Football 2003 Season Outlook - Guilford College

  • 2003 Season Outlook

Just three years removed from fielding one of the worst defenses in school history, Guilford now boasts one of its best defensive units as it enters the 2003 season, the school's 98th football campaign.  Nine returning defensive starters give head coach Mike Ketchum cause for optimism as he starts his 13th year as his alma mater's head football coach.  The Quakers are an experienced team with 50 letter winners and 15 starters back from last year's 3-7 club, which finished 0-6 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).

            To take advantage of the talented defense, Ketchum says the Quakers must control the ball on offense and play extremely well on special teams.  He used the off-season time gained by yielding Guilford's athletic director post in 2002 to install a multiple-option offense, modeled after the schemes used effectively by Georgia Southern and the Air Force Academy.

            "On paper on defense, we're going to be a really good football team," Ketchum said.  "The very good thing about this offense means your defense plays less and less, but when it plays, it's in really good field position."

            Ketchum calls the defensive line the cornerstone of the defense.  Senior nose guard Brian Person returns after a dominant 2002 campaign in which he received third-team Football Gazette All-South and first-team All-ODAC laurels.  The Football Gazette picked Person to its 2003 preseason All-America Second Team.

            "When you're in the middle, coaches really appreciate you," said Ketchum, a former lineman.  "Coaches understand what you do.  You don't really get a lot of tackles.  He shouldn't get a lot of tackles for loss or a bunch of sacks, because he's going to have to beat, one, two or three guys every play."

            Person made stops in opposing backfields a team-high 14 times last year and gets at least a yard's penetration in the middle of the line on nearly every play.  Ketchum looks forward to moving Person around the line more often this year because it holds so much talent and experience.  Ketchum will consider using more four- and five-man to get an additional inside pass rush, especially versus pass-happy ODAC foes.

            "It becomes a very limiting thing for the offense as far as what plays they will have ready for their game plan," Ketchum said.  "In theory, you shouldn't be able to run a lot of plays against what we're doing defensively because we're very multiple."

Juniors Delvin Newkirk and Chris Kinton have manned the defensive end positions for most of the past two seasons and senior Eric Welch returns for his final season after an injury-shortened junior year.  Sophomore Jay Evans, one of Guilford's strongest players, and classmate Chris Jones, a converted offensive lineman, give the Quakers more interior line depth, which could let Ketchum line the 6-3, 285-pound Person on the end.  Sophomore J.T. Holleman moves from linebacker to defensive end and highly touted rookie Brandon H. Smith adds even more depth to the line.

            Guilford's linebackers, often beneficiaries of the strong defensive line, return four of five starters from last year's team.  Senior inside linebacker Wes Kidd, a second-team All-ODAC pick in 2002, led Guilford's tacklers and paced the league in conference games with 10.7 stops per game.  Junior Kyle Becher, a captain last year, and senior inside backer Matt Ledbetter bring experience and toughness in the middle.  Senior Travis Newkirk, Guilford's number-two tackler in each of the past two years, returns at outside linebacker.  Redshirt-junior Travis Boyd could fill the other outside slot, vacated by 2002 starter Terrance Gary's move to running back.

            Senior cornerbacks O.J. Batts and Sherod Long have 21 interceptions between them over the past three years.  Despite their return, Ketchum notes the major void left in the secondary by the departure of J.J. Edwards.  Edwards, a recipient of Guilford's 2002 Golden Helmet Award, held the defense together because he played safety like a linebacker 12 yards down field.  While Ketchum says Batts has the mettle to fill Edwards' shoes, he will likely give Air Force transfer Chase Waterhouse a long audition there during preseason.  The 6-0, 185-pound Waterhouse started his career as a cornerback before moving to safety in the Falcons' formation, which mirrors Guilford's.  If Batts is the man at safety, Waterhouse or improving junior Jason Allen could line up opposite Long at cornerback.

            In order for its vaunted defense to be most effective, Guilford's offense must move the ball and limit turnovers.  The multiple-option employs a B-back, or fullback, plus two A-backs, or slotbacks, used often in motion.  Ketchum calls the offense friendly for linemen friendly and demanding on quarterbacks.  He also says it's an offense to which Guilford should be able to recruit annually.

            "We think this formation and this offensive philosophy gives us a certain advantage," Ketchum said.  "We're going to be the only team in the league running this type of offense, so people will have to get used to it in a week."

            Unfortunately Guilford starts its new offense with very few returning running backs.  Redshirt quarterback Clint Duckworth is the Quakers' top returning rusher after gaining 21 yards in 2002.  Last year's leading rusher, Brandon Lockhart, used up his eligibility and the second- and third-leading rushers (Marcus Ballard and Jarrett Cook) did not return in 2003.  Ketchum will likely count on rookies and inexperienced veterans to carry the ball.  Senior fullback B.J. Caye, who ran effectively in a couple games as a sophomore, has the most experience among returning players, but is hampered by a bad back.  Senior Calvin Lockhart rejoins the team after a one-year absence and redshirt junior Terrance Gary moves from outside linebacker to running back.  Lockhart and Gary will see time at both running back positions, as will rookie Monte Pender.

            The multiple-option requires a tough-nosed quarterback who can withstand the physical challenges of carrying the ball and complete a play-action pass.  Guilford returns three quarterbacks who played in 2002, plus a transfer with impressive high school reviews.  Ketchum says two of the four players will handle the signal calling, while the others will be asked to play other positions.

            Josh Smith, a redshirt junior, started eight games last season and has the most experience of the four quarterbacks.  Duckworth showed toughness and good decision-making in his seven 2002 games, including two starts.  Strong-armed Chris Gammon likely would have pushed Smith and Duckworth for minutes last season before breaking his wrist in the second game of the year.  He received a medical redshirt and retains four seasons of eligibility.  Rookie Kyle Kiser, who attended Appalachian State, but did not play football, stands 6-2, 225 and could be one of Guilford's fastest players.  The former North Forsyth H.S. standout could find minutes at running back or receiver if he's not under center.

            A dearth of returning receivers also contributed to Ketchum's decision to employ the multiple option.  Four-time All-ODAC wideout Chris McKinney '03 wrapped up a stellar career last season with 163 career catches, the fifth-highest total in league history.  Senior Nick Harvey's six catches lead the list of returning pass-catchers.  Redshirt-freshman Ryan Wilson missed the 2002 season with a hamstring injury.

            The offensive line returns senior Feky Eugene and junior Brian Guthrie, who moves from tackle to guard, from last year's starting group.  Center Corey Haase started the last three games of his rookie season and gives Guilford strength and experience in the middle of the line.  The center and guards must be good athletes in the multiple-option formation because of the amount of pulling required.  The tackles need to be aggressive, but not the prototypical professional tackle that spends a lot of time pass blocking.  Senior Jon Cagle, who has starting line experience, and sophomore Jon Matthews are the leading tackle candidates.  Junior Chris Dunn returns to tight end following a season with the defense where he'll push senior Dan Caliento, who has 23 career appearances, including seven starts in 2002.

            In addition to an effective ball-control offense, Ketchum says a strong special teams effort is critical to the Quakers' success.  To that end, he intends to keep many of his regulars on the field for return situations.  Harvey has experience returning kicks, but McKinney and Ballard handled most of the returns in the past two seasons.  Junior Christian Adams ranked 34th among Division III punting leaders last season, but Ketchum would like to see more consistency from the punting game.  Adams is also a candidate at place-kicker, along with rookie Travis Frazier.

            While the special teams and offense have question marks, Ketchum believes the team's experience and closeness will help Guilford overcome its challenges.  Some 19 players start their fourth season with the Quakers.  Ketchum calls this year's bunch his closest since the 1997 ODAC Championship side and says the players are in "amazingly better shape" than last year.  Guilford could also benefit from a scheduling quirk that features six home games for the first time since 1987.  The seventh-annual Gate City Soup Bowl with Greensboro College, will also be played in Greensboro at Jamieson Stadium.

            ODAC football coaches picked the Quakers sixth in their annual preseason poll.  Two-time defending league champion Bridgewater, a 2002 national quarterfinalist, earned the top spot and hosts Guilford October 18.  Hampden-Sydney, the Quakers opponent for Family Weekend September 23, was picked second.  Guilford opens the season for the third straight year at Division II power Carson-Newman September 6.