INDEPENDENTS 2003
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH O:5 D:8 (10-3)
Talk about making a good first impression!!! HC Tyrone Willingham came over from the left coast, and simply did a marvelous job with this squad last season. The Golden Domer's faithful had it up to you know where with the Bob Davey coaching staff, so Willingham was definitely a breath of fresh air. ND stormed out of the gates by taking it to a Maryland squad in their first game, and then ran their record to 8-0 before getting upset by BC at home. They didn’t close the season out as expected, but it was a successful season nonetheless. Tyrone Willingham has always made do with his talent, and he’s got loads of it at Notre Dame. The Irish return 13 from last year’s squad, & are poised to make a run at the Sugar Bowl. QB Carlyle Holiday returns for his junior campaign, and he’ll try to avoid the injury bug this time around. It took him some time to pick up Willingham’s complex offense, but he should put up much better numbers with a year’s worth of experience of it under his belt. He also has some solid competition in back of him, so he must perform well to hold on to his starting job. The RB core is loaded with talent as both RB Ryan Grant & converted FB Powers-Neal return. They also might welcome back RB Julius Jones this season after he cleared up his academic problems. This is one of the most talented RB cores in the nation, and it’s loaded with depth. The WR core returns pretty much everyone, but someone has to step up to replace WR Arnez Battle who led the team in receptions a year ago. The most glaring problem for the offense is its O-line. They lose 4 starters to the NFL. That’s just a huge loss, and the guys taking their place have had little if any big game experience. The new guys come highly recommended, but ND’s schedule won’t give them too much time to learn from their mistakes. The defense returns 8 from a very successful defense from a year ago. The front wall is stacked with size and talent, and is definitely one of the best in the country. They only allowed 2.8 yards per carry rushing, and sacked the QB 37 times. They return 3 of 4 starters from last year’s wall, and could be even nastier in ’03. The good news doesn’t stop there Irish fans!!! The LB core is one of the deepest, and most experienced in the country. Led by SR ILB Courtney Watson, this is one of the best in the nation!!! The secondary owns one of the most exciting playmakers in the country in Vontez Duff. This kid was Mr. Everything last season, and he’s the key cog in a secondary that comes in a little deeper & experienced. The special team’s has some dangerous returnmen, and the return of Julius Jones will only make them better. K Nick Setta has to become more consistent, but this is a top-notch special teams unit nonetheless. The Irish have the toughest schedule in the country, but still have the talent to make a major run at the National Championship. They’re O-line looks to be the biggest question mark, but I love the talent on this team. I also think they’re lucky to have one of the finest football minds in the country running the show. ND will need a lot of things to go right for them early on in the season. If the luck of the Irish pays off in the first month, and they’re 4-0….LOOK OUT!!!!
-- The Golden Domer’s were 9-4 under HC Willingham last season.
CONNECTICUT HUSKIES O:8 D:8 (6-6)
The UCONN Huskies are my no means a basketball school anymore with the inauguration of Rentschler Field this season. It’s a beautiful 40,000-seat stadium that has the Storr’s faithful going bonkers over the 2003 season. The Huskies aren’t to be taken lightly anymore as they have some quality talent lining up for them in ’03. Junior QB Dan Orlovsky is the field general for an offense that made giant leaps a year ago. He passed for over 2400 yards last year with 19 TD’s, and has NFL scouts drooling over what might be down the road. He has the most veteran O-line UCONN has ever had since moving over to D-I football with the return of 4 full time starters. He’s also got a guy in back of him that tore it up last season as a freshman. RB Terry Caulley rushed for over 1200 yards last season, and found the end zone 16 times. This kid was passed over by the entire nation, so expect him to continue playing with a huge chip on his shoulder. The WR core continues to upgrade in talent, so it won’t be hard for QB Orlovsky to find himself a new favorite target. This unit nearly doubled its scoring output from a year ago last season, and it only looks better for them in ’03 with the return of 8 starters from a year ago. As good as the offense did last season in turning their numbers around, the defense was even better. They chiseled off 11 PPG from a year ago, and the pass defense knocked off 70 YPG. The front 7 is loaded with depth & experience, and has added size to make them more competitive. The secondary should continue to climb up the rankings as well. UCONN has a very balanced schedule that will allow them to at least match last years win total if not eclipse it. They are a very talented bunch, and have the firepower to surprise one of the big boys.
-- The Huskies are 11-4 ATS as a road pup under HC Edsall.
NAVY MIDSHIPMEN O:7 D:6 (2-10)
Not much has gone right for the Midshipmen the last5 years, but last season showed some promise. HC Paul Johnson’s first year at the helm went according as planned mostly because of their tough schedule. They did have some positive moments last year, and this year’s team will build on them. They almost pulled off a shocker by beating Notre Dame, and then they simply blew Army’s doors off in their annual battle. This year’s squad returns 13 starters from a year ago, and Navy just had its best recruiting effort for quite some time. What they do have this year is a gritty experienced QB by the name of Craig Candeto who can lead them to a few more victories this year. They’re not the biggest or the most talented, but they do have heart. Their offense should improve on last year’s numbers, but their defense still looks a bit shaky up front. Their schedule looks much more promising in the second year of the Johnson era, so I expect them to better their record from a year ago.
-- Navy is 15-8 ATS the week after a bye (VS. E. MICH 9/20 & VS. C MICH 11/22)
TROY STATE TROJANS O:5 D:4 (5-4)
The Trojans tried to step up last season by playing 8 division I teams, and got their butts handed to them. They also had their 17-game home winning streak snapped in OT against Utah St. to close out last season. They did have one of the better defenses in the nation, but their offense just couldn’t muster up enough points against the big boys. HC Blakeney’s squad only returns 9 starters from a year ago, and is running a new offense. They’ve also signed on to play 10 division I teams this year of which the majority of them are on the road. They have some talent on offense, but their O-line loses a bunch of experience from a year ago. Their defense looks set in the secondary, but their front 7 is pretty much all inexperienced. Their secondary will get tested big-time if they can’t generate any kind of pass rush. This is definitely a rebuilding year for the Trojans, but it looks brighter down the road with the majority of this year’s squad being freshman and sophomores.
-- Troy St is 7-4 ATS as double-digit dawgs the L/2 year’s.
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH O:5 D:8 (10-3)
Talk about making a good first impression!!! HC Tyrone Willingham came over from the left coast, and simply did a marvelous job with this squad last season. The Golden Domer's faithful had it up to you know where with the Bob Davey coaching staff, so Willingham was definitely a breath of fresh air. ND stormed out of the gates by taking it to a Maryland squad in their first game, and then ran their record to 8-0 before getting upset by BC at home. They didn’t close the season out as expected, but it was a successful season nonetheless. Tyrone Willingham has always made do with his talent, and he’s got loads of it at Notre Dame. The Irish return 13 from last year’s squad, & are poised to make a run at the Sugar Bowl. QB Carlyle Holiday returns for his junior campaign, and he’ll try to avoid the injury bug this time around. It took him some time to pick up Willingham’s complex offense, but he should put up much better numbers with a year’s worth of experience of it under his belt. He also has some solid competition in back of him, so he must perform well to hold on to his starting job. The RB core is loaded with talent as both RB Ryan Grant & converted FB Powers-Neal return. They also might welcome back RB Julius Jones this season after he cleared up his academic problems. This is one of the most talented RB cores in the nation, and it’s loaded with depth. The WR core returns pretty much everyone, but someone has to step up to replace WR Arnez Battle who led the team in receptions a year ago. The most glaring problem for the offense is its O-line. They lose 4 starters to the NFL. That’s just a huge loss, and the guys taking their place have had little if any big game experience. The new guys come highly recommended, but ND’s schedule won’t give them too much time to learn from their mistakes. The defense returns 8 from a very successful defense from a year ago. The front wall is stacked with size and talent, and is definitely one of the best in the country. They only allowed 2.8 yards per carry rushing, and sacked the QB 37 times. They return 3 of 4 starters from last year’s wall, and could be even nastier in ’03. The good news doesn’t stop there Irish fans!!! The LB core is one of the deepest, and most experienced in the country. Led by SR ILB Courtney Watson, this is one of the best in the nation!!! The secondary owns one of the most exciting playmakers in the country in Vontez Duff. This kid was Mr. Everything last season, and he’s the key cog in a secondary that comes in a little deeper & experienced. The special team’s has some dangerous returnmen, and the return of Julius Jones will only make them better. K Nick Setta has to become more consistent, but this is a top-notch special teams unit nonetheless. The Irish have the toughest schedule in the country, but still have the talent to make a major run at the National Championship. They’re O-line looks to be the biggest question mark, but I love the talent on this team. I also think they’re lucky to have one of the finest football minds in the country running the show. ND will need a lot of things to go right for them early on in the season. If the luck of the Irish pays off in the first month, and they’re 4-0….LOOK OUT!!!!
-- The Golden Domer’s were 9-4 under HC Willingham last season.
CONNECTICUT HUSKIES O:8 D:8 (6-6)
The UCONN Huskies are my no means a basketball school anymore with the inauguration of Rentschler Field this season. It’s a beautiful 40,000-seat stadium that has the Storr’s faithful going bonkers over the 2003 season. The Huskies aren’t to be taken lightly anymore as they have some quality talent lining up for them in ’03. Junior QB Dan Orlovsky is the field general for an offense that made giant leaps a year ago. He passed for over 2400 yards last year with 19 TD’s, and has NFL scouts drooling over what might be down the road. He has the most veteran O-line UCONN has ever had since moving over to D-I football with the return of 4 full time starters. He’s also got a guy in back of him that tore it up last season as a freshman. RB Terry Caulley rushed for over 1200 yards last season, and found the end zone 16 times. This kid was passed over by the entire nation, so expect him to continue playing with a huge chip on his shoulder. The WR core continues to upgrade in talent, so it won’t be hard for QB Orlovsky to find himself a new favorite target. This unit nearly doubled its scoring output from a year ago last season, and it only looks better for them in ’03 with the return of 8 starters from a year ago. As good as the offense did last season in turning their numbers around, the defense was even better. They chiseled off 11 PPG from a year ago, and the pass defense knocked off 70 YPG. The front 7 is loaded with depth & experience, and has added size to make them more competitive. The secondary should continue to climb up the rankings as well. UCONN has a very balanced schedule that will allow them to at least match last years win total if not eclipse it. They are a very talented bunch, and have the firepower to surprise one of the big boys.
-- The Huskies are 11-4 ATS as a road pup under HC Edsall.
NAVY MIDSHIPMEN O:7 D:6 (2-10)
Not much has gone right for the Midshipmen the last5 years, but last season showed some promise. HC Paul Johnson’s first year at the helm went according as planned mostly because of their tough schedule. They did have some positive moments last year, and this year’s team will build on them. They almost pulled off a shocker by beating Notre Dame, and then they simply blew Army’s doors off in their annual battle. This year’s squad returns 13 starters from a year ago, and Navy just had its best recruiting effort for quite some time. What they do have this year is a gritty experienced QB by the name of Craig Candeto who can lead them to a few more victories this year. They’re not the biggest or the most talented, but they do have heart. Their offense should improve on last year’s numbers, but their defense still looks a bit shaky up front. Their schedule looks much more promising in the second year of the Johnson era, so I expect them to better their record from a year ago.
-- Navy is 15-8 ATS the week after a bye (VS. E. MICH 9/20 & VS. C MICH 11/22)
TROY STATE TROJANS O:5 D:4 (5-4)
The Trojans tried to step up last season by playing 8 division I teams, and got their butts handed to them. They also had their 17-game home winning streak snapped in OT against Utah St. to close out last season. They did have one of the better defenses in the nation, but their offense just couldn’t muster up enough points against the big boys. HC Blakeney’s squad only returns 9 starters from a year ago, and is running a new offense. They’ve also signed on to play 10 division I teams this year of which the majority of them are on the road. They have some talent on offense, but their O-line loses a bunch of experience from a year ago. Their defense looks set in the secondary, but their front 7 is pretty much all inexperienced. Their secondary will get tested big-time if they can’t generate any kind of pass rush. This is definitely a rebuilding year for the Trojans, but it looks brighter down the road with the majority of this year’s squad being freshman and sophomores.
-- Troy St is 7-4 ATS as double-digit dawgs the L/2 year’s.
