Coaches say it will be the year of the QB in CAA

By Coaches from around the 12-team league Aug 30, 2007, 15:04 GMT

'Usually, our games are so close, that it comes down to who's quarterback plays better,' said Villanova coach Andy Talley, who is breaking in a new signal- caller in 2007, sophomore Antwon Young.

Talley's colleagues agree.

'If you look back at our league, historically, you don't win without great quarterbacks,' said New Hampshire coach Sean McDonnell, who has seen the Wildcats' fortunes rise in the past three years with Ricky Santos.

Santos illustrates the quarterback theory better than anyone.

The Wildcats had an all-conference performer in 2004, with senior Mike Granieri. But when Granieri went down with a knee injury in the first half of the season opener at defending national champion Delaware, the untested Santos was forced into action.

Santos led UNH to an upset win that night and has guided the Wildcats to the quarterfinals of the playoffs in each of the past three years. He also won the 2006 Walter Payton Award, symbolic of the best offensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.

'You need your quarterback to be a leader, who isn't going to hurt your team by making mistakes,' said Massachusetts coach Don Brown.

Brown saw how important that approach was in the past two years, with Liam Coen at the helm. Coen has thrown just 17 interceptions in his two years as a starter. During his tenure, the Minutemen narrowly missed the playoffs in 2005 and advanced to the national championship game before losing to Appalachian State in 2006.

William & Mary has found out what both sides of the quarterback equation is in the past few years.

In 2004, with Payton winner Lang Campbell at the controls, the Tribe earned a share of a tri-championship in the league and advanced to the national semifinals.

In 2005 and 2006, William & Mary has been unsettled at the quarterback spot, with Jake Phillips and Mike Potts taking turns at the helm. The result has been that the Tribe has dropped 12 of its last 15 games.

'We're going to settle on one quarterback this season and stick to it,' said William & Mary coach Jimmye Laycock.

That quarterback is Phillips, largely because of his ability to make plays in tight situations.

'You have to have a quarterback who is athletic, who can make plays in tight situations,' said James Madison coach Mickey Matthews, who has benefited from the presence of Justin Rascati in the past three years and is hoping for even better things from the athletic Rodney Landers this year.

Rascati led JMU to a national championship in his first season in 2004. The Dukes just barely missed the playoffs in 2005, but were among the top teams in the nation in 2006 and returned to postseason.

Sean Schaefer of Towson has shown just how important the position can be.

Before Schaefer's arrival two years ago, the Tigers were 3-8 in 2004. With the 2006 NCAA passing leader as a starter, Towson improved to 6-5 in 2005 and came up just short of the playoffs in 2006 at 7-4.

'We have a lot of shootouts in this league,' said Towson coach Gordy Combs. 'You don't see many defensive struggles.'

Delaware has an NFL prospect in 6-6 senior Joe Flacco. Even with the worst defense in the league last year, Flacco's passing ability kept the Blue Hens in almost every game. The Blue Hens finished 5-6, but they wouldn't want to imagine how much worse it could have been without Flacco.

With an improved defense this year and Flacco directing a team that returns 10 of its 11 offensive starters, Delaware looks for big things. It also helps when tailback Omar Cuff is around to take pressure off of Flacco.

Maine is the opposite of Delaware. The Black Bears lost four-year starter Ron Whitcomb, but have one of the nation's best defenses. How quickly that the new quarterback, sophomore Michael Brusko, adapts to his starting role will determine whether the Black Bears challenge this season.

Northeastern could be more competitive with junior Anthony Orio more established this season. Like Flacco at Delaware, Orio has a top-notch runner in Maurice Murray to keep defenses honest. The Huskies should also be tougher on defense and could prove to be a CAA dark horse.

Rhode Island and its unique option attack will benefit from having most of its offense returning, including junior quarterback Derek Cassidy. Among the 10 starters back on offense is All-American fullback Joe Casey. As always, defense will be the big question for the Rams, but they do return six of 11 starters.

Hofstra is still trying to find its footing under second-year coach Dave Cohen, who changed virtually everything in the Pride's system last season. The Pride has some stars around in running back Kareem Huggins, All-American kicker Rob Zarilli and All-American linebacker Gian Villante, but a lot of Hofstra's hopes will fall on either Dennis Davis or Bryan Savage at quarterback.

The north division will likely come down to another UMass-New Hampshire showdown.

New Hampshire has a bunch of offensive talent surrounding Santos, despite the graduation of receiver David Ball. Chad Kackert could emerge as one of the top runners in FCS, while Keith LeVan and Mike Boyle are among the talented receivers around Santos. Safety Jeff Pammer will key a defense that must get better for the Wildcats to advance further than the quarterfinals this season.

UMass has reloaded with some quality transfers to go along with Coen, a great offensive line and a high-pressure defense, led by All-American linebacker Jason Hatchell. But how well the Minutemen adapt without running back Steve Baylark and safety James Ihedigbo will determine whether the team is good, or great.

In the South Division, James Madison has the athletic Landers, running back Eugene Holloman and receiver L.C. Baker to build around. But Matthews has some questions to answer on defense, even with All-American safety Tony LeZotte still around. The Dukes lost Buchanan Award runner-up Akeem Jordan at linebacker and a quality defensive end in Kevin Winston.

Towson and Delaware hope that improved defenses will put them into the title picture. Linebackers Brian Bradford and John Webb will lead the Tigers' charge, while the Blue hens look for defensive end Matt Marcorelle to have a huge sophomore year.

Richmond fell into the quarterback trap last season after losing Stacy Tutt to graduation. Redshirt sophomore Eric Ward should be better with a year under his belt and the Spiders still have such stars from their 2005 quarterfinal- playoff run as defensive end Sherman Logan and running back Tim Hightower back. Richmond is a team that could go either way in 2007.

Villanova and William & Mary are former conference powerhouses that people have low expectations for in 2007, but both teams could be that CAA surprise team this year.

The Wildcats have seven players back on what could be a surprisingly good defense, including lineman David Dalessandro. Running back Matt Dicken and tight end Matt Sherry should give Young strong support on offense.

William & Mary need better offensive line play to be more competitive and must replace unsung running back Elijah Brooks. But the Tribe does have a quality receiver in Joe Nicholas, while cornerback Derek Cox and defensive end Adrian Tracy will try to lead a rebuilt defense.

Predicted Order of Finish: North Division - 1. New Hampshire; 2. Massachusetts; 3. Maine; 4. Northeastern; 5. Rhode Island; 6. Hofstra; South Division - 1. James Madison; 2. Delaware; 3. Towson; 4. Richmond; 5. Villanova; 6. William & Mary.

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