Coming off a tough season, the Tribe kicks off a brutal schedule this coming Thursday, with the first ever Colonial Athletic Association game against Delaware.
For the Tribe to have a bounce-back season, the offense will need to be much improved. That starts with the QB, and redshirt-Junior Jake Phillips. Phillips struggled in his starts last year, completing less than 50% of his passes, and throwing only 5 touchdowns compared to 3 interceptions, but has the potential to be a spectacular team leader and does everything well. He is very elusive in the pocket and spent the offseason in Williamsburg, seemingly determined to take the starting job and run with it. His stats were certainly effected by a weak offensive line last season, and more time in the pocket will only make him better. If he falters, expect Senior Mike Potts to step in. The Delaware native is the best passer on the team, but doesn’t have the speed of the other QB competitors.
Running back will also be a critical position this season. Elijah Brooks, last season’s team captian and star player, is gone and it looks like 3 players will be splitting carries. DeBrian Holmes is believed to be the starter, and he has been very solid in the last 2 years behind Brooks. He is very quick and good in the passing game, plus has a career average of 5.3 ypc to boot. In the offseason he has worked on adding to his size, and is a very good breakout candidate. He should be able to hold down the position, and has the potential of a top RB if he gets his blocks. The second candidate is Courtland Marriner, who will probably be the fastest player in every game we play this year. Marriner has explosive speed(4.4 40 time) and is as strong as anybody his size on the team. Expect him to make an impact both as a halfback and on kick/punt returns. Finally, it looks like Tony Viola will get time in short-yardage situations. Viola, a 6′1″/216 Senior, is tough to stop in the red zone and will do anything he can to get on the field(also will be on special teams). All in all, expect the Tribe to be as good if not better at tailback this season.
Receiver will be one of the strong points of this Tribe team, with 4 strong wide-outs. Senior Joe Nicholas will surely lead the corps, as he has lead the team for the past 2 seasons. His route-running and sure hands will be a consistency the Tribe will need on Offense. Another plus from Jake Phillips becoming the QB is that RJ Archer, last years second leading receiver, will go back to that position. Archer can provide some big plays, which is shown in his 15 yards per catch, and had overall good numbers for a convert with 45 ypg. Expect to see some gadget plays with him this year, and overall improved play with experience. Junior Elliot Mack is also expected to step up this year, coming off a difficult season. Mack started strong last year, but hardly made an impact on the team towards the middle of the season. Because of that, he only caught 20 passes last year and averaged just 23 ypg. He did, however, come back towards the end of the season and was an asset to the team on reverses and other plays where he could get into the open field. Expect a break out year from Mack. DJ McAulay is the 4th strong receiver on the Tribe, and he is the downfield threat. He spent 3 games on the pine last year due to injuries, but averaged 15 yards per catch when he was on the field and has the talent to be an all-conference caliber guy.
Last year this was easily the team’s weak spot, but I have heard from several outlets that the offensive line will be much improved this year. The line will be made up of 4 upperclassmen(3 Seniors, 1 Junior) and a Sophomore who played in every game last year. Leadership is supposed to come out of Right Tackle Brad Stewart who was named team Co-Captain this spring. Seniors Brent Cochran and Justin Oliver will make up the left side of the line, both returning starters, and the center spot will be filled with Redshirt-Junior Luke Hiteshew. EDIT: I have just gotten word that DL Kyle Allison has converted to OL, and is starting. Jimmye must be pretty comfortable with his starters on DL if that is the case.
The defensive line should be the youngest position on the team this year, entirely made up of underclassmen. The good news, however, is that 2 of the defenses 5 returning starters are on the line, including Freshman stud Adrian Tracy. Tracy started in all 11 games last year, and ended the season with 6 sacks and 15.5 TFLs. He also forced 2 fumbles and should be a star, very soon. CJ Herbert also started in every game this year, but only had 1 sack on the season and 30 tackles. He played a lot of DT last year, but will move to end this season. He provided a boost on special teams last year in blocking 2 kicks. The tackle positions are up in the air, currently being held down by Derek Toon and Sean Lissemore.
The Linebackers have the potential to be a strong unit this year if they can stay healthy. Josh Rutter will be the anchor of the unit at Middle Linebacker, and hopefully will be as strong as ever after missing the final 8 games of last year with a knee injury. He led the team in tackles 2 years ago as a freshman, and always seems to be around the ball. Michael Pigram was a pleasant surprise that came out of last season, as he was second on the team in tackles and added 4.5 TFLs and 3 forced fumbles. The combination of him and Rutter could be scary for opposing offenses for the next 2 years. Senior TJ O’Neill will be the vet of the crew, after being moved to DL last year. O’Neill had a little trouble with injuries last year, but has the experience and talent to play well anywhere. These 3 guys have had injury troubles in the past, and with the lack of depth in the Linebackers they will need to stay on the field.
The deepest position on defense will be the defensive backs. Derek Cox will be the leader of the defense, after being named Co-Captain, an honor that is not very often given to a Junior. Cox looks to be the next Tribe shut-down corner, and will do everything he can for the team including returning kicks. Max Harris is one of 2 true sophomores on the team, and has all the tools to be great. He is the hard-hitter on the defense, and has the potential to break out this year, but currently is being pushed for his spot by Terrell Wells. RS Sophomore Robert Livingston is an interesting player, a transfer from Western Michigan who is expected to start this year. Every report of him has been glowing. He tackles well and has the speed and tools for the position, and is described in the media guide as the “Quarterback of the defense”. Expect him to be a solid contributor with the chance to be very good. The final starter in the secondary will be true sophomore David Caldwell, who saw time on special teams last year. He will not be the shut down defender, but has the size and ability to make things happen on defense. He was also impressive a a punt returner last year. If he sputters at all 2 very capable players in David Houff and Michael Alvarado will be waiting to take his place.
The kicking game looks to be inconsistent at best this year. We were fed the information last year that David Miller was going to be great, soon, but he lost the PK job to Brian Pate in the spring. Miller will still be punting, but for every good kick the 2 of them had there was also a bad one. I am excited about the kick returns though, as we will really get to see Courtland Marriner do his thing. He is not only one of the fastest football players, but one of the fastest people in the state, and was flat out electric in Fall practice.
Overall, this is a rebuilding year. We definitely have a chance to be good, but with JMU, UD, VT, and UMass on the schedule, not to mention Towson, playoffs are very unlikely. I am looking at 6 wins with W’s over Liberty(in a close one), VMI, Villanova, Hofstra, and an upset somewhere along the road(Am thinking UD or JMU). The key is whether we get solid line play on both sides of the ball, and if we do this team could have a winning year.
