The excitement of winning the NCAA Division I-AA national football championship less than a month earlier still was running high when UD Head Coach K.C. Keeler gathered his team in January to discuss details for spring practice and off-season conditioning.
Ever the motivator, the energetic coach opened the meeting by holding up a white T-shirt for all the team to see.
The front of the shirt boasted in bold letters all the accomplishments of the 2003 season--NCAA Division I-AA national champions, Atlantic 10 Conference Champions, Lambert Cup champions and ECAC Team of the Year. Impressive stuff and certainly a keepsake for all to remember one of the finest football seasons in UD history.
Then Keeler turned the shirt around to show a big black bullseye the size of a basketball on the back. The display drew a big laugh from the audience. They all knew exactly what their coach was getting at.
"It was a joke, but they all got the point," says Keeler, who led the Blue Hens to their sixth national championship in school history and first since 1979. UD completed a 15-1 season with a 40-0 win over Colgate Dec. 19 in Chattanooga, Tenn. "We are now the hunted. Everyone has circled their game against Delaware in red on their schedules. It's a lot of fun knowing that every game you are going to play this year is a big game, but you also have to realize that you are not going to sneak by anybody. We'll need to be ready every time we step out on the field."
If talent, depth and experience have anything to do with how ready the Hens will be when the new season begins, it looks as if 2004 could be another banner year.
The Blue Hens lost some outstanding players to graduation, including four All-Americans in quarterback Andy Hall, running back Germaine Bennett, offensive guard Jason Nerys and defensive end Shawn Johnson, along with the heart and soul of the squad and an outstanding safety in his own right, Mike Adams. But they return 16 full-time starters among 41 letter-winners, many of whom are All-American candidates themselves.
"I really like this team we have coming back," says Keeler, who will enter his 12th season as a college head coach this fall. "I think its greatest asset is that it has a lot of experience and a lot of guys who saw what it took to get the job done. I think the leadership of Mike Adams and Jay Nerys and the rest of the senior class will live on for many years in this program. Any time you can accomplish the ultimate goal for your football program, I think that there is a sense of pride and, in some ways, a sense of relief. Our goal was to be national champions. I'm proud that I was able to be part of the group that brought this back to the University of Delaware."
Below is a position-by-position outlook for the 2004 season.
QUARTERBACK
How do you replace a player like Andy Hall? That is the key question that faces the Blue Hen staff this fall as Delaware looks to fill a big void at football's marquee position.
A battle looms between sophomore Ryan Carty, who backed up Hall all last season and threw for 104 yards while attempting just 17 passes, and junior Sonny Riccio, a first-year transfer from Missouri.
Carty has two years of experience and showed signs of being a steady leader in his brief appearances in 2003.
Riccio, who transferred to UD in January, was a two-year backup at Missouri, where he saw spot duty behind 2004 Heisman Trophy candidate Brad Smith.
Keeler's outlook: "There are some big shoes to fill here with Andy Hall gone and headed to the NFL. You just don't replace an All-American overnight. We had a good battle between Ryan and Sonny in the spring, and we saw some encouraging things from both in the Blue-White game. We have a good situation because we have confidence that both guys can get the job done and lead this offense."
RUNNING BACK
While Hall's loss at quarterback was a major one, so was that of Bennett and Antawn Jenkins from the UD backfield.
Sophomore Niquan Lee appears to have a leg up on the competition entering the pre-season but will have to work extra hard to keep the job as No. 1 ball carrier. A punishing runner, Lee was the Hens' fourth leading rusher a year ago, when he carried 43 times for 185 yards and one touchdown.
Senior co-captain Sean Bleiler, one of the Hens' most versatile players, spent most of 2003 as a blocking back, No. 3 tight end and special teams stalwart and carried just once when he ran for 24 yards off a fake punt to spark the Blue Hens' comeback win over Navy. But the rock-hard Bleiler, who did catch 14 passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns out of the backfield a year ago, will get a long look with the ball in his hands this fall.
Keeler's outlook: "Obviously the running game is a big part of our offense and we lost two outstanding runners in Germaine Bennett and Antawn Jenkins. But we have four good candidates at this spot with veterans like Sean Bleiler and Niquan Lee and with two newcomers in Lonnie Starks and Gomez Cambridge."
RECEIVERS
Few teams this season will be able to match the depth and talent the Blue Hens possess at wide receiver.
The unit is led by a foursome of juniors in David Boler (team-high 60 catches for 716 yards and 9 touchdowns), Justin Long (50-579-5), Brian Ingram (48-595-3) and Joe Bleymaier (19-275-3), along with sure-handed senior G.J. Crescione (16-269-4).
Boler, Long and Ingram each has gained over 1,000 yards receiving in their careers, marking the first time in UD history that the Hens have had three teammates all surpass that milestone.
Boler may be one of the top receivers in the Atlantic 10. The former USC transfer has outstanding size and is dangerous after the catch. Long and Bleymaier are both strong possession receivers with good speed who run precise routes, while Ingram, who has battled injuries each of the last two seasons, is a huge target with his 6-5 frame. Crescione, a senior and an outstanding special teams performer, adds solid support and has the best hands of the group.
At the tight end spot, the Hens will need to replace two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection Rick Lavelle and Jesse O'Neill, who shared duties a year ago. Leading the way to take over the starting spot is sophomore Steve Selk, who saw backup action in seven games in 2003, and junior Justin LaForgia, a second-year transfer from Cincinnati who was a special teams regular a year ago.
Keeler's outlook: "We are fortunate in that we have a very talented group coming back and those players are going to have to be our 'go-to' guys in order for us to be successful. This unit is very deep, and those guys have caught their share of passes over the last two seasons."
OFFENSIVE LINE
Despite the loss of consensus All-American and three-year starter Jason Nerys, four senior starters return from a unit that helped Delaware rank among the national leaders in several offensive categories and allowed just 25 sacks in 16 games.
Anchoring the unit is 6-5, 300-pound left tackle Trip DelCampo, who earned third team All-Atlantic 10 honors a year ago as a first-year starter. Senior Paul Thomson (6-6, 330) returns to start at right tackle, while senior Jared Wray (6-3, 280), who missed the first half of the 2003 season with a back injury, is back at left guard.
Senior Chris Edwards (6-3, 290) once again runs the show from his center position, after an outstanding spring in which he was named the team's most improved player on offense.
The battle to replace Nerys at right guard will be waged by junior Brian Sims (6-4, 280) and redshirt freshman Rich Beverley (6-5, 285).
Keeler's outlook: "We lost our dominant All-American guard in Jay Nerys, but everyone else is back for us this season. After spring practice, we are very encouraged that we have built some outstanding depth from among some newcomers."
DEFENSIVE LINE
Of the team's top eight defensive linemen a year ago, seven are back to team with a Division I-A transfer and two of the top scout players from 2003. They are led by All-American candidate Chris Mooney (5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss), a two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection who can play at both tackle and end.
Mooney will be joined in the middle by a pair of part-time starters in junior Tom Parks (13.5 tackles for loss) and senior Brian Jennings, while the end positions will be handled by returning part-time starters in senior Dominic Santoli and junior Lou Samba, as well as by senior Ben Cross, a 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-American. Sophomore Bubba Jespersen, who saw key action in 14 games as a true freshman in 2003, also returns as a backup at tackle.
Redshirt freshmen tackle Jeremy Kametz (6-4, 230) and end Richard Washington (6-2, 250) will play key backup roles after stellar performances on the Hens' scout team a year ago. Also in the mix will be sophomore Rachid Stoury, a first-year transfer from West Virginia who is one of the team's strongest players, and redshirt freshman Brian Boatwright.
Keeler's outlook: "We feel very good about our situation on the defensive front. We went into last season with a lot of question marks here, but as the year went on, we were probably strongest on defense at this spot."
LINEBACKER
Few linebacker units in the country were as stable and productive as Delaware's trio of outside linebackers Mark Moore and John Mulhern and middle linebacker Mondoe Davis in 2003.
Moore and Davis started all 16 games while Mulhern started 15 times in leading an aggressive defense that allowed just 15.4 points and 303 total yards per game while forcing 40 turnovers.
Together, the three combined for 284 total tackles and 25 tackles for loss, including a team-high 110 tackles from pre-season All-American and All-Atlantic 10 pick Davis and 109 more from Mulhern. The 5-11, 210-pound Moore, one of the Hens' most determined and well-conditioned athletes, contributed 84 stops.
Senior Ryan McDermond, who has played in 26 games as a part-timestarter over the past two years, adds solid backup support both inside and outside.
Looking to battle for a starting spot is hard-hitting sophomore KeiAndre Hepburn, who recorded 37 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, as a backup outside linebacker as a true freshman last fall.
Other key members of the unit are redshirt freshman Marquez Davis, younger brother of Mondoe and the team's Most Improved Defensive Player for spring drills, who will battle for time at outside linebacker, and senior Craig Browne (16 tackles).
Keeler's outlook: "We bring back all of our linebackers from last year and expect that KeiAndre Hepburn will grow even more. Marquez Davis had a great spring and has the chance to push some of the incumbents for playing time."
SECONDARY
While the secondary might be the weakest of the three Delaware defensive units returning in 2004, it still ranks as an impressive group, featuring co-captain and pre-season All-American Sidney Haugabrook.
Haugabrook, who recorded 84 tackles and a team-high nine pass breakups a year ago, is among the top cornerbacks not only in the Atlantic 10 but in all of NCAA Division I-AA football. The jet-quick 5-10, 185-pound Haugabrook is looking to become just the second player in school history to earn all-conference honors all four years.
While Haugabrook handles one corner, a battle will be waged by sophomore Rashaad Woodard (five tackles), junior Roger Brown (31 tackles) and converted wide receiver and sophomore Zach Thomas to take over the other starting role.
At safety, sophomore Kyle Campbell returns at the free spot after starting all 16 games as a redshirt freshman in 2003 and recording 79 tackles and one interception. Senior Dave Camburn, a three-year regular and part-time starter, will battle to take over Mike Adams' spot at strong safety.
Camburn, who recorded 49 tackles and two interceptions in 2003, will battle Notre Dame transfer Garron Bible for a starting berth.
Other key members of the Blue Hen secondary include sophomore safety Nicos Chavis, sophomore John Russ and redshirt freshman Jeff Robinson.
Keeler's outlook: "We probably have the best cornerback in the Atlantic 10 and one of the top players in the nation in Sidney Haugabrook to anchor our secondary."
SPECIAL TEAMS
Highlighting the kicking game are returning starters Brad Shushman and Mike Weber, each of whom got his first opportunity for a full-time role in 2003 and made the most of the chance.
Shushman took over the kicking chores full-time a year ago and responded by earning third team All-Atlantic 10 honors. He converted 64 of 67 extra point attempts and was good on a school-record 17 of 24 field goal attempts.
Weber took over the punting chores in 2003 and ranked among the Atlantic 10 leaders, punting 67 times for a 38.5 average with no blocks.
Sidney Haugabrook was explosive as a punt returner, averaging 12.4 yards on 35 attempts to rank 19th nationally in that category and earn second team All-Atlantic 10 honors as a return man. He had four punt returns go for 30 or more yards.
David Boler also returns to handle kickoffs, where he averaged 19.8 yards on 18 returns a year ago. Zach Thomas is also an adept kick returner, having averaged 17.8 yards on 10 returns as a freshman in 2003.
Keeler's outlook: "We return virtually every part of our special teams unit from last season, so we have a pretty good comfort level heading into this year. They will once again play an integral part in our success."