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Brown Football Season Preview
8/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Head coach Phil Estes will look to re-tool his 2014 squad with a fresh approach after losing 11 starters on offense and seven more on the defensive side of the ball. Estes, who has won three Ivy titles, finished second four times and posted 98 career wins, will put his coaching talents to the test with a youthful lineup.
Competition is the key word with the Bears having some big shoes to fill, especially on the offensive side of the ball at the skill positions. What's guaranteed is a new starter at quarterback with senior Marcus Fuller (2-3, 11 yards) earning the starting nod after a strong spring and outstanding preseason. Junior Seth Rosenbauer, senior Nicholas Lawley and sophomore Kyle Moreno will back-up Fuller.
There's also plenty of competition at the both the wide-out and tailback positions.
Freshman wide receiver Alexander Jette is the lone returning All-Ivy player on offense after being named First Team All-Ivy as kick returner, becoming the first freshman in Brown history to earn first team all-league honors. He has explosive speed and could be a game changer for the Bears. Junior Troy Doles also has explosive speed at wide receiver and is a kick-off return specialist. Add senior Stian Romberg and junior Rakeem Marcelle to the mix, along with senior tight end Alexander Viox, and the Bears have a strong receiving corps.
Junior Andrew Coke is the top returning tailback after rushing for 292 yards a year ago, looking to replace graduating senior John Spooney, the Ivy League's top rusher. Senior Brian Strachan made 33 catches as a wide receiver a year ago and made the move to tailback in the spring.
Junior John Heile and senior Nicholas Codrea saw considerable snaps at center and guard, respectively, and will anchor the offensive line. Look for sophomore center Clay Eubank, senior guard Austin Jennings and junior tackle Andrew Terry to vie for starting roles.
Estes expects his defensive unit to be the strength of this year's squad. Senior All-Ivy inside linebacker and two-year starter and co-captain Daniel Giovacchini returns to headline the defensive unit after leading the Brown team with 66 total hits. Joining Giovacchini on the inside is senior Xavier Russo, who had 46 tackles and three quarterbacks, and junior William Twyman (9 tackles). On the outside, junior Michael Walsh (4 tackles) and junior Ryan McDonald are also expected to compete.
Junior Chad Berry, Brown's most physical player, will move from inside linebacker to defensive end where he could end up being a dominant player in the league. Junior defensive tackle Ludovic Richardson (18 tackles, 2.5 TL) is also an impact player, who earned a starting role a year ago, while junior tackle Jacob Walther made 22 tackles, including six tackles for a loss. Senior defensive end Ryan Davenport (12 tackles, 4 sacks), sophomore tackle Thomas Kutschke (7 tackles) and senior end Zach Sparber (12 tackles, 3 sacks) all saw valuable playing time at tackle a year ago and are expected to emerge as everyday linemen.
In the defensive secondary, senior Eric Armagost returns after intercepting two passes and making 53 total tackles, but is expected to make the move from safety to outside linebacker. Senior Patrick O'Neill (29 tackles), and Jacob Supron (28 tackles) have considerable experience at defensive back, while junior Will Quigley made 18 tackles at safety.
Junior Grant Senne returns to the punting duties after averaging 37.3 yards per punt a year ago. Estes will also look at Senne for place-kicking duties with the graduation of record-setting kicker Alex Norocea.
