Often the most exhilarating—and sometimes depressing—aspect of collegiate athletics is the inevitable personnel turnover teams face from one year to the next.
Clubs are constantly being revamped with youthful legs and minds as seasoned veterans graduate, leaving coaches scrambling to fill the crater-like holes created by their dreaded departures.
Rensselaer and Head Coach Joe King have been fortunate enough to avoid major reconstruction as key players have remained in school, allowing the legendary manager to fill whatever minor potholes needed filling.
However, with the end of the Engineers’ historic run through the 2003 NCAA Division III tournament, this fairytale finally ended for King.
Rensselaer lost 16 seniors after last season, including the best quarterback in school history, Dan Cole, possibly the best receiver to ever grace the ’86 Field in Flynn Cochran, the team’s most dynamic defensive back in Mike Deflippi, not to mention the team’s placekicker, holder, and long snapper.
“It is a pretty big number,” King, who seriously considered retirement after his 15th season at Rensselaer, admitted. “Especially with the quality number of the kids that we lost: the best quarterback in the history of the school, probably the best wide receiver in the history of the school, maybe the best defensive back we’ve ever had, maybe the best kicker.
“So it is not just the numbers; some of the other kids are very good players, but it’s the players that we lost.”
And while many coaches may be frazzled by the daunting task of replacing such vital parts to what was certainly a well oiled machine, King remains confident in his players.
King is expecting senior Dan Stephens and sophomore Jon Branche to be the playmakers in the run-and-shoot style RPI offense while running backs, senior Otis Williams and sophomore Jay Bernardo, will see extra carries to take some pressure off Dan Cole’s successor, sophomore Frank Catellier.
“We have to find out who we want to get the ball to,” King said. “Although the four guys coming back [Stephens, Branche, Williams, Bernardo] are obviously people we want to get the ball to. I think philosophically we will be the same, but I think we might try and run the football more. I think we might be in more two back sets.”
Much of the offense’s success may not rely so much on the skill positions, but more on the steadiness of the offensive line and the Engineers’ ability to control the ball.
King admits the offensive line remains a question mark as three positions are still up for grab just a week before the team’s opening game against Endicott College.
“We have solid o-line back with [Dave] Hansen and [Jake] Russell, but there is a lot of competition for remaining three spots,” King said. “I think we will be all right on the offensive line. We are going to be a little bigger and I hope to be real solid.”
The veteran instructor sees turnovers as the means to the team’s successes.
The Engineers boasted a ridiculous plus 28 turnover margin; committing just 20 turnovers while creating 48 extra chances for the offense.
“A plus 28 in turnover margin is unheard of,” King said. “I think that is going to be the key thing; can we defensively set up some scores for the offense.
The defense will need to be just as good, if not better, than previous years as RPI’s new fledged offense gels.
“Defensively, I hope we can be pretty good. We have a good solid nucleus and those guys I think were overshadowed by the offense the last couple years but still played some pretty good football.”
The “nucleus” King refers consists of the Engineers’ only preseason All-American, senior captain defensive lineman Ramses Jimenez, fellow lineman and captain Carl Harding, lineman Scott Loudis and linebackers Sean Doran and junior captain Grant Cochran.
Special teams could be a problem for RPI as King searches for a new place kicker, holder, and long snapper.
“The biggest question is on special teams…” King said. “I think if we can be solid on special teams then we have a good football team.”
King and his team will find out soon enough how good they truly are as they travel to Endicott College this Saturday September 11 before going driving up Interstate 90 to take on Utica.
“I think it is too early [to tell what type of team we will be],” King said. “I don’t think you become a team until after that first game. Everything leading up to that is just practice; it is just dress rehearsal…We will find out a lot about ourselves because the first two games are on the road and it is very tough to play early on the road.”
But King, who cited team chemistry as the main reason to the 2003 squads’ triumphs, hopes the travel will turn his team into a cohesive unit.
“When you go out on the road together, you sleep together, you eat together, and you meet together,” King said. “I think you have a chance to come together as a team.”
The Engineers will need to come together quickly if they are to live up to their preseason national ranking and the expectations placed on them after last year’s run.
However, King is refusing to let his team look too far into the season.
King has stressed to his players that they approach each game one at a time, a message his players have taken to heart.
“We are focused on Endicott right now,” new starting quarterback Frank Catellier said. “We cannot afford to look ahead right now.”
Catellier’s statement should be of some comfort to King who was uncertain as to the mindset of his extremely youthful squad.
“The kids may have different expectations than I do,” King said. “I approach every year the same: you want to win the first game because if you win the first game then you are off and running.
“You only get nine games in football. It is not like other sports where you get 20 games and then you got the playoffs and some other post season thing. You only have nine games. So you want to get the first one under your belt, gain some confidence, and go from there.”
Good advice from a man who is an institution at one of America’s finest Institutes.
