After a season that brought a third consecutive NCAC championship and ended with a trip to the elite eight in the NCAA playoffs, the Little Giant football players have been working to adjust to an offseason defined by change. New Head Coach Erik Raeburn brings a new approach and a new system, and the primary focus for the team during camp was learning and getting comfortable with the new plays and terminology.
According to Raeburn, the biggest asset to the team’s learning process has been the leadership of the senior class. “This senior class has helped this whole transition go as smoothly as possible,” Raeburn said. “The older guys are going out of their way to help the younger guys, and they’ve been good about motivating guys who need a little push.”
Offensively, Raeburn has been working to instill more physicality in a unit that relied heavily on the pass in its previous system. “That’s the most important thing, no matter the play or the scheme- being physical,” said junior running back Evan Sobecki, who will benefit from the increased emphasis on a balanced offensive attack. Sobecki led the Little Giants with 709 rushing yards last year, and is poised for a breakout season with an increased emphasis on the running game. Sobecki will be joined in the backfield by senior Bobby Kimp, who rushed for 116 yards on 33 carries, and junior short-distance specialist Brock Graham, who ran for 80 yards and seven touchdowns.
Of course, Wabash will still be throwing the ball around plenty this fall. Junior Matt Hudson returns after a stellar 2007 season which earned him All-NCAC honors. Hudson threw for 2,769 yards and 25 touchdowns, but is far from content with his inaugural campaign. “I felt like I really worked harder this offseason than last year,” Hudson said. “I was able to throw a lot more. I didn’t want to be complacent and I wanted to come back better than last season.”
The one area of the offense that welcomes a few new faces is the receiving corps, which graduated starters Mike Russell, Gabe Guerrero, Ray Green and Bart Banach. Senior Andrew Rode, sophomores Wes Chamblee and Kody Lemond, and junior Ryan Kerney look to be Hudson’s primary targets for this year. Rode had 12 catches for 336 yards and a touchdown last season.
If the offense is going to be more physical this year, the tone will be set on the offensive line. The Little Giants line is a veteran group, returning multiple starters from last season. The line is anchored by senior center Tony Neymeiyer and All-NCAC tackle Jeremy Morris. One new face will be junior tackle Evan Isaacs, who is chomping at the bit after injuries plagued his first two seasons at Wabash. “I’m jacked,” said Isaacs, who said he is finally healthy and ready to go. “I feel like I haven’t even played football since senior year.”
Schematically, Raeburn’s offense is not too dissimilar from the one run by former coach Chris Creighton. The main obstacle for the players has been learning all the new terminology, not necessarily learning new plays. “A lot of the time, it’s a play that they’ve run their whole lives and feel comfortable running, they just don’t know the terminology yet,” said Raeburn, who believes the learning process is going well. “Our guys are smart,” Raeburn said. “They wouldn’t be here at Wabash if they weren’t smart, and that’s carried over to the football field.”
The defense, however, has been spending camp learning an entirely new system as the Little Giants have switched from a 4-4 to a 4-3 front. “They have a ton of new stuff to learn,” Raeburn said. “It’s a work in progress, but I’m confident they’ll be able to handle the new scheme.”
Another obstacle for the defense will be replacing two four-year starters at linebacker, Andy Deig and Adi Pynenberg, who combined for 253 tackles last season. Junior Bryan Watson and sophomore CJ Gum believe they’re up to the challenge. “It’s definitely some big shoes to fill,” said Gum, who spent most of his offseason rehabbing an injured knee. “I’ll just do what I can.”
And even though Pynenberg won’t be on the field this year, his number will be. Watson requested the number 40 in the offseason. “Part of it is that I wore 40 in high school,” Watson said. “But Adi was a big influence on me. He’s a good guy to look up to.
Joining Watson and Gum in the linebacker unit will most likely be Senior Matt Kraft, who recorded 86 tackles last season.
There will also be a lot of new faces in the secondary. Senior safety Chad Peterman, who led the Little Giants with six interceptions last year, is the only returning starter. Sophomore Jake Martin, junior Addrian Frederick and Junior Chris Schweigel all had some playing experience last year and look to join Peterman in the secondary this year. Sophomore DJ Singfield and juniors Derrin Slack and Charles Goodman will also try to work their way into the mix.
There is some experience returning to the defensive line, however. Senior end Darryl Kennon and senior tackle Jared Lange look to anchor a defensive line that gave opposing quarterbacks fits in 2007. Kennon led the team with 14 sacks and Lange contributed eight sacks and 51 tackles. They will be joined by senior Josh Gangloff and either junior Seth Tichenor or Matt Whyde. Junior Kenny Coggins, a transfer from Princeton University, also will be fighting for a starting spot.
One thing the defense will try to focus on this season is forcing more turnovers. “Turnovers win games,” Kennon said. “We want to all be flocking to the ball this year. We’ve been talking in camp about the importance of momentum, and turnovers are a key to getting the momentum o your side.”
The schemes are new, many of the faces are new, but the hunger to win that has characterized the Wabash football program over the last few years is definitely still there. “The elite eight is not acceptable anymore,” said Watson, which helps to exemplify the refusal for complacence, even after a great 2007 season.
If the Little Giants want to achieve their ultimate goal of a national championship, the camaraderie and experience of the senior class, which is on pace to become the winningest class in Wabash history, will be key. “(Senior experience) is essential,” Kennon said. “We’ve really been through any situation possible together, so when things get chaotic, we’ll be level-headed.”