2008 Record 3-6 .333 Overall 2-4 .333 Conference Location: Winchester, VA Head Coach: Paul Barnes (James Madison '82) Stadium (cap.): Shentel (2000) Conference: USAC Region: South 2009 Schedule

Shenandoah University enters the 2009 football season, its 10th since re-starting the program in 2000 and the eighth under Paul Barnes, looking for a breakout year. After posting what most observers would call its most competitive team in recent memory last season, the Hornets return 22 starters on offense, defense and special teams this fall.

Ten of those returning starters reside on offense and perhaps none are more important than running backs BJ Smoot and Kevin Roberts. Even though Shenandoah set new passing records in virtually every category last season and has senior Vern Lunsford back under center, the program's offensive success always begins with its ground game.

Roberts averaged 104.9 yards rushing per game last season, and had he not missed the Averett game with a leg injury, would have likely become the program's first 1000-yard rusher since Anthony Frates in 2004.

Roberts finished the year with 944 yards on 197 carries, cracked the 100-yard barrier in six of the nine games he played in (missing the mark by one yard in the Methodist finale as well) and scored six rushing touchdowns. After the season, he was named second team All-USA South. Kevin Roberts Bursts Thru the Line

Smoot returned from a 2007 academic hiatus to give the squad a true triple threat. As a change of pace from Roberts, Smoot had 377 yards rushing and five touchdowns on 81 carries. As a receiver, he hauled in a team-best 360 yards receiving and another five touchdowns on 15 catches. This total includes a five catches for 115 yards and two TD's in the N.C. Wesleyan game.

Finally, Smoot earned first team All-USA South accolades as a return man after torching opposing defenses for 572 yards on 28 total returns.

Smoot had 19 plays of at least 20 yards in 2008 and scored two touchdowns from 80 yards out; as a result, the offense staff has re-doubled its efforts to design ways to get Smoot the ball in space.

"Kevin and BJ are very hard workers that have taken advantage of both their God-given talent and the assistance their teammates provide for them," Barnes said.

"Having two running backs with their talent allows us a tremendous amount of flexibility offensively. We will continue to work on our balance (running and passing), but these guys provide us with a solid base."

Barnes and offensive coordinator Brian Wolf, along with offensive line coach Joe Jacoby, will again push SU into new spots in the passing game largely due to Lunsford's return as the team's starting quarterback.

Lunsford celebrated his first full-season as the team's starter by completing 114 passes for 1474 yards and nine touchdowns, which set new school records in the first two categories. He finished the year by leading his team to a 30-22 USA South victory over Methodist by throwing for a school-record 221 yards on 10 of 18 passing.

"Vern has all of the physical tools," Barnes said.

"However, he is an even better leader. I have been blessed to have some outstanding leaders play quarterback here, and I would put Vern up with the best of them."

Senior Anthony Cordero rounds out the returning backfield starters. As a first-year starter at fullback, Cordero had 145 yards rushing on 44 carries and added another 76 yards receiving. Of those 76 yards, none were bigger than the 51 he picked up on a touchdown catch against Bridgewater in week two that keyed Shenandoah's first-ever victory over the Eagles.

"Since switching from the Wing-T, our fullback doesn't see the ball nearly as much," Barnes said. "That hasn't stopped Anthony from being an important part of our success, though. He is a very good blocker, can catch the ball out of the backfield and is excellent in short-yardage situations."

At wideout, Barnes can look to senior E.J. Brown and sophomore Rico Wallace once again. Brown led all receivers with 26 catches and became the first receiver in school history to have at least one catch in every game. Wallace, who has the size (6'3", 190) and athleticism to make a significant impact during his career, had 14 receptions for 193 yards in seven games.

The final member of the receiving corps, sophomore Kevin Spoth, returns at tight end. Winning the starting job midway through the season, Spoth made the most of his two catches in 2008 by scoring a touchdown in the season finale victory over Methodist. He had four starts in his eight appearances last fall.

"EJ has made steady improvement during his career and is the epitome of the type of player we need to develop here," Barnes commented. "He came in as a quarterback and just kept working at receiver until we couldn't keep him off the field. He is a great third-down guy.

"Rico has tremendous potential and we are very excited about his return. We expect big things from him and I could say the same about Kevin. Since he earned the starting job for the Greensboro game, his improvement has been dramatic. These guys give Vern important tools in the passing game."

As important as the skill players are to the success of the offense, they don't even get started without the five men upfront.

Now in their second year of being tutored by former NFL All-Pro Joe Jacoby, the offensive line has four of five positions with returning starters. Only Bryan Vickers, who will fight with Jonathan Doering for a starting tackle spot, will be making his first start in 2009.

Seniors Jamal Venable at tackle, Dennis Derricott and Sean McKenzie at guard and Brian Cook in the middle all started every game last season with Venable and Cook earning All-USA South honors.

"These six guys had a combined 50 starts last year," Barnes said. "To have that kind of stability is awesome. Joe did a super job with them last season and they all put the time in the weight room this off-season. These guys are all workers who are ready to be a dominant unit."

Defensively, Barnes, defensive coordinator Brock McCullough and linebackers coach Tyrone Bell must break in almost an entirely new secondary, but have six of the front seven starters back in 2009.

Mo Salih, who earned All-USA South honors last season, and Blake Campbell, who earn those accolades in 2007, anchor the line from their respective end positions.

Salih made a successful transition from tight end to defensive end in 2008 and made a USA South leading 15.0 tackles for loss among his 48 stops. His 4.5 sacks also led the defense and he was named second team All-Conference.

Campbell started all nine games he played in and had 22 solo and 17 assisted tackles. In addition to his 4.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks, Campbell had three passes defensed and forced one fumble.

In the middle, local product TJ Todd returns along with sophomore Daniel Lewis. Although not a starter, Lewis played in all 10 games as a freshman while Todd made two starts in seven appearances. The two combined for 19 tackles.

"The defensive line has many jobs and playing on the interior is very different than playing one of the end spots, but these guys do it very well," Barnes observed.

"Mo is one of the hardest workers in our program and I was so happy for him last season. He played tight end for his first two years because we asked him to, but I know he was itching to get back on defense. We saw that last season.

"If he and Blake can continue to improve at the same rate, they will be one of the top duos in the league. TJ and Daniel have good potential on the inside as well. They have the thankless job of keeping the offensive line off of our linebackers, but it is something all successful defenses have in common."

The linebacker corps, headed by second-year coach Bell, features two starters who earned some type of conference honor last season. Senior Joe Lunsford, the brother of quarterback Vern Lunsford, earned second team All-USA South honors after leading the Hornets with 75 total tackles in 2008.

Junior John Redmond and sophomore Corey Giffing worked their way into the starting lineup following the Averett game, and Redmond rewarded the staff by being named Rookie of the Week following a 12-tackle performance against Maryville.

Giffing matched Redmond with 12 stops against the Fighting Scots and then made another 12 tackles in the season finale against Methodist.

Redmond finished the year with 31 tackles and Giffing 28.

"During the Averett game, the defensive coaches made the decision to go with some of the younger guys and Corey and John made the most of their opportunity," Barnes said. "They are aggressive guys with a nose for the football, which makes them just like Joe.

"The experience gained by all three last season is going to really pay off for us this season."

That experience is going to be needed, at least early in the season, because only senior strong safety Brodis Brown returns in the defensive backfield.

Brown, a very hard hitter, matched Lunsford with a team-best 39 solo tackles and added 26 assisted stops in 2008. Brown enters his final season eighth on the all-time list with 160 total tackles and has a realistic chance to reach the No. 2 spot with another solid year.

"Brodis is another guy who worked his way into a starting job by the end of his freshman year and has continued to improve upon that base," Barnes said. "The biggest difference this year is that we are going to ask him to be the unquestioned leader among the defensive backs. He is going to have to serve as a mentor to some of the less experienced players."

Heading into camp, sophomore Larry Gibbs looks to be a front-runner for the free safety position with Matt Kingsbury also in the mix. At the corners, Twaun Rhodes, who has battled injuries the last two seasons, and Chris Rouse, a special teams standout, will get the first crack at winning starting jobs.

Rhodes began his career as a quarterback and made an interception in the 2007 season opener against Catholic in his first game on the defensive side of the ball. Rouse made 12 tackles in 2008 as a special teams player and earned USA South Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honors in October after returning a blocked punt for a touchdown against Greensboro.

Gibbs actually started two games at the end of last season and is the fourth returning tackler with 41 stops and one interception in 2008. Kingsbury, who will serve as the team's holder, made six starts last fall, picked off a pass against Albright in week three and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III team following the season.

"Even though these guys are a little green in terms of experience, I feel confident of them," Barnes said. "Larry showed us something toward the end of last season, Chris and Twaun have been in the program for three years now and Matt is the type of player that is going to make the people around him better.

"We are again going to be solid in these spots."

At the special teams spots, Barnes has returnees at kicker, punter, long snapper and kick returner while Kingsbury was the holder for the first two games of the season. Only punt returner, where Smoot served in a part-time role last season, is up in the air as the camp looms.

Seniors Travis Bishop and Nic Hoover return in the kicking spots - both men performed at placekicker, kickoff specialist and punter last fall and are prepared to battle it out again this year. Each hit three field goals in 2008, with Hoover tying a school record by nailing a 43-yarder in the season opener against Catholic. Bishop, who had a team-best 51-yard punt during the year, hit 3 of 5 field goal attempts and was a perfect 18 for 18 in PAT's.

"Fred (Penciaro, the kicking coach) has worked with these guys for three years and feels very good about where they are heading into camp. Nic started the year off great and nearly hit a 54-yarder against Catholic while Travis was very consistent all season long. It is important to have experience in these positions and these guys are ready to finish their careers on a high note."

The schedule changes slightly this season as Randolph-Macon replaces Albright in the non-conference portion of the schedule and the order of the USA South Conference games changes. Instead of opening with Ferrum in week three, as the team has done in every conference season except 2004, the Hornets open up the conference slate with a road game at Christopher Newport in week five.

Maryville makes its annual trip to Sprint Field at Shentel Stadium one week later followed by a road trip to Methodist. SU completes the conference season with a four week stretch against Ferrum, Averett, N.C. Wesleyan and Greensboro. In 2009, the Hornets bookend home contests against the Panthers and Pride with trips to Danville and Rocky Mount. That two-game swing represents the longest the team will be away from home this season.

"I really like our schedule," Barnes said. "We open with three schools from the ODAC (Catholic, Bridgewater and Randolph-Macon) before getting a week off to prepare for our league slate. CNU is a tough game to start with, but I am confident that our non-league schedule is going to have us well prepared.

"Our guys can't wait to get started. "I expect to have one of the largest numbers in camp since we started the program, and competition is going to be intense. I am looking for a great year."