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Monday, August 28, 2006

Thought MU football fans may find this interesing. Here is the season outlook that appears on the Patriot League web site for Fordham which was picked fifth in the seven-team league. Note that former CCSU coach Tom Masella is the new boss so he knows all about MU and MU all about his approach as well.

On the surface appears Hawks certainly appear to have a shot....
Monmouth plays at Colgate later this season which is the defending PL champs, which CCSU defeated last year..


Two Shore Conference kids..... Sr. WR Anthony Myers (TR North) and LB/DE Fr. Asil Mulbah (Jackson) are on the roster


Fordham Outlook

There's a new head coach and a new enthusiasm at Rose Hill for the Fordham University football program in 2006. After leading Central Connecticut State to the Northeast Conference championship in each of the past two years, first-year Fordham head coach Tom Masella is hoping to bring the Rams back into contention for the Patriot League title in 2006. With the graduation of eleven starters from last year, Masella has his work cut out for him as he looks to fill the holes. But the good news for the new mentor is that three All-Patriot League selections return for the Rams in running back James Prydatko, linebacker Marcus Taylor, and placekicker Micah Clukey.
Prydatko and Taylor, who were Second Team All-Patriot League selections last year, are returning fifth-year seniors who will bring experience to the squad.
Here is a position-by-position breakdown for the 2006 Rams:

OFFENSE

Quarterback - The Rams hope that quarterback Derric Daniels returns to his sophomore form, the year he threw for 1,876 yards and 23 touchdowns, setting Fordham records for a first year player (he missed his freshman year with an injury). Last year, Daniels completed 114 of 234 passes for 1,176 yards and six touchdowns while also throwing 12 interceptions.
Challenging Daniels will be senior Josh Arcadia and sophomore T.J. Jordan, neither of whom has seen varsity action, along with freshman John Skelton.


Running Backs - James Prydatko, who rushed for 1,022 yards last year, returns to handle the bulk of the rushing chores for the Rams in 2006. His 1,022 yards were the second best in the league as he became just the second Fordham running back on the I-AA level to rush for more than 1,000 yards. Prydatko, who was Fordham's top all-purpose yardage man last year, also caught 14 passes for 111 yards and returned eight punts for 25 yards and eight kickoffs for 150 yards.
Joining Prydatko in the offensive backfield will be Jonte Coven and Henry Kirlew while Craig Stevens, Bo Marchand and Kenny Jones look to lead the rushing attack from the fullback position. Last year, Coven rushed 44 times for 196 yards and two touchdowns while also catching 12 passes out of the backfield for 73 yards. Kirlew, who saw action in six games last fall, gained 29 yards on eight carries while catching one pass for six yards, while Stevens picked up 26 yards on eleven carries and grabbed one pass for 11 yards.


Freshman Larry Dortsch will give the Rams depth at running back while sophomore Mark Meehan and freshman Angelo Sabentico will provide the depth at fullback.
Tight EndsTy Hogan, who missed all of last year with an injury, returns to the tight end line-up as do Adrian Castro, Matt Graham and Kody Kritzer. Castro, who appeared in ten games last year, caught three passes for eight yards, while Hogan hauled in five balls for 47 yards in 2004. Freshman Mark Woznicki will also look for playing time at tight end in 2006.

Wide Receivers - Mike Melvin, last year's leading receiver, returns to anchor the Fordham receiving corps along with Sylvester Clarke. Last year, Melvin caught 24 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns while Clarke hauled in 16 passes, tied for second best on the team, for 122 yards.
Also returning at wideout are Donovan Boyd, Richard Rayborn, Anthony Myres, Seth Anderson and Jeff Van Note.
Newcomers who will try to break into the line-up include freshmen Jason Caldwell and Asa Lucas along with Michael Shorter and Michael Shackleford.

Offensive Line - The position that took the biggest hit from injuries last year was the offensive line. The good news about that was the experience gained by the underclassmen should aid the 2006 Rams. Returning starters on the line include right tackle Ricky Bencivenni, left guard Mike Breznicky and right guard Justin Sarabeaz. Breznicky will move to the center position in 2006 while Sarabaez is slated to start at tackle.
Mike Nardone, who made the move from the defensive line to the offensive line prior to last year, and Anthony Silvestro return. Both sat out the 2005 campaign. The two are expected to fill the two tackle spots this fall while sophomore Ian Pace is expected to start at guard.
Sophomore Joe Welton and senior Robert Fioravanti, who each missed time with injuries last fall, return as do senior Peter Jannen and sophomores Mike Andrews, Alex Brown, and Tom Wessel.
Freshmen Amen Igbinosun, James Dunn and Bobby Reis are expected to find their way on the two-deep entering camp while freshmen Thomas Porto and Frank Rizzo will provide depth on the line.

DEFENSE

Defensive Line - Senior Jay Edwards is back to lead the defensive line in 2006. Last year, Edwards led the Patriot League with eight sacks while also recording a team-high 10.5 tackles for a loss. Also back is senior Eduardo Boza, who started every game at tackle for the Rams last year, compiling 26 total tackles including four sacks.
Sophomore Ryan Mehra is scheduled to move from linebacker to starting defensive end for the Rams in 2006. Last year, Mehra made 39 total tackles, 25 solo, including 2.5 for a loss and one sack.
Joining Edwards and Boza on the defensive line are seniors Cory Terzis, Hamilton Durandisse, Michael Techtmann and Marques Brown, along with juniors Bu Ogunsanya and Rich Cerullo and sophomore Greg DeMarco. Last year, Terzis made 20 total tackles, including three for a loss, while Brown finished with seven stops, including two for a loss.
Andrew Tyshovntsky and Darzell Wright are two freshmen who are looking for playing time on the defensive line.

Linebacker - Marcus Taylor, a Second Team All-Patriot League pick last year who will lead the linebackers in 2006, led the Rams with 120 total tackles last fall, second in the Patriot League and eighth in the NCAA I-AA. Included in his 120 stops were six for a loss and one sack, while he also intercepted two passes and forced three fumbles.
Senior Josh Jenrette also returns to his starting spot at linebacker. Last fall, Jenrette recorded 64 total tackles, third best on the team, including six for a loss and four sacks while also forcing two fumbles and intercepting a pass.
Ryan Kleve, who went down with an injury in 2005, returns at linebacker after registering 33 total tackles last year, four for a loss, before suffering the season-ending injury.
Also back at linebacker are juniors Dominique Owens and Jeb Bent, along with senior Dan Scillieri and sophomores Fonzie Culver, Klugy Mathurin, and Chris Cowan.
Freshmen James Crockett, and Asil Mulbah are expected to fight for a place on the two-deep this fall while freshmen Joe Evans, Ryan Darcy, Ken Mahoney and Frank Curry will provide depth.

Defensive Backs - Senior Carl Garritano, who will miss the 2006 season with an injury suffered in the spring, was the lone returning starter from last year's defensive secondary, starting all 11 games at free safety. Last fall, Garritano was second on the team with 82 tackles, including three for a loss. He also broke up three pass and recovered three fumbles.
Junior Raymond Loney returns and is expected to start at one corner in 2006 while junior Bruce Lee, who started six games last year and finished with 41 stops and a team-high seven pass break-ups, will start at the other corner.
Junior Sam Orah, who appeared in all eleven games last year and made seven stops, and sophomore Ken Thompson will back-up Loney and Lee. Sophomore Matt Loucks, who appeared in eight games last fall as a freshman, and junior Earl Hudnell are expected to man the safety spots with back-up from sophomores Zach Dayton, who is moving over to the defensive backfield after playing at wide receiver last fall, and Nahom Kidanemarian.
Other returning players who saw time in the defensive backfield last fall include sophomores Matt Donahue and Larry Rhea and junior Varron Knights. A number of newcomers could also see playing time in the defensive backfield this fall including freshmen Isiejah Allen, Brandon Brown, Kelvin Colbert, Chris Small and David Mendez.


Kicking

Senior Micah Clukey, a First Team All-Patriot League pick in 2005 for the second straight year, gives the Rams a presence on special teams after connecting on seven of his 11 field goal attempts and all 18 of his PATs. Backing him up will be junior Benjamin Dato, who has handled all the kickoff duties the past two years as well as the long field goals, connecting on a 44-yarder last year, along with sophomore Adam Danko. The punting duties will fall to Dato after the graduation of First Team All-Patriot League punter Anthony DiFino