Friday Scrimmage Opponent
It's time for some football. For those of us who will be heading to the scrimmage on Friday. Here's what D3Football.com had to say about Susquehanna:
Susquehanna Crusaders
Last playoff appearance: None
Last year: 2-8, 2-7 MAC
Last conference title: 1998 MAC Commonwealth
Wins increase from 05-06: No change
Preseason ranking: 180 of 238
Head coach: Steve Briggs, 96-76, 18th season overall
Starters returning: 11 (three offense, seven defense, one specialist)
Position battle to watch: Quarterback. Two seniors, Justin Wutti and Dennis Robertson split the duties last year, but neither did very well statistically, and both graduated. Derek Pope, a junior, played in five of the team's games last year, completing half of his passes and throwing for two touchdowns. But Briggs said that with five incoming freshmen on the depth chart, the job is up for grabs. "Derek is the returning starter, but we're completely wide-open at quarterback," said Crusaders coach Steve Briggs.
Pressure is on: The entire team. The Crusaders struggled mightily in the Middle Athletic Conference and things will only get harder in the Liberty League. "The Liberty League has a great reputation and it will be a challenge each week no matter what teams we face," Briggs said.
Where did he come from? Sophomore Josh Simpson, who ran for 136 yards in four games as a freshman, has made the transition from running back to play cornerback for Coach Briggs' defense. He'll be looked at to step up with guys like three-year starter Eddie Jones at safety and Andrew LeClere, a two-year starter on the defensive line.
Their season will be defined by: They face off against the big boys of the Liberty League -- RPI, Hobart and Union -- all in a row. Two of those three games will be at home, including Homecoming against Hobart on Oct. 6. They also continue their rivalry with Lycoming for the Stagg Hat, a fedora that the legendary coach was known to wear. The only difference this year is that the game is moved up to Sept. 15 and is the third game of the Crusaders schedule instead of the last game of the year.
Predicted record: 2-8, 0-7
Capsule: A simple math equation: A new league plus a team that's struggled the past few years could equal a tough go for the initial season in the Liberty League for Susquehanna. Compound that with the fact they only scored 12.1 points per game last year and lost much of their starters on offense. Another thing they'll have to improve on is their first half play. Last year, the Crusaders were outscored 114-58 in the first 30 minutes of games. But they definitely could surprise some people along the way, so don't count them out.
Susquehanna Crusaders
Last playoff appearance: None
Last year: 2-8, 2-7 MAC
Last conference title: 1998 MAC Commonwealth
Wins increase from 05-06: No change
Preseason ranking: 180 of 238
Head coach: Steve Briggs, 96-76, 18th season overall
Starters returning: 11 (three offense, seven defense, one specialist)
Position battle to watch: Quarterback. Two seniors, Justin Wutti and Dennis Robertson split the duties last year, but neither did very well statistically, and both graduated. Derek Pope, a junior, played in five of the team's games last year, completing half of his passes and throwing for two touchdowns. But Briggs said that with five incoming freshmen on the depth chart, the job is up for grabs. "Derek is the returning starter, but we're completely wide-open at quarterback," said Crusaders coach Steve Briggs.
Pressure is on: The entire team. The Crusaders struggled mightily in the Middle Athletic Conference and things will only get harder in the Liberty League. "The Liberty League has a great reputation and it will be a challenge each week no matter what teams we face," Briggs said.
Where did he come from? Sophomore Josh Simpson, who ran for 136 yards in four games as a freshman, has made the transition from running back to play cornerback for Coach Briggs' defense. He'll be looked at to step up with guys like three-year starter Eddie Jones at safety and Andrew LeClere, a two-year starter on the defensive line.
Their season will be defined by: They face off against the big boys of the Liberty League -- RPI, Hobart and Union -- all in a row. Two of those three games will be at home, including Homecoming against Hobart on Oct. 6. They also continue their rivalry with Lycoming for the Stagg Hat, a fedora that the legendary coach was known to wear. The only difference this year is that the game is moved up to Sept. 15 and is the third game of the Crusaders schedule instead of the last game of the year.
Predicted record: 2-8, 0-7
Capsule: A simple math equation: A new league plus a team that's struggled the past few years could equal a tough go for the initial season in the Liberty League for Susquehanna. Compound that with the fact they only scored 12.1 points per game last year and lost much of their starters on offense. Another thing they'll have to improve on is their first half play. Last year, the Crusaders were outscored 114-58 in the first 30 minutes of games. But they definitely could surprise some people along the way, so don't count them out.
posted by Pat McConnell | 5:11 PM
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