RPI
Engineers
2009 Preview
2009 Preview
| 2008 Record 8-2 .800 Overall 5-2 .714 Conference Location: Troy, NY Head Coach: Joe King (Siena '71) Stadium (cap.): East Campus Athletic Village (5200) Conference: LL Region: East 2009 Schedule |
While the entire campus community benefits greatly from having a brand new, first-class complex, those in the athletics department are among the biggest benefactors. Rensselaer’s football program is one being housed in ECAV full-time beginning this fall.
With 17 starters returning, including nine on offense, 20th-year head coach Joe King and his team have a strong nucleus. Highlighting the returnees are all five starting offensive linemen and each of the defensive backs.
For the first time in four years, however; RPI has a new starting quarterback as record-setting signal caller Jimmy Robertson graduated on his way to playing professionally in Europe. Among those vying for the starting role is sophomore Tim Moran (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee). He was second on the depth chart throughout his freshman year, during which he saw action late in several games.
Regardless of who is under center, there are numerous offensive weapons from which to choose and the protection should be solid thanks to the veteran linemen. The stable of running backs includes three veterans, while the receiving corps features four returnees who caught at least 10 passes last year.
Junior Nick Costa (Yonkers, NY/Iona Prep.) has led the team in rushing each of the last two seasons, including 608 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2008. A stocky speedster, he also caught 15 passes for 75 yards on his way to earning All-Liberty League accolades. Classmate Bob Munier (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) added 141 yards and three touchdowns while senior Jason Sgarlata (Canastota, NY/Canastota) serves as a fullback.
The wide receivers are led by senior Mike Fil (Wynantskill, NY/Averill Park) and junior Patrick McCarthy (Strafford, NH/Spaulding). Fil had 14 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown before suffering a season-ending injury in the seventh game, while McCarthy led the team – and was among the leaders in the nation – with 72 receptions for 755 yards and six touchdowns. An All-League selection as a receiver and return specialist, he also ran the ball 20 times for 73 yards.
Junior Ray Davis (Worcester, MA/South High Community School) came on strong late in the season and sophomore Bryan Carmody (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) had a fine freshman campaign. Davis finished with 36 catches for 649 yards (18.0 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. Twenty-six of his receptions, 484 yards and both TDs came in the final three games. Davis was the Most Outstanding Player in the ECAC North Atlantic Championship Game win over Alfred after catching nine passes for 197 yards and his two TDs. Carmody, the team’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, finished this year with 12 receptions for 128 yards in 10 games.
Additional threats at the position are a trio of athletic seniors: Brian Farrington (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Dobbs Ferry), Will Gottschalk (Tarzana, CA/Crespi Carmalite) and Nick Duncan (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville). Duncan has also seen time as a punter, while Farrington and Gottschalk have both played quarterback.
The most experienced offensive group on the team are the linemen, who return six student-athletes that saw extensive action on the varsity last season. They helped the Engineers lead the Liberty League in scoring offense (29.8 points per game) and passing offense (265.5 yards per game) and rank second in total offense (372.7).
All-League selection Brian Hall (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy), a left tackle, is the lone senior and a third-year starter. The team’s Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2008, he stands at 6-4, making him the biggest of the bunch. Also on the left side is junior Eric Dinarello (Topsfield, MA/Masconomet), while classmate Ed Manning (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) is in the all-important center position.
The right side is manned by a pair of 6-2 juniors in Dan Koerner (Kingwood, TX/Kingwood) at guard and Ja’Mar Watson (Ellicott City, MD/Glenelg) at tackle. Junior Brian Jones (Syracuse, NY/G.W. Fowler), who is 6-1, 325 pounds, also brings a great deal of experience as he replaced Watson when the All-League selection suffered an injury late in the season.
An extension of the offensive line in RPI’s scheme is the tight end, a position held down by a number of talented players, including Kyle Jung (Goshen, NY/Goshen). The 6-6 senior re-joins the team after spending the past three seasons playing forward on the Engineers’ NCAA Tournament-qualifying basketball team.
Defensively, seven starters return, highlighted by the return of all four starting defensive backs. Two linebackers are back, while up front junior Darryl Brown (Hollis, NY/Bayside) is the lone returning starter. Brown, who stands 6-4 and weighs 265 pounds, had 24 tackles, including 5.5 tackles for lost yards (23) and two sacks (16 yards lost). He also used his speed and athleticism to recover a fumble and break up a pass.
Among those expected to fight for one of the starting positions – which were vacated by three players who were All-League performers a season ago – are three seniors and a sophomore. Colin Elliott (Easthampton, MA/Williston Northampton) played a lot last year, totaling 21 tackles in 10 games. He had three tackles for lost yards (16) and two sacks (13 yards lost) to go with a blocked kick.
Classmates Colin King (Glenmont, NY/Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk), who was cut down by an injury in the first game, and Colton Hill (Troy, NY/Tamarac), a converted tight end/fullback, will also battle to see action. Sophomore Patrick Gilreath (Catonsville, MD/Western Tech.) is also in the mix. The rangy end (6-4, 220 pounds) is coming off a freshman season in which he registered six tackles, including half a sack (1 yard loss), and blocked four field goals or PATs. He was the Engineers’ Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Senior Stefan Schulz (Bradford, MA/Haverhill), a third-year starter, heads up a veteran set of linebackers, all of whom rely on quickness and sure-tackling to be effective. An All-League First Team choice as a middle backer in 2008, Schulz had 64 tackles, which was good enough for second on the team despite missing a game early in the season. He had 23 unassisted stops and 4.5 for lost yards (20) as well as team-highs of three interceptions and four pass breakups.
Tom Montano (Gloversville, NY/Gloversville) is a senior who is playing his fourth varsity season. Last year he was fourth on the team with 57 tackles (18 solos) while also contributing a two-yard sack, 1.5 tackles for a loss of seven yards, a forced fumble and a team-best four pass breakups.
Fellow senior David Schepperly (Hopewell Junction, NY/Carmel) has seen a great deal of game action in reserve each of the last two years, including last season when he had 22 tackles. Also a standout on special teams, he had 13 unassisted stops along with 1.5 tackles for lost yards (6). Mark Sangiorgi (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo), who sat out last season while recovering from an injury, returns to the field for his fourth and final varsity season.
The defensive secondary is expected to be a true strength as eight student-athletes are capable of stopping the pass as well as the run. Seven of them are seniors, including three who were among RPI’s top five tacklers. Joe Albano (Dalton, MA/Wahconah Regional) led the team in stops with 71 (34 solos) from his free safety position. He also used his size (6-3, 175 pounds) to register two interceptions and three pass breakups. Tim Acker (Arlington, WA/Arlington), a strong safety, was third on the team with 59 tackles (24 unassisted) in just seven games. An All-America as a sophomore in 2007, he also had 1.5 tackles for lost yards (4) and two interceptions.
Bobby Stutz (Dobbs Ferry, NY/Dobbs Ferry) was fifth on the team in tackles, making 51 (25 solos) to go with two interceptions. The fourth returning starter is Justin Foglia (Watervliet, NY/Catholic Central), who filled up the stat sheet with 43 tackles, including 27 solos and 4.5 for lost yards (9), three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a pass breakup and a team-high three interceptions. Foglia, Albano and Acker were each named All-League.
Jason Neville (Waxhaw, NC/Haldane) and Justin Hasselkus (Rochester, NY/Churchville-Chili) are also on the field a lot as they both played in all 10 games last season. Neville had 22 tackles (10 solos), an interception, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Hasselkus, the lone junior, added 10 tackles (3 unassisted) and three pass breakups. Seniors Chris Blevins (Hampton Bays, NY/Hampton Bays) and Joe Evangelista (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Technical) should also see snaps.
Rensselaer’s special teams return junior kicker Peter Nilson (Appleton, WI/Kimberly) and all of the return specialists, though a new punter must be used. Nilson had a very good 2008 as he connected on 8 of 10 field goals, including a 32-yarder, and 34 of 36 point-after-touchdowns. An All-League honoree, he was also effective kicking off, averaging 52.0 yards per.
Returning the kickoffs and punts is any combination of Fil, McCarthy, Acker and Stutz. RPI’s punt return averaged 12.3 yards per, including two touchdowns by Fil. The kick return had an average of 24.3 yards per attempt, led by McCarthy, averaged 27.4 yards with a long of 81 yards.
King, Rensselaer’s winningest coach of all-time, has a 141-51-2 record for a .732 winning percentage, also making him the most successful football coach in terms of winning percentage in the 122-year history of RPI’s program.
Over the past 17 seasons he has a combined 132-35 (.790) mark, including two perfect regular seasons (9-0 in 1999, 8-0 in 2001), five league championships (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007), eight ECAC Bowl appearances – all wins (1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008) – and four NCAA Playoff appearances (1999, 2001, 2003, 2007), highlighted by a trip to the National Semifinals in 2003.
Pat DelMonaco returns for his seventh season as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Blaise Zambrano is the new defensive coordinator, having served as RPI’s defensive backs and linebackers coach in recent years. He takes over for Chad Martinovich, who was hired to be the head coach at MIT. In addition, seven other assistant coaches return to the sidelines.
Rensselaer opens the East Campus Stadium with all its amenities, including a video scoreboard, with a pair of non-league home games, beginning on September 12 against Endicott (1pm). Utica comes to Troy the follow week (1pm) before the Engineers travel to Worcester, Mass., to face Liberty League foe WPI in the Transit Trophy Game on September 25 (2pm). RPI then welcomes Rochester in what is sure to be a festive atmosphere on October 3 as the Institute hosts the ECAV Grand Opening Ceremony on Homecoming & Reunion Weekend. Game time is 1pm with the ribbon cutting ceremony taking place at 10am.
Following a bye on October 10, Rensselaer travels to Susquehanna on October 17 (1pm) before St. Lawrence heads south to the Capital Region for a 1pm kickoff. Contests at Union for the Dutchman Shoes Trophy on October 31 and Hobart on November 7 – both at noon – conclude the road schedule. RPI’s regular season finale falls on November 14 at 1pm against Merchant Marine.
Every Engineers football game – home and away – is broadcast live on RPI’s student radio station, WRPI, 91.5 FM, and on the Internet at www.wrpi.org. All home games are shown live on the Internet on a pay per view basis with B2Networks and in conjunction with RPI TV. And all home games – and most road contests – feature live statistics from the athletic department web pages. Rensselaer’s website is located at www.rpiathletics.com.