Walls had an excellent season last year and will be counted to be a big time corner for the Rock this year.
Walls picked off four passes and recorded 38 total tackles last year.
Fighting for the other corner position is junior Akeem Etheridge and freshman A.J. Saunders. Etheridge has been a backup for two years and knows the system.
Saunders played running back last season, but is considered by Lutz to be the most athletic player on the team.
Another backup corner who will be pivotal in the kickoff return game is redshirt freshman Robert Doiley.
Junior Eric Wofford, who has great leadership at the position, will also battle for a spot at corner as he is coming back from an appendectomy surgery in the winter.
Lutz said that his staff has been doing a tremendous job during the off-season to get the team ready.
"I got a great staff, (defensive backs coach) Rob Keys and (linebackers coach) Thomas Howard are great football coaches," Lutz said. "I just have to worry about the defensive line and calling the plays, and all and all we are going to have a good defense."
Lutz also said he is very pleased with how each position on the defense has gotten better and has improved upon any weaknesses they have had.
"As a defense, from the line to the secondary, I think at the end of the spring we are going to have 22 guys that can line up for us and play on defense," Lutz said. "We were a top-25 defense in the country last year, and I told the guys that the only way we are going to play championship football, is that the defense has to dominate. They know that, and we have to continue to get better and improve."
And as the spring football session has come to an end, the countdown for the 2007 season opener on Aug. 30 against Seton Hill at home is on.
And in case you're counting, it's 117 days until the season opener.
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