Dickinson Week!
Stay tuned for additional previews of this week's game with Dickinson. Let's get started with a look back to the D3Football.com season preview Kickoff Edition:
Dickinson Red Devils
Last playoff appearance: 2006
Last year: 8-3, 5-1 CC
Last conference title: 2006
Wins increase from 05-06: Plus-4
Preseason ranking: 68 of 238
Head coach: Darwin Breaux, 15th year, 87-56-1
Starters returning: 12 (five offense, six defense, one special teams)
Position battle to watch: Quarterback. Without Matt Torchia, last year's Centennial Offensive Player of the Year, coach Darwin Breaux has one of two potential successors in mind. One of them, sophomore Ian Mitchell, played multiple positions last year: He was the only player besides Torchia to throw a pass (he was 2 for 3 for 82 yards and 2 TDs), he caught 17 passes and averaged 5.2 yards per carry on 18 rushes. Oh, and he was the Devils' longsnapper, too.
Pressure is on: Safeties. Andrew Ackley's graduation leaves a considerable void in the middle of the secondary. In 2006, he had four interceptions and was first-team all-league; he finished his career with 19 picks, tied for the school record with Shaughn White ('88-'91). Breaux has a host of players who will compete for the job, but believes they must be strong for the Devils to compete.
Where did he come from? Linebacker Eric Dube. Sure, everyone knows what he's done at Dickinson: third-team D3football.com All-American, Centennial Defensive Player of the Year. Were he a few inches taller, that might not have been the case; Breaux said Dube, when he was coming out of Eastern H.S. in Voorhees, N.J., had some interest from Division I-AA schools. But at 5-foot-10, Dube's height may have been a concern for those schools, Breaux believed. Instead, he landed in Carlisle, launching a successful career in D-III football.
Their season will be defined by: Starting off strong. The road to defending their title begins with a couple of non-conference games at Grove City and against Hobart. Wins there would put them in a position to carry momentum into the league schedule, which begins with a road match against Franklin & Marshall.
Predicted record: 8-2, 7-1
Capsule: Say the numbers quickly enough and they don't sound so bad: Six offensive starters lost, five defensive starters lost. Half of each unit, essentially. Then you start poring through who was lost, and that's when it does start to sound a little worse: Centennial Offensive Player of the Year Matt Torchia. Running back Ryne Cantwell, tight end Ryan Stearrett, lineman Kevin Mentrikoski, safety Andrew Ackley: all first-teamers. At the same time, there's reason for optimism. Only most, not all of, of the Red Devils' all-conference players graduated. Linebacker Eric Dube (Conference Defensive Player of the Year) and defensive lineman Eric Hertrich (first team) are back, so it's not hard to imagine Dickinson's defense being the thrust of the team, at least until all the new parts of the offense are assembled and running smoothly. But based on last year's stats, there's a caveat for that, too. Dickinson was in the middle of the league among most major defensive statistics. The notable exception is rushing defense: The Devils led the league in that category. If predictions hold up, the final week of the season will be a crucial one and may well decide the league title. Dickinson was voted to finish third, Ursinus voted No. 1; the two play on Nov. 10 in Carlisle.
Dickinson Red Devils
Last playoff appearance: 2006
Last year: 8-3, 5-1 CC
Last conference title: 2006
Wins increase from 05-06: Plus-4
Preseason ranking: 68 of 238
Head coach: Darwin Breaux, 15th year, 87-56-1
Starters returning: 12 (five offense, six defense, one special teams)
Position battle to watch: Quarterback. Without Matt Torchia, last year's Centennial Offensive Player of the Year, coach Darwin Breaux has one of two potential successors in mind. One of them, sophomore Ian Mitchell, played multiple positions last year: He was the only player besides Torchia to throw a pass (he was 2 for 3 for 82 yards and 2 TDs), he caught 17 passes and averaged 5.2 yards per carry on 18 rushes. Oh, and he was the Devils' longsnapper, too.
Pressure is on: Safeties. Andrew Ackley's graduation leaves a considerable void in the middle of the secondary. In 2006, he had four interceptions and was first-team all-league; he finished his career with 19 picks, tied for the school record with Shaughn White ('88-'91). Breaux has a host of players who will compete for the job, but believes they must be strong for the Devils to compete.
Where did he come from? Linebacker Eric Dube. Sure, everyone knows what he's done at Dickinson: third-team D3football.com All-American, Centennial Defensive Player of the Year. Were he a few inches taller, that might not have been the case; Breaux said Dube, when he was coming out of Eastern H.S. in Voorhees, N.J., had some interest from Division I-AA schools. But at 5-foot-10, Dube's height may have been a concern for those schools, Breaux believed. Instead, he landed in Carlisle, launching a successful career in D-III football.
Their season will be defined by: Starting off strong. The road to defending their title begins with a couple of non-conference games at Grove City and against Hobart. Wins there would put them in a position to carry momentum into the league schedule, which begins with a road match against Franklin & Marshall.
Predicted record: 8-2, 7-1
Capsule: Say the numbers quickly enough and they don't sound so bad: Six offensive starters lost, five defensive starters lost. Half of each unit, essentially. Then you start poring through who was lost, and that's when it does start to sound a little worse: Centennial Offensive Player of the Year Matt Torchia. Running back Ryne Cantwell, tight end Ryan Stearrett, lineman Kevin Mentrikoski, safety Andrew Ackley: all first-teamers. At the same time, there's reason for optimism. Only most, not all of, of the Red Devils' all-conference players graduated. Linebacker Eric Dube (Conference Defensive Player of the Year) and defensive lineman Eric Hertrich (first team) are back, so it's not hard to imagine Dickinson's defense being the thrust of the team, at least until all the new parts of the offense are assembled and running smoothly. But based on last year's stats, there's a caveat for that, too. Dickinson was in the middle of the league among most major defensive statistics. The notable exception is rushing defense: The Devils led the league in that category. If predictions hold up, the final week of the season will be a crucial one and may well decide the league title. Dickinson was voted to finish third, Ursinus voted No. 1; the two play on Nov. 10 in Carlisle.
posted by Pat McConnell | 7:45 AM
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