Sports Home • Today at BU • BU Home • Alumni • Admissions • Academics

A lot of college football teams begin pre-season camp full of questions. For Bloomsburg University coach Danny Hale and his staff, that is certainly true once again. After graduating a record 22 players from last year's team, the Huskies will have quite a few new starters in 2003, including for the fourth straight year, a new quarterback.

“We are going to be young on offense and strong on the defensive side of the ball,” said Hale. “There are a lot of players who will start that did not start a year ago offensively, while our linebackers will be the strength of the defense. Pre-season camp will be very important to identifying the combinations that will be on the field during the year.”

A major test for the offense this season will be to find a quarterback, a group of receivers and some depth at tailback.

“The fact that we have so many question marks does concern me,” said coach Hale. “We will have to work very hard in camp this year to answer those concerns.”

QUARTERBACK

For the fourth consecutive season the Huskies will use a new signal caller. Those battling for the starting job in preseason camp are Al West, Jack Lydic and Josh Klingerman. West is a lefthander with good size who is a tough competitor. Lydic is a good sprint quarterback and saw some action a season ago and Klingerman knows the system.

RUNNING BACK

Mike Ceroli has the most experience of any returning back for the Huskies, but look for Shaun Gaul and Danny Lewis to push him in training camp. Gaul gets positive yardage on most carries, while Lewis just needs more experience. Someone else who will be fighting for playing time is Sid Harrison, a fourth year player who has seen spot duty his first three seasons.

At fullback the Huskies are deep with Tyson Hale leading the way. Hale saw a great deal of time last season and will take over as the starter with Shawn Williams, Jerrod Martin and Jay Collins providing the depth.

TIGHT END

The Huskies will be young at this position with three underclassmen battling for time. All three, Brad Bowman, Tim Allen and Luke Kuklick can be impact players as they mature physically.

WIDE RECEIVER

This is another position where the Huskies will be young and inexperienced. Nick Kurtz is the top returning player for the team after making 17 receptions a year ago. Also battling for time will be Steve Burke, Tom McKee and Kevin Keating. Burke and McKee saw limited action last season, while Keating was impressive in the spring at catching the ball.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The most experienced part of the Huskies offense in 2003 will be the offensive line. Led by four-year starter and All-PSAC performer Chris Mullin, the Huskies have experience and depth at each spot on the line. Pat Spadaro will join Mullin at guard while at tackle John Centak and Jahri Evans will start. Centak is a returning starter with Evans providing great size and athleticism. Providing backup will be Rich Russell, Wynton Shelton, John Moser, Brian Scruggs and Casey Addison. At center look for Matt Newhard, a fourth-year player, to start with James Kokas providing backup.

The Huskies have traditionally fielded strong defensive teams and the 2003 version will be no different. As a group the defense is very aggressive and is quick to the ball. The linebackers are some of the best in the country, while the secondary is a veteran group.

DEFENSIVE LINE

On the end look for Aaron Zeamer and Jordan Golob to lead the way, while Zac Barton and David Diaz providing backup. Zeamer has made the transition from tackle, while Golob has added size and strength. At the tackle spots look for Tony Milone and Todd White to get the starting nod. Milone has good balance and strength, while White has quickness and is good at pursuing the ball. Look for Jesse Harr, Ben Cohick, Scott Keating and Dave Shamaria to be in the rotation of backup players.

LINEBACKERS

The strongest area to the Huskies in 2003 will be its group of linebackers. On the outside Shawn Butler and Eric Steffen both return after having outstanding seasons a year ago. Both run to the ball very well, can blitz when needed and are great leaders. In the middle will be junior Paul Linn who has made great strides since the spring. Backups will include Adam Houseknecht and Owen Wilson on the outside and Josh Golob in the middle.

DEFENSIVE SECONDARY

The defensive backfield for the Huskies is a veteran unit, but also has several players returning from injuries.

On the corners look for Bryant Stone and Joe Scritchfield along with Bret Fryer and Jason Sheldon. Stone is a proven commodity and one of the best kickreturners in the nation, while Scritchfield has elevated his play. Fryer saw a lot of action last year, while Sheldon is one of the hardest hitters on the team.

At safety look for BeJey Thomas and Chris Kelly, while Ty Ulrich, Tyler Trettin and Gabe Robinson provide backup. Thomas missed the spring season with an injury but has great size and speed. Ulrich has moved over from offense in high school, while Kelly is a smart player.

SPECIAL TEAMS

One area that is more settled this season for the Huskies is special teams. Placekicker Tim Oliver returns with Garrett Bloom as his backup. Oliver, who has been doing the bulk of the placekicking for two years, will also handle the punting duties this season. BeJey Thomas,who led the PSAC in punt return average a year ago, will be back returning punts, while Bryant Stone and possibly Nick Kurtz will take care of kickoff returns. Both Thomas and Stone are among the best in the country when healthy at returning kicks, while Kurtz finished second in the PSAC last year in kickoff return average after taking over for Stone.

The Huskies once again feature an 11-game schedule with New Haven returning to the schedule after being absent for several years. The Huskies also face tough battles with PSAC West opponents Shippensburg, IUP and Slippery Rock. In the PSAC East, the Huskies have tough road trips to West Chester and East Stroudsburg to look forward to.

“We have a difficult schedule in 2003,” Danny Hale said. “Our goals, though, remain the same and they are to win the PSAC East and hope for a bid to the NCAA playoffs.”