There’s more on the line than just a win this coming Saturday when F&M goes head-to-head with Washington & Lee at 1 p.m. at Williamson-Sponaugle Field.
There’s more on the line than just a win this coming Saturday when F&M goes head-to-head with Washington & Lee at 1 p.m. at Williamson-Sponaugle Field.
Amongst other things, head coach John Troxell will look to pull his personal head coaching record at F&M to 21-21, the team will be looking to start the season off on the right foot, and the program will be shooting for its 575th win, a mark that Troxell says is a very prominent mark to reach.
“For the program, getting [win] number 575 is a huge number,” Troxell said. “I think when you look back at all the colleges in Division III, that puts us up there pretty high with some pretty prestigious programs.”
Troxell added that, in addition to the symbolic importance a win would have for the program’s history, a win on Saturday would be very important in how the 2010 season will unfold for the Diplomats.
“I think [this game] is real important,” Troxell said. “Everybody wants to get off to a good start and I don’t think it’s any different for us. We’re looking to win, there’s no doubt about it.”
F&M will be looking to snag that win against the Generals of Washington & Lee, a team that posted a 4-6 (2-4 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference) overall record in 2009, good for next to last place in the ODAC.
Saturday will mark the 11th time these two teams have squared off. Since the series was rekindled back in 2006, F&M holds a 3-1 record over the Generals, and W&L has failed to secure a win in Lancaster since they drubbed the Dips 28-6 back in 1963.
Last season, the Dips opened their season down in Lexington, VA, and the team barely escaped with a victory.
Leading 29-14 early on in the fourth quarter, the Dips surrendered 13 unanswered points, and were saved from overtime when W&L quarterback Charlie Westfal was taken down just short of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt by Mark Surma ’11 with just over a minute remaining.
While F&M almost coughed up the lead late, the Dips were able to hang on and secure a win in their opener that sparked a 9-2 season and an ECAC bowl victory.
With team expectations riding high after a hugely successful 2009 campaign, Troxell said the team is looking to take steps forward in 2010.
“Our team expectations are pretty high,” Troxell said. “We’re going to try and build off what we did a year ago. Clearly, we do have a good group of guys coming back on both sides of the ball… Our ultimate goal right now is to get to a point where we can compete every year for a championship.”
This season, F&M will be returning eight starters on both sides of the ball, including stars such as quarterback John Harrison ’12, wide receiver Jay Ridinger ’11, tight end Michael Deutch ’11, Surma, and middle linebacker Sam Massaro ’13.
While an immense amount of talent is returning this season, F&M also saw several stars depart following the 2009 season, including wide receiver George Eager ’10 and cornerback Barry Lovett ’10.
Lovett, who received a tryout in the NFL with the New York Giants, was a steady presence in the F&M defensive backfield. His departure, along with two other starters from last season, leaves the secondary in a bit of a transition period as the team looks for players to replace them on game days.
“I think there’s clearly some questions,” Troxell said. “Ty Savastio ’11 is back at one corner; he started all last year for us. Kurt Rogers ’12 is at safety. Kurt played a lot for us last year, so we feel pretty comfortable with those guys. I don’t know if we’re going to lose a lot [at those positions].”
Troxell added that, despite Eager’s departure after last season, he is more than comfortable with the offensive weapons that he has on his squad.
“I think between Jarrell [Diggs] ’12 and Jay [Ridinger], they’re both three and four year players, so we’re expecting them to step up big,” Troxell said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see both those guys at the end of the year with 65, 70 catches… I think there’s enough skill on the offensive side of the ball to pick up the slack for that one guy.”
On Saturday, F&M will be focusing on W&L’s rushing attack, which ranked 36th in the nation with close to 202 yards per game. It will be crucial for the Dips to do so because the run is the bread and butter of the Generals offense, as their passing attack sputtered last season, posting a paltry 109 yards per game in 2009 (213th in the nation).
Troxell said his team will indeed be focused on stopping the run, adding that, for most teams at the DIII level, the rushing attack is the most important aspect of the offense.
“For us to be successful, and I think this over the course of the season as well, we’re going to have to be successful at stopping the run,” Troxell said. “I don’t know that there are many guys at this level who can clearly beat you with their arm. The best teams that win year in and year out have a [great] tailback. If you look at W&L, that’s what makes them successful, being able to run the ball.”
For the Dips, stunting the Generals rushing attack will be crucial, as well as preventing W&L from getting good field position to start drives, a factor that almost led to W&L completing a come from behind victory last year.
Last season, the Generals were able to return multiple kicks to the F&M half of the field, and a muffed punt also put W&L in solid starting position.
With goals like winning the conference, improving on a 9-2 record, and potentially making the NCAA tournament at season’s end, it will be important for the Dips to get off on the right foot on Saturday.
This will be the only non-conference game of the season for the Dips, as the addition of Susquehanna to the Centennial Conference gives the Dips nine conference games to look forward to after this weekend.
Game time is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Junior Tim Jackson is the Sports Editor
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