2005 Bloomsburg University Football Preview
Heading into the 2005 season Bloomsburg University head coach Danny Hale feels his team has an excellent chance at being a contender in the always-tough Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division.
“Realistically I feel we (Bloomsburg) can challenge for both the PSAC East title as well as a spot in the NCAA playoffs based on the experience we have returning, especially in the skill positions,” said Hale. “Add our depth to our experience and we feel we have a strong team.”
OFFENSE
“The strength of our offense will be our run game,” Hale commented. “We have many of key components returning in both ball carriers and blockers. We probably have one of the best 1-2 punches in the league at tailback in Jamar Brittingham and Josh Heck. We are also strong at quarterback with Jack Lydic and are opptimistic at wide receiver.”
QUARTERBACK
The Huskies feature a pair of senior signal callers at the top of the depth chart in Lydic and Al West. The 2004 season was a sub-par statistical season for Lydic through no-fault of his own, but he is really a coach on the field and knows the system well. He is backed up once again by Al West, who is experienced and knows the offense well.
RECEIVERS
The receiving corps a year ago lacked the experience to make them a solid group. Now one year wiser and with lots of game experience, the 2005 receivers are looking for a breakout year. Senior Donny Patrick, a starter two years ago, returns after sitting out last season and will be joined by Greg Masters, Matt Hamm and Kevin Keating giving Bloomsburg good depth at the position. Also, look for Adam Cherry, Brahin Bilhal to make contributions to this year's team giving the Huskies six legitimate receivers to work with in 2005.
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RUNNING BACKS
No other team in the PSAC has had the reputation over the years for producing outstanding tailbacks more than Bloomsburg. And 2005 will be no exception. With PSAC East Rookie of the Year Jamar Brittingham leading the way, the Huskies will have both talent and depth at the position. Joining Brittingham will be red-shirt sophomore Josh Heck who rushed for over 800 yards a freshman two years ago along with talented red-shirt freshman Christian Allen who wowed everyone with his play in spring practice.
At fullback, Jay Collins and Shawn Williams both return after having split time at the position last year. Freshman Jake Engle also looked good in spring practice and will compete for playing time.
TIGHT END
The Huskies have two top-notch tight ends in Luke Kuklick and Brad Bowman. Both are good blockers and can catch the ball with Kuklick having the added bonus of being able to get downfield to make catches. Al Meacham will also battle for time.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Any team's real key to success is on the offensive line and the Huskies have some of the best upfront in 2005. Jahri Evans, an All-American last year and an NFL-prospect, leads the way for the Huskies on the offensive line. The 6-4, 330-pound Evans was a finalist for the Gene Upshaw award a year ago and should be one of the favorites for the title this year. Joining him upfront will be All-PSAC selections Wynton Shelton and John Moser along with Dave Shermaria, in his first full season on the offensive line after starting out as a defensive lineman. Pat Spadaro will be a key player seeing time at both guard and tackle, while at center, Bryan Scruggs returns giving Bloomsburg great experience. Providing depth will be Brock Carpenter, Stephen Hillard, Sean Krim and Mike Heydt.
DEFENSE
“The defense is much improved over last year,” said coach Hale. “We have experience up front, we just have to make a few more big plays on defense to be successful.”
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DEFENSIVE LINE
The Huskies are solid up front with the return of three All-PSAC performers in Dominick Esgro, Scott Keating and Todd White. Other key players returning are Jordan Golob and Zac Barton, who plays on every special teams unit. Justin Colon and Steve Draper all saw significant playing time and will be featured members at rush end. Joining White and Keating at tackle will be Corey Gipe, Matt Brzail and Earl McNeil.
LINEBACKERS
The Huskies once again feature a strong group of linebackers led by returning starters Kyle Sosnovik and Matt Smith on the outside and Rob Biernat in the middle. Also look for Rodney Johnson, Darnell Hayes, Glen Connnoly, Greg Myers, Dan Tilliotson and Pat Carroll to be key performers.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
In the defensive secondary the Huskies return three starters, but were hurt by the loss of Joe Scritchfield to injury. At corner, the lone returning starter is Keith Davis. He will be joined by a group that includes Greg McGhee, Marcus Waddy and newcomers Jake Searfass and Greg Nash.
At safety Tyler Trettin and Ty Ulrich are both returning starters and will be joined by Gabe Robinson, Phil Riccardi, Jeremy Lightner and Joey Kleiner.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Huskies return All-PSAC kicker Garrett Bloom to the lineup. Bloom, a year ago, hit on 40 of 42 extra points and also converted eight of 12 field goals. The punting duties will be handled by a newcomer to be chosen from either Adam Cherry or Kyle Ream.
Punt return duties will go to Brittingham, while kickoff return duties will be handled by Josh Heck, Christian Allen or Greg McGhee. The long snapper is Brad Nailor, while Jordan Golob is the short-snapper. Receivers Kevin Keating and C.J. Lapp will handle the holding duties.
OVERALL
“The PSAC East is a week-to-week battle,” Hale said. “Every team in the division is capable of going out and beating another team in the division week in and week out. There are no easy games.”
“Plus, for us, we cross over and have to face Western Division teams such as IUP, Slippery Rock, Shippensburg and Lock Haven,” Hale continued. “You have to be ready to play each week.”