Believe it or not, it’s almost time for college football season. And while the crisp autumn air has yet to descend upon the D.C. region, we have full previews of each major area team.
Maryland
by Dave Preston
2014 record: 7-6 (4-4 Big Ten), lost to Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl
Key Returnees: Sr. K Brad Craddock, Jr. DB Will Likely, QB’s Daxx Garman (Sr.), Caleb Rowe (Sr.) and Perry Hills (Jr.)
Feature Game: Oct. 24 vs. Penn State in Baltimore — Last year the Terps won for the first time ever in State College thanks to a fumbled snap. Nittany Lion fans wrote that loss off as “it’s only Coach Franklin’s first year at the helm.” This year there are no excuses and there will probably be a ton of fans from both schools making the trip to M&T Bank Stadium.
2015 Outlook: Who starts at quarterback? Hills started seven games in 2012 while the oft-injured Rowe has 12 games under his belt. Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman has the best hair of the bunch. Other offensive questions include which wide receivers come to the forefront after Stefon Diggs and Deon Long departed for the NFL, and can running back Wes Brown stay healthy?
Defensively, the switch from 3-4 to 4-3 should be a better fit for a Big Ten, where the Terps were manhandled on more than one occasion last year. Quentin Jefferson’s return from injury should solidify a D that lost seven starters. After a non-conference schedule that includes FCS Richmond and the MAC’s Bowling Green, the Big Ten slate is far from forgiving: consecutive games against Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State in October can turn the season from a treat into a trick.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Navy
by Dave Preston
2014: 8-5, beat San Jose State in the Pointsettia Bowl
Key Returnees: Sr. QB Keenan Reynolds, Sr. FB Chris Swain, Sr. NG Bernard Sarra, Sr. CB Quincy Adams
Feature Game: Hmm… Dec. 12 they play a neutral site non-conference game. Against a school called Army West Point. Navy has won 13 straight in this series, meaning not only is every senior unbeaten against the Black Knights, nobody that attended the Academy at the same time as anyone they attended the Academy with has lost to Army either.
2015 Outlook: Something old, something new … with nothing borrowed for the gold and blue. The Midshipmen play their first season in the American Athletic Conference (for those scoring at home, it’s the league that includes Houston, UConn and Tulane). They return 11 starters — none with bigger fanfare than Reynolds. The senior has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of the last two years and looks to be more consistent in the passing game this year. Reynolds’ completion percentage and touchdown passes have both dropped each season in Annapolis. Look for wide receiver Jamir Tillman to build off what was a breakthrough 2014. Defensively, the Mids allowed 30+ points seven times last fall and they must replace leading tackler Jordan Drake. Colgate is hardly a world-beater, but Navy needs a strong start with five of their first seven games being played at home.
(AP Photo/Matt Strasen)
AP Photo/Matt Strasen
Virginia
by Dave Preston
2014: 5-7 (3-5 ACC)
Key Returnees: Jr. QB Matt Johns, Sr. WR Canaan Severin, Sr. DT David Dean, So. FS Quin Blanding.
Feature Game: Saturday, Nov. 28 vs. Virginia Tech – The Cavaliers try to beat Virginia Tech for the first time since 2003, when the Hokies were still in the Big East. Since then, they’ve been shut out twice and lost by 30+ points three times, while losing three more by less than a touchdown. It’s either been ugly or agonizing … and sometimes both for the Cavalier faithful.
2015 Outlook: The quarterback question was answered with Greyson Lambert leaving for Georgia and David Watford departing for Hampton in the offseason, meaning Matt Johns is the man until Coach Mike London loses confidence in his QB (something that’s happened often in his tenure at UVa.). Canaan Severin is his only proven weapon returning from 2014.
Once again UVa. will lean on a defense that’s one of the better ones in the ACC with Dean setting the tone in the trenches and Blanding making plays in the secondary. London has had one winning season since coming to Charlottesville in 2010, and with a schedule that includes September showdowns with UCLA, Notre Dame and Boise State, he’ll have an uphill battle. Just like last year, it may very well come down to needing a win against Virginia Tech for the Cavaliers to crash the postseason party.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
AP Photo/Steve Helber
Virginia Tech
by Dave Preston
2014: 7-6 ( 3-5 ACC), beat Cincinnati in the Military Bowl
Key Returnees: Sr. QB Michael Brewer, So. TE Bucky Hodges, Sr. DE Dadi Nicolas, Sr. LB Deon Clarke
Feature Game: Thursday, Nov. 12 at Georgia Tech – The Hokies and Yellowjackets have won 9 of the last 10 Coastal Division titles. Six of the last seven games have been one-possession games. Virginia Tech used to dominate Thursday nights; the school is 1-4 on that night since 2011.
2015 Outlook: It wasn’t the September stumble to East Carolina or the early elimination from the Coastal Division race that bothered Blacksburg last year, but the 6-3, double-overtime loss to a 3-9 Wake Forest team. Scoreless after 60 minutes! How does the NCAA just not step in and say, “Sorry, kids—but we’ve seen enough?”
The Hokies boast a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball, but need the offensive line to gel better than they did last year when they had issues running the ball. Was Brewer’s 2014 the start of something special or the best VT will get from the Texas Tech transfer? For years the Hokies have hung their hat on “Beamer Ball,” but recently it feels like their special teams prowess has been suspect, with more than a few blocked kicks and coverage breakdowns ruining Saturday afternoons. The schedule begins with a bang — in the form of defending national champ Ohio State.
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
AP Photo/Nick Wass
Georgetown
by Noah Frank
2014 record: 3-8 (1-5 in Patriot League)
Key Returnees: Sr. QB Kyle Nolan, Sr. RB Jo’el Kimpela, Sr. DB Ettian Scott, Sr. LB Matthew Satchell
Feature Game: Saturday, Oct. 10 vs. Lafayette – After a tough, 24-21 loss in Easton, Pennsylvania last year, the Hoyas open their Patriot League schedule at home with a chance at revenge.
2015 Outlook: The Hoyas scored only 149 points all season, a full 100 fewer than the next lowest Patriot League team. But they only allowed 248, third-lowest in the league, and only nine more than league-leading Bucknell. So if the offense can match the production on the other side of the ball, the Hoyas have great room for improvement. Filling the Alec May (16.5 sacks) sized hole on defense will also present a challenge for the defensive line.
However, the big question remains: where will the offense come from? With seven leading receivers returning from a very young team, the impetus is on the players already on campus to prove that last year’s struggles were more growth than a talent deficiency. Quarterback Kyle Nolan will have his leading rusher back in Jo’el Kimpela and a pair of 400+ yard receivers in Jake DeCicco and Justin Hill. That unit will have to nearly double last season’s 13.5 point per game average for the Hoyas to make any noise this year.
(GUHoyas.com)
GUHoyas.com
Howard
by Noah Frank
2014 Record: 5-7 (3-5 in MEAC)
Key Returnees: Sr. RB William Parker, Sr. WR Mathew Colvin, Sr. LB Devin Rollins, R-Jr. DB Kenneth Russ
Feature Game: Friday, Sept. 18 vs. Hampton — A rematch of last year’s thriller, in which the Bison overcame a 26-7 deficit for an epic, 30-29 comeback win on Senior Day.
2015 Outlook: Howard lost seven of its first eight games last year, but the Bison showed some encouraging signs of life at the end of the 2014 campaign, winning four straight to close the season capped off by the classic over Hampton. But any hope of that momentum carrying into 2015 took a serious blow when senior quarterback and MEAC offensive player of the year Greg McGhee opted to sign a professional contract with the BC Lions of the CFL. McGhee’s 28 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards of total offense will be tough for the Bison to replace.
Second-leading rusher William Parker returns, as does leading pass-catcher Matthew Colvin, who led a balanced aerial attack with 41 grabs for 611 yards. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Devin Rollins (who led the squad in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks) returns, along with defensive back Kenneth Russ, who had a pair of picks and seven pass deflections. With McGhee in tow, the Bison could have been a MEAC contender; instead, they’re likely ticketed for the middle of the conference pack.
(Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — Believe it or not, it’s almost time for college football season. And while the crisp autumn air has yet to descend upon the D.C. region, we have full previews of each major area team. Click through the slides above to see what to expect on the D1 gridiron in 2015.
Dave has been in the D.C. area for 10 years and in addition to working at WTOP since 2002 has also been on the air at Westwood One/CBS Radio as well as Red Zebra Broadcasting (Redskins Network).
