There are many bright spots heading into this season for King and company; 36 letterwinners, including 17 starters, will be suiting up again for the Engineers. Some of them still remember the magic of two years ago, including recently- named captain Jay Bernardo ’07, who was disappointed about the results from last season.

Bernardo, who took over most of the rushing duties last season, accumulated 682 yards on the ground including nine touchdowns, but will have to adapt his play this year to make up for the loss of running back Otis Williams ’05.

“I’m excited to contribute,” declared Bernardo. He knows how much work is ahead of him, however. “A lot of people have said that Otis is the best blocking guy that’s been here in about 20 years, so to at least get half of his production from the blocking department, I’d definitely be a lot better than I was last year.”

Bernardo will also have added duties off the field. During the off-season he was named captain along with three senior teammates, defensive lineman Honorio Borba, defensive back Tim Frame, and linebacker Grant Cochran.

The offense will be anchored by quarterback Frank Catellier ’07. Last fall Catellier racked up 12 touchdowns on 1,384 yards passing in limited playing time. Named Dan Cole’s successor prior to last season, Catellier was injured in the first game of the year against Endicott College. After that he shared time with Chad Wysocki ’08, who is no longer with the team. This season, there is no doubt that it is Catellier’s team.

“It definitely is more comfortable, especially finishing the year on a positive note. It was a big confidence booster for the offense,” Catellier admitted.

King looks forward to having Catellier back at full strength. “He got hurt in the first half of the first quarter of the first game. Then all of a sudden we were throwing a freshman in there.”

Look for Jon Branche ’07 to be Catellier’s favorite target again this year. The junior tight end racked up 757 receiving yards last season with eight touchdowns and was named a national All-American. “It’s a great honor, but you can’t do that without having a supporting cast,” Branche put modestly.

Branche shares much of the optimism expressed by his counterparts. “The way we work, we are definitely capable of being the 2003 team.”

With Catellier and Branche both recovered from injuries, look for the two to connect. As Catellier put it, “it’s tough not having Branche as your number one option, because he’s just that big of a threat.”

Other offensive players to watch include Brendan McGowan ’08, second on the team last year with 51 receptions for 559 yards. McGowan was named the team’s rookie of the year, and was selected to the All-Liberty League team. He will lead an inexperienced group of wideouts for the Engineer offense. Drew Utschig ’08 saw limited action with the varsity squad, and Graham Boyd ’07 was redshirted last season. RPI will need production from these two as the season progresses.

On both sides of the ball, the coaching staff has a different chain of command this season. Former offensive coordinator Chad Martinovich will assume the defensive coordinator position this fall, and Pat DelMonaco is filling the offensive coordinator role. Both are familar with King’s system and haven’t changed the overall style of play.

“Same offense, same philosophy. We’re not going to come out in the Power-I or anything like that,” joked Catellier.

The biggest question mark for the Engineers this season will be in the secondary. After a rough season last year, three out of four starters are now gone, with only Doug Teator ’07 returning. Frame is going to fill a hole in the secondary after his conversion from linebacker this summer, but other spots are still up for grabs.

“You can’t give up long touchdowns, and we did,” King pointed out. “Maybe it’s just as well that three out of the four aren’t back. We’re inexperienced there, but I think we’re more athletic there.”

Grant Cochran and graduate student Jimmy Motzkin will fortify the center of the Engineer defense, both returning at the linebacker position. Grant, the sixth and last of the Cochran line to play football at RPI, was fourth on the team with 65 tackles last season, including two ten-plus tackle contests. Motzkin was second with 80 stops, an interception, and ran a fumble recovery back 43 yards for six points.

The Engineers begin their regular season on September 10 at the ’86 Field against Endicott. King believes that beginning the season with two home games instead of two on the road like last year will be a big boost for his squad.

“That was tough last year, when we had a totally new coaching staff, and a lot of new players and then you open your first two games on the road,” King admitted.