F&M Week!
Let's get started with the D3Football.com Kickoff Season Preview:
Franklin and Marshall Diplomats
Last playoff appearance: 2005
Last year: 3-7, 2-4 CC
Last conference title: 1995
Wins increase from 05-06: Minus-2
Preseason ranking: 125 of 238
Head coach: John Troxell, 2nd year, 3-7
Starters returning: 16 (six offense, nine defense, one special teams)
Position battle to watch: Running back, where there are some interesting possibilities. Sophomore Ryan Murray and freshman Lipton Thompson will battle with several seniors for the starting spot. Murray, of Sebastian, Fla., has impressed coach John Troxell with how he runs. Thompson, from New York, won the 100-meter title (11.38 seconds) at May's Ivy Prep League Championships and was .01 seconds from winning the 200.
Pressure is on: Defensive backs Barry Lovett, Jeff Kellar and Jeff Libertatore. The three sophomores are expected to start in the Diplomats' secondary, behind a front seven that returns all of its starters. "Those three kids, although they're only sophomores, have a lot more talent than what we had there a year ago," Troxell said. "So it's going to be important for them to step up and live up to the expectations we think they will."
Where did he come from? Sophomore wideout George Eager, who started his career at Division-II Millersville last year. He played in three games and made four receptions, but transferred to F&M in time for this year and could have a big impact on the Diplomats' offense. Eager's father is also a F&M grad.
Their season will be defined by: The game against Dickinson on Sept. 15, the conference opener for both teams. Troxell sees the home game as an effective measuring stick against the defending conference champions to see how far his kids have come. A win in that game could propel them to a significant improvement on last year's 3-7 mark.
Predicted record: 4-6, 3-5
Capsule: Last year's F&M squad was loaded with freshmen, and they produced a season that might be expected of freshmen: A 3-7 record with an average margin of defeat of just under two touchdowns. Take out two blowout losses, and the margin of defeat slips to 8.8 which includes close losses to conference front runners Dickinson, Johns Hopkins and Gettysburg. The difference now, of course, is that the 28 freshmen of 2007 won't be expected to carry the load. Still, F&M needs improvements on both sides of the ball. Senior quarterback Kyle Turner put up the biggest numbers in the conference by a wide margin; his 16 TD passes led the league, but was tempered by 15 interceptions. The offensive line was solid, allowing 14 sacks in 346 pass attempts, and returns three starters, including all-leaguer Brian Rice. The biggest change could come on defense, which returns fully intact. But last year, the numbers pointed to average defensive play: In the four major defensive categories: scoring defense, rushing defense, passing defense and total defense; the Diplomats were no better than fourth and no worse than fifth. Linebackers George Farrell and James Gregory, both second-team all-conference picks a year ago, will anchor the unit.
Franklin and Marshall Diplomats
Last playoff appearance: 2005
Last year: 3-7, 2-4 CC
Last conference title: 1995
Wins increase from 05-06: Minus-2
Preseason ranking: 125 of 238
Head coach: John Troxell, 2nd year, 3-7
Starters returning: 16 (six offense, nine defense, one special teams)
Position battle to watch: Running back, where there are some interesting possibilities. Sophomore Ryan Murray and freshman Lipton Thompson will battle with several seniors for the starting spot. Murray, of Sebastian, Fla., has impressed coach John Troxell with how he runs. Thompson, from New York, won the 100-meter title (11.38 seconds) at May's Ivy Prep League Championships and was .01 seconds from winning the 200.
Pressure is on: Defensive backs Barry Lovett, Jeff Kellar and Jeff Libertatore. The three sophomores are expected to start in the Diplomats' secondary, behind a front seven that returns all of its starters. "Those three kids, although they're only sophomores, have a lot more talent than what we had there a year ago," Troxell said. "So it's going to be important for them to step up and live up to the expectations we think they will."
Where did he come from? Sophomore wideout George Eager, who started his career at Division-II Millersville last year. He played in three games and made four receptions, but transferred to F&M in time for this year and could have a big impact on the Diplomats' offense. Eager's father is also a F&M grad.
Their season will be defined by: The game against Dickinson on Sept. 15, the conference opener for both teams. Troxell sees the home game as an effective measuring stick against the defending conference champions to see how far his kids have come. A win in that game could propel them to a significant improvement on last year's 3-7 mark.
Predicted record: 4-6, 3-5
Capsule: Last year's F&M squad was loaded with freshmen, and they produced a season that might be expected of freshmen: A 3-7 record with an average margin of defeat of just under two touchdowns. Take out two blowout losses, and the margin of defeat slips to 8.8 which includes close losses to conference front runners Dickinson, Johns Hopkins and Gettysburg. The difference now, of course, is that the 28 freshmen of 2007 won't be expected to carry the load. Still, F&M needs improvements on both sides of the ball. Senior quarterback Kyle Turner put up the biggest numbers in the conference by a wide margin; his 16 TD passes led the league, but was tempered by 15 interceptions. The offensive line was solid, allowing 14 sacks in 346 pass attempts, and returns three starters, including all-leaguer Brian Rice. The biggest change could come on defense, which returns fully intact. But last year, the numbers pointed to average defensive play: In the four major defensive categories: scoring defense, rushing defense, passing defense and total defense; the Diplomats were no better than fourth and no worse than fifth. Linebackers George Farrell and James Gregory, both second-team all-conference picks a year ago, will anchor the unit.
posted by Pat McConnell | 10:41 AM
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