2010 will be different for the football team. That's what the Bowdoin players and coaches think, and they can't wait to prove it to the rest of NESCAC.
The football team is coming off a disappointing 3-5 campaign in 2009, during which it lost by fewer than four points on four occasions, including heartbreaking last-minute losses to Wesleyan (43-39), Tufts (25-22 in overtime) and NESCAC champion Amherst (13-12). On the bright side, the team was able to retain the CBB Championship Trophy by splitting matchups against Colby (32-27 win) and Bates (28-24 loss) to claim a three-way tie.
Bowdoin is not satisfied with how they did last season.
"Our expectations are to improve on what we did last season," said senior captain Scott Roman. "The goal has been to change the view of the football team not only around the campus, but also around the league. Our goal is to prepare the best we can and win every week. We all believe that we can be at the top of the league and that we should be at the top of the league."
Junior quarterback R.J. Shea will be leading an offense that has one of the best receiving corps in all of New England. He saw significant action in two games last year, when Bowdoin's all-time passing leader Oliver Kell '10 went down with injuries.
As his main target, Shea will have First Team All-NESCAC and Honorable Mention All-American Pat Noone '12, who posted new school records in receptions (76), yards (997), and touchdown catches (7) last year.
"Our quarterback play will be important," said head coach Dave Caputi. "RJ Shea is our returning quarterback and he has looked good this preseason. How we develop at the quarterback position will be very important for our offense as we move forward."
Bowdoin will also have a veteran offensive line anchored by senior tackle Grant Easterbrook, center Kyle Duncan '12 and guard Joe Smith '12. The three of them will be creating lanes for a running attack that ranked No. 4 in the league last season and will look for contributions from first year running backs Zach Donnarumma, Lonnie Hackett, Kevin Miao and Brian Glazewski.
Tackle Chris Grillo '11, would have been a major part of the offensive line, but suffered a significant tear to his lateral meniscus and is out for the season.
On the defensive side, several members of Bowdoin's front seven return from a season ago, including Roman, Dominic Ridgard '11 and Reed Harasimowicz '11 on the defensive line, as well as junior linebackers Ian Vieira and Dan Evans. However, the injury-plagued Polar Bears will need an immediate impact in the defensive backfield from a young secondary that features sophomore cornerbacks Evan Pare and Beau Barton. First years Matt Savard and Joey Cleary will man the safety positions to open the season.
Despite this slew of talent, the Polar Bears know it will be the details that will make the difference on Saturdays.
"Last year, I thought we played very well offensively and defensively," said Caputi. "However, we went from first to last in the league on special [teams] last season. In a lot of close games, we were giving away a lot of yards on special teams. If we can steal five more yards on a punt, or prevent five yards on kick coverage, it can make a big difference in games."
"We hope to improve upon our record by finishing games stronger," said Noone when discussing the importance of the fundamentals on the field. "We let a few games slip away at the end [of last season], so we plan on working on hanging on to our leads. We also need to be more efficient in scoring in the red zone. We have worked hard this preseason to improve upon these things, so our record should reflect that."
The Polar Bears will already face their first major challenge tomorrow when they face off against Williams on the road to open the new season.
"Williams will be a huge test," said Roman. "They have a really great, athletic quarterback coming back and the league-leading rusher coming back, which will be a major test of our defense, especially our defensive line. Offensively, RJ Shea has really become the leader of our offense and he will have a great chance to take the reins and lead the team. We see this game as the chance to set the tone of the season and that is exactly what we want to do."
Other noteworthy matchups this season include home games against Amherst on October 2 and Trinity on October 23, as well as showdowns against Bates on November 6 and Colby on November 13 to finish the season.
Bowdoin is not looking too far ahead, though. Instead, it is focusing on starting the season strong, beginning with Williams.
"We will open up against our two toughest opponents," said Roman. "If we don't beat ourselves and shoot ourselves in the foot with turnovers and missed tackles, we will do great things. We have a great team and I honestly believe we can finish 8-0. I would be selling the team short otherwise."