Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Football Spring Preview
3/28/2008 8:00:00 AM | Football
March 28, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- There will be plenty of storylines when the Bucknell football team takes the field for the first day of spring practice on Saturday, March 29. Will the offense seamlessly adapt to new offensive coordinator Harold Nichols? Who is going to replace the four graduated starters on the offensive line? How will the position battles on the defensive line and linebacker shake out? Can former freshman sensation Sam Nana-Sinkam return to form after missing all of last season with an injury?
With the exception of offensive line, experienced players are in abundance at every position as head coach Tim Landis' squad looks to rebound from a 3-8 season. Bucknell finished strong last season, routing 18th-ranked Fordham, the Patriot League champion, 38-24 on the road. Despite the disappointing final record, the Bison left Jack Coffey Field in The Bronx feeling good about the future, and for the 67 returning players, spring ball could not get here soon enough.
Beginning with Saturday's 10 a.m. workout at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium, the Bison will practice 15 times, culminating with the annual Orange-Blue scrimmage at 10 a.m. on Apr. 26. Interspersed will be a heavy load of weightlifting and team meetings, as the team makes important preparations for the 2008 season.
Bucknell this season returns 36 letterman and 16 starters - six on offense, eight on defense and the two kicking specialists. Below is a position-by-position look at the Bison heading into spring practice.
Offense
New offensive coordinator Harold Nichols comes to Bucknell from a similar offensive system at Rhode Island. In fact, former OC Ashley Ingram was an offensive assistant under Nichols at Rhode Island prior to his tenure at Bucknell. Ingram is now the offensive line coach at Navy, and Nichols takes over the reins of a Bison offense that averaged 292.3 yards and 21.0 points per game in 2007.
"I am excited to have Harold on board this spring," said Landis. "One of his big focal points is evolving the passing game, and I think everyone is looking forward to that. It is great that he already knows our system so well, so there will not be a significant learning curve. At the same time, I think we will be more multi-dimensional in terms of formations. We want to get our best guys on the field in sets that will allow us to put the ball in their hands both in the running and passing games."
"We feel really good about the skill positions. There is a lot coming back and good depth all around. We also feel good about the talent on the offensive line, but obviously there is some inexperience there.
Quarterback
Reinforcements will be coming in the fall, but this spring the Bison will be thin at the quarterback position. Returning starter Marcello Trigg will get most of the reps, with backup Ben Bouffard and converted wide receiver A.J. Pompliano backing him up.
Trigg had a solid sophomore year in 2007, completing 64 of 133 passes for 1,130 yards and eight touchdowns. He threw only four interceptions all year and finished with a very good 133.32 efficiency rating, third-best in the Patriot League. Trigg, who also had a team-high five rushing touchdowns, showed off his quick-strike potential in that season-ending upset of Fordham, when he parlayed five pass completions into 214 yards and two scores.
Junior Andrew Lair has returned after leaving the team early last season, but he is studying abroad this semester and will not be available for spring practice. He will be back in the fall along with four promising incoming freshmen quarterbacks.
"Marcello Trigg has come a long way," said Landis. "He has played a lot of football, and it's easy to forget he's only going to be a junior. This is an important spring for him to get a jump on the competition, which we hope will be heavy in the fall."
Running Back
All-Patriot Leaguer A.J. Kizekai is the most prominent name in the offensive backfield, but a number of seasoned veterans will be back on the field this spring. Kizekai and Rashod Bumpers, both juniors-to-be, were the regular starting slotbacks last season, while classmates Justin Pulgrano and Josh Lee and rising senior Nolan Applegate all contributed as well. Hard-running fullbacks Kevin Mullen and Ryan Smith also figure to play significant roles in 2008.
Kizekai was not only the team's leading rusher with 432 yards on 70 carries (6.2 average), but he was also a big-play receiver out of the backfield. He caught a team-high 17 passes for 363 yards (21.4) and four touchdowns.
"We obviously need to get the ball in A.J.'s hands more this year," said Landis. "He is the centerpiece of the offense. But we also have depth there, with Rashod Bumpers and Kevin Mullen both very experienced. Justin Pulgrano has had some good games, and Ryan Smith is coming off a great freshman year. We expect big things from them all."
Wide Receiver
The Bison should also have a deep and talented corps of wide receivers in 2008, with the top four in the rotation all logging considerable field time in the past. Cale Cadman and Shaun Pasternak finished last year as the starters, but Josh Lovett and Alex Odenbach are also very capable. Throw in the athletic Marlon Woods, who moves over from defensive back, and two promising incoming freshmen, and this could be one of the team's strengths this fall.
Cadman tied Kizekai for the team lead with 17 receptions last year. Pasternak averaged 20.2 yards on 13 catches and scored two touchdowns as a rookie.
Offensive Line
The big men up front represent the biggest question mark in the program entering spring practice, only because four of the five starters at the end of the season have graduated, including an All-Patriot League selection in left tackle Chad Glasser and a three-year starter in right guard Jonathan Grainger.
Rising junior Ian Fullmer is back after starting all 11 games at left guard in 2007, while classmate James Phelan began the year as a starter at right tackle before suffering an injury. Despite the significant graduation hit, Landis feels the Bison have some young talent ready to take over.
"We are really excited about the rising sophomores," said Landis. "There are three guys in that class who have the potential to be impact players. We see Paul Brazinski as someone who can take over for Greg Conti at center. Hesham Abdelaal got a taste of it last season and is probably best suited to play guard, and Nick McLeod has shown a lot of promise at tackle."
Stephen Edwards, who is studying abroad this spring, will also be in the mix at tackle next preseason, as will six incoming freshmen.
Defense
Defensive Line
Bucknell lost two senior defensive linemen in nose guards Ryan Walsh, a four-year starter, and Brandon Friday, and First Team All-Patriot Leaguer Josh Eden is taking the next two years off to serve a Mormon mission. The Bison still have plenty of experience, however, in Todd Rinaldo, Will Braaf and David Young, while Chris Ingram and John von Paris jumped into the rotation as interior linemen late in their freshman seasons last fall. At the "stud" position, a sort of hybrid defensive line/linebacker, returning starter Marques Morgan comes back for his senior season.
Defensive line was also a recruiting priority for the Bison, with five promising newcomers set to arrive on campus in August.
Linebacker
Even with the loss of co-captain Ryan Slater and his 273 career tackles, linebacker should be one of Bucknell's deepest positions in 2008. Leading tackler Todd Manjuck (76) and No. 2 stopper Greg Jones (66) should both return to their starting positions, while the veteran Julius Hopson and rookie Travis Nissley will both see plenty of action as well.
The Bison linebacker unit also gets a major boost from the return of junior-to-be Sam Nana-Sinkam, who missed all of last season after shoulder surgery. Nana-Sinkam was Bucknell's rookie of the year in 2006, when he made 85 tackles (49 solo) and two sacks.
"We are very happy with the returning cast at linebacker," said Landis. "Two of the three starting linebackers are back. Todd Manjuck did a great job the second half of last season, and Greg Jones was a pleasant surprise as a sophomore. Julius Hopson has split time at the `mike' position and can step in there for Slater. Getting Sam Nana-Sinkam back gives us a lot of experience and good depth."
Defensive Back
At this time a year ago the Bison were faced with the daunting task of replacing all four starters in the defensive secondary. Bucknell had nothing but freshmen and sophomores in the two-deep at DB last season.
The newcomers experienced some growing pains in 2007, but now the entire secondary is back intact with a full year of game action to their credit. At cornerback juniors-to-be Jason Davis and Brandon Simmons are returning starters, and at the safety positions, Brigham Farrand, Tyler McFarland, Josh Gornto, Casey Williams and Ahkiel White all played major minutes.
"In the back half of the defense we are fortunate to return all four starters," said Landis. "It's unique for us to have that much experience back in the secondary, and we are looking forward to having them all back this spring working to get better."
Special Teams
The Bison are also happy to welcome back their starting kicker, punter and both return specialists, all four of whom have all-conference potential.
Kicker Will Carney, who will be a senior in 2008, hit 7 of 11 field goals last season and has not missed an extra point since his freshman campaign. Another rising senior, Phil Azarik, broke the school record with a 41.1 punting average a year ago, and he dropped 15 punts inside the 20.
"Both of our kickers are among the best in the league, but both have room to be more consistent," noted Landis, who coaches the special teams himself. "It is comforting to have experience there."
Kizekai earned First Team All-Patriot League honors as a kickoff returner last year, when he demolished the school record with 1,113 return yards. He ran one back 92 yards for a touchdown against Colgate and averaged 25.9 yards per attempt, the No. 1 figure in the league.
Nolan Applegate averaged 11.5 yards per punt return, the second-best mark in the conference. Applegate was Bucknell's Special Teams MVP two seasons ago after posting a 12.2 PR average.
Bucknell's kickoff and punt coverage teams have been outstanding in recent years, although 2007 team Special Teams MVP and leading special teams tackler Corin Erby has been lost to graduation.
