Ferrise's Five
Reasons Zips will lose eight
Adam Ferrise
Issue date: 8/27/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Here's an equation for the 2007 Zips football season:- QB - OL - S - PK - PL + D = 4, as in the number of games the Zips win this year.
If you're thinking four wins is a little low, the Zips lost nine starters - including three to the NFL (Andy Alleman, Kiki Gonzalez and Luke Getsy), and one to the CFL (Jermaine Reid)- from last year's 5-7 team.
1. -QB-OL=Inexperienced quarterbacks and offensive line: Replacing Getsy is top on the list for head coach J.D. Brookhart. It's a two-man battle for the position between sophomores Carlton Jackson and Chris Jacquemain.
Jackson was Getsy's back-up last season and received limited time. He played in four games and completed one pass in two attempts. Jacquemain, who has a slight edge in the battle halfway through fall practice, never has taken a snap.
Even with a dozen or so snaps of experience between the two candidates, they may never get enough time in the pocket to make plays. The Zips return just one offensive lineman in Chris Kemme.
2. -S= Rough schedule: Another situation that works against the Zips' young squad is their tough schedule. The Zips play five home games, but their season opener against Army on Sept. 1 is considered a home game even though they play at Cleveland Browns stadium. With five of the first six games away from the Rubber Bowl and two of those coming against Ohio State and Indiana, it will be tough for anyone to find a comfort zone.
3. -PK= No proven kickers: Along with the quarterbacks, the second biggest question UA faces is in the kicking game. Last season, Matt Domonkos struggled. He made just two field goals in eight attempts and missed four extra points before Brookhart had to snatch Jon McClain from Caleb Porter's soccer team to kick. This year, McClain is gone but redshirt freshman Igor Iveljic is healthy and each is pushing each other in practice. The kickers have both had some good and bad moments in practice but neither have shown they can perform under game pressure.
If you're thinking four wins is a little low, the Zips lost nine starters - including three to the NFL (Andy Alleman, Kiki Gonzalez and Luke Getsy), and one to the CFL (Jermaine Reid)- from last year's 5-7 team.
1. -QB-OL=Inexperienced quarterbacks and offensive line: Replacing Getsy is top on the list for head coach J.D. Brookhart. It's a two-man battle for the position between sophomores Carlton Jackson and Chris Jacquemain.
Jackson was Getsy's back-up last season and received limited time. He played in four games and completed one pass in two attempts. Jacquemain, who has a slight edge in the battle halfway through fall practice, never has taken a snap.
Even with a dozen or so snaps of experience between the two candidates, they may never get enough time in the pocket to make plays. The Zips return just one offensive lineman in Chris Kemme.
2. -S= Rough schedule: Another situation that works against the Zips' young squad is their tough schedule. The Zips play five home games, but their season opener against Army on Sept. 1 is considered a home game even though they play at Cleveland Browns stadium. With five of the first six games away from the Rubber Bowl and two of those coming against Ohio State and Indiana, it will be tough for anyone to find a comfort zone.
3. -PK= No proven kickers: Along with the quarterbacks, the second biggest question UA faces is in the kicking game. Last season, Matt Domonkos struggled. He made just two field goals in eight attempts and missed four extra points before Brookhart had to snatch Jon McClain from Caleb Porter's soccer team to kick. This year, McClain is gone but redshirt freshman Igor Iveljic is healthy and each is pushing each other in practice. The kickers have both had some good and bad moments in practice but neither have shown they can perform under game pressure.
Be the first to comment on this story