Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Notes and two-deep

It’s almost time.

Yale will open its season on Saturday at Colgate (0-3) at 1 p.m. Here are some notes from the first Yale football media luncheon at Mory’s.

RENO ON THE RED RAIDERS

The defending Patriot League champions are very talented on offense, Reno says. QB Gavin McCarney (who missed last week’s 53-23 loss to New Hampshire) makes plays with his feet and smart decisions in the passing game. Colgate has a strong running game. WR Dan Cason is a dangerous playmaker and tight end Kevin O’Connell is another option.

Defensively, Colgate is aggressive up front and its linebackers play downhill. They are very athletic in the secondary.

“There is a reason they were picked to win the Patriot League,” Reno said.

A NEW FACE

Yale has faced Georgetown in its last six openers. The Bulldogs won all six against the Hoyas and haven’t lost an opener since falling to San Diego in 2006.

WHO WILL PLAY QB?
As expected, Reno wouldn’t give any update on the quarterback situation. Morgan Roberts, Henry Furman and Eric Williams are competing for the starting spot. It appears in practice as if Roberts and Furman are the finalists for the job, with Williams still in the mix though.

GAME PLAN

Reno said he wants to run 90-100 plays per game. Last year the Bulldogs averaged somewhere in the 70s.

“I’m an attack first kind of guy,” Reno said. “I want to attack in all three phases. In the no-huddle, you’re able to control the tempo of game. If you want to snap fast, you can. If you want to snap midrange or slow, you can. I like to run the football. We’re going to run the football. We’re not going to throw it 60 times.

LOOKING BACK

A quote from Reno on last year’s QB dilemma…

“We beat Penn and this group of kids never beat Penn. We felt moving forward, we were making strides. I was sitting in the coaches’ locker room with my wife and the trainer walks in and says you don’t have a QB. I said ‘what do you mean.’ ‘There are no one left.’”

“At that point, I said there are one of two things we can do: complain about it or fix it. I called offensive coordinator Kevin Morris and told him I’m going to throw on single wing formation tonight and I suggest you do the same. That was a lot of fun. We had to shut practice down. The kids played their butts off. On the flip side, I was walking down here with Beau Palin today and said it’s so nice to walk into this meeting knowing we have 4-5 QBs on the depth chart.”

DEFENSE 
DE 40 Beau Palin Sr. 6-3, 247 pay-lin a leader in the Warrior-Scholar Program
10 Victor Egu Fr. 6-3, 235 ee-goo Born in Nigeria, family moved to U.S. when he was 5
NG 97 Kyle White Sr. 6-7, 268 played on offensive line and wore No. 71 his first 3 seasons
94 Pat McHugh So. 6-2, 258 played in one 2012 game
DT 96 Copache Tyler Fr. 6-3, 280 captained wrestling team in high school
53 Jeff Schmittgens Jr. 6-4, 240 earned spring practice DL award
DE 99 Dylan Drake Sr. 6-3, 224 5-2-7 at Columbia ’12; TD catch vs. Dart ’12 (sp. Tms); medical hardship waiver
91 Kolu Buck Sr. 6-3, 230 played in 6 games and had 4 solos in 2012
B 49 Andrew Larkin So. 6-2, 206 missed freshman season with injury
52 Aaron Ault So. 6-3, 194 played in 6 games on special teams in 2012
M 42 Will Vaughan Jr. 6-1, 225 1st collegiate start at Princeton ’11; 2-3-5 at Brown ’12
44 Brian Leffler Sr. 6-0, 225 1-6-7 at Gtown ’12; 3-1-4, blk kick vs. Colgate ’12; INT vs. Penn ’12; med hardship
S 22 Charles Cook Jr. 6-3, 210 5-4-9 at Columbia ’12
33 Chris Brady Sr. 6-0, 198 1-3-4 at Columbia ’12; 2009 National Championship Team for Don Bosco
CB 17 Spencer Rymiszewski Fr. 6-0, 185 rim-uh-shev-skee accomplished piano player
31 Max Napolitano Sr. 5-11, 182 intern with MLB Brewers last summer, did sausage race
CB 23 Foyesade Oluokun Fr. 6-2, 200 fo-yay-sa-day o-loo-o-kun earned 8 high school varsity letters between FB and Basketball
12 Nick LaTesta Jr. 5-9, 172 1-2-3 at Cornell ’12
SS 5 Cole Champion So. 5-11, 183 9 solos vs. Lafayette; 12 total at Columbia ’12
13 Derek Russell Sr. 6-1, 183 Played QB and WR in 2012; off bench to beat Penn as QB; starter at QB vs. Harvard
FS 34 Robert Ries Fr. 5-11, 185 reece competed in FB, baseball, track and ran lawn care business while in high school
20 Nick Okano Sr. 5-11, 182 o-kahn-o 2-4-6 at Georgetown ‘12; interceptions vs. Cornell and Columbia ‘11
OFFENSE
WR 3 Chris Smith Sr. 6-0, 200 All-Ivy in 2011; not in school in 2012
9 Cameron Sandquist Sr. 5-9, 174 10-76, 1 TD vs. Colgate ’12; 98-Yd TD Georgetown ’12 – longest Yale play ever
WR 29 Grant Wallace Jr. 6-0, 187 11-118, 1 TD at Harvard 2012, father (Bob) played for Carm Cozza
82 Myles Gaines Fr. 5-11, 175 won numerous WR MVP awards at various national camps
TE 18 Keith Coty Sr. 6-2, 225 ko-tee missed 2012 with injury
86 Adam Conklin Jr. 6-3, 231 played in every 2012 game and had 2 starts
LT 79 Wes Gavin Sr. 6-6, 286 3-year starter on OL; 2010 freshman MVP
65 Khalid Cannon Fr. 6-6, 265 Interested in chemistry with hopes of becoming a pharmacist or a pharmacologist
LG 67 Will Chism Jr. 6-3, 277 chiz-em Phil Steele's College Football Preview pre-season All-Ivy League squad
69 Stephen Shoemaker Jr. 6-2, 285 played on JV last 2 years
C 60 John Oppenheimer Sr. 6-0, 264 2 F-REC after interceptions 2011; spoke to U.S. Congress about bone marrow research
75 Mason Friedline Fr. 6-5, 290 freed-line
RG 50 Luke Longinotti So. 6-4, 265 lawn-gin-otti played in 10 games in 2012; scuba diver
62 Derrek Ross So. 6-4, 264 played JV in 2012; twin brother, Dustin, is also on Yale OL
RT 70 Ben Carbery Jr. 6-5, 287 Frosh MVP in 2011
78 Ben Killion So. 6-6, 273 Only Wootton High School player ever selected for Crab Bowl All-Star Game
QB 7 Henry Furman Sr. 6-4, 210 18-28, 184 in 1st collegiate start at any position (QB vs. Princeton ’12)
or 19 Morgan Roberts So. 6-3, 210 Clemson backup QB in 2012
8 Eric Williams So. 6-3, 192 Started 6 games in 2012; 1,056 yards and 6 TDs
HB 2 Deon Randall Sr. 5-8, 175 All-Ivy in 2011; missed 2012 with injury
4 Sebastian Little So. 6-1, 210 3 receptions in 2012 opener at Gtown; injured in that game and missed rest of 2012
RB 30 Tyler Varga Jr. 5-11, 220 220 yards Columbia (Yale’s 6th best game); 2012 FCS leader in All-Purpose
32 Candler Rich Fr. 5-11, 190 Scored 102 TDs in high school playing both ways; 20 interceptions
SPECIAL TEAMS
PK 37 Kyle Cazzetta Jr. 6-0, 208 Section IX (NY) record 51-yard FG in HS 2010
42 Parker Toms Jr. 5-11, 200 2011 WCAL Kicker of Year
H 13 Derek Russell Sr. 6-1, 183 DB who played on offense last year
14 Logan Scott So. 6-1, 187 backup QB
LS 40 Beau Palin Sr. 6-3, 247 captain and starting DE
11 Spencer McManes Fr. 6-3, 210 Mac-man-us backup QB
P 37 Kyle Cazzetta Jr. 6-0, 208 72-yard punt at Brown ‘12
43 Bryan Holmes Fr. 5-11, 205
PR 2 Deon Randall Sr. 5-8, 175
9 Cameron Sandquist Sr. 5-9, 163 6 for 53 yards in 2012
KOR 3 Chris Smith Sr. 6-0, 200 only Ivy player with 2 KOR for TDs in one game (at Brown ’10)

21 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

A defensive backfield that starts 3freshman who had no spring ball and have only been together for 3 weeks is a receipt for disaster. Nick Okano on the second team again behind a freshman again? I guess being second in tackles in sophomore year was a fluke?

Any more questions about whether it is all about Reno and his recruits. He should tell the truth, he is sacrificing his first two seasons hoping for an upside for players who may not be better now but will hopefully be better later.

2:09 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

coach reno is simply playing the best players he has underclassmen or not. defensive backfield was horrible last year the change is welcome.

3:36 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree the defense especially the cornerbacks were not effective last year. Starting three freshmen and a sophmore in the defensive secondary will be interesting and more a product of coach williams lack of recruiting.

3:44 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Right on, 3:36 and 3:44. No coach would ever "sacrifice" a season, and if one tried it at Yale his players would take a hike. No upperclassman would tolerate his season or himself being sacrificed. Like it or not, it's a question of perceived talent.

7:14 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm not sure 7:14, 3:36,or 3:44 were around last year. Coach Reno immediately sacrificed the season by starting Williams a freshman at QB among many other freshman on the two deep just like this year, and for those of you that don't know or remember there were many upperclass players that did in fact take a hike some before the start some after the season including John Whitelaw upperclassmen QB. Granted the corners were Very bad undersized and slow. Other guys on defesnse Mchale, Powers ,Falbo Cook, Leffler did a great job. They all had their work cut out for them again because of the corners. Champion got all his tackles again because of the corners if the corners are making plays Champion is not even in the mix So I just don't see having two freshman at the corners fresh out of High School
I think they will be out gunned by the big fast smart College receivers they will be up against. I also agree with the comment about about Okano He has proven himself in years past whats the deal!? this kid should be a starter maybe even at corner!!?? So lets sit back and see what happens, in this case I hope I'm wrong.

7:55 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I agree with 7:55. I don't know the exact number but around 20 players quit last year. All I know is the kids aren't happy. Some People may not have liked Williams -- but the kids had fun....and he won much more games than Reno... And he treated the team as a family...and that included getting to know them and their parents. And yes I am a players parent.

8:27 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I concur these people were not around. The team last year was predicted to be better because of the talent Coach Williams left the team with. That talent was mismanaged by Reno largely due to his insistence on starting freshman. I will go ahead and say it, clearly Reno is promising playing time in order to get recruits at the expense of those already on the roster.

Additionally, it has not been tolerated. Many left before last season and again at the end of the season. Do you think EJ Conway will be missed? If you do not, you did not watch the team last year. Speaking of Conway, he should have never been playing DE, especially given the lack of athleticism last year at LB.

Let's not forget the very first thing Reno did sight unseen was to change from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense. He changed the practice time. There was not much he did not change. He had to put his stamp on everything whether it needed changing or not.

8:37 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

other than the DBs I see a lot of upperclassmen in every position group. this line of argument is beyond tired.

10:53 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

10:53 your not getting it DB is exactly where you don't want an inexperienced freshman. This is college D1 Ivy football not High School. I totally agree with 7:55 that these fresh out of high school kids are going to get eaten alive by the more experienced receivers they will face. There are other guys that can play or even be moved into the corner spot. Let the freshman be mentored and learn before they are made starters. What a world of good that would have done for Eric Williams a kid with some real talent.

11:31 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i'm the one who made the 10:53 comment. To 11.31 I do "get it." I also get that this line of argument that Reno is just playing the kids he recruited and running off the rest of them has become the proverbial dead horse around here. Save the melodrama and let's give them a chance on the field. The concept that freshman DBs shouldn't see the field is all well and good but I haven't been in the preseason practices and meetings, so I have no idea if these freshmen are the best options. Neither have you, I'd venture.

5:00 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To everyone on both sides of this thread: There is no need to defend Reno. Only he can defend the unilateral decisions that he makes and I seriously doubt he reads this blog. His record at the end of this season will speak for itself one way or the other. Let's wait and see. I hope for the sake of the players who work so hard whether they get playing time or not that it pays off. Remember these kids only play because they want to. They don't get athletic scholarships and they have a tremendous academic commitment. That is why so many players chose to leave -- it simply was not worth the enormous time commitment and effort for no reward whatsoever.

9:05 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To 9:05
Nicely said.. Amen

11:58 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

to 7:14; i saw every game last year and only mchale and cook would be starting this year.it remains to be seen if the current line backing core can step up and make the necessary tackles in the 3-4 defense.colgate will be a good test to see if the defense is better than last year.hard to believe it could be any worse.i do think coach reno has waited to long in naming a starting quarterback.

2:24 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey hatters, how you like them apples yesterday? hahaha

10:49 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The nay-sayers here have some personal bone to pick. Let's face it: it IS hard when a new coach comes in. Things DO change. And YES a new coach has his own ideas about how to change a losing culture. It IS unfortunate that some older players feel they are not considered as good as they believe they are and yes, players do drop out when they are not playing -or even when they lose the fire in their belly. Understandable. It is a grueling grueling schedule these guys keep. But on the whole (save perhaps one case) Reno has done the right thing. The recruiting is stronger, the team is more disciplined and confident, the preparation is a cut above, for sure. There will be very hard things to face this year: this Cornell QB is a stud; Fordham looks ridiculous; the Ivy competition is intense; and who knows who will get hurt. It's only Reno's second year. But he is the guy. Of course he needs to make everyone on the team feel valued because they ARE -you never know when someone is going down and the #2 or #3 or #4 needs to step in. Everyone is valuable, there is no doubt. Any win is a total team effort. Let's hope he makes the guys feel that because it is true. This is a tough tough schedule and season and all will be needed - including my boy who is not playing #1. This is what we tell him. There are lots of #1s in the world. You show who you are when you are #2 or #3 and step up in the right way with the right attitude. That right there is a life lesson they all need. -Yale Mom

3:56 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do not get too excited. Yale won a game against a team that frankly is worse than them. Look at the point differential of the Colgate prior losses. They also won their first game last year. Time proves all things. DO not get too high, the crash will only hurt more.

8:53 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yale Mom: You do not have a clue, otherwise you would know that coach Reno is incapable of "making everyone on the team feel valued". He does not even make the starters feel valued. If he does not speak to or acknowledge parents of men who start for him what does that say. That is not rumor that is fact from a parent of a young man who started for him.

I will wait until your son's Senior year and when Reno denies him the opportunity to thank you at the football banquet so he can tell you how great he is, lets she if you feel the same way.

9:03 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can't believe you people. Didn't your parents ever teach you that if you can't say anything good then don't say anything at all.

By the way...I am a parent and Reno has acknowledged/spoke to me and other parents several times ...and that is another fact.

10:36 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

10:36AM
Your first comment is childish. In the adult world that does not work. Negative feedback is a part of growth.

As to your second comment, excellent! Hopefully that is a lesson learned "growth" from mistakes he made last year.

3:33 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Adults should know the difference between negative feedback aimed to destroy and constructive feedback aimed to build up and encourage growth.

I know it gets confusing when there so much hate.

4:28 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm baffled at how people are questioning this coaching staff's line up???

I think you can question their recruiting tactics, and their coaching technique and development, but don't question who they play, because they want to win. It's plain and simple.

Even though this is the IVY League, this is a business. Coaches need to win, they need to play the best possible players at the time, to get the best results. If a coach didn't play their best player, there would be complaints about that!

Player development is not all the same. It doesn't happen at the same rate. There are freshman on this team (a handful) who were very well coached, high level recruits. The amount of coaching they have had in their careers could very well be at a much higher level than any coaching they will receive at this Ivy Leaque level. Some kids even turned down top D-1 scholarships to play at Yale. Can we say that about the upperclassman they are replacing? Maybe, yes-maybe no, but that doesn't matter because it's who the coaches perceive to be the best. These are the players that will play.

Make no mistake, I don't think that Reno and staff are the most honest recruiters in the Ivy League. In fact, I think they might be the snake in the IVY, but they have managed to sign some top athletes and hoping to win more games. I also think they could do more with the players they have, as far as development is concerned.

But, If your kid is one of the players who isn't playing, he has 3 choices; he can improve, he can stay the same or he can leave. Simple as that...

1:48 PM 

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