The Wooster football team is back on Woosterís brand new turf field as it gears up for what could be its best shot to win the conference crown in five years. As the team returns 16 offensive and defensive starters, the Fighting Scots will look to do more than post another winning season ó the Scots will look to beat archrival Wittenberg University for the second straight season as well as top Wabash College, the reigning North Coast Athletic Conference champion. With returning players at nearly all key positions, the Scots will have possibly their most talented lineup since 2004.
Leading the spread offense of head coach Mike Schmitz will be dual-threat quarterback Austin Holter í10. Holter will be a third-year starter. While he had some sporadic success as a sophomore, he enjoyed a breakout season last year. Holter has started the last 20 games for the Scots, and has won 11 of his last 14. His biggest asset is his ability to make plays through the air and on the ground. His dual-threat capabilities make him a perfect fit to run the spread offense. Last year, he led the Scots last year in both rushing yards (755) and passing yards (1,957). His 2,712 yards of total offense not only led the NCAC last year, but it also broke the Wooster single season yardage record. Holter is arguably the best scrambler in the conference.
The one concern with Holter is his inability to hold onto the ball. Last season he turned the ball over 25 times in ten games. 18 of those turnovers came off interceptions, and his seven fumbles also accounted for more than a third of the teamís fumbles over the course of the season. In the teamís loss last year to eventual NCAC champion Wabash, he turned the ball over six times. If Holter turns the ball over 25 times again this season, it seems unlikely that the Scots will win eight games again, much less challenge for the NCAC title. If Holter cuts his turnovers in half, the Scotsí chances of winning their first NCAC championship since 2004 would improve dramatically.
When he isnít taking the ball on foot, Holter will have plenty of capable targets to look for. Last yearís standout Mike Francescangeli í10 will be looking to return to 2008 form this season, coming off a campaign where he totaled 41 catches for 573 yards and five touchdowns. Also vying for the ball will be Mike Redick í11 and Robert Flagg í12, who last year totaled 25 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown and 17 grabs for 197 and two scores respectively.
In the backfield, the Scots will have to replace Dustin Sheppard í09. Sheppard left Wooster as the fourth leading rusher in school history with 3,250 yards. While Sheppard was a strong four-year contributor, he missed numerous games over his career with nagging injuries. Sheppard, who spent all four years at Wooster in the starting role, has left big shoes to fill. Competing for the top spot are Orlando Jones í10, Kyle Murdock í11 and Andrew Ford í11. Jones, who missed last year for personal reasons, split time with Sheppard in 2006-07. Ford has looked very promising, despite the small amount of playing time, and Murdock is trying to return from last yearís season-ending injury.
Heading up the defense is captain and two-time starting outside linebacker Matt DeGrand í10, who led the league in tackles last year with 113, earning him first team All-NCAC honors. Joining him in the linebacker role will be Steve Custenborder í11, who finished last season with 87 tackles as the middle linebacker, as well as Eric Keyes í11 at the other outside spot. Keyes, who finished last season with 65 tackles and 3.5 sacks, will most likely split time with Hector Clavijo í12, who looked dominant at stopping the run last year during his rookie season.
The one flaw that could be pointed out on the Wooster defense would be its defensive line, where end Chris Wade ë10 is the only returning starter. The coaches are confident that converted linebacker Matt Carlson í11, as well as three of last seasonís rotation players (Chris Aukerman í11, Kurt Brown í11 and Chris Moore í12) will be able to step into the starting role without much commotion.
As far as special teams are concerned, the Scots face a challenge in replacing punter Kevin Friedman í09, holder of the NCAC record for punt yardage average over his career (39.7). The coaches are confident that first year Dana Obery í13 can step up to the challenge.
The Scots kick off their season on Sept 5 at 1 p.m. at John P. Papp Stadium against non-conference Waynesberg.