D3Football.com Season Preview
The D3Football.com 2006 Season Kickoff came out today. The following information is taken from this publication:
National Rankings: Out of 234 teams, D3Football.com ranks the Bullets 139th. Our opponents for this season are ranked as follows: Lebanon Valley 151; Hampden-Sydney 60; Rochester 116; Denison 137; McDaniel 125; Johns Hopkins 71; Ursinus 128; Muhlenberg 141; Dickinson 123; Franklin & Marshall 124.
Centennial Conference Preview
2006 preseason conference ranking: 19th of 25
2005 nonconference record: 12-16
2005 playoff record: -6
The title could be on the line when: Any Centennial Conference game is played. It’s not a cop-out, but this conference is wide open. Every single game matters because the CC is so even from top to bottom. 13 of the 21 conference games in 2005 were decided by seven points or fewer. Last year, only one game over the course of three consecutive weeks saw a margin of victory greater than a touchdown. The Centennial does not often put up much of a fight in the postseason, but the intra-conference rivalries are exciting, the scores are often close, and the general tussling is as exciting as any conference in the country.
Pride will be on the line when: Dickinson hosts Franklin & Marshall in week eight in what will be the 98th meeting for the two. Way back in 1889, mass transportation of the football teams from Lancaster to Carlisle and vice versa came by way of a wagon. The winner takes home a replica in the form of the coveted Conestoga Wagon trophy, and bragging rights for another year. Since 1963, the Red Devils and Diplomats have battled for the plexiglass-enclosed wagon with F&M holding a 24-18 lead in the series. A win in the Wagon game makes or breaks the season for players, and alums, of both programs.
The player of the year will be: Johns Hopkins punter/kicker Ben Scott. The coaches of the Centennial Conference will almost certainly not select a kicker as their player of the year - so we will. Deciphering through the various offensive and defensive players is brutally difficult in a conference that screams parity from top to bottom. And so, we land with Ben Scott. The Blue Jays averaged just 16.1 points per game in their 8-3 2005, while allowing 13.4. That made Scott’s 13 treys from 2005 seem rather crucial to the season. Scott also punts and led the conference with 37.5 yards per punt and a long boot of 75 yards. Factoring in just conference games, Ursinus led the CC with 19.2 points per game and Gettysburg was last with 11.2. An eight point spread is miniscule and each team in the league needs a solid boot; Scott brings it, along with three years of experience.
Look for a breakout from: Dickinson. The Red Devils return so many players from last year’s team that saw quarterback Matt Torchia take the reins and pass the ball as has been taboo in recent Red Devils history. A quality quarterback is what the Red needed and 2005 was his coming out year. The team that stays together, wins together, and returning more firepower than any of their conference rivals makes us confident to say that a strong 2006 would not surprise us.
Predicted record: Johns Hopkins 9-1, 5-1; Dickinson 6-4, 4-2; Ursinus 5-4, 4-2; Franklin & Marshall 5-5, 4-2; McDaniel 5-5, 3-3; Gettysburg 2-8, 1-5; Muhlenberg 1-9, 0-6
Gettysburg Bullets Season Preview
Last playoff appearance: 1985
Last year: 4-6, 3-3 CC
Last conference title: 1985
Wins increase/decrease: Plus-3
Preseason ranking: 139 of 234
Head coach: Barry Streeter, 28th season, 136-132-5
Starters returning: 11 (six offense, four defense, one special teams)
Position battle to watch: Quarterback. Despite returning starter Hunter McMillan, Streeter indicated that the job was wide open going into camp. Sophomore Kyle Barnett was not on the roster last season, and along with fellow sophomore Mike Lynch and even senior Mark Campo, they will push McMillan to earn the position. With 13 interceptions to just six touchdowns, Streeter has thrown the gauntlet down to find the most precise passer.
Pressure is on: Junior running back Tom Sturges. With 1,185 rushing yards in 2005, Sturges returns to anchor a Gettysburg offense that struggled to put points on the board in conference play. The Bullets traditionally operate a run-oriented offense, but the approach in 2005 was more balanced. Despite Sturges’s yards, he only found paydirt six times. With Coach Streeter back at the helm, and a potential return to the wing-T, Sturges must step up his control of the ground game. Finding the end zone more than six times should lend help to the Bullets.
Their season will be defined by: Whether or not the conference parity holds true. Gettysburg has failed to finish a season with a conference record better than .500 since 1994. As the dominant teams of the late 90s and early 00s have come back to the pack, it has allowed Gettysburg to move forward, increasing their competitiveness. Their 3-3 conference mark was their best since a similar record in 1995.
Predicted record: 2-8, 1-5
Capsule: With Streeter indicating he is opening up camp more than he has in previous seasons, maybe we will see the Bullets emerge from the mediocrity they have been mired in for the last 11 years. If they do, that will surprise us a bit as the Bullets scored the fewest points amongst all CC teams in conference games last season, just 67. While they also allowed the second fewest, a big jump in their overall mark is unlikely. Three of their four non-conference games will have the Bullets as heavy underdogs and it is hard to imagine a conference mark better than what they managed last year. And it hasn’t been limited to just the quarterback position either, but all of them. It’s open season in the Bullets camp and if you notice significant changes on the depth chart as the season starts, those on it, earned it.
National Rankings: Out of 234 teams, D3Football.com ranks the Bullets 139th. Our opponents for this season are ranked as follows: Lebanon Valley 151; Hampden-Sydney 60; Rochester 116; Denison 137; McDaniel 125; Johns Hopkins 71; Ursinus 128; Muhlenberg 141; Dickinson 123; Franklin & Marshall 124.
Centennial Conference Preview
2006 preseason conference ranking: 19th of 25
2005 nonconference record: 12-16
2005 playoff record: -6
The title could be on the line when: Any Centennial Conference game is played. It’s not a cop-out, but this conference is wide open. Every single game matters because the CC is so even from top to bottom. 13 of the 21 conference games in 2005 were decided by seven points or fewer. Last year, only one game over the course of three consecutive weeks saw a margin of victory greater than a touchdown. The Centennial does not often put up much of a fight in the postseason, but the intra-conference rivalries are exciting, the scores are often close, and the general tussling is as exciting as any conference in the country.
Pride will be on the line when: Dickinson hosts Franklin & Marshall in week eight in what will be the 98th meeting for the two. Way back in 1889, mass transportation of the football teams from Lancaster to Carlisle and vice versa came by way of a wagon. The winner takes home a replica in the form of the coveted Conestoga Wagon trophy, and bragging rights for another year. Since 1963, the Red Devils and Diplomats have battled for the plexiglass-enclosed wagon with F&M holding a 24-18 lead in the series. A win in the Wagon game makes or breaks the season for players, and alums, of both programs.
The player of the year will be: Johns Hopkins punter/kicker Ben Scott. The coaches of the Centennial Conference will almost certainly not select a kicker as their player of the year - so we will. Deciphering through the various offensive and defensive players is brutally difficult in a conference that screams parity from top to bottom. And so, we land with Ben Scott. The Blue Jays averaged just 16.1 points per game in their 8-3 2005, while allowing 13.4. That made Scott’s 13 treys from 2005 seem rather crucial to the season. Scott also punts and led the conference with 37.5 yards per punt and a long boot of 75 yards. Factoring in just conference games, Ursinus led the CC with 19.2 points per game and Gettysburg was last with 11.2. An eight point spread is miniscule and each team in the league needs a solid boot; Scott brings it, along with three years of experience.
Look for a breakout from: Dickinson. The Red Devils return so many players from last year’s team that saw quarterback Matt Torchia take the reins and pass the ball as has been taboo in recent Red Devils history. A quality quarterback is what the Red needed and 2005 was his coming out year. The team that stays together, wins together, and returning more firepower than any of their conference rivals makes us confident to say that a strong 2006 would not surprise us.
Predicted record: Johns Hopkins 9-1, 5-1; Dickinson 6-4, 4-2; Ursinus 5-4, 4-2; Franklin & Marshall 5-5, 4-2; McDaniel 5-5, 3-3; Gettysburg 2-8, 1-5; Muhlenberg 1-9, 0-6
Gettysburg Bullets Season Preview
Last playoff appearance: 1985
Last year: 4-6, 3-3 CC
Last conference title: 1985
Wins increase/decrease: Plus-3
Preseason ranking: 139 of 234
Head coach: Barry Streeter, 28th season, 136-132-5
Starters returning: 11 (six offense, four defense, one special teams)
Position battle to watch: Quarterback. Despite returning starter Hunter McMillan, Streeter indicated that the job was wide open going into camp. Sophomore Kyle Barnett was not on the roster last season, and along with fellow sophomore Mike Lynch and even senior Mark Campo, they will push McMillan to earn the position. With 13 interceptions to just six touchdowns, Streeter has thrown the gauntlet down to find the most precise passer.
Pressure is on: Junior running back Tom Sturges. With 1,185 rushing yards in 2005, Sturges returns to anchor a Gettysburg offense that struggled to put points on the board in conference play. The Bullets traditionally operate a run-oriented offense, but the approach in 2005 was more balanced. Despite Sturges’s yards, he only found paydirt six times. With Coach Streeter back at the helm, and a potential return to the wing-T, Sturges must step up his control of the ground game. Finding the end zone more than six times should lend help to the Bullets.
Their season will be defined by: Whether or not the conference parity holds true. Gettysburg has failed to finish a season with a conference record better than .500 since 1994. As the dominant teams of the late 90s and early 00s have come back to the pack, it has allowed Gettysburg to move forward, increasing their competitiveness. Their 3-3 conference mark was their best since a similar record in 1995.
Predicted record: 2-8, 1-5
Capsule: With Streeter indicating he is opening up camp more than he has in previous seasons, maybe we will see the Bullets emerge from the mediocrity they have been mired in for the last 11 years. If they do, that will surprise us a bit as the Bullets scored the fewest points amongst all CC teams in conference games last season, just 67. While they also allowed the second fewest, a big jump in their overall mark is unlikely. Three of their four non-conference games will have the Bullets as heavy underdogs and it is hard to imagine a conference mark better than what they managed last year. And it hasn’t been limited to just the quarterback position either, but all of them. It’s open season in the Bullets camp and if you notice significant changes on the depth chart as the season starts, those on it, earned it.
posted by Pat McConnell | 8:27 AM
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